5 excellent tips on how to read the Bible

The Bible is one of the most popular published books ever written in the history of life, but also one of the hardest to read and understand. Unlike most books published today, the Bible contains a lot of statements that are full of dates, metaphors and written to incorporate events and symbols from culture. There are a lot of interpretations and the lingering question often is, "what is the right way to read the Bible?"

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Lea Bronwyn, a writer for the Relevant Magazine, shared some tips with crosswalk.com on how we could make reading the Bible and understanding it less of a struggle.

1. Read "You" in a plural sense.

According to Bronwyn, most of the time the pronoun "you" in the Bible refers to a lot of people, not just the singular "you." Keep in mind that we are all part of a group of Christians, and we have to think about how the other believers are living. The Gospels are supposed to bind the people of God together in His purposes altogether.

2. To lament is fine.

There's nothing wrong with being sad because mourning and lamenting are our natural responses to sin and suffering, wrote Bronwyn. Although we have the love, peace and joy brought by Christ, to feel sadness is helpful in recognizing that we have done things against the teachings and should do things rightfully the next time.

3. The prophecy is forth-telling more than foretelling.

Bronwyn's reminder when people ask the usual question on how the Bible perceives the future, is that the prophets are talking more about their current problems in Israel during those times. They have very little to do with our time and the future other than guiding us with their earlier experiences.
 
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4. Study Jesus' idioms in His context.

The Bible was written with a lot of metaphors and idioms that we today may find strange, but this is because we often lack the understanding of Jesus' words within His context. It is our responsibility, according to Bronwyn, to seek the proper understanding of the words used and not just skip them.

5. Literary reading and understanding in English class would help.

We are taught in school how to identify what genre of literature we are reading, and how to properly read them. With various styles of writing and genre from each book and entry in the Bible, it would be helpful to make use of them. This would help you reach a better clarification of what it talks about.

Proper knowledge on how to read and understand the Bible passages is critical for all believers. Our teachers and leaders don't always hold all the answers and proper interpretations, so studying them by ourselves is necessary. There are more tips from Lea Bronwyn available in the Relevant Magazine.

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