Reddit Reddit reviews How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

We found 31 Reddit comments about How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Books
Christian Books & Bibles
Christian Bible Study & Reference
Christian Bible Study
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
Biblical StudiesGeneral StudiesGeneralHow to Read the Bible for All Its WorthGordon d. Fee and Douglas Stuart
Check price on Amazon

31 Reddit comments about How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth:

u/coffee_beagle · 10 pointsr/DebateAChristian

That's a false either/or. Christians believe both that the Bible is inspired, and also that it must be interpreted (since all literature must be interpreted). As for how to interpret it, the Christian community must wrestle with the best way to do this. And we have. And we continue to do so.

While the method might appear arbitrary to an outsider, it is anything but. Its too complicated to spell out the actual methodology to you in this format. But if you're interested in how Christians interpret the Bible can you check out primers such as this one or this one. Both of these are good introductory texts in regards to the consistent (i.e. non-arbitrary) manner of biblical interpretation.

The only thing I would add to these books which sometimes doesn't get mentioned enough, is that Christians (the majority of us anyways) believe that interpretation belongs to the theological community in the most technical sense. While we encourage people to read the Bible individually, the theological community serves as a checks-and-balances, or a self-correcting mechanism. If we insist on only interpreting things alone, its too easy to let our own personal biases slip in, and then we are in danger of "picking and choosing." But by doing our interpretation in community (e.g. peer-reviewed journals, etc.), we help to eliminate much of this.

u/Frankfusion · 8 pointsr/Christianity

Pick up a copy of How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth. It's the book I read in school and it's main point is that the Bible is written in different genres with different rules for each genre. A proverb is apithy saying while a Psalm is a poem. And even with the book of Psalmns there are wisdom psalms, lament psalms etc.... Read accodring to genre. And context. Eventually a good study Bible will help. The ESV Stidy Bible is pretty popular here, and I like the ESV Literary Study Bible (it highlights the litereary aspects of what you're reading).

u/mrdaneeyul · 7 pointsr/Christianity

Hey, welcome to the sub. :)

First off, you have the right attitude (more than many churchgoers, it seems). You want to understand and wrestle and have it be real. Good news: you're on the right track. Faith is hard, at least most of the time. I'm sorry others looked down on you for asking questions and trying to figure things out; they were wrong to do so.

I agree with what others here are saying: Genesis is probably not the easiest place to start, and you'll get even more bogged down in Numbers or in Chronicles. Start in one of the Gospels. I saw Luke suggested, and I'll throw in John. Luke's writing has more details, and John's might be easier to read.

Starting in the Gospels has a purpose: Jesus is really the major focus. There's a lot to gain from reading his words firsthand, and seeing his actions. You might find it a lot different from what the culture says about him. Take your time and soak it in, and I think you'll find him pretty compelling.

After that, Paul's letters are pretty great. Philippians might be a good one to read first, though they're all really short and won't take long.

I might also suggest reading a different version of the Bible. The NRSV is accurate, but can also be archaic and difficult to understand. There are a lot of debates over Bible versions, but don't sweat them for now; I'd suggest the ESV or the CEB (if you want to study deeper later, the NRSV might be better then).

You'll probably want to find a church. This can be hit-and-miss, depending on so many factors. You won't and shouldn't fit into a church that looks down on you for struggling with faith. To start, even though it might feel silly, talk to God about it. Doesn't have to be fancy, just a conversation asking him to help you find a good church. Visit a couple, and see if they try to follow the Jesus you read about in the Bible.

(And if you're in the Dallas area, let me know... you can visit ours! :D I know a couple other great churches in the area too.)

If you're looking for more resources, it depends on what you're interested in.

  • www.biblegateway.com if you want to read the Bible online. Tons of versions (again, I'd go with CEB or ESV). I find it harder to read online, but it's good to have on-hand anyhow.
  • I second Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. It's a great read with some heavy concepts explained simply (Lewis was fantastic at this).
  • For the Resurrection (central to Christianity), check out Willaim Lane Craig's books, The Son Rises and Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, and, for a debate, Jesus' Resurrection: Fact or Figment?
  • For the creation story, Reading Genesis 1-2: An Evangelical Conversation is a must, as there are several viewpoints on Creation (another reason starting with Genesis might be difficult).
  • For doubt, I recommend Disappointment with God.
  • How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth is a good one for... well, pretty much what the title says it's for.
  • Along the lines of Mere Christianity, try G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. It's free, but might be a bit harder to read.

