The Bible It is a book that has generated controversy for centuries; In it, texts that were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek are compiled, which brings together a series of stories of God’s relationship with man. Some dispute its veracity and others have simply decided to take what it says there as a manual for living. What is clear is that the Bible is a book to study and not to simply read, since it lends itself to interpretations taken out of context, that is why in OneHowTo we explain how to study the bible.
Steps to follow:
1
It begins with the New Testament. The bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament is the first group of books made up of the Pentateuch, which are the first 5 and then there are the wisdom, historical and prophetic books. In the New Testament we find what was the life of Jesus and the teachings that he left to his disciples in the Gospels and then there are different letters that relate the life of some disciples after the death of Jesus.
Additionally, you must choose a version in this case the most recommended is the New International Version (NIV) which is written in a simpler language. For those who prefer a more romantic one, the Reina Valera version can be useful. The idea of starting with the New Testament and specifically with the Gospels, is because it will be easier and you will know the life of Jesus in depth.
2
The study of any holy book is called hermeneutics and from here the principles for the interpretation of these texts are set, this is what you will have to carry out to know how to study the bible. In this study what you need to take into account is the following:
- Literal meaning: here there is no space for interpretations, you just have to be guided by what the text says.
- Spiritual sense: it is what you think God is trying to say and that at the end of the study you will try to apply.
Additionally, you can ask yourself questions to give context to what you are going to read, such as:
- Who was this book written for?
- Who is this passage for?
- What was it written for?
3
Once you have located in the New Testament, you must choose a book, the recommendation is to start with the Gospels. Start by reading the first chapter of the book you have chosen, in case it is very long you can divide it into two parts. In case you have not understood a word, look it up in the dictionary before continuing with the reading.
4
Paraphrase the verses that you read without altering anything, here it is necessary that you do not add words or omit others that may be important for the main message. Specify the main point of what God wanted to convey, for example faith, forgiveness etc, and from here extract the truths from the text. You can ask questions like:
- What do you learn about God in this chapter?
- What do you learn from the people talked about in this chapter?
5
The last and most important point to study the Bible is the application, find out how you can adapt those truths extracted from the text to your life or identify situations in which you need to put what you just read into practice. In the end study the bible it’s about observing the context, understanding the text, sharing what you’ve learned, and living up to what you’ve studied.
6
Reading the Bible is a gesture of intimacy with God So if possible, make time for this without interruptions or distractions that will prevent you from understanding what God really means. It is recommended that if you are beginning to study the Bible, you look for a coach or a study group, as this will help you study it in a deeper way and understanding the contexts, you can also use biblical dictionaries for a more comprehensive explanation of unfamiliar terms.
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