Bible 101
Bible 101
For having such a profound influence on religious beliefs, cultural practices, moral values, legal systems, and literature across diverse civilizations for millennia, the Bible is widely misunderstood. Maybe it’s because many of us have never read the entire Bible for ourselves. If the Bible is truly the revelation of the Creator God of the universe it’s interesting that more people, especially Christians, aren’t more concerned about reading, understanding, and engaging with scripture.
This article is here to help you better understand the Bible for what it’s meant to be so that you might experience growth in your relationship with God. My hope and prayer is that, after reading this, you’ll be overcome with a sense of awe and wonder around the Bible that leads you into the practical next steps of getting into the Word with a plan of attack.
The Bible isn’t like most books you’ve probably read: one author, one consistent genre, and originally written in English within the last 50 years. The Bible is very complex, which is beautiful and awesome but also makes it harder to understand and contextualize. The more we can understand the Bible for what it truly is, the more we’re able to relate with God for He truly is because the Bible is the main way that God chose to reveal Himself to us!
Basically, the Bible is a library of 66 books of various genres, styles, and languages; written over the course of 1,500 years by over 40 different people from the Near East, that communicates one seamless story without error: God creating all things, humanity rejecting their Creator, and God graciously working to redeem all things. It’s the best-selling “book” of all time, and undoubtedly the most influential story ever. These facts are mind-blowing! It’s only by God's limitless wisdom, sovereignty, and love that we have the unshakable truth you can build your life on that is the Bible.
To go a little more in-depth, we’ll go into five words that help us understand the Bible: Revelation, Inspiration, Canon, Reliable, and Authority.
REVELATION
This means that the Bible was meant to reveal or make something known to us (not talking about the last book of the Bible here). See, the Bible was first given, or revealed, to us by God (through all those authors I mentioned), and then reveals to us what He’s doing in the world. The Bible also reveals things about ourselves that we’re blind to, like sin, and what to do with it.
When you think of revelation, remember this: God revealed Himself. The Bible is not just for learning information, being inspired, or finding wisdom for life–it’s for us to get to know God intimately as Lord and Savior. Can you see how relational God is? He cuts through the fog that separates us from Him so that we can be saved and know Him.
INSPIRATION
By inspiration, I don’t mean that the Bible is inspiring (although, it is), but that every single word was inspired, or orchestrated by God. Now, that raises the question: Who wrote the Bible, those 40+ authors or God? The answer is both. Think of it like this, the entire Bible came from God and was written by human authors, but God wrote it through them. As the human authors wrote for their own purposes, without overriding their personalities, culture, perspectives, or concerns, God was driving the process from the beginning.
It's okay if this is hard to wrap your head around. Just know that because the Bible is inspired by God, we are confident that every part of it is meant to be there by God Himself. Knowing that it’s all from God and there on purpose, we can meditate on every detail knowing that God finds it important enough to be there.
CANON
Have you ever wondered about how we know which books of the Bible are inspired or not? It’s really important to get that right if it’s going to be called the Word of God. The canon of scripture just means the 66 books determined to be inspired by God. The Old Testament books were quickly accepted because the prophets who received the Word from God wrote it down, and Jesus Himself submitted to them and referred to them as authoritative.
The New Testament took shape slightly differently. The vast majority of it was regarded as authentic revelation from the beginning, but as time passed and some contradictory writings were spreading, the church made the official list. To make the cut, it had to be written by an Apostle or direct associate, widely accepted and used by the church, and be consistent with what Jesus taught.
Take into account Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would guide His followers “into all truth” (John 16:13) and we can rest assured that the 66 books of the Bible make up the full Word of God. The bottom line is that when it comes to all the writings that God inspired in order to reveal Himself, we have them all.
RELIABLE
It’s understandable to look at how old the Bible is or how many authors it had and wonder if it’s reliable, or trustworthy. Let’s face it, there is a TON of information at our fingertips today–a lot of which is misleading, opinion clothed as fact, or just plain false. What makes the Bible immune to that kind of manipulation?
A common misconception is that the ideas, technology, etc. of the present are always superior to those of the past simply because it’s more recent. In Bible times, the people gave great attention to detail when it came to documenting and preserving the Word of God accurately. Archaeologists have found over five thousand copies of the New Testament–way more than any other ancient writing of the time–and a few Old Testament manuscripts; all of which are virtually identical, and none of the differences have any bearing on core Christian beliefs.
The Bible is true in everything that God intended to communicate through the authors; this is called its inerrancy, or infallibility–its trustworthiness. We can know this with our minds and also in our hearts through experience. When you read the Bible, God is at work revealing Himself to you, showing you things about yourself, and making the text come alive to our specific circumstances. Do you really want to know if the Bible is reliable or not? Read it for yourself and see what you find. Ask God to speak to you and He will.
