How to Understand the Bible
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How to Understand the Bible
Introduction
The Bible is arguably the most important book ever written and for many it is the foundation for faith. The Bible is far from a typical historical account or novel and reading it can be complicated and overwhelming. Much of the Bible was written several thousand years ago and reading it today can often lead to more confusion than understanding if not approached correctly.
Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging
Steps
1
Step One
Throw out your preconceived ideas. Whether growing up in church or coming at the Bible from a skeptical viewpoint, people have a tendency to read the Bible subjectively. While it is hard to overcome preconceived ideas, it will enhance what you learn from the Bible.
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Step Two
Realize that you don't have to read the Bible in order. The Bible is a compilation on 66 different books. While they are connected, reading them in order from Genesis to Revelation is not necessary. A good place to start if you have not read the Bible much before is in the Gospels, particularly Mark or Matthew, which are at the beginning of the New Testament, which is about two-thirds through the Bible. Beginners may want to avoid tougher books like Revelation or Ecclesiastes.
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Step Three
Read the Bible in context. One of the most common ways that the Bible is abused is by people taking one verse and using it out of context. The Bible is not a huge compilation of single verses that are unrelated to each other. Read at least the chapter that a verse is in or a few chapters around it before passing judgment on a single verse.
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Step Four
Use concordances and commentaries to better understand difficult passages. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, so through translation some ideas get muddled or lost. It is helpful to have resources from people who have studied the original language and the context around passages as they were originally written.
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Step Five
Try several different translations. The King James Version is probably the most widely known and accepted translation, but it can be one of the hardest to understand considering it was written in seventeenth century. The New International Version, New King James Version, English Standard Version and New American Standard Version are potentially easier to understand while still attempting to stay as close to the original meaning of the text as possible.
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Step Six
Ask for help. Even the most intelligent Biblical scholars do not understand the whole Bible. There is nothing wrong with seeking help from a pastor, priest, professor or other qualified individual.
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Step Seven
Remember when and where the Bible was written. It was not written in modern America or Western society, so some of the cultural references can be missed when reading it today. This does not mean that it is not still relevant, but that extra study may be needed to understand how it affected the time in which it was written.
Tips & Warnings
- Use different translations to cross-check what you think a passage is saying. Sometimes seeing the passage written slightly differently in another translation will help you come to a resolution about the passage.
- Don't be too quick to judge what the Bible is saying. It is easy to get wrong ideas from not studying enough which can lead to a distorted faith or a misunderstanding of what others believe.
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How to understand the Bible
Introduction
To gain an understanding of the Bible is not as difficult as it may seem at first. It is always good to have an overview of what information is being conveyed and how it is being conveyed. Aside from a small portion in Chaldee, most of the Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew. The New Testament was written in Greek. In some cases it is necessary to get down to the original language to get to the bottom of some issues.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You'll Need
- You will need your Bible. For most this will be one of the various King James Versions or a modern translation such as the New International Version or the New American Standard Bible.
Steps
1
Step One
Read the Bible all the way through from Genesis to Revelation. Make notes of any verses you do not understand or verses that seem to be contradictory. Eventually place check marks beside the notes as the meaning of the verses become clear. And note what conclusions you made.
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Step Two
Get an overview of the information being conveyed by the various sections of the Bible. For example, most of the Old Testament is a biography of the nation that had Abraham as its great grand father many generations back. Although the Turks and Arabs are in the family line under Abraham, the Bible is mostly about the children of Israel (the children of Jacob). There are 12 tribes. Judah (the Jews) was one tribe. The 12 tribes are examples of success and failure in contact with the Creator.
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Step Three
Survey the New Testament and how the Old Testament is a basis for many of the beliefs of the New Testament. For example, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7). The feast of first fruits became the day of Pentecost. Notice that Christ had a new message, a message about a coming kingdom of God, a message that, in the New Testament, goes into greater detail than the Old Testament.
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Step Four
Discover ways in which you can apply the principles of the Bible to your daily life in order to have a more fulfilled existence and in order to have a chance at a better resurrection as spoken of by Paul (Hebrews 11:35). The Creator gives us the Bible as a guide book to life.
Overall Tips & Warnings
- To understand the Bible always start with the general overview and graduate to the specific and thereby avoid bizarre nuances of doctrine and prophecy. Always consider the literal first and then the symbolic if the literal does not appear to make sense.
- Avoid translations that are paraphrases. These books editorialize the Bible to the extreme. Generally it is also a good idea to avoid Bibles that are produced by a brand name religion. They will tend to cater to a narrow range of understanding and, in some cases, may hamper understanding. Realize that there are no known autographs (original originals) in existence today. However it is possible to approximate what may have been in the originals by drawing comparisons to various manuscripts. In the New Testament, for example, the Aland 27 is a result of comparing over 2000 Greek manuscripts. It is in Greek and English.
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