How Not To Read The Bible:
5 Ways To Not Screw up Your Bible Study
The Bible is the all time best selling book in human history. This is amazing. In today’s day and age, not only is the Bible available through traditional print editions, but it’s freely accessible through websites like Biblegateway.com or via amazing and helpful apps like YouVersion or Logos Bible Software. This means more people today have access to the Bible than ever before.
However, simultaneously; Biblical literacy is on a general decline.
There are various reasons for this, but maybe the simplest challenge is that people don’t know how to read the Bible. Or even more challenging, they read the Bible the wrong way.
(Source: The De Castro Pentateuch With Haftarot (portions from the Prophets) and Five Scrolls)
Here are five ways NOT to read the Bible.
1. Don’t Read the Bible Like a Book
I know. You may be a bit confused. When we look at a print Bible, everything about it looks like a book. It has a front cover and back cover. It has pages and page numbers. It even has a table of contents! But here’s the thing: The Bible isn’t simply a book; it is a library of books.
The Bible is made up of 66 books, written by more than 40 authors all inspired by the one Divine Author. It was written across three continents, in three languages, and roughly across a period of 2,000 years.
The Bible was also written in different genres. For instance, Proverbs is wisdom literature. Imagine trying to read through Proverbs as if it was historical narrative. Confusing, right! It would be like picking up the Lord of The Rings and reading as if it were a history book. When we read the Bible, we want to take into consideration each book’s unique literary genre, the immediate context, and the canonical context (how it relates to other books of the Bible.)
Another common mistake is taking verses out of context. This happens when a verse is isolated from its surrounding text, leading to misinterpretation. For example, Phil 4:13 is a verse that is often used in sports events or by athletes to suggest they can be successful and victorious in what they set out to do. Paul is actually talking about the fact that regardless of what happens, whether suffering, persecution, things are well or not, in all situations and circumstances he has, “learned the secret of being content.” What is the secret to being content? Well, we have to connect Phil 4:13 to the verses directly preceding and after (vs 10-14). With this context we can conclude Paul is saying that in every circumstance under heaven, the secret source of strength and stability for Christians is the strength they receive from Jesus.
This isn’t so much about accomplishment, as it is about endurance because we are sustained by Jesus.
To avoid this kind of misunderstanding of verses, always consider the historical and literary context of a passage. Ask questions like: Who is the author? Who is the audience? What is the cultural and historical setting? What comes before the verses and what comes after? How are these all connected?
2. Don’t Read The Bible with a Self-Centered Lens
We really have two options in our approach to reading the Bible. We can read with a theocentric (God centered) approach or an anthropocentric (human centered) approach. Reading the Bible through an anthropocentric lens will shift the focus of the Scriptures into becoming self-centered. We are in danger of reading the Bible through the unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I.” An example is taking a common verse like Jeremiah 29:11 and first viewing it through a self-centered lens to find personal encouragement. Stripping this verse of its historical context is problematic. We may tend to skip over the reality that this was a specific promise made to Israel in the midst of their Babylonian captivity.
When we read the Bible with a theocentric perspective, we are seeking what the passage reveals about God’s character, His plans, and His purposes. When we do that, we can learn a principle that is eternal and true about God’s character from this verse. But we should be careful not to demand a “promise of God” that is focused on what we personally want when the text itself doesn’t lend to such a conclusion.
This shift in focus helps us understand the Bible as a revelation of God’s story and our place within it. The order matters.
3. Don’t Read The Bible Looking For Quick Fixes
The Bible is not a self-help book or a quick-fix manual. Approaching it with the expectation that it will provide immediate solutions to personal problems will often lead to personal disappointment. Instead, view Scripture as a long-term guide for spiritual growth and transformation.
Eugene Peterson refers to this journey as “A Long Obedience In the Same Direction.” It is a journey of faithful obedience. And the direction is always aimed at Christ Jesus. When we read the Bible in light of a long journey desiring to conform our lives to the image of Christ, we will find something so much more significantly helpful than quick fixes. We will find eternal hope in the Kingdom of God and immediate help through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, this requires patience and perseverance. But it’s so worth it.
