HOW TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

According to the Guinness World Records website, the best selling work of non-fiction of all time is the Bible.  The Guinness folks report that, "Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book.  A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.  By the end of 1995, combined global sales of Today's English Version (Good News) New Testament and Bible (copyright for which is held by the Bible Societies) exceeded 17.75 million copies, and the whole Bible had been translated into 349 languages; 2123 languages have at least one book of the Bible in that language."  

With such saturation, it seems reasonable to assume that society as a whole would have a pretty good general knowledge of the scriptures.  The sad truth, however, is: they don't.  Even among those who profess Christianity there is a lack of understanding about even the most basic elements of the Bible.  For all of the Bibles sold over the last century, there are a large number who have never actually read it cover to cover.  Though it contains all of the drama, suspense, mystery, intrigue, emotion, and sex that one could ask for in a bestseller, it isn't a book that people "just can't put down" until they have finished it. 

A 2013 survey of over 2000 respondents which was conducted by the Barna Group for the American Bible Society found the following:

·         88% said they own a Bible.

·         80% think the Bible is sacred.

·         61% said they wished they read the Bible more.

·         The average household contains 4.4 Bibles.

·         Only 1 in 5 Americans reads the Bible on a regular basis.

·         Of those who do read the Bible, 57% (of the 1 in 5) read it only 4 times a year or less.

·         26% (of the 1 in 5 of those who read their Bible) read it four or more times a week.

For some, ownership of a Bible is more about superstition than faith.  They believe that having a Bible in the house offers some sort of divine protection to those who abide there.  For the same reason, people take a Bible or pocket testament with them on trips, or when they go into the armed forces.  Still others have received Bibles as gifts to mark special milestones in life such as graduation or marriage.  How many of these books end up on a shelf, in a drawer, or boxed away in some dark corner?

As a young teenager, I was drawn to read the Bible.  I believed it to be an important book, and one that should be read by everyone: and so I began.  By the time I was into chapter 2 of Genesis, I found it to be so dry and boring that I could not continue.  I didn't return to it until years later. 

That the Word of God is sacred, and that it would raise the level of morality in the world if adhered to, is something that the majority of folks in the West would not debate.  Why then is it so hard for people to read and understand?  Is there a way to make the Bible easier to comprehend, and a way to unfold its mysteries to the average person?  The answer to both questions is: YES!

At the outset, we must be clear about one thing: all scripture was given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).  The prophetic word of scripture did not come as the result of any man's private interpretation, "but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."  (2 Peter 1:19-21)

Jesus said that the words that He spoke to the world were spiritual and living words.  Only the Spirit can breathe life into them, the flesh cannot help (John 6:63).  In other words, there is a key that opens the Word of God to our understanding and unlocks its mysteries.  That key is the Holy Spirit. 

During WWII, the Germans used a special piece of hardware (much like a typewriter) to develop what came to be known as the Enigma Encryption.  They thought it to be unbreakable by the Allies until a Pole was able to reconstruct a duplicate machine and deliver it to British Intelligence.  The messages that the Allies were intercepting from the Nazis which were previously unintelligible were then able to be read and understood.  In the same way, we can't hope to understand God's Word with our fleshly understanding and carnal reasoning - we must possess the key in order for it to be made plain.

Paul told the Corinthian believers, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.  But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."  (1Corinthians 2:9,10)  It is not our natural senses that teach us about God's ways, it is the Spirit of God communicating God's will to our regenerated spirit.  The Spirit inspired the words, and the Spirit must interpret them.  Paul continues, "For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."  (1Corinthians 2:11-14 ESV)  

So, how do we obtain this all-important key that will open the Bible to us?  We must be born again.  Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews of His time, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  (John 3:3)  Without the benefit of being born of the Spirit, it is impossible to recognize the truths of God's kingdom.  Love your enemies, turn the other cheek, don't accumulate treasures on earth: it all seems like foolishness and naiveté to the man of the world.  Being born again, however, brings the principles of godliness into sharper focus.  Jesus also said to Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  (John 3:3)  When we are born the first time, we are born of the flesh and inherit the fallen nature of the first man Adam.  Our selfish, carnal nature alienates us from God, and our pride insists on pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  Once we are born of the Spirit, though, we become awakened to spiritual things, and are able to tap into the very heart of God.  "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."  (John 4:23)

Being born again is all about agreeing with God.  God created man upright on the earth, but having been given the freedom of will, man chose a path that led to his undoing. We must accept the fact that we are a fallen race.  As such we are born sinners, and are separated from God.  We are not sinners because we have committed sins - we commit sins because we are already sinners.  Once we are ready to face this fact and acknowledge our sinful nature along with the sins that we have committed, we are ready to consider God's solution.  The redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the shedding of His blood to atone for our sin, erases our guilt before God.  It was God's great love for mankind that moved Him to offer His own Son to suffer the punishment that should have been ours.  Trusting and receiving this gift of God's love cleanses us from all sin, and awakens us to the spiritual life and joy that He has always intended for us to live.  Once we yield ourselves to God's love, and turn from our sins, then we are born again, and His Word becomes alive to us.  We will surely not grasp everything we read at once any more than a baby understands everything when he is first born; but day by day God will speak to us through His Word, and we will find it to be food for our soul, and a light to our path.  As we mature as Christians, we will be able to understand more and more of God's ways.  The light that we have will grow brighter each day as we learn to live our lives in Christ.  Jesus once told His disciples that there were many things that He wanted to share with them, but they were unable to bear them (they were yet too immature); but He said, "…when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth."  (John 16:13)  

