The Very Basics of Reading the Bible

At some point you gotta open it and read it.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

For those that have been following along — my “Spiritual, not Religious” friends — the time has come to crack open a Bible. If you’re so inclined.

So far, for those that haven’t read along, the progression has included:

• The Awe of Nature recognizes God in the wonder of the world

• The Unexamined Life asks for guidance related to self-improvement

• Christianity Is Not a Lie attempts to separate the Bible from the people

• You Can’t Prove God — Part I introduces Natural Theology to prove God

• You Can’t Prove God — Part II shows belief in God can be rational

• ConfuHinduTaoBuddhism introduces some alternatives to Christianity

  
  

“Unsyncretising” Beliefs

In these writings, I’ve attempted to introduce the idea of syncretism as a shortcoming — the adoption of various spiritual ideas on the fly, resulting in a haphazard collection of beliefs that are completely incompatible if not outright contradictory. I didn’t realize that when I did it once upon a time…

A Whole New Level of Laziness

Of course, I told myself I’d expanded my horizons by dipping my toe into the waters of Zen Buddhism then later a non-spiritual form of Taoism, and I stuck with both on a daily basis for years. Somehow, despite some value, I knew I hadn’t found what I was looking for.

I in fact didn’t even know what I was looking for. Years later, after more floundering, I realized that, for me, it was God.

Knowing That I Don’t Know

Once I made the commitment to revisit my Christian roots and finish reading (and re-reading portions of) the Bible, I went out and picked up a Biblical Theology book and a couple Systematic Theology books though I had no idea what any of it meant. I then spent the next couple months reading and taking notes, sharing my findings, and asking questions.

In all that, I learned one thing: I knew absolutely nothing. And that has shaped my pursuits ever since.

Today, I really only know a few things, but I’m confident that knowing the right few things matters a great deal more than knowing a lot of not-so-important things.

The Basics of the Bible

So, to come full circle, for my, “Spiritual, not Religious” friends who have taken some interest, it may be the right time to crack open a Bible. And perhaps some very basic knowledge will help with those first few steps.

Overview

What is the Bible, anyway? It’s a collection of 66–80 different books (depending on the tradition) written across nearly 1500 years and in multiple languages — Hebrew, (Hellenistic/ Koine) Greek, and Aramaic — by some 35 or more authors (depending on who you ask).

The Christian Bible is split into two parts, the Old Testament and New Testament, and it’s the history of God’s self-revelation to His Creation, mankind.

The Old Testament includes God’s promises (covenants), laws, protection, and judgment of the Israelite (and other) people through their many plights, and it ends on a somber note, though with a prophetic view that God will in time restore His people.

The New Testament begins with the birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who sacrifices his life to atone for all sins and enable believers to repent for salvation (everlasting life).

The Bible is history, wisdom, prophecy, and apocalypse, and employs a wide variety of literary devices and forms, from prose to acrostic poetry and with paradox, irony, parables, metaphors, and other techniques.

Ultimately, the Bible is the story of God reconciling mankind to Himself, His plans for doing so, and in this narrative, we learn that God is loving, kind, forgiving, patient, and also just.

The Old Testament

The Old Testament is made up of 39 (Protestant) or 46 (Catholic) books, the difference being a selection of books referred to as the Apocrypha (roughly means, “hidden”). The Protestant Old Testament Bible uses the same books as the Jewish Bible, though in different order and combinations. Roughly speaking, this includes:

• The Law (=Torah), 5 books

• The Prophets (=Nevi’im), 21 books*

• The Writings (=Ketuvim), 13 books*

  
  

The Jewish moniker, Tanakh, is an acronym from the names of the tripartite sections.

The Law includes God’s introduction to mankind across 5 books, which Jews refer to as the Torah while the Greek translation is known as the Pentateuch. These books include God’s rules for the Israelite people who were chosen to serve as an example of those who worship the one and only all-powerful Creator, Yahweh, in binding covenant.

The story (and history) unfolds as God guides the Israelite people out of Egyptian slavery and to the edge of (and later into) the Promised Land. In this process, many Israelites lose faith and fall back into pagan idol worship, which doesn’t end well.

The Prophets includes books of the Former and Latter Prophets, of which there are 21 (depending on how they are counted). These include instructions and warnings related to the Israeli people’s violations of provisions for the covenant with God.