    BUT... don't go crazy. Start with the Gospels and maybe Mere Christianity, and go from there.

    If you have questions about what you're reading, feel free to come to this sub or /r/TrueChristian and ask. To be fair, there will be several opposing opinions on more controversial issues, which is a double-edged sword sometimes. But most everyone is welcoming, kind, and happy to discuss anything.
u/AdmiralAardvark · 5 pointsr/Christianity

I've posted about it before, but an accompanying book I really enjoyed and found helpful was How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart. It goes through and explains the different types of genres of literature found in the Bible, and the different ways to understand them. From the back of the book it says,
>"In clear, simple language, it helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible - their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today."

I found it to be really helpful and an easy read, I would definitely recommend checking it out!

edit: The authors of this book really like the TNIV translation of the Bible, probably because they helped with that translation, but, like a lot of people in this thread are recommending, the ESV is really a great translation and the ESV Study Bible is awesome! I like this book for the descriptions of the genres, but the translation recommendation is definitely a little biased and not why I am recommending the book.

u/rapscalian · 4 pointsr/Christianity

I haven't read it, but I've only heard great things about How to Read the Bible for All it's Worth, for Gorden Fee and Doug Stuart.

Also, The Last Word, by NT Wright is excellent. It's not necessarily a book strictly about interpreting the bible, but more of a theology of the bible, so to speak. Reading Wright's work has given me a lot more appreciation for what the bible is, which helps a lot with interpreting it.

Are there any particular issues you're interested in, or any books you'd specifically like guidance with? I've got a final suggestion, that deals with making sense of some of the commandments in the old testament. It's called Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis, by William Webb. It's an excellent approach to the old testament that reads it in light of the New Testament and is able to make sense of the hard commandments without pretending that they don't exist.

u/Naugrith · 4 pointsr/Christianity

The Bible is a collection of different texts, each one written by different people at different times for different reasons. The concept of "history" wasn't even invented for much of the period of writing, and our modern understanding of genres is only loosely connected to the genres present and recognised at the time. Much of the Bible was never written to be interpreted literally in the first place, it is intended to be read as allegorical, theological, poetry, apocalyptic, prophetic, metaphorical, or parables.

In addition much of scripture was written in one way by the author and later interpreted by the community of the faithful in another sense as well, as people saw that while the writer couldn't have known the deeper meaning of his words, the Holy Spirit can use those words to show later readers a more profound truth. In interpreting the texts, historically the Western Church has considered four general 'Senses' in which any passage can be read. This is an artificial division, but still helpful. These senses are: Literal, Allegorical, Moral, and Anagogical.

The literal sense is not just a 'plain reading' as some conservative evangelicals would understand it, but covers the sense of the text after being interpreted according to sound, consistent rules, called 'exegesis'.

The Moral sense involves the moral lessons that can be derived from the text, that interpretation which leads us to act justly.

The Allegorical sense is when we look at the text and derive a more profound understanding of how it points us towards Christ, and towards God.

The Anagogical sense (from the Greek: anagoge, “leading”) is the sense of the text that points to realities and events in terms of their eternal significance.

For example, the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea can be interpreted Literally, as a story of God's rescuing of His People in the past, it can be interpreted Morally as an instruction to us today to trust in God's provision during times of trouble. It can be interpreted Allegorically as a sign or type of Christ's salvation and of Baptism, and it can be interpreted Anagogically as pointing towards our final rescue and God's leading us out of this world into the Promised Land of the New Heaven and the New Earth. All four senses can be used on the same passage, though not every passage can be interpreted in all four senses.

This is all to say that the Bible cannot be taken at 'face value' but must always be interpreted. A book I always recommend as an essential starter book is How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, by Gordon Fee. It gives a good summary of the different genres present in the Bible and how to read them to get the most out of them.

However this is only a starter text. Some would say the bible is so complicated and based on such ancient ideas that are so difficult for modern readers to understand that only certain people are qualified to interpret them, and we must submit our own understanding to that of the Church. Others would say individual 'lay' Christians are capable of interpreting the scriptures correctly but such interpretation requires much serious study, understanding of context and secondary books to guide us. Others would say that all any reader needs is the Holy Spirit and God will ensure our understanding is correct, so we don't need to study at all.

