12 Tips on How To Read the Bible Better

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What is the best way to read God’s word so that I can get the best results out of it, intellectually, ethically, and spiritually? How can my Bible reading satisfy my hunger for knowledge, my thirst for spiritual vitality, and my need to be conformed to the pattern of Jesus? You might not have time for three years of seminary and you have to shepherd your time wisely, so what are tips, tricks, hacks, and helps to level up your Bible study? Well, I do have a few suggestions for you!

1. Read Whole Passages not Verses

Reading one verse a day or one verse at a time, though popular on some email lists and apps, is like eating a cake where somebody sends you the ingredients one day at a time. Eating a cake then becomes the equivalent of eating three cups of flour one day, a cup of butter the next day, and two tablespoons of cinnamon the day after that. You are eating the stuff that goes into a cake, but you’re not getting the full cake-eating experience. It’s the same with the Bible. Eat whole passages, not isolated verses, otherwise you are at risk of taking verses out of context, and not getting the full gist or full experience of reading a text in its complete context.

2. Work through an Entire Book

Reading the Bible should be more like finishing a jigsaw puzzle than speed dating. In a jigsaw puzzle, you sit down with the picture on the box and the various pieces spread over the table, and you start to slowly and surely, methodically and meticulously, put the puzzle pieces together.  Speed dating is more like, okay, “You’ve got five minutes to convince me that you’re either a fun day out or definite spouse material,” which is rushed, quirky, and a little too desperate to impress in a short time-span.” Treat your Bible reading more like a jigsaw puzzle than speed dating. Don’t  look for a few quick things to impress you with from a biblical book, rather, graze upon and grind through a whole biblical book like it’s a puzzle you want to finish and relish in seeing the whole picture at the end.

3. Read Several Books Together

I find it helpful to read multiple biblical books at the same time. In the very least, try read through an Old Testament book and New Testament book simultaneously. It might sound weird, but believe it not, reading through Leviticus at the same time as you read through Hebrew will actually be helpful. Learning about Old Testament laws pertaining to sacrifices will help you understand the atonement theology in Hebrews which is saturated in Levitical imagery. If you are really keen, try reading an Old Testament Book, the Psalms, a Gospel, and an epistle at the same time. If you do that, you’ll have many moments which are, “Huh, this thing in Numbers reminds me of that thing in 1 Peter” and vice-versa. You’ll learn the skill of using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

4. Read a Passage in Different Translations

We all have our favourite Bible translations. There’s so many, and I’m even working on making my own (long story, stay tuned!). My go-to church Bible is the NIV, while for scholarly work I tend to utilize the NRSVue. That’s partly an intellectual decision (I judge them good for certain tasks) as it is an aesthetic one (I like how they sound). It helps if you know that Bible translations are different and the reasons why they are different.

First, some translations like the KJV, the NASB, and to a lesser degree the ESV are literal or essentially literal. They want to stick to the Hebrew and the Greek as closely as possible even if the English translation is a bit clunky to read.

Second, other translations like the NRSVue, NIV, LEB, and CSB, are more about dynamic equivalence. So yes, they translate from the original text, but the translation has to be comprehensible to people who might not be naturally good readers or English might not be their first language. You can’t write, “Then came Jesus disciples and his Capernaum to” even if that’s close to the original Greek. So you have to flex a bit in how you construct clauses and sentences. That is what most Bible translations do, thread the needle between fidelity and readability.

Third, then there are paraphrases like The Message, the JB. Phillips New Testament, and the Living Bible. Here, a bit of liberty is being taken with the text, attempting to make it comprehensible by capturing the vibe rather than the exact verbum of the text. That’s okay, especially when you realize that a paraphrase is not so much a translation as an interpretation.