The Writings includes 13 wisdom and historical texts that provide guidance for typical life situations, some with encouragement and hope.

* Book counts vary by tradition and depend on how writings are grouped.

The New Testament

The New Testament (27 books) begins with the 4 Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — that depict the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are followed by a 5th historical book, Acts, which describes early missions to establish the Church. The next 21 books are Epistles, or letters, on related challenges:

• 13 from Paul, 9 to churches and 4 to individuals

• 1 from James, the bother of Jesus

• 1 from Jude, who refers to himself as the brother of James

• 2 from Peter

• 3 without a name, though attributed to the John of the Gospels

• 1 anonymous (Hebrews), from an early date bound w/ Pauline Epistles

  
  

The final book, Revelation, is apocalyptic, written by a person named John (whether the same author as the Gospel of John and Epistles ascribed to him is a matter of debate) during exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. The book describes the future triumph of God over evil and Judgment Day.

Bible Translations

If you’re gonna take a swing at this Bible thing, though you can read online, you’ll probably want a Bible to hold in your own two hands. If you don’t have one and can’t afford one, go to any church and ask. In most cases, they’ll give you one, even if you don’t make any reciprocal commitments.

You can also get a free Bible through various online sites, but I’m pretty sure that comes with a bunch of junk mail and the sale of your personal information, address, and so on. I’d advise against this. Go to a church, or if you have $10-$20, a bookstore or buy one online (see below about revisions). Either way, it’s, what, half the cost of a McDonald’s Happy Meal?

But a couple basics. First, the Bible has been translated to over 700 different languages, and parts of the Bible are available in over 3000 languages. The Biblical text is derived from a variety of sources (historic manuscripts) and involves countless hours of meticulous work by scholars, academics, and yes, committees. Translations span the gamut between two extremes:

• Formal Equivalency translations attempt to achieve a word-for-word translation from the manuscripts to English (or target language). This can make the text more difficult to read and comprehend, especially at first, though such detail is critical for research and theology. In these cases, I utilize the New American Standard Bible (NASB95) and the English Standard Version (ESV).

  
  

• Dynamic Equivalency translations prioritize basic meaning over explicit word-detail. This makes for easier reading and comprehension, though involves a variable degree of subjectivity. Results vary significantly, though the New International Version (NIV) and Christian Standard Bible (CSB) are popular options for first-time readers. But see below for more.

  
  

There’s a pretty decent chart and overview for some of the more common translations here, and many other sites that explain other translations. You can also look online to see what different denominations and churches use, should you begin to gravitate toward one set of beliefs (though churches continue to move away from specifics these days).

In time, this and many other things will become more clear.

Translation Revisions

It’s important to note that translation groups from time to time release new revisions. You can find the progression for any given translation body online, or you can look at the associated notes in every Bible. But why?

There’s been a relatively recent trend of cultural appropriation in Bible texts. In 2005 for example, the NIV updated their 1984 revision with some gender-neutral language, with further changes in 2011. Though this may seem well-intended, it can in the Bible mask the original text’s meaning and take away from the message and tone. The past doesn’t change because today people have a different perspective, and as such I prefer not to use Bibles that attempt to take this approach. I as a result relied on my 1984 NIV revision despite that I have both the 2005 and 2011 revisions as well.

Another example: If you go to a bookstore and look for the NASB translation, odds are there will be far fewer of them than others (though it depends on where you live). If you pull an NASB Bible off the shelf, it’s more than likely the 1995 revision (NASB95). For me, personally, this works, but if you’re searching for the 2020 revision, you may have to look deeper or purchase online.

It’s worth a few minutes investigation to get the right one.

First Time Reading

There are countless Bible reading plans available on the Internet and in any Study Bible. I’ve tried a few, but most are designed to, “conquer the Bible in 180 short days” or similar. When one of my readers asked, I offered up the response I’m sharing here. But first, as always, a couple things…

I’m Not a Third Grader

Many if not most plans aim to make reading the Bible seem less…daunting, I guess. And it seems people make the mistake of equating education level with intelligence. That’s how we get the third-grade teacher persona.

This annoys me, and I’m not alone here. Unfortunately, this approach is alive and well, on many fronts, in various religious communities (and of course airline check-in lines, dentist offices, and other pleasant circumstances).

