10 Tips for Bible Reading

The believer has the great privilege of having access to the Word of God given to us in the Bible. We all know we ought to read the Bible, but sometimes we struggle with the know-how as we read. Perhaps a few tips on how to read may be helpful.

1. Read the Bible regularly. This should not come as a surprise, but without reading the Bible, you will never understand It. Sometimes it can be easier to read about the Bible, listen to a sermon, read The Daily Bread, or dig into another Christian’s perspective on current events than to actually read the Bible. But these must not overtake our own intake of the Word of God. The Scriptures are where we find truth, undiluted and unfiltered, and hear from God directly.

2. Read the Bible repeatedly. Sometimes I hear someone say that they have read the Bible cover to cover, meaning that they feel themselves to be an expert on the book. I can barely read through Green Eggs and Ham once and feel I have mastered it. How much more the Inerrant Word of God? Read the Bible, and read It again and again.

3. Read the Bible systematically and in context. The open and point method of reading the Bible bears limited fruit. Far better is to read through a book of the Bible. You do not need to read straight through from Genesis to Revelation. But read all of Genesis or all of Revelation. This is the best practice because no verse In the Bible is an island to Itself but comes within a flow of thought. You will not understand the depth of a verse or a chapter of the Bible until you understand how that section works within the whole of the book.

4. Meditate on God's Word. This means to think about it. After grasping what a passage means in its context, take a verse from what you are reading and chew on it a bit. Write the verse down, pull it out from time to time during the day, and read it. The blessed man “meditates day and night” on the Word of God (Psalm 1:2).

5. Try reading a whole book of the Bible in one or two sittings. Start with a smaller epistle, and then try a gospel. Perhaps reading all 150 Psalms at once would be daunting, but it will not be a waste of time.

6. Get a good study Bible and use it appropriately. Receiving help from others in your understanding of the Bible does not indicate spiritual ineptitude. Every believer has learned from others who have learned from others. Reading the notes of a study Bible is finding help from someone who has had the time and opportunity to study the Bible more than you. Learn from them and, as always, read all notes with discernment. Do not stop with the study notes of a study Bible, but read the book introductions to get good insights into the purpose and setting of the book. These will help you be a good Bible student. I like to recommend the ESV Study Bible and the MacArthur Study Bible.

7. Ask good questions. “What does this text mean?” “Why did Paul write this?” “How does this relate to what was said earlier in the book?” “Are there any other places in the Bible that say something similar?” “What is the main point of this passage?” “What are the key words, phrases, and sentences in this chapter?” Good questions answered well will help you get the meaning of the passage.

8. Take the long view. Do not worry if you don’t understand everything you read. Keep reading and studying, and you will find in a year that you understand more than you do now.

9. Read prayerfully. The Scriptures are living and active, and the Author of the Scriptures abides with you and in you. It is not a book to be read dryly. It is to be read with an expectation that you are reading God’s word and should be attended with humble prayer to the Author of Scripture in response to what you read.

10. Read with a heart ready to believe and obey. When God speaks, he expects people to hear and respond. “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). When we read to merely gain information or check the daily devotional box off our day’s to-do list, we miss the point of having God’s word: to believe and obey it.