How to read the Bible? One of the most important things to do when reading the Bible is to read it as it was intended to be read. The Bible is ultimately a collection of books that are set apart from the world which is why they are considered holy. Thus, it is a Holy Bible. The Bible contains 66 books in total from the first book, Genesis, to the last, Revelation. As it mentions in the book of 2 Timothy 3:16, all scripture is God-breathed which is why God equates himself to the word in the book of John 1:1. Every single word of God in scripture is also described as being flawless. But there are more than 31,000 verses in the Bible. A question one may ask is, “Is it required to know every single verse in the Bible to know God?”

What Must a Believer Understand | How To Read The Bible

Knowing every verse in the Bible can beneficial but it is not necessarily how one can come to truly know God. There were many believers who were very diligent in studying the scriptures and fervent in the faith. Many of the religious leaders were even described to have had verses and scrolls wrapped around their arms and heads as well. However, Jesus made it very clear to the religious leaders, who were considered Bible experts at that time, that they were in error of the scriptures because they did not know God. 

 Even Apostle Paul, a servant of the Lord who recorded many letters within the New Testament, described how the believers during the time of the first coming of Jesus were zealous in carrying out their life of faith yet their zeal was not based on the knowledge of God. Having understood that knowing many verses is not what leads to true knowledge of God, the question now becomes, “what is required to truly know God?”

For Starters…| How To Read The Bible

Firstly, we must know that knowledge is important. Society considers knowledge important even saying “knowledge is power”. God as well considers knowledge important where in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, God’s will is for all men to be saved in coming to the knowledge of the truth. But this knowledge of truth God desires for us is an understanding of His intention behind the words spoken in the Bible.

Reading the Bible correctly just once and perceiving God’s heart in doing so is better than reading the Bible 100 times from beginning to end but not understanding God’s purpose. There are parts of scripture and verses that can help us to see a clear flow and pattern from Genesis to Revelation. Understanding the position God is currently in and the work He is doing as described in scripture will help us to see which verses are considered main verses.

Why is Knowledge of the Bible Important? | How To Read The Bible

God was once dwelling amongst His people, Adam and Eve, in Genesis but because they were deceived, God had to leave his creation because of sin. Ever since this time, God has been working to return back to His people. God is able to return by educating His people through the Bible and having them obey it as mentioned in John 14:23.

In the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21:1-4, God is finally able to return to His creation. But many events occur before this happens. These events that take place can be seen as a reoccurring cycle throughout all 66 books of the Bible. This cycle includes God showing His faithfulness and His people constantly betray Him.

 In Numbers 23:19, God is someone who does not lie but instead fulfills his word every time He speaks. Even amongst people, those who keep their word are considered people of integrity and moral goodness. God’s track record for keeping His word or promises can be found throughout the entire Bible, thus making Him completely trustworthy. From this betrayal, God allows an opportunity for the people to repent but they do not. As a result, the chosen are destroyed by their enemies because they forsook God.

The main reason God’s people are destroyed is because of a lack of knowledge as stated in Hosea 4:6. As it says, they lack knowledge because they have rejected the word of God. One might think they simply just did not read the Bible but it refers to how they lack the understanding of God’s heart and intention. 

Lack of Understanding at the First Coming | How To Read The Bible

An example of misunderstanding God’s intention can be seen through a command given by God to His chosen people in the Old Testament where He told them to sacrifice a lamb for the atonement of their sin. However, doing this was to serve as a shadow for what was to come in the future. Jesus, who came as the reality of the Lamb, was the true atonement sacrifice for sins. Therefore, there was no longer any need to sacrifice an actual lamb once Jesus appeared at the time of the first coming. Rather one had to come out to Jesus to receive atonement for their sin. But there were people who didn’t come out to Jesus and continued to sacrifice actual lambs. This would be an example of people knowing the command/word of God but not truly knowing the purpose of why it was given.

Are you spiritually aware? | How To Read The Bible

God, through the prophet Isaiah, describes how His people are rebellious. They are rebellious because they do not understand. It says in Isaiah 1:1-3 that an ox knows its master and a donkey its owner’s manger but His people do not know Him.

Believers can easily establish their own standards for carrying out faith and follow their own desires rather than God’s true commands. We can be deaf to His voice. But if we properly understand God and His love for us, we can grow a heart of obedience and greater awareness of Him.

 Overall, important verses in the Bible are the ones that help us to perceive the will of God through the entire Bible. Again, it is crucial to understand the intention behind the many verses within the word because even the devil uses scripture but in order to deceive. If one understands God’s heart, which can be done even though the main verses mentioned in this article, then one won’t be deceived by the schemes of the devil.