Does the Bible Seem Confusing?
Understanding the Bible can seem like a daunting task. There are so many books, chapters, names and places! For many people reading the Bible for the first time seems a lot like visiting a foreign country! But just as with any new place, the more time you spend in the Bible the more you will begin to understand how all the pieces fit together. The Bible is God’s great love story! The words flow from God himself. As Paul reminded Timothy:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
It will be worth your time and effort to become familiar with the greatest of all books! The good news is that there are a number of tools that can help you understand what you are reading.
Tool 1: Get A Study Bible
A study Bible is a great way to get more out of the Bible. Check out this video to learn more about what a study Bible has to offer.
There are many study Bibles available. Here are a few that you should check out:
- NIV Life application Study Bible is a great choice. You can find it in many colors and styles at Christianbook.com
- NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible is an easy to read Bible that will help teens understand and enjoy the scriptures. You can find it in many colors and styles at Christianbook.com
If money is an issue in acquiring either of these Study Bible’s, you can get them for free by contacting us at discoverypathway@discoverychurch.org.
Tool 2: Bible Project- Easy to Understand Guides and Summaries of the Bible.
The Bible is not a random collection of unrelated stories and teachings. The Bible is God’s big story and the entire text revolves around Jesus Christ. To begin to understand how the pieces of the story are connected watch the following Bible Project Video and discuss what you learn with a friend. There are a few discussion questions below the video.
Discussion Questions
- What is something that you learned from this summary of God’s big story that is woven throughout the Bible?
- How does the life of Jesus connect to the stories found in the Old Testament?
- What are the benefits of “Choosing the way of Jesus”?
- Try to summarize “God’s Big Story” in your own words in 5 minutes or less.
Bible Project has a number of videos available to help you understand the Bible. If you enjoyed the video please check out more of the videos in this series from Bible Project.
Think this might be the next step for you?
Have a Growth Talk conversation about it! A Growth Talk is a chance to discuss with someone else the step you are preparing to take. For more information on Growth Talk and for help finding the right person visit the Growth Talk Page. You can use the “Growth Talk” button to visit the page and begin the conversation.
Identity