Personally I think both the former and latter extreme positions are flawed, and I think with long study, willingness to learn, serious discussion with other Christians, humbleness, and faith any individual can interpret the scriptures correctly. However we should never be so arrogant as to think that our own understanding is always correct, or that there is not something we can learn from the wider Church and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Nor should we be worried when we don't understand something. While full and accurate understanding of scripture is helpful, it is not essential for salvation, only faith in Christ. A full understanding of the deeper lessons of scripture will often come later, after many years living in faith. If you can't understand something now, just put it to one side, and have faith in God that he will help you to understand it when you're ready to do so.

u/s_s · 4 pointsr/Christianity

I'd recommend reading How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Fee and Stuart if you're not someone familiar with reading ancient texts.

It has a large section dedicated to explaining about how Bible translation works, which is probably more important than giving you a translation recommendation. With that information, you should be able to make your own informed choice.

The sections that introduce you to biblical literature are worth your time as well.

u/ses1 · 4 pointsr/DebateAChristian

It is not just that the OT/NT were written in a language that is foreign to most people but it was written in a historical and cultural context that most "don't get" as well.

As has been said we need to figure out what it meant to those to whom it was originally written. That historical/cultural context must be the baseline for what it means to us today.

Nor Bible is a systematic theological textbook. Each book was written for a specific purpose and if one does not understand that is then they might mis-interpret what is being said.

Nor does each book utilize the same literary genre (and some employ more than one) and if one does not understand that is then they might mis-interpret what is being said.

So it is not just as simple as saying, "read the Bible in its original languages".

Two good summaries of "hermeneutics" - the theory of text interpretation can be found here or here

u/Awholethrowaway · 3 pointsr/explainlikeimfive

> Wouldn't a considerable chunk of it be lost in translation and also there be possibility of misinterpretation?

This is the greatest challenge with different translations is with trying to understand the original intent of the original author and not misinterpret it. Just as you lose meaning in translating with your friends so we lose meaning with biblical translation. Each of the arguing groups all are arguing that their translation loses the least (or no) meaning. You probably doubt that. So do I. But just because each has maybe (we don't really no) lost something in translation doesn't mean we can't work to recover the original meaning and hopefully do our best to mitigate our own biases.

> They interpret it according to their own unique situation.

The great debate you usually see between which translation is best has to do with this and is usually aligned along a number of factors:

  • proximity to the original source,
  • biases of the translators,
  • the translation approach adopted (in itself a debate)

    If you are interested in looking into it further I'd recommend Fee and Stuarts text on hermeneutics: How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth
u/sohu86 · 3 pointsr/Bible

Some of the Psalms are known as "Imprecatory Psalms". In here, the psalmist is expressing his anger verbally to and through God, as a way of channeling those negative emotions rather than letting them out in violent actions, either verbally or physically, to other people or things.

Most of these imprecatory psalms are a part of lament psalms that were written in response to the Israelites' sufferings during that time, such as during their exile (see Psalm 137).

What is important here to note is that these imprecatory psalms do not contradict Jesus' teachings on love. The word "hate" can also mean "to be unable to put up with" and "to reject". So for example 139:22, the psalmist is expressing his inability to put up with those who hate God.

If you're interested in learning more, I recommend these books:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415814178&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+read+the+bible+for+all+its+worth

http://www.amazon.com/Read-Bible-Changing-Times-Understanding/dp/0801072832/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415814197&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+read+the+Bible+in+changing+times

u/ransom00 · 3 pointsr/Christianity

I second /u/Frankfusion's recommendation to read How to Read the Bible for all It's Worth.

I would also add that maybe the most important thing that you do is to read the Bible with other Christians. If you have a group of friends that attends different kinds of churches, that would be even better, because that would give you some idea of the differing perspectives their traditions will bring to the table. Even if not, I would try to find some people to study it with together, because the Bible was always meant to be a book for the whole church.

As far as how to read it, there will be plenty of other suggestions, I'm sure. I would agree that you may want to start with one of the Gospels, since Jesus is the heart of the Christian faith. Personally I think some of better known Pauline epistles like Romans are really hard to understand until you've read quite a bit from the Law in the OT.

u/pjsans · 3 pointsr/AskAChristian

>I suppose to get right down to it, one of the major things that make me unsure about the Bible is because of how it can be so misinterpreted.

