Tag: read the Bible

Q: What is a lectionary?

A: A lectionary is a methodical Bible reading plan that covers the entire Bible in a set time. By definition, our Bible reading plans are lectionaries.

A common and popular lectionary is the Revised Common Lectionary, which is a three-year plan. In it, each day’s reading covers three or four sections from Bible, often an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a reading from a Gospel, and a selection from an Epistle.

This provides great variety, but also introduces discontinuity as it makes it hard to see the big picture, instead showing several small vignettes of the Bible each day.

For this reason, the Bible reading plans on this site involve only one passage each day and group whole sections of the Bible together over successive days. We feel this is a more effective way to comprehend and appreciate the way in which the Bible fits together as a collective whole.

This is not to be critical of the Revised Common Lectionary or other lectionaries, but to offer a perspective of its strengths and weaknesses.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Q: What if I don’t understand everything I read in the Bible?

A: If you don’t understand everything you read in the Bible, then you are in good company. No one completely understands the entire Bible.

Instead of getting frustrated or focusing on what you don’t understand, give your attention to what does make sense. Over time, as you read and study the Bible, God will reveal more and more truth to you and increase your understanding of it.

Mastering the Bible is like peeling an onion. There are layers and layers. Just when you think you have one passage mastered, God’s Holy Spirit will reveal another deeper and more profound layer.

This is why reading the Bible is not a one-time effort, but a lifetime pursuit of discovery and revelation.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Q: Does prayer, meditation, or fasting have anything to do with Bible reading?

A: Prayer, meditation, and fasting (along reading the Bible) are spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines draw us closer to God, deepen our understanding of who he is, and help make us into the men and women he desires us to become.

Praying for guidance before reading the Bible is a wise practice. Also, you may be prompted to pray while reading or studying a passage. Saying a prayer after reading the Bible is also a God-honoring practice.

As you read the Bible, you may want to spend time contemplating on what you just read for any possible applications to your life. This is meditation; it’s often combined with prayer.

The act of fasting (be it going without food or withholding some other enjoyment or practice) is used to heighten spiritual awareness. This includes insights gleaned from Bible reading as well as prayers and meditation.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Q: What are all the strange reference notations?

A: The reference notations in the Bible (such as Romans 3:23) are analogous to line numbers assigned to a Shakespearean play; they serve as a study aid. Since the Bible is much longer and more complex, its reference notations are more involved.

The Bible is divided into 66 books,* or sections, such as Genesis, Psalms, John, or Acts. These were the names given to them, over time, based on the pieces’ author, audience, or purpose.

In the 1200s each book was divided into chapters, such as Acts 2. In the 1500s the chapters were further subdivided into verses, such as John 3:16.

The name of the book is listed first, followed by the chapter number, a colon, and then the verse number. This is sometimes called the chapter-verse reference notation; it was done in order to help people quickly locate a specific text.

Here’s how to locate a specific passage in the Bible based on its reference: Most Bibles contain a table of contents at the beginning, which gives the page number of each book.

So start there, locate the book you want to read and turn to that page number. Then page forward to find the chapter you want, and then skim that page to locate the specific verse.

Although an effort was made to place these divisions at logical breaks, they sometimes seem arbitrary. Therefore, it is a good practice to read what precedes and follows each break, as the surrounding text may contain relevant insight into the portion you’re studying.

* see Apocrypha for more information

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Q: What version or translation of the Bible should I use?

A: Although some people are adamant that a specific version of the Bible is the only one to use, this is a limited perspective that only discourages people from reading and studying the Bible.

You should select a version that is meaningful to you and easy to understand. Some versions are paraphrases, putting the Bible into modern-day language that is readily understandable. If you are new to the Bible (or need to take a fresh look at it), The Message is recommended.

Other versions of the Bible are translations, either a word-for-word translation or a phrase-for-phrase translation.

Popular versions include the New International Version (NIV), the Amplified Bible (AMP), and the New Living Translation (NLT).

The King James Version (KJV) is the choice for many long-time Bible readers (complete with traditional Old English wording), though some now opt for the New King James Version (NKJV).

To read a version that includes the Apocrypha books, consider The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) or New American Bible (NAB).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Q: What if I don’t have a Bible?

A: You can buy a Bible from almost any bookstore as well as online. If you can’t afford one, many churches and parachurch organizations will give you one.

However, since you have Internet access, why not just do your Bible reading and studying online? BibleGateway.com allows you to read and study the Bible from a selection of popular versions and translations.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.