Ignore it. You don’t need a PhD to read and understand the Bible. It’s not a contest or a conquest. Nobody’s keeping score. And contrary to those that promote the urgency of reading and accepting Jesus Christ as quickly as possible on the chance you get hit by a bus in the near future, there isn’t any rush (though I’ll concede that the third-grade teacher persona is better equipped to present this idea in a more delicate fashion).

These days, we hear about people’s, “journeys” far more than we want to or need to. But on this one, it fits. For some, it may be the start of a lifelong pursuit. For others, it may be the last time they ever try to approach God in a methodical fashion.

Take your time.

Genesis, Exodus then Matthew and Acts

Many are encouraged to start reading the Gospels, the first 4 books in the New Testament. I recommend a different approach.

Start with Genesis in the Old Testament, the very first book in the Bible. Continue through Exodus. These two books cover critical early ground and provide a little bit of context for New Testament reading.

Once you finish those two books, turn to the first book of the New Testament, Matthew. It’s the first of 4 Gospels about Jesus Christ. Once finished, skip ahead to Acts, the 5th (of 5) historical book in the New Testament. It describes early efforts to establish the church.

This is one of many ways to begin, but it should provide enough context for any path one chooses to take in continuing forward, whether with the Old Testament or the New.

Read in Context of the Author

A lot of people make the mistake of picking up a Bible and immediately looking for meaning in today’s world and challenges. I suggest first considering the mindset of the author and the time — a couple thousand years ago, using a different language, in a very different social construct, and using a different means of communicating.

Try and consider the text from that standpoint before you attempt to contextualize it in today’s world. You will find that such modern considerations will come naturally, without effort, if you focus on the author’s meaning and how it might have been received at the time.

As for Matthew and Acts, they took place in the Middle East under Roman rule, with their pantheon of Gods. Citizens were required to praise Caesar as one of their Gods. Christian refused to do so, and the early church suffered these challenges, challenges from pagans, of course also Jews as you’ll see, and those making false claims about secret teachings of Christ (Gnostics).

Keep in mind that, at the time, those supporting Jesus Christ did so at great risk to their own well-being if not very being (i.e. execution).

Though I’ll be writing more about the history of the church and also of theology, at the moment that should suffice.

Let it Come to You Naturally

Though Study Bibles can be, and are, useful in certain circumstances, it’s not that easy to find the right fit out of the gates. More importantly, it’s critical to engage the Biblical text independently, especially at first.

Though this approach may give rise to questions, I strongly encourage others to work through their first couple books of the Bible without outside influence. I cannot overstate the importance of this. You’ll know what I mean in time.

If you can avoid distractions and let the text and stories form in your own mind and your own heart, naturally, you can answer questions later.

Trust it.

Relax, Let Your Mind Wander, Write Down Questions

The Bible has some tedious sections, such as those that include genealogies. In the Book of Matthew, there will be references back to prophecy in Old Testament books you will not have read with this approach. Don’t worry too much about them — you can move past them and come back to them at another time.

In the meantime, let your mind wander. If you encounter a problem passage, write down your thoughts and questions, then keep reading. There are going to be many questions, and you don’t need to answer them immediately. In some ways, you won’t be able to.

This is harder for some than others. As an engineer, I hated the idea because it goes against the way we acquire new knowledge then apply it.

But this isn’t engineering, or science, or philosophy, and the Bible isn’t a textbook and it doesn’t contain historical facts and figures. Though it can function as a guide of sorts, it isn’t a handbook for life like other religious texts.

There are simply far too many complex issues that nobody can get in a single reading. That’s the beauty and wonder of it, in many respects.

Next Steps Vary…

If all goes well, you’ll find your own path. Trust it and see. And that’s the point. We all have a different way of experiencing and learning, we all see things differently. With a little time and patience, your doubts will give way to a compelling desire to move forward in different ways (or perhaps not at all). There is no shame in whatever direction you choose.

And once you know what that direction is, you can at that time bring in outside input. All I can say, trust your heart — and be honest with yourself. Nobody’s watching — it’s between you, a book, and potentially God.

Until next time, may your hearts be filled with joy, your family be filled with love, and the protection of the Lord watch over You and Yours…

© Just Loannes