{"id":7877,"date":"2025-12-27T06:42:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T11:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=7877"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:37:03","slug":"read-scripture-by-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/bible-101\/bible-study-tips\/read-scripture-by-book\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Really Want to Understand the Bible, You Have to Play by the Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of us don\u2019t actually read the Bible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, we might read the \u201cVerse of the Day\u201d or follow along with a devotional or even review our notes from last Sunday\u2019s sermon, but when it really comes down to reading it like a book, we fall flat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re anything like me, you probably own several copies in various translations and price points, all collecting dust on our shelves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know we\u2019re supposed to read the Bible. We even want<\/em> to read it. But a lot of the time it gets pushed to the side with our busy schedules and we chalk it up to \u201creading it one day.\u201d As if it\u2019s only a history book that doesn\u2019t offer insight into our current situations. Like, how in the world does King David relate to me getting my kids to school on time? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the problem is much deeper than poor time management and the busyness of life. It\u2019s how<\/em> we have been taught to interact with Scripture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture Is More Than Inspirational Quotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I grew up going to church, I grew up memorizing verses, I knew the stories of the Old Testament, I can still envision the felt board from Sunday School class in all of its brilliance. But when it came to reading the Bible for myself, I would often open up to a random verse, sit and think through it, close the book and then hope that it stuck in some way throughout the day. Does that sound familiar?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bible<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We have been treating Scripture like a collection of inspirational quotes for too long. The Bible is one unified story<\/a>. It\u2019s a narrative. Not a one sentence dopamine hit for the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why do we read it that way? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why don\u2019t we read it like we would other books? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it because we don\u2019t like reading? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it because we don\u2019t understand the historical background so we can\u2019t figure out how it relates to our life in 2025? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe it\u2019s because we\u2019ve never been taught how to read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Did the First Christians Read Scripture?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancient Jewish rabbis and early Christians understood the importance of reading Scripture in large portions at a time, not just one verse here and there. (And not just because \u201cverses\u201d as we know them didn\u2019t even exist<\/a> until the Middle Ages!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the New Testament consists of letters that the author was writing to specific churches dealing with specific problems. They wouldn\u2019t have cherry-picked a sentence and sat with their congregation to contemplate it. No, they would have read the letter as a whole, as anybody would do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve lost this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes 14 minutes to read all of Philippians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n