I think that this should make you unsure about people, but not the Bible. People twist things, and in fact we are told that people will twist Scripture within the Bible. Beyond that, even people with good motivations are imperfect thinkers. You, myself, and everyone else, when we approach the Bible, we bring with it our own baggage. Our understanding, our lives, and what we think now affects how we read the Bible. This is normal, but we need to recognize it in order for us to get around it and try to see what the Bible actually says (I'll mention this kind of stuff more below). Even with this in mind, this doesn't have any affect on the trust-worthiness of the Bible itself.

>Of course, one of the biggest things we hear about is that homosexuality is a sin. I don't know how many places it's been mentioned, but the only thing I recall about it is the very famous line "Man shall not lie with man as he does with a woman" or something along those lines.

I referenced a few places where homosexuality is brought up, but I'll link them here. The Leviticus passage (which is what you just referenced) is not the only one.

Romans 1:26-27, 1 Timothy 1:8-11, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.


>But while I was trying to learn and understand more about the Bible, what's real and not etc, I have also read several times that this line was something that was difficult to translate from its original texts, and that it originally referred to "sexual satanic rituals" with large groups of people

This is indeed a route people try to go. On nearly every topic you are going to have people telling you things that seem convincing on both sides. I would recommend looking into hermeneutics techniques (how to read, interpret, and understand the Bible). I'll talk more about this in a bit.

For this specific text, I don't think it holds up. I assume that this case is made because Molech is mentioned in the preceding law. Here is that section:

21 You shall not give any of your children to offer them[b] to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.


The whole chapter is Leviticus 18. The first tip of hermeneutics I'll give you is "Context is King." Always check for context.


This chapter is one long list of things that the Israelites are not commanded to do and which the other nations will be condemned for (this along with the fact that they are restated in the NT are why I think they are still binding).

The law concerning Molech is either in regards to sacrificing children to the false god or dedicate them to him, likely as temple prostitutes. Either way, it does not mean that the following verse is related to Molech, and if it is then we could say the same thing about bestiality, but this (I think you would agree) is obviously sinful. Taken even further, you could argue that incest was okay, but again, this is obviously not the case.

The idea that the immediate context indicates that this is talking about temple sex worship or orgies (I think) is unfounded and it doesn't take the context of the chapter as a whole into account. With that said here is a link to a debate between James White and a guy who holds this view that you are talking about. To be upfront, this is probably the best defense of homosexual acceptance I have ever heard, and he even made me think his arguments were valid for a moment...but as the debate went on and the more I thought about it the less sense it made.

Maybe you'll come away with a different conclusion though.

I'll also link this response post by Preston Sprinkle (who does a lot of work in this with nothing but love). He addresses this concern in point 2. Lastly, here is a short video by John Piper on the topic.

>It's one of those things that make me unsure of what to believe from the Bible.
It's concerning because I keep coming back to thinking "How do any of us know what is really right from the Bible?"

It takes time. My advice to you would be "don't panic, take your time." I have had foundational shifts in my thinking change because of what I realized the Bible was teaching. This is a part of growing and maturing in the faith. Sometimes it can be painful and exhausting but it is worth it and it will help you in the long run.

I think that looking into how to do hermeneutics will be helpful. I'd recommend How to Read the Bible for All its Worth. I'll link a couple of videos that might help as well. Exegesis and Hermeneutics (its a bit choppy, but it has good content). You'll also want to be aware of two fancy-pants words: Exegesis & Eisegesis. Rather than explain those in-depth, I'll just link to this 3 min. vid by Francis Chan that explains the concepts (these are also brought up in the other vid).

The key thing you want to look for is consistency. Is what I believe consistent with this text? the context? the Bible as a whole?

Here is a clip about the textual variants issue I was talking about. I recommend the whole thing, but you'd have to order it.

>I don't want, or plan to give up on my faith, but I'm afraid that even with me believing in God, and that he will save me, I can't help but wonder if he really will save me, or if he even saved departed loved ones who believed in God, but still did small things that seem to sound like they were sinful.



I would again recommend reading Romans 8. And also let me reassure you that we are not saved by our good works or by a perfect understanding of doctrine. We all err in one way or another. Salvation is a gift, we are saved by grace through faith. If you truly wish to seek God, to do as he says, and to love him then there you should take comfort in that. God recognizes that we are not perfect, he has taken that into account. This is the reason he sent Christ. Don't let the fact that you are confused keep you from rejoicing in God. Confusion does not negate salvation.

u/B0BtheDestroyer · 2 pointsr/Christianity

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth or How to Read the Bible Book by Book might be what you are looking for. They are both by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. I don't remember which school used which, but they have both been used by my undergraduate school and seminary as introductions to academic Biblical Studies.

