How You Can Begin Reading the Bible

Has your New Year’s resolve begun to fizzle?

We began the year with “How Should We Then Live,” an appeal to live more faithfully for our Lord in all areas of life.

The proposal was getting to know God’s ‘Story’ better so we could live God’s ‘Story’ better—an invitation to enter a guided reading of the historical narratives of the Bible.

I then gave you this link to the video “Why Read the Bible?” (23:33), in which I explained how I grew in my understanding and love for God’s word.

A Question

One of the questions I received was, “Why read the historical narratives before other parts of the Bible?”

Good question.

If I could turn back time and read the Bible for the first time, I would begin with the historical narratives.

Here is another video that explains why: “Why Historical Narratives?” (16:54).

4 Reasons

As you watch the video, you will uncover a wealth of material quickly, giving you four simple reasons:

1. Structure: the historical narratives follow the linear timeline of the biblical record.
2. Interconnection: how various books and genres (or categories) fit and work together. For example, what is the relationship between history and the Psalms or history and the Prophets?
3. Progression: how revelation unfolds and expands through time.
4. Interface: how the biblical record meshes with world history.

Next steps

Download the summary of the Historical Backbone of the Bible and get started today (see download link below). It is even better if you have someone reading with you—not in the same place necessarily, but someone to encourage you, hold you accountable, and discuss your discoveries with you.

I have provided 10-minute summaries for each step as you read. For instance, after you have completed Genesis, you can read “A 10-Minute Tour of Genesis.” The rest of these resources are under “the Historical Backbone of the Bible.”

Here’s the link again for “Why Historical Narratives?” (16:54). Be sure to download the outline and notes for the video and the summary for the Historical Backbone of the Bible (see download links below).

Oh, and if you benefited from the video, please click ‘like’ and maybe even subscribe.

Let me know how you are doing in your reading and what you think using this link.

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