The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. But do you know how to actually read it?
For people who’ve not read the bible before you should first be aware; it’s quite a big book. A whole Bible may be very thick which could put you off before you’ve opened it.
Fortunately, the bible doesn’t need to be from the start to finish, that’s possibly the worst way to read it if you’ve not read it before.
The Bible and Star Wars
The Bible is a bit like Star Wars. Star Wars is a battle between good and evil but when Star Wars first came out it began at chapter 4 called ‘A New Hope’. This is a bit like the Bible. The ‘New Hope’ begins with the 4 books called Mathew, Mark, Luke and John which are about the life of Jesus and how he fulfilled the prophecies before him.
Which version of the bible should you read?
All bibles say exactly the same thing so they’re not ‘versions’ as such so they don’t disagree. There are many versions of the bible and in different languages. So to start by reading one in your own language, it will be a lot easier.
Then they are written for different types of people. The Children’s Bible – for example, or maybe for ‘cool young people’ there’s The Message written in modern English. It honestly doesn’t matter as long as it’s easy for you to understand what’s written. The Evidence Bible as great as it gives insight into various chapters. Other common versions of the bible are New International Version or The Good News Bible
If you want to get ‘geeky’ you can read very early transcripts of the Bible at Codex Sinaiticus here.
Some versions may have some additional books (such as the book of Esther or Enoch) but they don’t change a thing. They actually just give further insight into some areas which may be of interest.
Who should read the Bible?
You don’t need to be a Christian to read The Bible but it helps. In fact, even if you have no interest whatsoever in becoming a Christian then it’s especially for you! If you want to understand someone else’s point of view then study what people actually believe rather than what people say other people believe. It avoids a lot of unnecessary confusion.
How to read the Bible?
Especially if you’re a Christian then it’s a good idea to pray before reading the Bible. The Bible is one of God’s many ways to talk to you. Some people will prefer meditation on one verse, or to go for a walk after reading the Bible to let it sink in and spend time with God.
Other than that – it’s a bit like learning an instrument or riding a bike. The key is ‘little and often’. If you don’t like reading – then don’t make it hard for yourself. The radio, YouTube or maybe a TV Channel like The Chosen is a great way to start.
The books of the Bible explained
We’ve taken this section out of this post to create a new one. You can get a quick overview of the various books of the bible with a quick explanation of them here.
