Reading the Bible: What You Need

What you need for effective Bible reading is actually a very short list. You don’t need a bunch of background information (to start, anyway). And you don’t need to do it “right.” But it is necessary to have three simple things.

What You Need: The Bible

This one should probably be obvious, but it is a necessary ingredient for reading the Bible. You can use a digital copy or an actual book. There isn’t a “right” option here either. What you need is a copy of God’s Word that you keep in a single place that is easily accessible for regular use. Don’t move this copy. Don’t keep it somewhere you have to clear away on a daily basis (dining room table, say). But you need a copy of the Bible in order to read it every day.

But, you might ask … what version should I read? Because, let’s be honest, there are a crap ton of Bible versions out there, and they are not all created equal.

I could go into the background of a good version (original texts and translation methods and such). But I’m not going to. You’re welcome. All that stuff is important. It really is. But for now, we can focus on just a couple of points.

To read the Bible effectively, you need a translation, not a paraphrase.

Though there can be some overlap, a translation is any Bible that was created from the original texts in the original languages. A paraphrase is a rewording of the already-English text. So you want to go with versions like the NIV, ESV, NLT, and NRSV. These are solid translation, done by Bible scholars, from the original texts. Others might work, but these you can be pretty sure of.

To read the Bible effectively, you need a translation that’s not too hard or too easy to read.

For the purposes of daily Bible reading, I would not recommend The Message, NIrV (New International Reader’s Version), or the King James version. These are fantastic for other uses, but for daily reading, they are not what you need. The KJV is simply too hard for most of us to slog through every day. The Message is great for getting a fresh look at familiar passages, but can be hard to study from. And the NIrV is simply too easy. (They reduced the reading level for this version to a third-grade level, so the sentences are a little choppy, the ideas harder to follow.)

What You Need: Yourself

Again, this one is probably obvious, but here we go anyway.

You have to do this. Bible study does require discipline, the regular choice to do something, even when you don’t really feel like it, because it accomplishes a bigger purpose. That’s important, whether we’re talking about exercise, diet, being purposeful with our time, or reading the Bible. We have to show up, over time, and with intent. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

We also have to show up with an open heart. Some days this is harder than others, but I’m convinced that daily Bible reading is only effective when we come honestly seeking, asking questions, trying to uncover and understand. It’s like dating someone we’re really interested in. Every time we get together, we want to know more about him or her. We ask questions, we dialogue, we engage. We have to approach the Bible (and the God who wrote it) with the same intentional pursuit.

What You Need: The Holy Spirit

So this one is the most important ingredient for effectively reading the Bible.

To really engage with the Bible, you need three things. You bring yourself, open and intentional. The Bible contains God’s inspired and profitable communications to us. The Holy Spirit is the active connection between those two things. He provides the ability and energy to receive the words of Scripture into your lives in a practical and powerful way. Without him, it just doesn’t work.

Now, I have to be honest here. Not everyone has the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit actually lives inside us when we are saved. When we decide to believe that we are sinners and that Jesus died to atone for those sins and that he rose from the dead, we begin an active relationship with the Holy Spirit. When we are part of God’s family, made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2), the Spirit enables us to understand and apply God’s Word.

However, if you haven’t yet come to a place where you have that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit, don’t despair. If you ask him to show up and reveal himself to you in the Bible, he does. Every time. So even if you don’t go to church or aren’t entirely sure what you believe, read the Bible every day anyway. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what it really means. He will. He’s always willing to start where we are.