You might study the Bible to understand literature more deeply because great authors have drawn themes and characters from the Bible for centuries. You might study the Bible to win trivia contests or arguments. You might study the Bible in preparation for preaching a sermon or teaching a class. There are many reasons to study the Bible, but the best reason I know is to develop a closer relationship with God.

Your reason for studying the Bible makes a difference in how to go about studying the Bible. The kind of study that maximizes your chances of winning a trivia contest or an argument is not your best approach to developing a closer relationship with God.

When I was a young man, I assumed that the commentaries on the shelves of my pastor’s library held great wisdom. I assumed that I needed a scholar to teach me, so I spent years focusing on books about the Bible. I assumed that a three-volume set of books devoted to the Gospel of John was better than a one volume commentary on John.

I have given away truckloads of books over the years. I gave Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama a truck load of books before I moved to Alpharetta, Georgia. I gave the McAfee School of Theology a truckload of books when I “left” the ministry in 1997. But through my investment in Logos Bible software years ago, I still have a large library, albeit an electronic one. For instance, I own 39 commentaries on the book of Genesis. I want you to understand my history with books when I tell you that you almost certainly should not be reading books about the Bible or commentaries if your reason for studying the Bible is to develop a closer relationship with God. Academic study is no substitute for actually reading Scripture and is often a distraction from listening to God through Scripture.

Guidelines for studying the Bible to develop a closer relationship with God:

  1. Read the Bible at least 30 minutes per day. If reading more would not be a burden, read more. If reading 30 minutes would make you lose sleep or miss a meal, read less.
  2. I think it is important to read from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Scriptures, and the Psalms every day. I read at a rate that takes me through all 150 Psalms once per month and the rest of the Bible once per year, but you should read at a pace that suits you.
  3. Take your time when reading the Bible. Reread verses or whole passages that grab your interest. Reread passages for days in a row if you like. The point is not checking off your verses for the day. The point is listening to what God might be saying to you in what you are reading.
  4. Expect to be puzzled. No one understands everything in the Bible. The power is in the things God gives you to appreciate, even if few, and not in the things you don’t understand, even if many.
  5. Reading the Bible helps you to understand the Bible. Things that were confusing the first time through the Bible may make more sense as you keep reading. However, some things will make less sense because you will notice contradictions if you are paying attention. Notice contradictions, but don’t let them consume you. Your relationship with God is not dependent on resolving all the puzzles you notice.
  6. If you want to do advanced Bible study, outline of an entire book of the Bible or at least a part of it. The headings you see in your Bible were not part of the original writings. They were added by editors after the fact. You might agree with how the editors divided the flow of sentences and paragraphs and you might see other ways to do it. The process of reading and re-reading passages to create an outline helps you to see how different parts fit together and helps you to understand the parts and the whole better. Deciding the best heading to express the theme of a passage draws you deeper into the text. The work you do may not be helpful to anyone else, but it will be helpful to you.
  7. I have already declared my opposition to seeking answers in a commentary, but there is one book that can be okay if you don’t get too caught up in reading it instead of the Bible and that is a Bible Dictionary. A Bible Dictionary is useful to learn more about a person, place, thing, or concept or to get an overview of a book of the Bible.
  8. A few of my most powerful experiences with God happened while I was translating Hebrew or Greek into English. I’ve let my ability to read Hebrew and Greek slip away, but still work with translating Scripture now and again. Anyone can get to the neighborhood of what I experience translating the Bible by reading and comparing different translations of the Bible. I don’t recommend doing this every day, but it can be a useful practice now and again. My favorite translation of the Bible is the Good News Bible (Today’s English Version), but I read through the Psalms in a different version every month. At some point I may read through the whole Bible in a different version. There is no right or wrong version to study. God can speak through every version.