Edit: Sorry you are getting downvoted! You are asking earnest questions and that should be appreciated even if people here don't agree with your sources. My advice to you is to get support from an academic Christian community of some kind, whether that be at your church or school. I doubt you will be content with answers from people who are not prepared to approach the Bible critically. Keep in mind that the Bible was not written with a modern perspective. It may contain plenty of history, but it is not a history book in the sense that we would expect today. It is theological, but it contains no systematic theology. It was written over hundreds of years and was shaped by generations of faith communities. The Bible's authors had contexts very different than ours, but that does not mean their witness does not contain truth for us today.

u/GospelWhiskey · 2 pointsr/Christianity

You read the Bible as the story of God reaching out to humanity. It has a few specific sections: in the beginning it is the story of God calling and creating the nation of Israel, and central to that story is the promise of a chosen people and an eventual savior.

In the middle, it is the story of that nation wandering and coming back to God, God's judgment and mercy upon them, and his communication through the prophets, and some poets. Again, the promise of an eventual savior is central to the message.

Then there's the New Testament when the savior appears. It tells the story of his ministry, the history of his disciples after his death and resurrection, and the letters from the apostles to the churches.

Here's a pretty good book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040

One of the most important things to avoid is reading the Bible as a list of commands for us to follow. There are some of those, but most Biblical commands are products of a specific situation for a specific group of people.

u/Carramell · 2 pointsr/Reformed

The textbook I used in my hermeneutics class was [Grasping God's Word] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0310492572/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=30968505261&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11654403599380140192&hvpone=22.16&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1x21vrvqwq_b) with a supplement text of [How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth] (http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040). Both I would suggest, they take a position of inerrancy and do an excellent job of teaching Scriptural study.

u/soliloquent · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Reading the whole Bible is a really admirable aim, and worthwhile. If you're wanting to get the most out of this, I would encourage you to consider reading a guide before you jump. Just as you'll get a lot more out of visiting a city if you've looked at a map or read a guidebook beforehand, a guide is a good way to get a sense of the unfamiliar genres that you'll be reading, and the structure of the whole collection.

Two good books to consider are:

Fee & Stuart, How to read the Bible for all its worth
or
Goheen & Bartholemew, The Drama of Scripture

u/blammer84 · 2 pointsr/Bible

Pick up a copy of the book "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth". That will help.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040

u/Jen9095 · 1 pointr/Bible

I recommend "The Harper Collins Study Bible". It's NRSV, with all the footnotes, nice introductions before each book, etc. I'm also a fan of the ESV. Please avoid King James (KJV and NKJV)

Also, I highly recommend How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. This is written for Christians, so it might be a little dense (I haven't read it for 10 years). But it is an excellent tool for learning how Christians (especially Christian leaders - theologians and pastors / priests) read.

I will point out one major thing, since you're so new to the topic. There are two basic approaches to reading the Bible. One is more academic and the other more experiential. Neither is right or wrong, and as a Christian, I think it's important to do both. But sometimes you'll notice people will kind of make it seem like you should only do one or the other. Here are details of each:

Experiential
Read it, meditate on it, let God speak to you through it, try to apply it to your life, put yourself in the story - General method used by Christians when they read the Bible every day and pray. This a daily practice recommended in most Protestant denominations, often called "devotions" - Catholics and Orthodox might use approaches that are more about daily rituals / prayers, but Protestantism grew out of the Enlightenment and the idea that people could and should read for themselves, but unfortunately that also tended to lead to a rejection of ritual / tradition.

(Aside, in case you don't know, there are three major branches of Christianity: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. Many people hear about all the Protestant denominations like Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, even Amish and don't realize that they are all grouped together under "Protestant" because they grew out of the Reformation. Church history is a subject that can explain how these groups arose.)

Academic
Understand the historical context, use literary analysis (some books of the Bible are letters, some are poetry, some are allegory, so they should be read differently), and developing a cohesive theology (a set of beliefs that fit together and don't contradict each other). Some people find this approach to be offensive / showing a lack of faith since you aren't "letting God interpret / guide you."

