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: Dear Rouel --- sometimes we initiate a thread, and it just goes crazy on tangents. As important as the discussions of hell and souls etc. may be, I would hate to be newly in the Word and be bombarded with all of that. Take courage. I think the advice of people that have responded to your actual question is good. There are different modes of reading the Bible, such as: -- intellectual study: figuring out the basic structure of the book, how the historical context works, etc. -- prayerful meditation. Allow God to use specific verses in your life. Write out a passage in a journal, so that you can mull it over longer. Too often, we read every day without actually holding a specific text long enough for it to penetrate to our core. I have been working my way through the entire Bible -- reading the whole thing in 3 years is my plan. I'm not following a "program," but I ballance O.T. and new --- and one book leads me to the next. (ie. the books of Kings mentions the prophet Isaiah, so I read Isaiah after finishing Kings.) Other times, I take one book and read it repeatedly. A short book like Philippians is amazing for this -- and the rewards are great. Other times, thematic study is wonderful. A concordance helps you to find shared words, and then chain-references help you to follow a theme. For example, to study God's covenants (ie. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus) is SO rewarding. Blessings to you, as you dig in. JRM. |