As we are headed into Spring, Easter is now right around the corner. For many people, this is a return to remember Christ and what He did for us. I wish everyone remembered it all year round! But there are some of us out there who have the beginnings of a walk with God and haven't moved forward past that first step of accepting Him into our hearts. I see questions like, "How can I have more faith?" "How am I certain of what God wants for my life?" When it gets down to it, there's one thing many people are missing and that's how to study and understand the Bible. Prayer is only a part of our walk with God - without studying His word, you will never fully have the faith and understanding of God.
In my personal life, I have known the Lord since I was little and been going to church since before I was born (thank you Mom!) but it wasn't until I was 33 years old that I fully began to understand the Bible and how to read it. 33 years - and I grew up in the church! It was that year I offered to teach 1/2 grade Sunday school at church and our wonderful children's minister Kimberly started the kids on the Gospel Project curriculum for kids. This is a three year program that teaches the Bible from beginning to end to kids. Oh, how I wish Lifeway published this for adults. Not the adult program, they already have that...but the kid version for adults. It completely and totally changed my understanding.
The hard part is that we forget that just because we are adults in body, we are still infants in our spiritual walk when we first accept Jesus into our hearts. We go from having no knowledge of the Bible or God, to accepting God, then are usually put in a Sunday school class that is the equivalent of a senior level class when we are just entering pre-school. Even some of the most basic theological concepts are hard to grasp when you have zero understanding of the Bible. As you grow, the Holy Spirit interjects teaching and growth in you and molds your walk - much like a teacher in school - but that has to start with a basic understanding first, then move on from there.
See, here's the deal - without any basic foundational understanding, let's face it. The Bible is boring. Much like reading a history book where you have no clue of the material (ever tried reading a war history book when you have you knowledge of it in the first place? Snooze fest!), the Bible is full of words and stories that mean nothing to you, except for the most important - Christ died for me and my sins. The rest of it, well, for a beginner - it's not easy to get involved in, unless you start with the right foundation. I wanted to share what I've learned to help others learn how to start reading the Bible with context and understanding of why it even exists in the first place. We know it starts at the beginning of time and goes to the end of time - but how does all that in the middle apply to us? We also often stay in chapters like Proverbs and the New Testament because they are pretty straight forward to easy to understand - but without the rest of the Bible to help you understand what all of it means, it can be easy to not interpret its' words correctly. I will share my own mistaken understandings of the Bible (even as a Christian my whole life!) and pull from the knowledge I gained from the Gospel Project and my study Bible to see if I can't help more of my friends get a little more engaged.
1. The first thing you have to know about the Bible is that it is one big, continuous story. Think of it more as a novel than a collection of unrelated stories and anecdotes. Most of us as kids were taught in Sunday school about Noah, Adam and Eve, Moses, Jonah, Samson, Paul and the Disciples - all as separate stories. We were taught those ways because - let's face it - those stories are the ones we decided were most interesting for kids, that gave us the most craft options, and that we thought kids would remember. I really had no understanding who these people were, in relation to Jesus or why their stories were important. Of course, Adam and Eve we knew were Numero Uno, but the rest, I knew a bit here and there but just not much. For example, I really thought everyone mentioned in the Bible was related to Jesus and they were Jesus' ancestors. This is not true. I didn't know Samson was a judge (or even what a judge was!), I didn't know Moses never got to the Promised Land or why Moses was the one chosen to lead everyone in the first place. I didn't know that the Old Testament was the story of Israel and the Israelites. I thought Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul were 5 of Jesus' disciples. I mean, am I the only one, here, who was confused about these things? I had no idea how all these stories and people fit together.
What I learned first in the Gospel Project was of the utmost importance - The Bible is one big book, one continuous story of how God dealt with His people before Jesus came, how He pointed towards sending Jesus in the Old Testament, how he fulfilled His promise to send Jesus in the New Testament, and then how that changed our relationship with God and how we were to live in this new relationship moving forward, until Jesus comes back again.
