Your life's journey has sparked in you an interest to read the Bible; now you're wondering how to approach reading such a seemingly complex book.
The Bible is an extraordinary book, not only because of what it says but also because of its unique structure. The Bible is basically a miniature library of many books joined under one cover to express one consistent drama and reveal essential truths through poetry, history, song, letters, and the like.
Here are a few guidelines and notes to help you successfully engage with the Bible's unique structure so that you can more fully consider its message and truth.
First things first
Like most books, the Bible has a table of contents. The Bible's table of content reveals much of its unique structure. If you flip to the table of contents of the Bible you intend to read, you will find a list of names. Whereas these typically refer to individual chapters within a book, here each of the names listed denotes an individual book within the Bible.
While the whole Bible -- the compilation of all 66 books -- is not actually intended to be read chronologically from beginning to end (many have lost their way through the Bible in their attempts to read it from cover to cover!), each of the individual books is meant to be read front to back. This guide will point you to read individual books from start to finish -- quickly, in one sitting, in a recommended order to help you better understand the overall message of the Bible.
The Bible as a Biography of Jesus
Christians believe that in one way or another all 66 books of the Bible have been written to inform the reader of its central figure, Jesus.
In the table of contents you will notice two main divisions of books in the Bible -- the Old and New Testaments. This separation relates to how Jesus is presented in each:
- The Old Testament books anticipate and predict Jesus' life and ministry
- The New Testament books portray and reflect upon Jesus' life and ministry
Jesus is more clearly understood within the New Testament books than he is in the Old. Thus, most have found it best to begin their journey through the Bible by starting in the New Testament -- encountering Jesus with utmost clarity and power -- before dipping into the waters of Old Testament books.
Next>>The New Testament: Jesus' Life
A Guided Tour through the Bible
Copyright 2004 © by Paul Engstrom. Reprinted with permission of Author. May not be used without permission.
Related reading:
