Learning The Bible

Learning The Bible Is Not Too Hard

Are you a young adult, or a young at heart adult looking to deepen your understanding of the Bible and its teachings? If so, you're not alone! Whether you're just starting out as a new Christian, or if you've been exploring faith for years - grappling with the complexities of biblical study can be both challenging and rewarding.

In this blog post, we'll explore approaches that will help unlock some secrets of bible study that can bring scriptures to life in meaningful ways. You will gain powerful insight into how the timeless messages in the Bible are still relevant today.

The teachings I received as a young child still ring true in my life. I was an eager student with countless questions. As I reminisce today, it makes me wonder how my teachers must have felt every time I raised my hand. As early as age five, I was fascinated with Jesus, of course, as well as many other Bible characters. A favorite bible verse through the years for me has been “Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.” (Psalm 119:140)  Well It turns out I’ve been Bible-ish for as long as I can remember - loving the Word Of God. Learning the Bible encourages and empowers us.

My Bible teachers taught me to love the Word of God from an academic perspective. My grandmother taught me to love the Word of God from her “look what the Lord has done” real life experiences approach. Each way was effective. Each way was needful. Combining the two approaches gave me a fuller understanding of the scriptures and fuller joy overall. I loved the Word of God.

Let’s explore and see what God has in store for us on this journey.

Old Testament Overview

The Old Testament is an integral part of the Christian Bible, containing 39 books written by various authors in Hebrew and Greek. It chronicles the history of ancient Israel, from its creation to the dawn of the Messianic era.

1. The major themes include God's covenant with his people, the establishment of monarchy, prophets and prophecy, divine justice and judgment, and prophetic hope for a better future when Jesus Christ, the Messiah comes forth. Collectively, these stories paint a vivid portrait of human life in all its complexity and richness.
2. As we study the Old Testament, we can find comfort, hope and help in the Psalms. We can find practical instruction for everyday life in the Proverbs. We can see how many of God’s chosen reacted to adversity and still obeyed God’s commands.
3. Moses and Joseph and Joshua and David and Noah along with Miriam and Leah and Ruth and Esther and Deborah are just some of the people of God we can study to find help in how we can grow and learn to love the scriptures. At first glance, some of the rules seem too rigid for any human to fully accept or fully live up to. Don’t let that stop you from continuing to learn.
4. The beauty of the Bible for God’s people is that through study and prayer God will help you come to a clearer understanding. I often say “it seemed like the Israelites would never get it right” - but their weaknesses and stubbornness and repeated failure to comply benefitted Christians in the end. How? It caused God to conclude that we needed the help of Jesus. And, praise God, he sent Jesus to save us.

New Testament Overview

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible, containing 27 books written by various authors. It narrates the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and discusses how faith in him offers salvation from sin and redemption from suffering through his death on the cross.

• It also contains several letters authored by apostles as they spread Christianity throughout the ancient world. Christ said to the apostles “follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.
• The major themes include faith in Christ, God's plan for mankind, how to be saved from sin, mercy and forgiveness, divine justice for unrighteousness, and prophetic hope for a restored future.
• Collectively, the New Testament provides an important message about who God is and how he interacts with humanity and how we all have the same opportunity - if we decide to follow Christ.

Where Should You Start?

• Many people start with the book of Psalms when they start learning the Bible because it is full of truth and wisdom that can help us understand our relationship with God better.
• Their words bring comfort in times of difficulty and give us hope when we feel overwhelmed.
• Throughout the book of Psalms we are reminded to trust in God during the difficult and challenging times in life.
• It also has many examples on how to rely on divine guidance instead of human understanding.
• The Psalmists encourage us to persevere through suffering and remind us that God is with us always.
• We are constantly accompanied by Him. He does not leave us alone to face our challenges.

Studying the book of Psalms can be both eye-opening and inspiring as it offers insight into God's character and His plan for our lives.

• When reading the Psalms it is important to look beyond the surface meanings to gain a deeper understanding - to meditate on each phrase or verse in order to uncover what God has revealed to us through them.
• Praying while reading can help open up one's heart towards understanding God's true message in His Word.

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems that were written over many centuries by several authors including King David.

• This book is divided into five sections and includes prayers, praises, laments, meditations, and reflections on God's nature and His promise for redemption.
• It is an amazing resource for spiritual growth and a great starting point for studying the Bible.

When applying Bible truths to our everyday life, we must first cultivate a close relationship with God. We can do this by spending time in His Word, praying, and worshiping Him. When we devote ourselves to God, He gives us the strength and knowledge to live according to His teachings. This helps us to learn and teach the Bible. 

It is also important that we put these teachings into practice through our actions every day. This can be done by studying biblical scriptures and then deliberately applying what we learn in our daily lives. For example, if we are struggling with patience, we can look up Scriptures related to patience and then strive to keep those truths in mind as much as possible throughout our day.

Lastly, it’s important that when faced with difficult decisions or challenges, we rely on God’s promises for comfort and wisdom. By remembering all the wonderful things God has done for us in the past and will continue to do for us in the future—we can remain strong even when facing daunting circumstances.Taking each day at a time, and trusting that God knows best, will help us remain faithful to His Word and lead a life of strength and purpose.

Sharing What We Learn With Others

Sharing Bible truths with others can be one of the most rewarding aspects of our faith. We have been entrusted with a powerful and life-changing message and it is important to share that with those who may not know about it yet.

In order to do this, we must first have a personal relationship with God so that His truth resonates in us. This will also provide us with the courage and strength to address difficult issues or questions.

When sharing God's word, people must first see God in our lives. How we behave, how we communicate with people, how we react during life’s challenging times. It is important to remember that how we share the message is just as important as what we say. Using love, kindness, respect and understanding towards all people will make our words more effective in getting through to them.

Lastly, it is also important to remember that while we can try our best to persuade others, ultimately it is up to them whether they accept the message of God's love and forgiveness or not. It is essential that even when faced with rejection or disagreement—we continue sharing Gods Word without judgement and always remain hopeful for their salvation.

Deciding To Follow Jesus?

Clearly, making the decision to follow Christ is life changing. It should not be taken lightly because it affects our actions, our relationships, our choices in everyday life. It will be one of the most rewarding decisions you make.

1. Take the time to think through it thoroughly before deciding. Consider how this choice will effect most of your other choices in life. I made the choice to follow Jesus and I wouldn’t change it for anything this world has to offer.
2. To begin making this decision, we must first reflect on scripture and open ourselves up to being filled with an understanding and knowledge of God’s truth. We must also remain mindful of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It was pure LOVE.  His sacrifice changed everything for our salvation. This will bring a newfound perspective into every aspect of our lives that would have been unimaginable before.
3. It is also important to remember that this commitment is not done in isolation—but rather in community with believers from all over who are walking down the same path as us. Reaching out to these encouraging people we can strengthen one another's journey in following Christ and gain insight into how others are navigating their faith.
4. Overall, when making this decision—we must trust that God will guide us if we remain committed to Him. Through prayer and meditation, seeking His counsel, trusting in His truth—we can rest assured that He will equip us with everything we need to boldly pursue living as devoted followers of Jesus Christ.