AUTHORITY
Finally, with all that being said, we’re left with an important question: Am I willing to submit my entire life to the teachings of the Bible? The Bible helps us recognize who God is and with that, who we are. The fact is that God is the ultimate authority over the entire universe and we are part of His creation and fall under that authority.
The world will try to tell you that denying yourself and your desires is bad, but Jesus tells us that “whoever wants to be my (His) disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) It takes humility to do this, and Jesus never said it’d be easy. But compared to any other option, Jesus’ command for obedience is easy. He tells us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
When you think of authority and the Bible, remember how loving and good God is, then humble yourself and submit to Him.
Now what? Well, what better way to get to know the God and His Word than to read it! It’s a big book, but don’t let that stop you. I believe you in you, and better yet, Jesus believes in your ability to do hard things. Imagine what your relationship with God, others, and yourself could look like if you were to read the entire Bible!
Below are a few Bible reading plans that will take you through the entire Bible and other resources to help you grow in your understanding and love for God’s Word…
THE 5 BIG CHAPTERS
First up we can break down the 5 big chapters of the story of God.
Creation (Genesis 1-2):
Because of His love, God created everything and it was good. Humans are created in God’s image and are very good.Fall (Genesis 3):
Because of His love, God gave Adam and Eve the ability to love and trust Him or not. By disobeying God’s command to not eat from the Tree of the Knowlege of Good and Evil, they chose not to love and trust God, which is sin. Ever since, humans are born with a sinful nature that separates them from God.Israel (Old Testament):
Because of His love, God promised that He would save humanity from their sinful nature. He chose an ancient Near Eastern people group to be the means by which He would save us, the Israelites. God had a special relationship with them that has been recorded throughout the Old Testament.Redemption (Gospels):
Because of His love, God came to Earth in the person of Jesus–fully man and fully God. He lived a life in perfect relationship with God (sinless) and sacrificed Himself on your behalf in order to atone for our sin once and for all. Whoever puts their faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and accepts it for themselves is brought into right relationship with God.Restoration (New Testament):
After Jesus conquered sin and death, He went back to God the Father, promising He would return one day reign forever as King, ridding the world of sin and evil. Until then, He commands His followers to live in such a way that brings about and spreads the way of life that He taught–loving God with everything you have and loving others in the same way God loves us.
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Read the entire Bible over the course of one year by committing to 15-30 minutes of reading each day. There are different plans you can find and follow, but the one I suggest to you is called the Bible Recap. Look it up on the Bible App, wherever you find podcasts, or on YouTube; find day one; and get started! This is a great option to do with friends and family because you can talk about the reading together and help each other persevere when it gets hard.
30-DAY WALK
Take just a minute every day to read a passage! In thirty days, you will have worked through a lot of the main themes and passages that contribute to the overarching narrative of the Bible! Feel free to read the verses around the passage of the day for a little more context and understanding!
Day 1 - Genesis 1:1
Day 2 - Genesis 1:27
Day 3: Genesis 3:8
Day 4: Genesis 15:6
Day 5: Exodus 4:11-12
Day 6: Exodus 20:2
Day 7: Joshua 1:1-3
Day 8: 1 Samuel 8: 6-7
Day 9: 1 Samuel 16:12-13
Day 10: 1 Samuel 17:48-50
Day 11: 2 Samuel 5:4
Day 12: 1 Kings 2:10-12
Day 13: 2 Kings 25:1-2
Day 14: Jeremiah 2:19,37
Day 15: Malachi 4:2
Day 16: John 1:1
Day 17: Luke 1:30-31
Day 18: Luke 2:9-11
Day 19: Luke 2:52
Day 20: Matthew 3:16-17
Day 21: Matthew 4:17
Day 22: Matthew 5:3-10
Day 23: Matthew 14:28-33
Day 24: John 19:16-18
Day 25: John 20:14-16
Day 26: Acts 1:8-9
Day 27: Acts 2:1-4
Day 28: Acts 2:38-42
Day 29: Acts 9:15
Day 30: Revelation 22:20-21
30-DAY JOG
Want to expand your Bible knowledge with just 10-15 minutes a day? This reading plan walks you through some big scenes and teachings that will help you make more sense of the Bible! Keep track of what you have learned each day by using a pen and journal to follow along!
