started reading the Bible

[~Shalhevet~]

I would switch to something like the NIV and maybe start in the Gospel of John

I want to read the entire Bible.

[Openly Curious]

I am at Genesis 18. This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm reading from the KJV and I find it very difficult to follow. Sometimes I have to re-read a chapter more than once to actually understand it. Is this common?

asecretchord,

You are doing just fine continue on staying on course. One cannot understand all of the bible at one time for you will run across many passages you will not understand but those things you do understand belong to you and your children if you have any but you can pass down and teach them.

The word teaches us to study to show ourselves approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed. Reading the bible through is very valuable in understanding the will of God from the beginning to the end. Just remember you will not understand everything you read just keep reading.

None, of us knows or has all understanding of the bible, for we only know in part.

oc

[2Joyful]

I would switch to something like the NIV and maybe start in the Gospel of John

I want to read the entire Bible.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4; Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.. II Timothy 2:15. Asecretchord, "no limits can be placed upon anyone, who has the passion to believe and obey the word of the Lord." jotful

[HAZARD]

I am at Genesis 18. This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm reading from the KJV and I find it very difficult to follow. Sometimes I have to re-read a chapter more than once to actually understand it. Is this common?

Hi 'asecretchord'

Perservere with an open and honest heart in faith and the Holy Spirit will guide you and open your understanding of God's plan for man. The Bible is the Word of God because, it was compiled by over fourty different inspired by God, authors who wrote the sixty six books of the Bible during a period of over 1,800 years; and they all had one theme, and that is, the revealation and redemption of the human race by God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. These books were written by men from all walks of life such as kings, priests, judges, lawyers, princes, shepherds, soldiers, courtiers, statesmen, musicians, inventors, singers, poets, preachers, prophets, fishermen, farmers, tent makers, publicans, physicians, richmen and poor men. They were written in many various lands of three continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They were written in different ages by many men, some who never ever saw each other or even knew what the others wrote on the same subjecs, yet when their writings became one book, there is not one contradiction among them

There is perfect unity between the books of thje Bible, which speak of the hundreds of subjects in the realm of religion, politics, science, etc. This proves there is one divine author for all the sixty-six books. Who but a divine author could produce such a work. Even convinced a hard harted, major sinner like me that God does exist and His Word is real.

The Bible is God's inspired revelation of the origin and destiny of all things. It is the power of God unto eternal salvation and it is the source of present help for the body, soul, and spirit (Rom. 1:16; John 15:7). It is God's will and testament to men in all ages, revealing the plan of God for man here and now and in the next life. It is the record of God's dealings with man; past, present, and future. It contains God's message of eternal salvation to all people who believe in Christ and of eternal damnation to those who knowingly and willingly rebell against the gospel.

The Bible is a literary composition, and the Bible is the most remarkable book ever written. It is a divine library of sixty-six books, some of considerable size, and others no larger than a tract. All these books include various forms of litrature, history, biography, poetry, proverbial sayings, hymns, letters, directions for elabourate ritualistic worship, laws, parables, riddles, allegories, prophecy, drama, and all other forms of human expression. The Bible never has been excelled from any standpoint. This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the reward and happiness of believers. Its doctrins are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories true, and its decisions immutable.

The Bible is a mirror to reflect (James 1:23); a hammer to convict (Jer. 23:29); a fire to refine (Jer. 23:29); seed to multiply (1 Pet. 1:23); lwater to cleanse (Eph. 5:26; John 15:3); a lamp to guide (Ps. 119:105); and food to nourish, including milk for babes (1 Pet. 2:2), it is bread for the hungry (Matt. 4:4), meat for men (Heb. 5:11-14), and it is honey for dessert (Ps. 19:10). It is rain and snow to refresh (Isa. 55:10); a sword to cut (Heb. 4:12; a bow to revenge (Heb. 3:9); it is gold to enrich (Ps. 19:7-10); and it reveals the power who creats life through faith (1 Pet. 1:23; Rom. 10:17).

The Bible is not an amulet, a charm, a fetish,or a thing that will work wonders by its very presence without any volintary agency. The Bible does not claim to be any such thing. What the Bible does claim is that if one will study and practice it that it will work wonders in the life now and hereafter. The Bible does not benifit men by its presence, such as in hotel rooms, by a bedside, in a home, or a factory, any more than a spring of cool water benefits a thirsty man who refuses to drink.

