by Vincent Charles

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

When I first began studying the Bible, I would share with friends, family and co-workers what I have learned. Every now and then I would run into someone who would tell me that it is impossible to understand the Bible, and it is open to personal interpretation. I would ask them then if they have studied God's Word, and what books of the Bible have they read. What I usually find out is that they haven't read it at all, and they are only repeating what someone else had told them, or they dived right into trying to understand end times prophecy.

I always suggest to those who tell me that they want to study the Bible to pray before they even open it up to the first page. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the understanding of what you are about to read, trust Him to be your teacher, let Him make the words on the pages come to life. The Bible is the Living Word of God, it is inexhaustible, and that is why Bible scholars spend years studying it. Even if you have read the Bible in a year, if you do it again the next year, you will still gain new understanding. However, it will not contradict what you understood before, just improve it.

Another suggestion I give is, start in Genesis, even if you already know the creation story. The word Genesis means, beginnings in the Hebrew language, so begin there. It covers the first 2500 years of history after God created the heavens and the earth. By doing this, you will have a firm foundation that will help you understand later books.

If you are having trouble reading through the genealogies, get a notebook, or better yet a couple of poster boards, and as you read through them, make a chart. If information is available about that person, such as their age, and their personalities, write that down near their name. For example, you may write that Noah lived 950 years, and cursed his son, Ham and his grandson, Canaan. The genealogies may at times seem difficult to read through and it may be tempting to skip over them, but you will find by charting them out, you will begin to see character traits that are carried throughout generations in bloodlines, and you will understand why certain people groups in the Bible are the way they are. If you are wondering if there is an easier way to do this, you might check with your local Christian bookstore to see if they have a Bible genealogy chart for sale.

Do not try to read the Bible the same way you would read a novel. Read two or three chapters a day. I've found that reading a chapter in the morning, a chapter in the afternoon, and a chapter before going to bed to be an effective way to study. In between intervals, I have found myself thinking about what I previously read, and the Holy Spirit gives me a clearer understanding.

The last suggestion I have also is, try to avoid using; Read the Bible in a year study plans. I believe this is what causes the greatest confusion. As an example, they usually start by having you read a chapter or two in Genesis in the Morning, a chapter in Psalms, and a chapter in Proverbs, in the afternoon, and a chapter of Matthew in the Evening. And they follow that pattern for an entire year. I believe that a person should study Genesis and Exodus, and then study Matthew, then throughout the year alternate between Old Testament, and New Testament, I think you will agree with me that it will be easier to understand.

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