Section 1: Creation (Days 1-2)
Day 1: Genesis 1:1-31 (Creation of the world)
Day 2: Genesis 2:4-25 (Creation of man and woman)
Section 2: Fall (Days 3-4)
Day 3: Genesis 3:1-24 (The fall of humanity)
Day 4: Genesis 6:5-22 (Noah and the Ark)
Section 3: Israel (Days 5-15)
Day 5: Genesis 12:1-9 (God's promise to Abraham)
Day 6: Genesis 22:1-19 (Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac)
Day 7: Exodus 3:1-15 (God reveals Himself to Moses)
Day 8: Exodus 20:1-21 (The Ten Commandments)
Day 9: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (David anointed as king)
Day 10: 2 Samuel 7:1-17 (God's covenant with David)
Day 11: 1 Kings 18:20-40 (Elijah on Mount Carmel)
Day 12: Isaiah 53:1-12 (The suffering servant)
Day 13: Jeremiah 29:1-14 (Jeremiah's letter to the exiles)
Day 14: Daniel 6:1-28 (Daniel in the lion's den)
Day 15: Jonah 1:1-17 (Jonah and the great fish)
Section 4: Redemption (Days 16-21)
Day 16: John 1:1-18 (Prologue of John - The Word became flesh)
Day 17: John 3:1-21 (Jesus and Nicodemus)
Day 18: Matthew 5:1-16 (Sermon on the Mount - Part 1)
Day 19: Matthew 5:17-48 (Sermon on the Mount - Part 2)
Day 20: Matthew 6:1-18 (Sermon on the Mount - Part 3)
Day 21: Matthew 6:19-34 (Sermon on the Mount - Part 4)
Section 5: Restoration (Days 22-26)
Day 22: Matthew 28:1-20 (Jesus' resurrection and the Great Commission)
Day 23: Acts 2:1-41 (Pentecost and the birth of the Church)
Day 24: Romans 8:1-17 (Life in the Spirit)
Day 25: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (The supremacy of love)
Day 26: Revelation 21:1-7 (The new heaven and new earth)
30-DAY SHRED
WITH IT? Try the 30-Day Shred!! This is 30 days of reading the entire Bible! The 30-Day Shred is the equivalent of doing some sort of competitive eating challenge or running a marathon, but… YOU can do it! Before we get to the reading plan, here’s some practical advice for making the most of the 30-Day Shred!
We are looking for a big motif. The point of this style of reading is to see the big picture, which might be different than your typical devotional style of reading. Look for the big movements, and what the author is trying to communicate by jamming all these stories or passages together.
Read quickly—and don’t feel guilty about it. We are aiming to see the big picture of Scriptural unity and continuity. If you don’t complete the readings you won’t see the readings. We want you to see the scope of Scripture, so make finishing your priority. That will probably involve some level of skimming on some days.
Expect this to take 2 hours a day. Break it up with your phone, daily commute, etc. You probably won’t be able to complete it if you think you can carry on with Netflix at night etc., it will have to replace some stuff. Reading throughout the day instead of gaming or online shopping etc. is your best friend for the Shred. Get creative.
Try not to make too many notes. Observe big things. Plan to come back and study things that jump out at you. Make the priority of finishing your daily reading. Highlight as you go, but try not to slow down too much!
Don’t reduce God’s work in your life to a devotional moment. There may be days when these long readings feel more like work than any experienced spiritual encounter. The point is to create Scriptural context for you in the future—to hear God’s voice clearer through your developed understanding of the arc of the Biblical story.
If you want to go a little deeper, a Bible Encyclopedia such as Baker is great to read on given books before you read them. These short entries can help you see what you should be seeing and paying attention to the authors circumstance, theological points, and emphases.
If you feel like you’re not going to complete your readings in a day, skim and just finish. Make finishing the priority, not understanding everything you read. This will keep you from abandoning this project. There will be some days that you’ll lose steam. By skimming to finish, you’ll keep up your momentum for the next day’s reading.
Momentum (consecutive completion of days' readings) is your precious treasure. Guard it at all costs!
01 GENESIS 1 - 42
02 GENESIS 43 - EXODUS 29
03 EXODUS 30 - LEVITICUS 25
04 NUMBERS 1 - NUMBERS 31
05 NUMBERS 32 - DEUTERONOMY 32
06 DEUTERONOMY 33 - JUDGES 9
07 JUDGES 10 - 1 SAMUEL 22
08 1 SAMUEL 23 - 1 KINGS 1
09 1 KINGS 2 - 2 KINGS 8
10 2 KINGS 9 - 1 CHRONICLES 20
11 1 CHRONICLES 21 - 2 CHRONICLES 33
12 2 CHRONICLES 34 - JOB 5
13 JOB 6 - PSALMS 18
14 PSALMS 19 - PSALMS 78
15 PSALMS 79 - PSALMS 147
16 PSALMS 148 - ECCLESIASTES 12
17 SONG OF SOLOMON 1 - ISAIAH 34
18 ISAIAH 35 - JEREMIAH 3
19 JEREMIAH 4 - JEREMIAH 36
20 JEREMIAH 37 - EZEKIEL 12
21 EZEKIEL 13 - EZEKIEL 47
22 EZEKIEL 48 - AMOS 9
23 OBADIAH 1 - MALACHI 4
24 MATTHEW 1 - MARK 5
25 MARK 6 - LUKE 15
26 LUKE 16 - ACTS 2
27 ACTS 3 - ROMANS 8
28 ROMANS 9 - EPHESIANS 6
29 PHILIPPIANS 1 - 1 PETER 2
30 1 PETER 3 - REVELATION 22