Ultimately, the best approach, used by Christian leaders, combines the two into one process. The book I recommended explains this process and quite a bit more. It's meant for Christian leadership, but might give you a good understanding of the Bible and how to approach it.... or it might confuse you with it's technical jargon. Anyway, here's the basic process. Read to understand these things in this order:

  • What the passage meant in its original time and place (historical, literary)
  • What universal truths it teaches about God and the world (theology)
  • How to interpret it for our modern life / your personal life (experiential)

    Hopefully this gives you some structure for approaching the topic.

    I also agree with several people here about where to start:

  • Genesis for creation, the fall, and God choosing the Isrealite - these tend to be the Old Testament sunday school stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, etc
  • Gospels = Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, they all told the story of Jesus. Many people really like John. He tells the story of Jesus from a more approachable perspective - less Jewish ideas because he was trying to appeal to a broader audience. This is the book where you hear ideas like "Jesus is the light".... everyone can understand how important light is in a dark night, without needing to understand the Jewish traditions that predicted Jesus and stuff. But it also makes John a bit more poetic and sometimes cryptic. Luke was more of a "just the facts" type.
  • Acts tells about the early church. It's important to realize they weren't "Christians" with a different faith than "Jews" - they were originally just a sect of Judiasm.

    Finally, here are the most common areas of study if you want to learn about Christianity:

  • Biblical Studies - most of the stuff I mentioned above, basically ancient languages, how to read the Bible, etc
  • Theology - basically like philosophy. But philosophy is about the nature of humans, while theology is the nature of God. This is where you get the great debates (What is the Trinity? What is the nature of God? Why did Jesus "have to" die? What is atonement?)
  • Church History - Basically everything that's happened for 2,000 years. Includes theological debates that led to church splits.
  • Other categories: Christian ethics, missions, ecumenical studies (Christians studying other Christians and working together), leadership, etc. Most of these are more about how the church works today. At this point, I think you'd be more interested in the first three.
u/JxE · 1 pointr/Christianity

It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a word for word translation go with the NASB. It uses a more recently found manuscript that is more accurate to the original text and it trumps the KJV and NKJV. If you're looking to have a better understanding of the text use the NIV or TNIV. They use a sentence by sentence translation and will bring things into context which makes it easier to read and understand.

As far as your question goes, off the top of my head that is literal. Why is that question throwing you off?

I recommend reading a book called How to Read the Bible for All its Worth as well. It's taught me a lot about interpreting scripture in context and how to make sense. The theme I took out of the book is "Scripture can never mean something to you that it didn't mean to the original hearers." It keeps you from stripping verses out of context. for instance 2 cor 6:14. (If you don't know many people apply that verse to marrying someone of a different faith, when there is no mention of marriage in the entire book)

http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249090643&sr=8-1

u/VeryOldHero · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I was busy with school work. In reply to the historical evidence of Jesus' existence, the first source in the Wiki page of Jesus Christ tells you that "Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that a historical Jesus existed."

In reply to your question, you should understand that there are differences between the Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament was written for the Jewish people as a guide for their daily lives because Jesus had not come yet. Think of it as a guide that you have to follow before you can scuba dive because the scuba instructor isn't present yet. Then the scuba instructor comes and corrects the mistakes you made. The scuba instructor is Jesus. The Old Testament commands are inapplicable unless they are restated in the New Testament because the instructor overrides whatever what was in the guide. I hope you understand this analogy. Being raised Catholic, I was hoping you would know about this. I guess you never really read the Bible? May I suggest a book? It's not a perfect book and there are some questionable conclusions in this book, but it is a good start in learning how to read the Bible: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. If you can find it at your local library, that would be great. Of course, I also believe that people are incapable of understanding the Bible without God's wisdom. So, you can't look at the Bible in a completely academic way.

In response to the violence of Christians, you should understand it is easy to claim to be a Christian. I knew some people who claimed to be Christians but were only claiming to be to able to take advantage of other people. I could claim to be an atheist and massacre people and you wouldn't question my claims to be an atheist right? It's in the same page with Christians. Lastly, your final sentence, I'm sorry, is stupid. Why am I responsible for the wrongdoings on those kids? Do you blame the current generation of the Japanese people for World War 2? You don't! Because they didn't do those things. The rapes and torture are just unfortunate results of people taking advantage of the Christian faith to feed their sick minds. Also, being raised Catholic, you should know that no one in the Catholic community thinks that raping or torturing children is an acceptable thing to do.

u/MJStrider · 1 pointr/Bible

Great question! I'm going to recommend two helpful books by Gordon D. Fee to you that I hope you will find very encouraging and easy to read. These are incredible, well written, non-technical resources to help us improve as readers of the Bible so that we can be certain we are reading the Bible as it was originally intended.