The Bible is not a book of chronological events or one unbroken series of divine utterances. The Bible was given piecemeal, here a little and there a little, to many men through eighteen centuries or more (Isa. 28:9-11). And in spite of this it formes a perfect unity. The Bible is not a book of mysteries, of supernatural languages, of heavenly utterances. It is God's revlation in the most simple human language possible. It explains the so-called mysteries and it is self-interpreting, so that no mystery remains in it. It does not say one thing and mean another. It has generally only one simple meaning. If a few passages have a double meaning, that is quite clear from the passage itself or from parallel passages. One cannot, as is commonly believed, get a thousand different meanings, from any one passage. The Bible is not a specimin of God's skill as a writer or logician. It is a book written by men whom God used to record His revelation. God used the men by giving them freedom of expression to use their own language and ways of expressing thruth. The writers were God's penmen, and not God's pens. All that inspiration guarantees is unity of thought, not the sameness of words and expressions.

The Bible is not a book of systematic discourse on any one subject, but it does give divine information on practically every subject. One must collect together here and there all God's information through the various writers in order to get the whole truth. When this is done, there is perfect harmony, and everything agout the whole subject that man really needs to know is clear.

The Bible is not a book that conforms to tasts, customs, or habits of any one nation or people, or for any one age or period of time. It is a book to which all people in all ages can conform, and yet retain their own peculiar customs andhabits that are not sinful and contrary to the will of God.

[EricH]

I would switch to something like the NIV and maybe start in the Gospel of John

I want to read the entire Bible.

Thats very good. I would then just switch to a version that is more readable for you

[Undercrank]

When it comes to Bible history and reading there are a lot of cliches we regularly get bombarded with. But there's a lot to be said for making the New Testament your absolute foundation.

I know there are many who are reading chunks of the Old Testament, or using "through the Bible in one year" routines, but laying hold of the nuts and bolts of Christian living is key. And we get that uniquely in the New Testament.

If I may:

http://slashedcanvas.info/essays/essays8.htm

All Scripture is inspired and the New Testament is the foundation of Christian practice and Church order. It should be our primary concern.

On another topic:

A few translations are more reliable than others. Some believers don't consider the choice of translation that important. I put a considerable amount of effort into investigating this subject. As a result I'm of the opinion that the modern translations the New King James Version and the New American Standard Bible are significantly more dependable than translations like the New International Version. The same can be said of the most recent translation of the Authorised Version which first appeared in 1611. But there are those who find fault with all these versions.

Other versions, such as The Message, lean heavily on paraphrasing (expressing the meaning of the original languages using different words, especially in an effort to achieve greater clarity). Some question the overall value of Bible versions produced in this way. I certainly do. The translator of The Message "...decided to strive for the spirit of the original manuscripts

[other one]

I am at Genesis 18. This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm reading from the KJV and I find it very difficult to follow. Sometimes I have to re-read a chapter more than once to actually understand it. Is this common?

I'm kind of late getting into this thread, but wanted to pass on something my Sunday School teacher told us Sunday. He's a lawyer (and a good one) who had one of those special grandmothers that seemed to be a guift directly from God when it comes to spiritual matters.

Anyway, he says that you should read the two genelogies in the new testiment and write them down as you go..... He says (and I can already see it) that as you read the Old Testament you will find the lives and how these people lived to bring us Jesus.

I am going to do this when I finish my current quest, and I've read it all several times. This seems like a very interesiting approach.

One thing stood out to him that I had not thought of was that some of the women in Christs family line were Pagans. I find that fastinating that I have read about these women but really never put them in thier places as pertaining to Christ.

His take on the Bible is that the Old Testament is an explanation of what the New Testament is about and if you read it in that manor it helps understand the New Testament on a higher level. Especially Revelation

[~candice~]

I forgot to say...

I wish when I read the OT that I did it in chronological order, instead of the order given in the english OT. There is a reading plan here if you are interested.

http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/8/cjan01.htm

[Sir Gareth]

Its always good to re-read chapters, even if you do understand it.

I've been saved for almost a year now and I'm still not even halfway through reading the OT, though I've read the NT a couple of times.

I reccomend reading John first, as it is the most explicit about Jesus' divinity and salvation. Luke is also good because he paid close attention to lots of details. Whenever you read let the holy spirit guide you.

[~Shalhevet~]

actually, i dont read bibles but i do listen to christian music a lot, more often than reading bible. i must say i should read bible while listening to music. It is possible to be one with God in worship through hearing a prophetic words and prophetic music