How & Why
to Read & Study
the Bible
5 April 2014
How the Bible Is Organized
Old Testament
• Historical Books
New Testament

Matthew through Acts
Genesis through Esther
• Poetic Books

Isaiah through Malachi
Ancient Time to ~400 BC
Epistles/Letters
Romans through Jude
Job through Song of Songs
• Prophetic Books
Historical Books

Prophetic Book
Revelation
~0 AD to ~100 AD
Examples of People in the Bible
Who Studied the Bible
 Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came I ate
them, for they were my joy and
my heart’s delight.
 Ezra 7:10
Now Ezra had devoted himself to
the study and observance of the
Law of the Lord and to teaching
its decrees and laws in Israel.
Examples of People in the Bible
Who Studied the Bible
 Mt. 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘man does
not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of
God.’”
 Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were of more noble
character than the Thessalonians, for the
received the message with great and
examined the Scriptures every day to see
if what Paul said was true
Navigator Hand Illustration
Apply
James 1:22
Reasons to Read the Bible
1. The world's best selling book
2. Biblical faith is based on a historical
event
3. Jesus was a real person
4. Believing in the Bible message changes
lives
People have been rescued from: drugs,
depression, shop-lifting, heart condition, low
self-esteem, a life of violence, a lesbian
lifestyle, the effects of abuse...
Reasons to Read the Bible
5. Filled with real people and real places
6. Jesus has dramatically affected history
7. Brilliant people believe it to be true George Frederic Handel, Johann Sebastian
Bach, Franz Haydn, Ludwig Van Beethoven,
Johannes Kepler, Louis Pasteur, C. S. Lewis
8. Fulfils our deepest needs
Love, truth, know God, overcome fear of death,
find forgiveness, find peace, find freedom, find
joy, find security
Reasons to Read the Bible
9. The world's most widely distributed book
The whole Bible has been translated into 405
different languages and the New Testament
into 1034 languages.
10.Packed with the most exciting events
These include human emotion (love, joy,
peace, exhilaration, pain and
disappointment), miracles like people rising
from the dead, people receiving their sight
and walking on water, suspense, battles and
the supernatural (God and demons).
Reasons to Read the Bible
11.What the Bible says makes sense
There must be a Creator, there is good and
evil, we have trouble doing what is right,
there will be a judgment for what we have
done, we need forgiveness
12.Many people have died for their faith
13.Has survived the most sustained attack
14.The Bible is historically reliable
From the book "In Six Days (why 50 scientists choose to believe in
creation)" edited by John F Ashton PhD, New Holland Publishers,
1999. http://www.changinglivesonline.org/why-read-the-bible.html
Bible Reading Priorities
(for First Time Readers)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
4 Gospels
Rest of New Testament
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
Genesis (the beginning of many thinhgs)
Exodus – Esther
Job, Song of Solomon
Major prophets
Minor prophets
Book of Enoch (maybe not Bible canon,
but quoted by Jesus and the apostles;
worth reading to understand Genesis.)
Which version of the Bible?
 Use an English translation based on the Greek
majority text
 KJV – truer to the original text
 NKJV – easier to read
 Beware of modern version based on the
corrupted Nestle / Westcott-Hort / Alexandrian /
Greek text, e.g., NIV, RSV, NASB, The Message,
Jerusalem Bible, etc.
 Other languages – OK, but may be poor
translation and usually based on corrupted text
Bible Reading Plan
1189 chapters in the Bible
365 days per year
 3 year plan: 1.09 chapters / day
 2 year plan: 1.63 chapters / day
 1 year plan: 3.26 chapters / day
 6 month plan: 6.5 chapters / day
 4 month plan: 9.78 chapters / day
 3 month plan: 13.06 chapters / day
How To Study the Bible
 Historical book study
 Prophetic book study
 Wisdom / poetic book study
 Parable study
 Epistle study
 Topical study, e.g., angels & demons
 Character study, e.g., Paul
 Word study, love
Inductive Bible Study
 Observations
 What the text says
 Interpretation
 What the text means
 Application
 What do I do with it in my life?
Observations
 Who?
 Comparison
 What?
 Contrast
 Why?
 Cause & Effect
 Where?
 Word repetition
 When?
 Key verse(s)
 How?
Interpretation
 Listen for the truth; ask God for guidance
 Do some research to try to understand the
context and the historic situation
 Let Scripture interpret Scripture, i.e., use
cross references
 Recognize literal and figurative language
 Read the text literally unless the context
demands otherwise
 Don’t rely too much on commentaries
Study Tools
 The Bible itself! (Best tool)
 Concordance / Dictionary
 http://www.blueletterbible.org/
 Bible maps
 Internet search
 Ask your pastor / church leaders
Application
But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. –
James 1:22
 Listen to the Holy Spirit speak directly
 Is there a sin I need to repent of?
 Is there a character area, bad habit that I
need to change or stop?
 Is there a positive example I can follow?
 Is there a forgotten task I need to do?
 Is there a person I need to talk to?
Study Tools
 The Bible itself! (Best tool)
 Concordance / Dictionary
 http://www.blueletterbible.org/
 Bible maps
 Internet search
 Ask your pastor / church leaders
 Old Testament PowerPoint intros:
http://www.somehelpful.info/OT/
Scripture Memory Tips
 Choose a verse to memorize that speaks to
something in your life right now.
 Write it down and carry it or put it by your bed.
 Say it out loud.
 Pray with it.
 Review, review, review
Father’s Love Letter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvqmhGs1Y8
Q&A
The grass withereth, the
flower fadeth: but the
word of our God shall
stand for ever.
– Isaiah 40:8