  1. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
    https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040

  2. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0310518083/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0310518083

    Also I'd like to recommend some additional, more technical or scholarly resources that can help you in your study of Revelation specifically.

  3. The ESV Study Bible
    https://www.christianbook.com/esv-study-bible-hardcover/9781433502415/spd/502415?dv=%7Bdevice%7D&en=google&event=SHOP&kw=bibles-20-40%7C502415&p=1179710&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq7XMBRCDARIsAKVI5QZrZ2Z-su8Xe2eUMq9AiYRO-aW1oI8w6RycLpq4E1d-M9_w8ze_AgIaAmrIEALw_wcB

  4. The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation by Vern Sheridan Poythress
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875524621?ie=UTF8&tag=ligoniminist-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0875524621

  5. The Book of Revelation (NICNT) by Mounce, Robert H.
    http://www.wtsbooks.com/the-book-of-revelation-robert-mounce-9780802825377?utm_source=challies&utm_medium=challies

  6. If you want to listen to a full class from D. A. Carson on the book of Revelation, here are 26 lectures that are very helpful.
    http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library?f%5Bbook%5D%5B%5D=Revelation&f%5Bcontributors%5D%5B%5D=Carson%2C+D.+A.&f%5Bresource_category%5D%5B%5D=Lectures

    Praying the the Lord enriches your study and fills you with the knowledge of his will in Christ Jesus. Have fun!!
u/FA1R_ENOUGH · 1 pointr/Christianity

>To me, the most obvious explanation for why you don't think Genesis should be taken literally is that you understand that it can't be literally true and so you conclude that it wasn't intended to be so. On the other hand, you want to believe in Jesus and the gospels, so you believe that they're true, and then decide that they must have been written as truth. If this isn't the reason for your position, then please tell me what your actual reason is.

Could you be a little more condescending here? How is this the "most obvious explanation"? This is the most obvious explanation if you take me to be an idiot or intellectually dishonest; I do not appreciate those implications. Charity will ensure that our discussions are fruitful.

If we are going to interpret the Bible, then we must discern how different genres should be interpreted. The Bible has a plethora of different genres: narrative, poetry, song, genealogy, letters, apocalypse, law, prophecy, etc. We need to understand the nature of these genres so we can read them right. Otherwise, we are going to produce absurd ideas. For example, if we read the newspaper thinking that it's a love poem, we will probably become frustrated.

Genesis 1 has a lot of poetic elements to it. It is a story of how God created the universe and assigned function to everything. It should not be difficult to see the poetic nature of this chapter. For example, Days 1-3 depict God creating various containers; Days 4-6 depict God filling the containers. On Day 4, he creates sun, moon, and stars, which corresponds to Day 1 - light and dark. Day 5 has fish and birds which fill the sky and sea (Day 2). Day 6 is plant and animal life and humans, which fills the land made on Day 3.

Anyway, the story is much more a story about God than about the mechanics of creation. It is not a historical narrative. Thus, trying to interpret this like we would a historical narrative is an unfortunate category mistake. I've found John Walton's The Lost World of Genesis One to be a helpful deconstruction of this chapter.

Now, the Gospels are a different genre. They are biographies of Jesus Christ, and they focus on what he did. These are quite similar to other, secular biographies that we have from the same time period. Furthermore, fiction from that time is not written like the Gospels. The Gospels demonstrate eyewitness sources. To say that they were not to be intended as actual history is to say that the writers effectively invented a brand-new genre of realistic fiction. Mythic writings in this time were not like the Gospels. For example, contrast the Revelation or 1 Enoch (apocalyptic literature) with the Gospels. One should easily be able to tell the difference.