2. The second thing you need to know is that as a new Christian, a simple Bible will not suffice to help you understand it. Invest in a good study Bible. Much like when you start a new college course, you have to purchase the proper resources, a good study Bible is an investment in your training as a new Christian. I received The Life Application Study Bible as a gift and it changed my life. Not my Christian walk alone - it changed my life. It changed how I was able to relate my experiences in my own life to the Bible and how I could talk to others about the Bible. The King James Version to me is like trying to understand and relate to a college level algebra course without taking basic math in elementary school. Sure, you'll understand a few things, but without someone teaching you the foundation, you will never fully understand it. We can go to church and hear a preacher, or go to Sunday school for more understanding, but having a good study Bible will help you be able to read your Bible without having to wait until Sunday to hear a sermon about one chapter, when all week you could be studying any part you'd like, while also having educated teachers explain the bits and pieces that the Bible doesn't tell you (or better yet, what the Bible does tell you but that other theologians and scholars have studied already and can explain). Think of a good study Bible as an "all-included, online course" so to speak. My study Bible, for example, starts off each book with basic pieces of knowledge - what year it was written (or most likely written), who the author was, who the original intended audience was, the central theme of the book (STAAR test, anyone?), the main figures mentioned in the book, where the book took place or was written provided in maps, a chronological timeline for context, a recap of what was going on at the time the book began in history, and a key verse from that book important to remember. Just this information, by itself, helps for deeper understanding. Throughout each book, there are footnotes that help you understand the verses' intended message and how it can apply to our lives. Interspersed in the books are short biographies of the figures mentioned. What were their strengths and weaknesses? Were they believers or were they rulers at the time? How did God use them? Who were they as people? The Bible also ties together verses from other books to connect things together - for example, if there is a fulfilled promise in the New Testament, it will cross-reference the promise in the Old Testament.
3. The third thing to understand is a new Believer is that there is a difference between a Bible study and a Christian study. There are so many "bible studies" in this world you can walk through and not all of them are designed to give you a deeper understanding of the Bible. Someone clarified this for me once...there are two types of studies for Christians. Bible studies are studies designed to get a deeper understanding of the Bible from a historical and knowledge based perspective. Christian studies are studies designed to help a believer go deeper into their personal relationship with God and in relation to others, like their families and friends. You need both to be a well-rounded Christian with a good understanding. For example, the Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps and Timelines would be a Bible study. You are Enough: What Women of the Bible Teach You About Your Mission and Worth would be a Christian study. They are both important, just make sure you understand there is a difference. If you only ever participate in Christian studies, you will not learn foundational pieces of historical information and if you only read the historical Bible Studies, you could have difficulty understanding how to apply the Bible to your life.
4. The fourth thing to understand is that the Bible is a historical book. The events in the Bible happened. The people in the Bible actually lived. They can be studied outside of the Bible as figures in history. The events of the Bible were happening alongside things happening in the world. The Life Application Study Bible explains this as well. Along with reading the book of the Bible, it will give you little insights like, "meanwhile, back in Asia...." which tells how the Bible and Christianity grew alongside the other major nations in the world. You know the Romans you studied in high school world history? Those are the same Romans that are mentioned in the Bible. Ever wonder where the Muslim religion came from? Read the story of Ishmael and Abraham. (This also helps you understand why peace will be impossible until Christ returns). Ever wonder how Christianity spread so quickly? It wasn't just Paul - seeing how influential Jesus was, leaders of other countries took advantage of that and used it to help their own political influence (Constantine example #1!). Understanding the Bible as a historical document while also understanding world history shows you that the people in this book weren't just imagined characters and the stories weren't just allegories.
5. The final thing for today I will leave you with is that as a new Christian, please do not think you have to understand everything, all at once, right off the bat. All those theologians I was referring to? Even they don't have ALL the knowledge. No one ever will, until Christ returns. Do not feel bad or defeated if the only verse you know is John 3:16 - right now, at the start, that's all you need. As long as you spend your time learning, that's all God asks of you, and to try and to ask questions when you aren't clear. I found myself, at times, pretending I knew what other Christians were talking about when they would tell a story about a figure in the Bible I had never heard of. "Oh sure, Deborah? Yeah, I know her..." and instead of asking, I would just continue listening. ASK QUESTIONS! Be honest with members of your church if you don't know what they are talking about, especially if they are saying something that sounds really interesting to you. Then go back and read the story in your study Bible. Remember, too - I don't care how old some of the people are at your church or how long they've been a Christian...it doesn't mean they know the Bible better than you do. Don't be intimidated by others in that way - or think you are starting at a disadvantage because you accepted Christ at the age of 63. We are all learning and there are still so many things about this book we have not learned yet. Asking questions of other Christians also helps them!
Most importantly - knowledge of the Bible also doesn't equate to a better relationship with God. You can memorize every Bible verse there is and still be just as close to God as when you started, if you do not take it in your heart and apply it in your life. Study the Bible with the ultimate goal of how God wants you to take the information and apply it to your life.
Until tomorrow's installment - happy learning!
Until tomorrow's installment - happy learning!
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