Whether you’ve been a Christian for years or you’ve just begun your journey with Christ, you know how easy it is to say, “I’m going to study the Bible in-depth every day!” and then run out of steam as soon as you stumble across a particularly puzzling passage.
Why does this happen? Why isn’t the burning desire to understand Scripture enough to make that understanding a reality? Because the Bible isn’t an easy book to read, and if you don’t know where to start, it’s easy to make a mistake. Here are three big mistakes:
1. Trying to Read Straight from Genesis to Revelation
My former American literature professor swore up and down that reading the Bible this way was the best thing she ever did. But when I tried it myself, I flew through Genesis only to lose speed halfway through Exodus and grind to a screeching halt in Leviticus.
Looking back, I realize I was destined to fail. Reading the Bible in its exact order meant I was reading dull, dense, repetitive Old-Testament law without the context of Christ’s message in the back of my mind to infuse it with meaning.
How to fix it:
My old roommate, Lyndsey, has a severe reading disorder, but she read the whole Bible without getting stuck because she didn’t go in order. Instead, she broke the Bible into manageable chunks and sorted the pieces into the parts of a house:
- The foundation— Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, collectively called the Synoptic Gospels, tell the story of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. Nothing in the Bible makes sense without Jesus, so Lyndsey read these four books first.
- The side walls— Acts tells the story of how God worked in the early Church, which showcases God’s power. Romans complements that display of power with an explanation of what salvation actually means. Understanding God’s power and God’s decision to use it for mercy is key, so Lyndsey read Acts and Romans next.
- The front and back walls— The Old Testament’s eclectic mix of law, prophecy, stories, and angsty poetry shows all the times that God loved and redeemed Israel over the centuries. Since the Old Testament shows that God had planned redemption from the beginning, Lyndsey read it next so she could grasp the enormity of His plan.
- The windows and doors— Windows let in light, and doors let in people. The instructional letters of 1 Corinthians through Jude shed light on how Christians should live, and they invite both Jews and Gentiles into a home with God. Lyndsey read this part next so she could see what everyday life looked like when she lived it for God.
- The roof— Revelation completes the Bible the way a roof completes a house. The visions God showed John describe the victory of God over Satan in the redemption story He wrote for us. Since this happily-ever-after doesn’t make sense without the once-upon-a-time and all the events which follow it, Lyndsey saved Revelation for last.
2. Only Reading a Verse or Two
Not every Christian is called to read the whole Bible in one go, but a lot of people swing to the other extreme of barely reading their Bibles at all. I’ve been struggling with this problem a lot because the busyness of everyday life makes it tempting to open my Bible app, skim a devotion and a couple of verses, and be on my not-so-merry way. Even with the help of devotional material, it’s easy for me to read a verse or chapter and misconstrue it because I didn’t bother reading the chapter it’s placed in.
I’m not alone in struggling with this problem. Thomas Turner, an author for the online Christian magazine Relevant, wrote an article about four verses that thousands of believers misinterpret because they don’t read the whole passage for context.
One of them is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” If you give this verse — and only this verse — a passing glance, it seems like God is talking directly to you and saying He’ll make things work out your way.
However, if you read the rest of Jeremiah 29, it becomes clear that the “you” in this passage isn’t referring to an individual; it’s a collective “you” referring to all of Israel and the Church. In other words, God is going to prosper the body of believers as a whole even if that means letting your plans fall through.
How to fix it:
Taking verses out of context is an easy problem to fix in theory: just read the whole chapter, and maybe the ones before and after it, too. You’re probably thinking to yourself that you don’t have time for that, but here’s the thing, as a Christian, your time isn’t yours, it’s God’s. And if God has convicted you to spend more time reading the Word, He will help you do that if you come to Him with an open heart and mind.
3. Forgetting Why You’re Reading the Bible
The whole point of reading the Bible is to grow closer to God and learn to live and love like Christ did. Unfortunately, many Christians see Bible-reading as an item on their to-do list —something to do on Sundays after church and forget about Monday through Saturday.
This mentality is unhealthy because it portrays God as a cosmic CEO who will fire you for skipping church. And the longer you think like this, the more likely you are to feel distant from God and the less likely you are to put effort into maintaining your relationship with Him.
How to fix it:
Remember that God is your father. He wrote to you — yes, you, sitting there reading this article — a 66-book letter to tell you He loves you. Take the letter He has given you and meditate on it day and night like David did (Psalm 1:2).
Why Does This Matter?
Even if you only read a chapter or two before work, you can still turn your mind toward God throughout the day. Think about what you read during your lunch break. Ask other Christians what they think about it. Pray if one of the verses you read has you stumped.
Finally, keep in mind that you’re not meant to figure out the whole Bible by yourself, or even to build a workable routine by yourself. You have an unstoppable God in your corner, and He will give you what you need to read and understand His words.
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