The point is, we should realize that the Bible has different genres, was written over the course of hundreds of years, and is a diverse document. As it sounds silly to question if the epistles were written to actual people because the Psalms are worship music, the idea that Genesis 1 is not intended to be historical implies nothing about the historicity of the Gospels. If you are interesting in a full understanding of the different texts, I would recommend Fee/Stuart's How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, and How to Read the Bible Book by Book. They are helpful introductions to the topic of Biblical Intepretation.

u/AlexTehBrown · 1 pointr/TrueChristian

https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040

this one is a classic if it isn't already in your collection

u/srmiller2 · 1 pointr/Christianity

The predominant theory of origins to The Gospel of Luke is the 3 source theory. It explains Luke in the context of three sources:

  1. The Apostle Paul, Luke was Paul's close confidant and The Gospel of Luke is actually considered Paul's Gospel by many.
  2. The Gospel of Mark, this is the earliest written account of Jesus life with his disciples. Mark was the confidant of the Apostle Peter and wrote his gospel in the form of Miracle Worker. It was a common form in which to write during those times and made his gospel somewhat different.
  3. Source Q, now this might seem a little far fetched but the academic understanding is that both Matthew and Luke used this Q source in their recording of the their corresponding gospels. The Q sources is believed to be a 'logia' which is greek for quotations. The source was a compilation of different recorded quotes of Jesus.
    Great book to read which explains more than I do is, [How to Read the Bible for all its Worth] (http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303784998&sr=8-1)
u/BellsSC2 · 1 pointr/Christianity

This is a great resource for that question:
>http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314128657&sr=8-1&tag=acleint-20

I'd say that for layman, the key is to understand some of the broad literary types - myth, history, poetry, wisdom lit, prophecy, letters - and some of the rules for reading them. These rules aren't arbitrary, but generally accepted practices (granted, with some dispute) by Biblical scholars based around literary and historical information.

The chief question being asked ought to be, "What was the original author saying to the original readers, and what implications does that have for today?" This is why the library is important - different literary types demand different ways of answering that question.

What most people think of as "literary" readings of the Bible ignore this questions altogether and start with "What does this verse say to me?"

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/Christianity

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Jesus and the Gospels

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'll be able to look at my bookshelf tomorrow.

u/effinmike12 · 1 pointr/Christianity

Book recommendations? I don't know what you mean exactly. A supplement or resource? The following resources can probably be found in your church, public, university libraries. Often, you CANNOT check out these types of resources, so you may want to consider investing in a few books. Until then, check out biblehub.com. It is a little odd to navigate, but it is FREE!

Resource Standards (A serious must)

  1. The Commentary Why you need these explained here

    A single edition condensed commentary as well as a set of solid commentaries such as The NAC and HarperCollins. There are several solid choices.

  2. Systematic Theology Explained here

    I HIGHLY recommend one of the following: Christian Theology(used in many seminaries/MDiv OR Intro to Christian Doctrine

    3.Biblical Dictionary

    Holman's and Unger's are two well received one volume editions.

    The three aforementioned tools are in the libraries of every single minister I know. The names do matter, but there are plenty of fine, scholarly companies that produce up-to-date, relevant versions of very similar, but not identical, resources. Above is a minimal (and I mean minimal) list for putting together a 4-10 lesson study of Job. If you would like to learn more about hermeneutics, you should read How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth as a primer. There are several other required resources to add to your library if proper exegesis is something you are passionate about. I taught/lectured on systematic theology, intensive studies, and church history to a well-educated group of adults (some of which were my professors). Even so, remember this always-

    >HEB 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

    Job: Interesting observations/thoughts to consider

  3. Regarding the person of Job, the author, the date (probably 1st penned book), history, etc HERE IS THIS

  4. Was Job a parable (mythology)? Research this point.

  5. Was Satan trying to tempt God anywhere in Job, and if so why?
u/buzz_bender · 0 pointsr/Reformed

There are a number of books on exegesis, but a good number of them are terribly technical.

I think the best way to do it is to actually do it with somebody who is more mature. Read a passage and talk/discuss/debate about the passage.

Having said that, there are several useful books. Let me see if I can remember them.

  1. Robert Stein - Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible
  2. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

    I think those two books are quite useful.
u/MRH2 · -1 pointsr/TrueChristian

Hi! No, it's absolutely not a sin. It's just church tradition that calls it a sin. The passage in Corinthians is not about marriage, but probably idolatry. (Source) . Furthermore, Christian sociologists (Source) have shown that the early church had an abundance of Christian women and not that many Christian men, so it was common to marry non-Christian men, and indeed that's one way that Christianity spread. 1 Peter 3:1 talks about this (and does not call it a sin). 1 Cor 7:13-16 does not call it a sin either. Both passages indicate that it was a common thing.

Have a wonderful marriage and life!