Bible Question: i want to have a serious study of the bible and know God's word,do you have any reference book to guide me?literally, i'm a beginner so please help.thanks |
Bible Answer: Hi, Rouel. A young swimming student stood cautiously on a diving board and asked his instructor, "How can I learn how to dive?" The instructor replied, "Young man, you merely spring from that diving board into the water, over and over, many, many times until you get the hang of it. But you'll never learn the first thing about diving until you take that first plunge." That's pretty much how it is with beginning the journey -- and a sacred journey it is -- into God's word. One takes the plunge, he digs in, he reads, he thinks, he meditates, he prays for enlightenment by the Spirit. And he makes it a habit, an integral part of his life. ..... Now for some practical stuff that you may find helpful. First, choose a good translation, one that is right for you. Unless you are an English major who is very familiar with Elizabethan English, the King James Version is probably not for you, at least not in the beginning. Choose among several good modern translations, e.g. New King James Version, New American Standard, English Standard Version or New International Version. ..... Having chosen a version, next I would consider using a reference edition that was well outlined and had introductions to each book in the Bible, but I would not advise a so-called study Bible at this stage of your journey into God's word. Why? Because you need to get an unfettered exposure to the word of God first. You need a good overview. You can zoom in on the details later and then it may be time for you to begin using a study Bible or other detailed commentaries, but not now. For example, if you were studying an elephant, you'd want to get a good picture in your mind of what the whole elephant looks like before you made a detailed study of its ears, tusks, trunk, feet, etc. So it is with the Bible. Get the big picture first. There are many ways to begin your journey into the Bible and there is perhaps no one best way. I've found that a systematic reading by books of the Bible is excellent. You might wish to begin with the New Testament. Read each book through once for quick overview. Then go back and read the same book again or even a third time or more. Proceed in like manner through the New Testament. Then do the same thing with the Old Testament. Read a brief introduction to each book and study the outline of the book before you read it. Don't be discouraged when you come across passages that you don't fully understand. Some of them will become clearer on a second or subsequent reading. Some of them may remain a mystery after the fiftieth reading! I've been reading God's word for over half a century. Do I understand it all? No, not by any means. One help I'd like to recommend. It's Hailley's Bible Handbook. Since its publication in 1927 it has been one of the all-time best-selling Bible handbooks. Written in non-technical easy-to-understand plain English, it is packed with a variety of background information that is useful to Bible students both new and seasoned. Well, friend, thanks for your question, and I send this to you with my hope that it will be of some help to you and with my prayer that your sacred journey into God's blessed word will be both pleasant and fruitful. --Hank |