4. Don’t Read The Bible Without Prayer
Reading the Bible without praying is like trying to drive a car without gas. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures and guide our minds and hearts to truth. Before reading, ask God for wisdom and insight. Pray for an open heart and mind, ready to receive and apply His Word. Here is some really great news, God hears our prayers. God responds to our prayers.
We find an amazing example of this in Daniel 10:12, where Daniel prays for divine help. Help arrives, and the text says that Daniel’s “prayers were heard.” It’s so easy to make prayer a last resort or the last part of our process. But Daniel reminds us that it should be our first resort. It should be the first part of the process. Paul says it this way in Ephesians 6:18: “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” (CSB)
Prayer has the power to transform our Bible reading experience, making it more meaningful, impactful, and powerful. Prayer is an acknowledgment of dependence on God. Therefore, reading the Bible without prayer presumes a type of arrogance that will hinder our ability to hear from the Lord through His Word. Pray before we read. Ask the Spirit to be with us while we read. Pray after we read. Don’t read the Bible without prayer.
5. Don’t Read The New Testament Without The Old Testament
When we read the New Testament we will come across words and phrases that were rooted in a culture and context. They had rich depth and meaning. Where did all of this come from? Often, it came from the shared story of God’s people: the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus loves quoting the Old Testament. One of the most significant moments after His resurrection was a walk He took on the road to Emmaus with two disciples. On that walk, Jesus identified why the people of God missed Him as the Messiah.
They neglected to see the “necessity” that the Messiah must suffer (Luke 24:16). Then Jesus, works through Moses and all the prophets as He interpreted the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:17). Notice the details here. Jesus starts with Moses, who we understand to have been responsible for the first five books of the Old Testament. Then He goes to the prophets, which would have picked up at Joshua and run through Malachi.
Did you catch that? Jesus works through the entire Old Testament with precision, unpacking the sections that speak to Himself and the nature of His suffering. Why would Jesus go through all this work? And why should we do so today? Just as soil is essential for seeds to flourish, the Old Testament lays the foundation for understanding the fullness of the story of Jesus put on display in the New Testament. Friend, let’s not miss Jesus.
Conclusion:
Reading the Bible is a journey. It requires humility, patience, and a willingness to learn. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can engage with Scripture in a way that honors God and points us to the sufficiency of Christ and the empowerment we can find through the Holy Spirit. Remember, the goal is not just to gain knowledge, but to know God more deeply and to be transformed into the image of Christ. As you read, invite the Holy Spirit to guide you, and approach the Bible with a humble heart.
More Resources for Theological Depth and Biblical Learning:
My oldest son was just a year old when I first got saved. That was 45 years ago.
One of the rituals I loved doing when my children were little was reading stories to them before bed.
I found, ‘The Picture Bible’ which is a book of the entire Bible in a comic book type format.
As I read through the stories, they truly came alive & sparked a curiosity & hunger in my heart that has never diminished.
It laid a foundation that helped me to approach some of the difficult books of the OT with a little bit of understanding before tackling the deeper issues.
When I talk with young Christian’s that don’t have much desire to read OT stories, I advise that they try that easier format first because I know how God worked through that to put a spark in me.
As I’m reading through the Bible again with this Bible study, it’s my first time reading the NIV version. I’m loving it. The study notes are wonderful and I continue to be amazed at how incredibly ALIVE this book is!
Jesus knows right where I’m at in every stage of life and just how to guide me as I read.
It really never gets old.
I agree completely with your list of How NOT to read the Bible.
Especially taking verses out of context! It’s so easy to fall into the sin of presumption when we do that.
I pray that we will never tire of that Emmaus walk with our best friend and teacher who guides us into all truth.
As someone who grew up Pentecostal Christian, I agree with the premises here! As someone whose also grown up to see the historical context that surrounded the Bible, I very much resonate with these rules — especially pray for inspiration before reading. Without taking the historical context and the application of those contexts into consideration AND then applying what one read, we have more and more scenarios of "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" — when in actuality, one may be taking things out of context. This is why it's important to understand how the Bible came to be so we can more accurately apply its meaning to our times, as I've written about here: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-mythology-of-the-bible-and-the
Lovely work here and looking forward to learning more!