The Study of the Bible

The Bible is a unique library. So there is no other book like it. God carefully chose the best writers for each book. There were about 40 writers. But they did not all write at the same time. Most of them lived at a different time in history. So it took many centuries to finish all the books.

The writers were from many social groups. They also had different jobs. They included kings, priests and prophets. There were poets. There were shepherds (people who look after sheep.) There were officials. There were travelling speakers. There was a doctor. There was a man that collected taxes. A prisoner in a foreign land wrote another book. There were local church leaders. They all wrote books of the Bible.

We should read all of each book of the Bible. But we should not read it in a hurry. Every book has an aim and a purpose. Each book has something good to teach us. If we study it well, then we will benefit from it.

This Bible Guide has an aim. It is to introduce each book of the Bible. Every book has a special message. So we should study each one carefully. Then we will understand each book. It will make a difference to the way that we live our lives. And it will affect our behaviour every day.

Each chapter explains one Bible book. It gives a plan of what is in the book. It also explains the most important ideas. We usually read a book from the beginning to the end. And we should do this with the 66 books of the Bible. Often, people only read short sections each time. And they may choose the parts that they like best. That has value too. However, they could then miss the main message of each book.

We must read the Bible with great care. We must study it. Then it would help us. And we would also enjoy this study. This is how we should do it:

Our Bible Reading Should Be Regular

Luke described the first Christians at a place called Berea. They wanted to be sure that what Paul said was true. So they examined God's word every day. (Read Acts 17:11.)

At one time, it was common knowledge. Every real Christian would know it. It was that Christians must read the Bible. They must also pray. And this should happen every day. There should be a definite time for this to happen too. Christians needed the daily ‘Quiet Time’. And many, many Christians still think that this is true. They know how important it is. And they have proved that its value lasts.

Now, it is often very different. People do not like the idea of ‘discipline’. Discipline means that you do what is right. You do it when you should. And you do it whatever you are feeling. Some Christians have an idea about this ‘Quiet Time’. They are trying hard not to let laws rule them. So they say that it is not necessary. A custom may even fit with the Bible. But they still say that it is not important.

Sometimes, people have a special desire for God. At these times, there is a danger. And it is important to guard against it. Its name is the ‘antinomian’ danger. It is about two things. First, there is God's grace. Second, there are God's laws. God's grace is all that matters to some people. They seem to say that God's law is not important. They seem to say that we can just forget about it. So, I must repeat it again. To read and to study the Bible is very important. It should be regular. And it should be with discipline. There are many benefits for all Christians who do this. God will bless them in many ways.

We Must Read the Bible with Grateful Thanks

The Bible is a gift from God to us. The centuries have passed, and it has come to us. But, for this to happen, many people have suffered much. Some of them have even died. We know about the writers. God used a variety of them. The Bible is a very special book. It is unique. It took a long time to get it ready.

First, there was the Old Testament. The writers took 2000 years to complete it. Its first language was Hebrew. Then, there was the New Testament. Its first language was Greek. And it took most of a century to write. The events happened first. Then the authors wrote about them.

Many thousands of people have translated the Bible. They have done this in every century. They wanted people in various parts of the world to read it. So it needed to be in their own language. But it was not an easy task. It took much hard work. Each translation needed careful study. And this took many years. They had to find just the right word. And the words must be exact. They must explain the ideas so that they are clear. This was not easy. It was not their own language. And the responsibility was great. But they still thought that the work was exciting.

Many people have given most of their lives to this work. We will never meet them on this earth. But we benefit much, because of them. We change and become more like Christ. This happens as we study and obey the Bible. Some people risked their lives. They were very brave. Some of them died. They were heroes. Because of them, we can read the Bible for ourselves.

World history tells us about some very hard times. A few people could read. But the Bible was not in their own language. So, some brave people started to translate it. Their leaders forbade them to do this. But they gladly continued the work. They translated the Bible. And they distributed it too. They were ready to die, if necessary. And some of them did die.

There was a reason for this. They wanted everyone to be able to read the Bible. They wanted everyone to understand it. But, at that time, the Bible was in Latin. And only priests could read and write Latin.

[Note: There was a priest called Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin. He did this near the end of the 4th century.]

But the Bible is not just for priests. It is for the ordinary man and woman too. It is for all people in every place.

The Bible is a wonderful book. It is very special. And we should never forget this. People were willing to risk everything. And, because of them, we now have the Bible. Each time we read it, we should remember them. We should think of them with grateful thanks.

We Should Read the Bible with the Holy Spirit's Help

We must use our minds when we read the Bible. We must think. However, we must also feel. We should use our imagination too. These things are good and necessary. But they are not enough. We need something much more.

The Bible is God's gift to us. It is the work of God's Holy Spirit. There is no other book like it. One writer, Peter, explained this. He said that the writers’ work was not their own. It was not what they chose to say. The Holy Spirit led each one. So they spoke things from God. (Read 2 Peter 1:21.)

It is important to remember something. The Holy Spirit was helping the writers then. And he is the same today. He wants to help us. However, he waits for us to ask him. The Bible comes from the Holy Spirit. So he must be the best person to explain it. He will help us to understand it. And he will teach us to use it in our daily lives. This is what the Holy Spirit promises. So we should ask for his help whenever we read it.

When we read the Bible, we must Obey it

We need a mind that is not asleep. We already know this. But we must also have the desire to obey. God's word has a message for us. And we must obey it every day. We could just be clever Bible readers. But we must not be like that. Our minds could be full of interesting Bible facts. But they might not have anything to do with daily life. They might not show us how we should behave.

If God gives a command, then we must obey it. God might show us a truth from the Bible. It is not enough just to think what a great truth it is. If there is a promise, then God wants us to receive it. He also wants us to use it. It should bring benefit to our lives. God might show us something wrong in our lives. Then we must do something about it. Anything that does not please him must go.

Our Reading of the Bible must be Careful

Luke speaks about some Christians. They came from a place called Berea (see 1). They studied the Bible every day. Luke used a special word. It was a common legal word in the first century. There were two ways to use the word. First, it described the careful examination of a criminal. Officers of the law would speak to the person. And they would ask everything about the crime. The second use of the word was about facts. It was about the way of looking at all the facts. It must be a careful look.

It is the same with the Bible. We cannot really study it while we are in a hurry. Our day may be much too busy. We know we should study the Bible. But we are just too busy to stop. Perhaps we could read it for a few minutes, later. We may wish that we could be like the people in Berea. But there is only one way to study the Bible like them. We must give time to it.

There are such wonderful things in the Bible. It is like finding treasures. Yet the Bible does not show these treasures to everybody. However, there is somebody who will find these great things. It is the person who reads the Bible carefully. Anyone who is in a hurry cannot receive the Bible's great truths.

There are some regular things that we do. We do them every week. Yet they are often things of no value. And we waste a lot of our time. It is easy to give time to the newspaper or television. But we seldom give as much time to the Bible.

We often choose to do things of no value. We all know this. And these things may even damage us. But it is very different with the Bible. It is the best of all books. Each moment with the Bible has very great value. The Bible is full of truths. We should obey its commands. We should accept its promises. Then there will be wonderful results. We will have more peace. Our confidence will increase. We will trust God more. And we will know great power in our lives.

There is something else. And it is best of all. We will always have a fresh, new love. This love will be for God. But it will also be for other people. God gives us this wonderful book. The Bible is like a mine (a deep hole), where people dig for gold or other things. This mine, the Bible, holds very many treasures. There are more than we could ever use.