How to Read the Bible and Understand It

Have you ever sat in church and heard a pastor read a few bible verses at the beginning of their sermon and then watch them spend the next 30-45 minutes teaching and preaching in depth on those same verses and ask yourself, "How did they get all that info and knowledge from just those few verses?" Would you like to be able to study God's word in the same way and learn how to get as much knowledge and understanding as you can from your Bible? Have you ever read a verse, section, chapter or a whole book in the Bible and only understand very little or even nothing you've just read? Are you looking to grow more in your understanding of God's word in your personal life?If you answered yes to any of those questions, this book was written with you in mind. The purpose of this book is to equip you with fundamental methods and principles to use when reading and studying your Bible. So many Christians today unfortunately don't read or study their Bible as much as they may want to or should. When they are asked, "Why don't you read your Bible as much as you want to?" they reply, "When I read it, I get confused and don't really understand what I'm reading." This book provides you with the proper methods to use that will help you understand God's word better during your reading and studying time. There are many great books out there from authors who have written extensively on this subject and many have done a great job in doing so, but not everyone has the time to read those three hundred plus page scholarly books. Plus, there may be one book that covers certain things on this subject while other books cover different aspects on this subject. Each section covered in this book was intentionally selected to help you get a full grasp of the basic fundamentals in reading and studying your Bible in an easy and practical way. You can read one chapter a day and finish this book in just 3 weeks or you can read it much faster, but the purpose of this book is not just to read it, but to take the time to reflect on what you have read and apply that to your personal Bible studying time. This book is designed to be a guide that encourages you to read your Bible regularly with excitement and expectations because now you have the basic tools to understand what you are reading better. You will learn guidelines set forth to help you properly understand the Bible. I will focus on five central features of understanding the Bible - What the Bible is all about (an overview), observing the text (observations), the context (literary, historical, cultural and social), how to interpret the Bible (interpretation), and how to apply it to your life (application). To get the most out of this book, I would encourage you to read it in a chronological order. It has been intentionally structured to be read that way. This book will also teach you how to apply God's Word to your life. I trust and pray this book will become a useful resource to better equip you in understanding, interpreting, and applying God's word. My prayer is to encourage you to read and study your Bible more often and get understanding - to apply it to your life so you can grow in your walk with Jesus. I also want to encourage you, after reading it, to challenge others that you know, who would benefit from this book, to get this book so as to help them better understand God's word too. This is a great book to get for those you are mentoring or 'discipling' to read it along with them. My hope is to give you these basic tools that will enhance your knowledge and passion for God's word.