11/21/24
The question: "Should I read my Bible?"
The answer: "Yes."
That's a pretty brief blog post, and also too brief of an answer for the person who asked. So let's expand it with a couple of follow-up questions.
"Why should I read my Bible?"
There are lots of reasons to read your Bible on your own. From a historical point of view, even in early Christianity, in cultures where a lot of people didn't know how to read and when having your own copy of a book was difficult and expensive, Church Fathers would urge individual Bible reading. In many parts of the world, literacy programs have been aimed primarily at enabling people to read the Bible. Why is this?
Christians believe that the Bible is the authoritative revelation of Jesus. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1-2, we read that God has revealed himself in many ways throughout history, and that now he has given a definitive revelation in Jesus. The Bible is our place to read about Jesus.
In John's Gospel, chapter six, verses 68-69, Jesus' special followers, called apostles, have come to the conclusion that they wouldn't want to leave Jesus. He is the one who has words of life. Again, notice the centrality of the "word."
In Paul's second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 16-17, Paul speaks of God's word, the Bible, as sufficient and useful for teaching, encouraging, correcting, and speaking against sin.
Going through life as a Christian without taking in as much of the Bible as you reasonably can is like trying to navigate an unfamiliar place, filled with dangers, and not having any map or signage to guide you in safety. You need to read your Bible.
Now here's another question that fits. "How should I do it?"
The Bible is a big book. Most copies of it weigh in at between a thousand and fifteen hundred pages, often in fairly small print. One reading isn't going to let it all soak in. We probably want to pursue a system of repeated reading, and, bearing the length of the book in mind, it needs to be broken apart quite a lot. After all, it takes somewhere around 70-80 hours to read it from cover to cover.
It's important to realize that this is a life-long project. You'll want to find a system that works. Some people like audio versions. Some people like to have a text Bible on an e-reader or in an app. Many people prefer a paper copy.
One common type of reading schedule is to take the readings that are customary for the upcoming church service. The majority of churches on the planet use some sort of a "lectionary" system in which they read passages from the Bible according to a schedule. It never hurts to read and become very familiar with the three or four passages to be read on the upcoming Sunday, then to hear how the pastor puts the ideas together in a sermon. However, the lectionaries never cover all of the material in the Bible.
There are many reading plans which are aimed at reading through the whole Bible in one year or maybe in three years. Some people report a lot of success with this system.
The system I have fallen into, and which works really well for me is simple. I put a bookmark in and move it as I read my way through the Bible. Someone with very limited reading time or who reads and retains slowly may want to read a chapter a day. That gives you a walk through the Bible in about three years. Many people would suggest starting in Matthew's Gospel in the New Testament the first time through, as the Christian life is built on Jesus, who is specifically described in the four Gospels.
I use my bookmarks in a little different way. I have four of them. One begins at Genesis chapter 1 and walks through the Old Testament, normally at a rate of two chapters a day. I skip over Psalms with this one, and when I get to the end of the Old Testament, it goes back to the beginning of Genesis. A second bookmark starts at the beginning of Psalms, and works through at a rate of one chapter per day to the end of Psalms, then goes back to the beginning of them. The Psalms are often thought of as reflective songs for God's people. My third bookmark starts in the New Testament at the beginning of Acts. Moving one chapter a day, when it gets to the end of Revelation, it moves back to the start of Acts. The fourth bookmark starts in the New Testament at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. Moving one chapter a day, it gets to the end of John's Gospel and then jumps back to the start of Matthew. This schedule is inspired by the practice found in the lectionaries mentioned above, because it has an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and a Gospel.
However you choose to structure your reading, use it to your best advantage. Should you read your Bible? Yes.
The question: "Should I read my Bible?"
The answer: "Yes."
That's a pretty brief blog post, and also too brief of an answer for the person who asked. So let's expand it with a couple of follow-up questions.
"Why should I read my Bible?"
There are lots of reasons to read your Bible on your own. From a historical point of view, even in early Christianity, in cultures where a lot of people didn't know how to read and when having your own copy of a book was difficult and expensive, Church Fathers would urge individual Bible reading. In many parts of the world, literacy programs have been aimed primarily at enabling people to read the Bible. Why is this?
Christians believe that the Bible is the authoritative revelation of Jesus. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1-2, we read that God has revealed himself in many ways throughout history, and that now he has given a definitive revelation in Jesus. The Bible is our place to read about Jesus.
In John's Gospel, chapter six, verses 68-69, Jesus' special followers, called apostles, have come to the conclusion that they wouldn't want to leave Jesus. He is the one who has words of life. Again, notice the centrality of the "word."
In Paul's second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 16-17, Paul speaks of God's word, the Bible, as sufficient and useful for teaching, encouraging, correcting, and speaking against sin.
Going through life as a Christian without taking in as much of the Bible as you reasonably can is like trying to navigate an unfamiliar place, filled with dangers, and not having any map or signage to guide you in safety. You need to read your Bible.
Now here's another question that fits. "How should I do it?"
The Bible is a big book. Most copies of it weigh in at between a thousand and fifteen hundred pages, often in fairly small print. One reading isn't going to let it all soak in. We probably want to pursue a system of repeated reading, and, bearing the length of the book in mind, it needs to be broken apart quite a lot. After all, it takes somewhere around 70-80 hours to read it from cover to cover.
It's important to realize that this is a life-long project. You'll want to find a system that works. Some people like audio versions. Some people like to have a text Bible on an e-reader or in an app. Many people prefer a paper copy.
One common type of reading schedule is to take the readings that are customary for the upcoming church service. The majority of churches on the planet use some sort of a "lectionary" system in which they read passages from the Bible according to a schedule. It never hurts to read and become very familiar with the three or four passages to be read on the upcoming Sunday, then to hear how the pastor puts the ideas together in a sermon. However, the lectionaries never cover all of the material in the Bible.
There are many reading plans which are aimed at reading through the whole Bible in one year or maybe in three years. Some people report a lot of success with this system.
The system I have fallen into, and which works really well for me is simple. I put a bookmark in and move it as I read my way through the Bible. Someone with very limited reading time or who reads and retains slowly may want to read a chapter a day. That gives you a walk through the Bible in about three years. Many people would suggest starting in Matthew's Gospel in the New Testament the first time through, as the Christian life is built on Jesus, who is specifically described in the four Gospels.
I use my bookmarks in a little different way. I have four of them. One begins at Genesis chapter 1 and walks through the Old Testament, normally at a rate of two chapters a day. I skip over Psalms with this one, and when I get to the end of the Old Testament, it goes back to the beginning of Genesis. A second bookmark starts at the beginning of Psalms, and works through at a rate of one chapter per day to the end of Psalms, then goes back to the beginning of them. The Psalms are often thought of as reflective songs for God's people. My third bookmark starts in the New Testament at the beginning of Acts. Moving one chapter a day, when it gets to the end of Revelation, it moves back to the start of Acts. The fourth bookmark starts in the New Testament at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. Moving one chapter a day, it gets to the end of John's Gospel and then jumps back to the start of Matthew. This schedule is inspired by the practice found in the lectionaries mentioned above, because it has an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and a Gospel.
However you choose to structure your reading, use it to your best advantage. Should you read your Bible? Yes.
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