Another thing to think about is that the Bible is more than just ink put to paper.  The Word is a living thing.  We are told that the Word was in the beginning, that it was with God, and that it was God.  We are told that that same Word was made flesh and walked among men.  Jesus said, "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world... I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever."  (John 6:33, 51)    The description of Jesus in Revelations ends by saying, "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."  (Revelations 19:13)  The letter of the Word by itself will not necessarily produce life.  Many have used the Word of God to advance great evil in the world, and to justify their own self-serving interests.  "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."  (2 Corinthians 3:6)  There is always redemption, hope, love, and illumination when God speaks His Word to our hearts through the Spirit, though.

Despite the difficulty I had as a young man trying to read the Bible, I found that, after I was born again, it became alive.  It was like I was a starving man, and God's Word was a banquet fit for a king.  I devoured it.  A little while after I was saved a co-worker told me that he had been watching me for some time and noticed that every break I got I was reading the Bible.  He said, "I've just got one question for you."  I said, "Sure, what's that?"  He said, "Haven't you finished it yet?!"  Of course, the Lord gave me that opportunity to share with him a word of salvation.  I asked him if he didn't eat many times during the day, and he said yes.  I said, "Just as you eat many times a day to keep up your physical strength, I find that I need to eat God's Word in order to keep up my spiritual strength. 

It is important also to understand that the Word of God is the testimony of Jesus Christ.  No matter where you look in scripture, whether Old Testament or New, you can discover glimpses of Jesus.  "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me."  (Psalms 40:7)  The Old Testament contains shadows - types and allegories - that reveal a veiled image of Christ.  The Lamb without blemish, the brasen serpent, Abraham offering his only son, Joseph being delivered up to preserve life, Rahab's scarlet cord are all examples; but the book is filled with them.  Even in the details of the Law we find the testimony of Jesus hidden away and pointing us to the Savior.  "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."  (Colossians 2:17)

As far as the mechanics of reading the Bible, there are various ways to study God's Word, all of which have their benefits.  One way is to simply read it cover to cover.  Another is to study certain topics: for instance, finding all that the Bible says about faith, or about marriage.  For this, the use of a good concordance is handy.  Still another way is to read particular chapters or Bible books at random as they may interest you, or as the Lord may lead you.  Volume is not important - it is finding what speaks to you in a personal way that is needful.  We don't get extra points for the most verses read.  Some days, just a verse may speak volumes to your spirit; other days, it may be a chapter or even a whole book.  Don't put a burden on yourself that will only become an immoveable weight later on.  I would rather read one word that breathes life into my spiritual man than a hundred verses that I forget as soon as I close the book.  Pray beforehand, and ask God to open the eyes of your understanding.  Ask Him to quicken His Word to you.  He will.

I'm not big on memorization just for memorization's sake. I believe the more I read the Word, the more I retain; not in my mind, but in my heart.  Those portions of scripture that have been made alive to me in a personal way become easy to remember, and when I quote them, they are alive because I have experienced them.  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."  (Psalm 119:11)

What translation of the Bible is the best to read?  I personally prefer the King James Version.  The fact that it stood as the standard for centuries gives me confidence in its authenticity and fidelity to the original languages in which the Word was first written.  I am skeptical of any translation that was written by a single individual - especially when it deviates from the KJV - seems too easy for there to be a private interpretation.  A large number of scholars worked on the KJV, comparing notes and consulting with one another in the final drafts.  I am aware that there are those who find the old English of the KJV daunting, and the thee's and thou's distracting, but I love the poetry of the language.  I do use other translations at times as study aids, but always defer to the KJV where the content seems different.  I will also sometimes use a plain English version in my writing if I think it will aid the clarity of the passage for the reader.   

A good concordance is essential in looking up what the Bible says about a particular subject, or trying to find something specific.  It is useful in referring to the Hebrew and Greek words used in the original texts also, but that is by no means everyone's cup of tea.  I use a Bible software package on my computer that has a built in concordance and a whole library of Bible helps.  For a very reasonable price, the Online Bible offers a program that has everything and more that you'll ever need to study the Word.

In closing, let me just say that it is essential that we have the eyes and ears of our understanding opened as we read God's Word.  Faith comes from hearing - really opening up our hearts to God and hearing - and hearing comes from God's Word because His Word is Truth.  Trust in what God speaks to you, not leaning on your own carnal understanding, or on your own feelings which may ebb and flow according to circumstance; but know that as the heavens are high above the earth, even so are God's ways and thoughts much higher than our own.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will live and abide forever!