Now all translations include an element of interpretation, all of them, and I mean all of them. You have to make interpretive decisions as you translate. In Rom 1:17, it could be the righteousness of God or the righteousness from God, you decide as you read and render the Greek text accordingly because either option is possible. So while all translation is an interpretation, paraphrase is a deliberate gloss on the text as an interpretive act. Paraphrase is our first attempt to understand something. So when my wife comes up to me in a huff and a puff, yelling all sorts accusations and complaints, and I’m trying to show that I’m hearing her complaint, I sum up and paraphrase her concern, “So what you’re saying is honey, is that I should not have used your wedding dress to wax the car and you feel like I’ve desecrated something sacred to our marriage, and that’s made you upset” (note, not a true story!).

So a paraphrase is good way to try to explain not only words but the main point and general sense of a passage in a creative and catchy way. No problem there. While I would never limit my Bible reading to paraphrases, I think it’s actually a good idea to consult them as a kind of first-interpreter-on-the-scene sort of thing.

Accordingly, when I’m studying a passage in-depth, I like to look at the Hebrew and Greek (because I can), but for people who don’t know biblical languages, using a literal translation (like the NASB) is a surrogate that takes you close to the original text. But a translation like the NIV and CSB is probably better for a public Bible reading as its going to balance fidelity to the original languages with intelligibility in reading it. And then I consult a paraphrase, like the Living Bible, because it might have a striking way of putting something that is true to the original meaning even if a little out of left field. For example, on Romans 1:17, the Living Bible renders the “righteousness of God” as God “makes us right in God’s sight” which isn’t bad way to put it.

It is a big help if you know the different types of Bible translations, know how they are different, and know how to use them the right and responsible way.

5. Study the Bible in a Community

You can’t skirt through the pilgrimage of faith with the motto, “All I need is my ESV and Me!” It takes a church to raise a Christian. So you should study the Bible in a community of faith. That can include your immediate family, among friends, para-church groups like university ministries, or most certainly your church. The church is the place, or should be a place where you “yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14) and the church corporately should “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). You can’t rely on the pastor or priest to tell you everything about the Bible. The priesthood of all believers means everyone – young, middle-aged, and old – has something to contribute when it comes to understanding God’s word in all its fullness. The church needs less passive Bible consumers, and more people trained to “rightly explain the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

6. Practice Public Bible Reading

To be a “Reader” was once a noble and deliberate church office, one I think we need to recover. If you would rehearse a speech delivered before the Supreme Court, the United Nations, or your high school graduation, then practice your public Bible reading. You do not have to be a trained voice actor, but if asked to read the Bible in public, try some inflection, vary your pitch, attempt to voice characters (carefully not cheesily), emphasize keywords, and draw people into your reading. It will enrich the preaching of the sermon and the experience of the congregation.

7. Take Notes During the Sermon and Put Effort into Bible Studies

The average preacher probably puts anything between five to twenty-five hours into the preparation of a 30-minute Sunday sermon you listen to. Yes, we all know that some preachers are better than others. Some have a booming voice, a brilliant turn of phrase, exude wisdom, and show us the weight of glory every week. But not all preachers are blessed with a voice like James Earl Jones, with the wit of Stephen Colbert, the freshness and empathy of Beth Moore, or the cultural antennae of Timothy Keller. But if your pastor has put effort into the sermon, then you owe him or her the courtesy of putting effort in your listening.

As a preacher, it is a little depressing when people fall asleep, but it’s even more depressing when I see people staring down into the luminous glow of their phones because they are scanning Instagram. I know they are doing that, otherwise they are staring at their crotch and smiling for no apparent reason. So try to actually listen to the sermon, rather than mentally think of that BBQ set you want to buy on ebay. Take notes, take heed, listen, learn, and love the Word.

The same goes for Bible study. It’s not an intermission in your mid-weekly social catch-up. It’s your spiritual vitamin pill for the week. So put some effort into paying attention and participating, as much as for your sake as for everybody else in the group.

In a world where we have shrinking attention spans, measured in moments rather than minutes, we need to recover the discipline of deliberate and intentional Bible digestion.

