How to Read the Bible

Why Read It Yourself

The Bible is God speaking. It is enough to make you wise unto salvation and to equip you for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Hearing it preached on the Lord’s Day comes first, but God also commands his people to read it, to know it, and to teach it at home (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Acts 17:11, WLC 156). See How to Lead Family Worship.

You do not need training to begin. The things you must know to be saved are set out plainly enough that an ordinary reader, using ordinary means, can understand them (WCF 1.7).

How to Read It

The Larger Catechism says the Scriptures are to be read with a high and reverent esteem of them, with a firm persuasion that they are the very Word of God, with desire to know and obey, with diligence, and with prayer (Q&A 157). In plain steps, that comes to this.

1. Pray before you read. Ask God to open your eyes (Psalm 119:18).
2. Read whole books. A book of the Bible was written to be read through. Do not hop between favorite verses.
3. Read slowly enough to notice. Ask what it says, what it means, and what it asks of you.
4. Let clear places explain hard ones. Scripture is its own interpreter (WCF 1.9). When a verse is hard, look for other places that speak of the same thing more plainly.
5. Look for Christ. The whole Bible points to him (Luke 24:27, John 5:39).
6. Do what it says. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). Write down one thing to obey or believe today.

Where to Start

1. If you are new, start with the Gospel of Mark or John, then Acts, then Romans, then Genesis. Read a Psalm each day alongside.
2. If you want the whole Bible, use a plan. Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s takes you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year. Two chapters a day take you through in about a year and a half.
3. If you fall behind, skip to today’s reading and keep going. A plan is a help, not a law.

Helps Worth Having

1. A faithful translation. This site quotes the King James Version. The ESV and the NASB are careful modern translations.
2. A good commentary. Matthew Henry is warm and plain. Calvin is careful and deep. Read the text first and the commentary second.
3. The Shorter Catechism. It shows you how the parts of the Bible fit together.
4. Your pastor. Bring your questions to him. That is part of what he is for.

Sojourner, the free study program made by this ministry, puts the Bible, Henry, Calvin, and the Westminster Standards side by side on your phone or computer.