- Make sure you have time and are in a quiet place to read the Bible slowly.
- Allow the Lord to speak to you through scripture.
- It conveys meanings through speech and imagery, giving time for reflection.
- Keep in mind that it can differ from our own language and culture, it may be worth buying a Bible application commentary.
- Ask the Lord in prayer to open your heart instead of merely approaching things logically.
- Have joy exploring the meaning. Savour the chance to actively uncover God’s truth and the process of understanding the meaning contained in the words.
- Interpretations vary from person to person. Talk about it with friends or in your home group because the depth of the scripture will astound you. It’s possible that you will find a completely different perspective on the text and have a new appreciation for it.
The Bible has Books, Chapters, and verses. There are 66 Books – 39 In the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
For example – John 3:16 = Book of John, Chapter 3 and verses 16-17.
John 3:16-17
New International Version
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
The Biblical narrative
Please note some books are out of order, this is to give a timeline. Please note this glimpse of the narrative and there is more to read.
| Genesis 1:1 – God made heaven and earth. |
| Genesis 1:27 – God creates man and woman |
| Genesis 2:16-17 – God’s first rules |
| Genesis 3:17 – Adam and Eve reject God’s rules |
| Joshua 22:5 – The 10 Commandments |
| Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus’ birth was predicted |
| Isaiah 53:6 – God’s solution to sin |
| Isaiah 59:2 – Separated from God by sin |
| Luke 2:10-11 – Birth of Jesus |
| Mark 1:14-115 – The teachings of Jesus |
| Luke 7:20-22 – Miracles of Jesus |
| John 19:28-30 – Death of Jesus |
| Matthew 28:5-6 – Resurrection of Jesus |
| Acts 1:9 – Jesus ascends back to heaven. |
| Romans 3:23 – Our transgressions (sins) |
| Romans 5:8 – Jesus gave his life for us. |
| Romans 3:23 – Our transgressions (sins) |
| Romans 10:9-10 – Our salvation from sin |
| John 14:1-3 – When we are redeemed, our hope |
| Revelation 21:1-3 – When we are saved, our future |
Categories
- Creation
- Patriarchs
- Slavery and the wilderness
- Into the promised land
- The time of the Judges
- The time of the Kings
- The divided Kingdom
- The exile and return
- The Gospels
- The early church
- The Epistles
- Revelation
| Matthew, Mark, Luke, John | Teaches us about Jesus and His works |
| Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy | Teach us about the fall of man. God’s chosen people, and the law. |
| Romans, Galatians, Colossians | Teaches us about the law, Jesus’ sacrifices, and what this means to us. |
| Proverbs, Ecclesiastes | Godly wisdom |
| Job, 1 Peter | Teaches us about what happens to you as a Christian. |
| 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, James, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Psalms | Teaches us how to be a Christian, end time prophecies, who God is, how God Acts, God’s promises, and about His personality. |
| Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel. 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Micah, Hosea, Luke, Esther, Jonah, Song Of Songs (Songs of Solomon), Acts, Titus, Philemon | Stories, love songs, church history |
| Hebrews | Why things had to happen the way it did |
| Isaiah | Prophecies of Jesus prophecies, end time prophecies, heaven, lucifer |
| Daniel, Revelation | End time prophecies |
Not all translations are the same
| Word for word – formal equivalence | NASB – New American Standard Bible ESV – English Standard Version KJV – King James Version NKJV – New King James Version TRB – The Readable Bible AMP – Amplified Bible RSV- Revised Standard Version NRSV – New Revised Standard Version Interlinear |
| Meaning for meaning- closest natural formal equivalence | GW – God’s Word Translation |
| Thought for thought – functional equivalence | CSB – Christian Standard Bible NIV – New International Version NLT – New Living Translation HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible NAB – New American Bible NJB – New Jerusalem Bible TNIV – Today NCV – New Century Version NIRV – New International Readers Version |
| Paraphrase – retelling | NIRV – New International Reader’s Version TLB – The Living Bible CEV – Contemporary English Version MSG – The Message GNT – Good News Translation (Bible) |
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