HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

 
 

Welcome to the Bible! The most important book you’ll ever read. It is the most bought, most translated, most smuggled, and most influential book ever. At The Well we believe reading the Bible is the number one way to hear from God.

Are you ready to dive in?

 

What is the bible?

The Bible is a book. It’s also lots of books. When you open it up you’ll find history, law, poetry, letters, and lots more. The Bible was written over more than a thousand years, in three languages, by over 40 people including kings, prophets and fishermen.

Yet it tells one consistent story. A story we are invited to be part of.

All that means it is exciting, but can be confusing. So, where to start?

 

Where to start?

The Bible comes in two parts:

  • The Old Testament – everything before the life of Jesus

  • The New Testament – the story of Jesus and the first Christians

That means Jesus is the turning point of the Bible. Everything before Jesus was God getting people ready to meet him. Everything after Jesus looks back to what he did and what it means to follow him.

So reading about the life of Jesus is a great place to start. That means heading to one of the ‘Gospels’ – these are biographies of Jesus’ life written by some of his first ever followers, so they knew who they were writing about. There are four gospels, but Mark is shortest and punchiest. If you read Mark, you’ll discover who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what it looks like to be his follower.

 

A way in - asking questions

When we read the Bible, it is helpful to ask questions about what we are reading. This is a helpful set of questions to ask, no matter what passage we are reading:

  1. What does this passage tell us about God (that includes Jesus)?

  2. What does this passage tell us about people?

  3. What will I do in response?

  4. Who will I share this with soon?

 

Getting started - top tips

To help you as you read, here are some helpful recommendations:

  • Pray. Whether you feel you know God or not, pray and ask him to reveal himself to you as you read the Bible.

  • Don’t rush! Read as much or as little as you want in a go. There are no prizes for getting to the end quickly! Go at your own pace.

  • Ask questions. If you come across things you have questions about, write them down so you can ask someone about it.

  • Read with others. Even better than reading by yourself is joining with one or more others, reading and discovering together.