Studying the Bible is so different than just reading. I haven't even got through with one chapter and I'm already needing someone to talk to about it.

Am I smart enough to do this? Do I have enough dedication to do this? Will my faith make it through?


Is there a better way to start than just starting at Genesis 1?

Do you have a Study Bible, or just a Bible?  

The study Bibles have commentary and explanations throughout.  That helped me the first time I read through it.

My son (in seminary) recommends this one.

And as for being smart enough, of course you are.  Questions about the Bible and what it says--especially the critical ones where you go "I don't know if I can buy that, it doesn't make any sense to me", then explore and lay to rest WHY it bothers you--are essential to building your faith.

Start at the beginning, read all the way through. Most things will sort themselves out as you go. When you're done, consider yourself one of the elite minority of people who have actually read the whole book.

Then start all over again. You'll see new things each time.

You could start with the New Testament, but a lot of the references made there won't make a lot of sense, as they refer to stories from the OT on a regular basis.

Which brings up another point--if you're like me, I like context.  Some of the stories/sayings in the Bible make no sense out of context, because they were written for an Eastern culture thousands of years ago. (Example:  Knowing where tax collectors fit in the overall culture makes Jesus' eating with them makes the fact that he did so scandalous for the times.)

An archeological study Bible helps with that.  

I think we actually have one of those in our book shelves.

 

Its so different than just reading

 

The downside of those Bibles is they're not exactly portable.  I've seen library dictionaries smaller than those.

I am reminded of this (took me a while to look it up and find it again) - "How to Read the Bible" by Philip Green.

Also, do you have a plan, or are you just reading?  Some people have (admittedly pretty elaborate) plans to cover the Bible topically instead of chronologically (which, PSA and to add to the degree of difficulty, the books of the OT aren't laid out in).

I agree with starting with the new testament.  I would start with Luke. If your new to reading the bible, I would read Luke and not the other 3 (Matthew, Mark , John) Then keep rolling from there.  I must admit, I learned the Bible from listening to (Inspired by) It's really awesome and isn't just a guy reading. It's a lot of famous actors.http://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Bible-Experience-The-Complete/dp/0310941555

I would love to read chronologically but I'm not sure how

 

Before I give a recommendation, ill tell you a little about my self. I am studying to be a pastor and am currently a Jr. at a Southern Baptist college. Ive taken classes on the NT, OT, Biblical interpretation, and the like.

I understand reading the Bible can be difficult at times. There's a lot to it but i believe no person is incapable of studying Scripture. Its all about how "deep" you want to go. I doubt you want to study Greek or Hebrew in order to do your own transliterations or translations, especially when the current English Bibles are faithful.

My whole hearted suggestion is to get a modern translation like the ESV, NIV, etc. that is a study Bible (includes commentaries). Secondly, get a book called "Living By The Book" by Hendricks. It is an excellent, and simple to read but will guide you on how to read Scripture. I transformed my Bible study time.

The rest is earnest prayer.

The best of luck!

PS: reading chronologically is great for a overview of the historicity of the Bible but it is difficult to withdraw applicable truths that way. I suggest beginning with the Gospel of John.

As one who is (sorta) trying to start doing this myself, I will freely admit that the undertaking seems overwhelming at the beginning.

I'm only partway through Matthew....

A study guide Bible might be the best route. Regardless read it from cover to cover. it's such a wonderful book that's full of God's wishes, plans, and the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. it's also a great history book of the past and what will happen in the future. I would also look into a Bible study group at a church. good luck op and enjoy the Word of God.

Yes! You are smart enough to get it, though it is no doubt quite a lot of material to digest.

The best study I ever did was simply an overview of the Bible story, which surveyed everything that happened starting at Genesis 1:1 and going up through the second coming of Christ.

Once you have the "big picture" in mind, the reading makes MUCH more sense.

This is one of the books I have that gives this complete story in a nutshell.

I'd actually save that for later.  More important is to understand some of the key stories of the Bible and how they relate to God's plan.  Try this site to come up with a reading plan that matches what you want to do.

As you read, just remember--EVERY story in the Bible is a Christ story.  

That is perfect!!

 

Glad to help.  

So true....

I learned this myself only recently while listening to Catholic Answers. Even Revelation is simply a highly symbolic rendition of the Mass, rather than an account of the future.

I make it a point to read through the Bible every year.  I start with Genesis and end with Revelation.  What happens in the middle is completely random to me.  A few things:



1) Even though I've read the whole book through several times, I learn something new every year.  Things that seem strange at first make sense after you've read it a few times.

2) Sometimes it's not always easy.  Certain books of the Old Testament in particular are hard to work through.

3) If possible, try not to view things through the eyes of an American in 2015.  Things that might seem like random oddities to us made perfect sense to the original audience.  Because we live in such a different culture, it can be hard to see how some of the Old Testament commands are relevant to us today.  But, the reason God gave the Israelites the commands in the first place give us insight into His nature, and that's still relevant.

4) A lot of the things we view as peculiar in the Old Testament make a bit more sense when you read the New Testament.  When you consider that Jesus was the fulfilment of the Law, it clarifies things.  The burden of the Law was extremely heavy, and I think that was the point- to make it obvious that no one created could completely obey God's laws.  Peter's vision where Jesus tells him not to call "unclean" what has been made clean wasn't about food.  It was a declaration that God's plan of salvation was open to the Gentiles, as well as the physical descendants of Abraham.

5) In my opinion, the two books that really blow Christianity wide open are John and Romans.  You could spend a year just studying those two books.



If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.  I don't claim to know EVERYTHING, or even to be an expert, but I'll try to help as best I can.



You're probably more than smart enough to do it.  Just acknowledge ahead of time sometimes it won't be easy going.