8. Get a Good Study Bible

I’m a professional Bible scholar, but even I don’t know everything about the Bible. That’s why will consult the odd Study Bible once in a while. Now there are plenty of them out there and their quality varies greatly – let the reader understand – avoid ones with the words “Scofield” in the title and a front cover with a picture of a guy smiling way, way too hard! So the Study Bibles I recommend are the NIV Study Bible, CSB Study Bible, NRSV Harper Study Bible, Faithlife Study Bible, Timeless Truths Study Bible, and the ESV Global Study Bible.

These Study Bibles are useful for short introductions to biblical books, timelines, charts of things like the Herodian family, maps of Judea and Paul’s missionary journeys, locations of the seven churches of Revelation, and more. Plus, they include notes on things like where is Capernaum or Shiloh, who was Xerxes, what is a Pharisee, and so forth.

9. Podcasts and clips

We are so blessed when we live in a world that is saturated in Bible teaching contents. Whether that is the Bible Project with its snazzy videos, subscription services like SeminaryNow or Zondervan’s Masterclass, the various resources put out by your favorite churches, seminaries, and ministries, or podcasts and YouTube channels from top preachers and scholars (see my Nazareth to Nicaea and Early Christian History).

There is so much available these days. The problem is not finding content, it’s finding A-grade content amidst all the flotsam and jetsam of an over-crowded digital world. So find a good podcast, a decent channel, or a sweet radio program you like and inject that into your diet of sanctifying consumption. But an important note, vary it a bit, content and creators. Don’t just listen to the same thing over and over (105 videos on Galatians 2) or the same people (bald and bearded white guys with glasses who complain every week about the designated hitter rule and which politician they think is the whore of Babylon). Go for a podcast and vodcast sampler and see what you find interesting and stimulating.

10. Embrace the Suite of Digital Tools

If you are reading this, then you are probably already familiar with Logos, you already get emails and messages about their products. I don’t need to tell you about Logos … but I’m going to tell you about Logos.

As a scholar with the super-uber-diamond-premium-seal-team-six-jedi-knight Logos study suite, I couldn’t do what I do without Logos. Whether it is comparing translations, delving into the Hebrew and Greek lexicons, consulting church fathers and commentaries with a couple of clicks, or enjoying the daily devotions, for me Logos is a must-have.

Heck, I can remember when I used to have to use the Englishman’s Greek Concordance to look up how many times the word cosmos was used in John’s Gospel. Oh man, that feels like the Dark Ages compared to the digital galaxy that I now have at my fingertips thanks to Logos.

You don’t need the premium Logos collection, but start out with the basic suite, learn how to use it, and then augment it with the books and resources that you need, and you’ll never look back.

11. Explore Some Commentaries

Reading a commentary is like having a Philip running beside your chariot to help you understand the part of the Bible you’re currently reading. There are now more Bible commentary series available than Chick-Fil-A stores in Kentucky. Bible commentary series can be very different and every series has gems and duds. A good place to check out is the BestCommentaries website which lists all the commentary series, the individual contributors, notes the most popular ones and explains the goals and aims of each series.

Generally, there are commentary series for lay people (Bible Speaks Today, Tyndale House NT and OT commentaries), commentary series for preachers (NIV Application Commentary and Story of God Bible Commentary), an abundance of intermediate commentaries designed for people who are studying hard but are not themselves experts (New Covenant Commentary Series, New International Commentary on the Old/New Testament, Pillar New Testament Commentary, Paidaiea), some focus on the original languages as a kind of linguistic analysis (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New/Old Testament), and some are mainly written for other scholars (International Critical Commentary, Anchor Bible, and Hermeneia).

My advice, start with something thin, light, and easy to read, Tyndale House New Testament Commentary, and work your way up there.

12. Remember, the Bible is Better Beside Prayer and Sacrament

The Bible can help your prayer life and prayers can direct your Bible reading.

Also, in the Reformed tradition, Word and sacrament go together as both are a means of grace. What we need in our life ultimately is more grace, so when we combine Word and Sacrament, grace multiplies, it grace upon grace. We read the gospel of grace and experience the symbols and efficacies of grace in the sacraments.

Conclusion

So that’s my advice to you on how to read the Bible better. To finish, let me leave you with the prayer of Thomas Cranmer:

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.