Ways to Read the Bible

One of the most important ways we help others become more like Jesus is by introducing them to biblical truth and nurturing a hunger and love for God's Word in their hearts and minds. Step one is nurturing these things in our own lives. Step two is bringing the Bible alive for the people you're discipling. Read it with energy and care (see these great tips about communal Bible reading). Approach it with curiosity and delight. Discuss it with interest and enjoyment.

The Bible is living, breathing, powerful, and active. In it we learn about God, ourselves, Jesus, and how to live for him. It's not a textbook or how-to book. It's a truth book and a life book. If someone begins experiencing its wonder and power, they will be captivated by it for a lifetime. ​ ​ ​ ​

There is no magic formula for falling in love with the Bible. But there are engaging ways of reading that can help people see and experience its fullness. Here are seven ways to engage and interact with the Bible, plus some helpful tips for good reading. Use the ones the best fit the passage you're reading and the people you're reading with.

Reading Strategies

1. Copy it

This is exactly what it sounds like: simply copy Scripture, word-for-word. Formatting can be personalized by:

1. turning a list into bullet points
2. using different colored pens for emphasis
3. using different lettering for different characters
4. using UPPER CASE, underlining, and more to show meaning and intent

Copying requires us to slow down. Slowing down allows us to see things we might normally pass right over. Seeing things we might normally pass right over provides a chance for deeper learning. Deeper learning often leads to changed hearts, minds, and actions.

Copying can be done privately during the week or while meeting in a small group. After copying, use questions like these:

• What words did you notice while copying? Why?
• Is there something you noticed while copying that you didn't notice while just listening? What?
• Why did you format things the way you did?
• What are the words saying to you? What is God teaching you?

2. Emojify it

That's a fancy word we made up for "drawing little pictures in the margin that represent the words in the text." People have been emojifying for as long as there have been scrolls, manuscripts, and printed books. It's an easy way to interact with what you're reading.

Create your own set of icons/emojis for common biblical themes (like love, joy, new life, obedience) and add to it as needed for specific passages (like vine, branch, prune for John 15).

First read the Bible passage all the way through, then go back and read it again while looking for the themes and drawing them in the margin. This strategy helps develop careful and thoughtful reading.

We've made a starter list for you here. You can also let your group brainstorm and create their own unique list. Copy them off for everyone to keep in their Bibles.

3. Show (& tell) it

Turn the words of Scripture into a visual image. This requires readers to first figure out what the passage means, which is doing Biblical interpretation. The image can be artistic, mechanical, eclectic, elegant, doodly, iconic, screen-printish, skin-inkish, stick-figure-ish, or stellar. It's all good. Frame this in a way that engages your specific group. If designing a tattoo is more intriguing than creating a flowchart, bravo. If creating a flowchart is more life-giving than doodling a thing, excellent. Invite everyone to show (& tell) others what they've drawn or designed. Some groups have used these designs to make T-shirts and stickers.

4. Chart it

Make a chart, usually a side-by-side comparison chart. Label each column of the chart. Then fill it in.

This is especially useful in stories that have two distinct characters (like Jairus and the bleeding woman in Matthew 8:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-56), consecutive stories that have similar elements (like Jesus talking with Nicodemus in John 3 and Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman in John 4), or in teaching passages that compare and contract (like many parts of Romans 8, Galatians 5, and more).

After filling out the chart, look at it closely in search of deeper meaning. Don't chart just to chart. Chart to see and understand things that lie under the obvious top layer of things. ​

5. Invert it

Rewrite or restate a passage as its opposite. This will reveal how clear and powerful the original story or teaching actually is. Imagine Jesus saying to Zacchaeus, "Hey, don't come down from that tree. Why are you up there anyway? I don't want to talk to you, and I for sure don't want to spend time at your house with you (from Luke 19)." Or imagine the wise teacher writing, "Don't trust in the Lord with all your heart. Instead, depend on your own ideas and understanding. Don't waste your time seeking God's will. Map out your own path and do whatever you want" (from Proverbs 3).

Sometimes we can see truth more clearly when it's laid side by side with lies and nonsense.

6. Personalize it

Rewrite a passage to include your specific context. For example:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart even when your mom is sick and it makes things stressful at home and it doesn't seem like doctors can help her. Don't lean on your understanding, your own emotions, or your own ideas about how things would be better for you and your family if only God would just fix everything. In all your ways — especially when you just want to yell or cry or feel angry — acknowledge God. He is with you (even when it doesn't feel like it) and he will direct your paths. (From Proverbs 3)

Invite people to share with others if they're comfortable doing so.

7. Imagine & describe it

This is based on a practice introduced by Matt Canlis (of the short film "Godspeed") for engaging with narrative Bible passages:

• Read a few lines of the story (use obvious story breaks which may or may not coincide with verse breaks).
• Ask people to describe the scene so far including what they see, where people are standing, what they hear, what they smell, what the characters are doing, and more.
• Ask people what they think will happen next.
• Repeat until completing the entire story.

Reading Tips

1. Power words

Pay attention to these words. They provide meaning and clarity.

1. if / then
2. but
3. because
4. therefore
5. since
6. so (that)

2. Camera angles

Pay attention to the narrator's perspective, or implied camera angles, especially in stories. Who and what should you be noticing? Why is the narrator focusing on that person, conversation, or event? Why is the focus shifting?

3. Praying words

Pray the passage to close. For example, you could pray Proverbs 3:5-6 like this:

"Dear Father, please help me trust you with my whole heart, not just with a part of it. Please help me to stop leaning on myself and my ideas about how things should happen. I want to honor and acknowledge you in everything I do, but I need your help with that. Please direct my words and actions. Amen."

Helpful Resources

The BibleProject "How to Read the Bible"​ videos.

Helpful books and articles about reading and understanding the Bible:

Leland Ryken article about reading the Bible as literature.

Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible​ (Howard Hendricks, Moody, 2007 newest edition)

A Reader’s Guide to the Bible​ (John Goldingay, IVP Academic, 2017)

Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind​ (Tremper Longman, Navpress, 1997)

A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible​ (Leland Ryken, Crossway, 2014)

How to Read the Bible in Changing Times​ (Mark L. Strauss, Baker Books 2011)

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth,​ 4th Edition (Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart, Zondervan, 2014)

How to Read the Bible Book by Book​ (ibid, Zondervan, 2002)

Read the Bible for a Change: Understanding and Responding to God’s Word​ (Ray Lubeck, Wipf and Stock, 2005)

Listening to Scripture: An Introduction to Interpreting the Bible​ (Craig G. Bartholomew, Baker Academic, 2023)