The Bible, its hard to read?

[Mick513]

I wonder if you’d be kind enough to try and answer another few questions for me.  I am struggling to understand the bible.  I don’t just mean a given passage, I mean all of it.  However I have to admit I have not attempted to read more than a few sections.
Can I be a Christian and believe in God, and Jesus, but not understand the bible?  This troubles me a little.

I just find it so hard going.  Firstly the old language that is used, but secondly I find it so hard to get any clear meaning from it.
I have however just read the first 3 chapters of genesis.  I think it is the new international version, which does seem a little easier reading.  Please bear in mind it’s the first time I’ve read these passages although I have some prior knowledge of the content.  If what I say seems a bit obvious, I apologise.  I understood the first part of the text about the 7 days of creation, and the creation of man, woman, and animals.

The tree of knowledge was forbidden.  Was the implication that man was not to study science? Or I wonder if the meaning is different? and what the tree of knowledge symbolizes.    

 

And if it was God’s will for the apple not to be eaten, I wonder why the serpent tempted eve to do it.  Was the serpent inherently evil?

 

  I understand then that the serpent, man, and women were punished for the deed, as the original sin.  This seems to change the world forever.  But was it Gods intention for man to remain pure forever, if the sin was not committed?  And if so I wonder what kind of world we would live in.

 

Anyway enough questions for now.  Thanks for reading.

Mick.

[LadyKay]

You need to find a Bible that is written in  language  that you can understand. I myself use to read the NIV but have gone to the Holman Student Bible since my old NIV fell apart. I have found that  for me, the Holman Student Bible has open up God's word in a way that I did not see before. You can search online for different versions to see which one you understand best.  If you are in need of a Bible I would be willing to send you one that might help. Just p/m me your address and I will see what I can do.

 

 

Can I be a Christian and believe in God, and Jesus, but not understand the bible? 

Yes! I At times I still do not understand stuff I read in the Bible.

[other one]

mick,  it is really hard to understand a lot of the Bible without having read the whole thing.   If you are having trouble reading it you might try listening instead.   there are several different translations that you can download and listen to at a low cost or even free.   I've listened to the whole thing several times and the new testament  at least a hundred.   My reading is a bit slower than most so I try to take things in by listening.  Even listening to the King James version is much easier for me to comprehend than reading......    you use a different part of your brain to comprehend sound and that part in me seems to work better.

[KC02]

I suggest the book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, written by two college professors, Fee and Stuart. The book will give you some tools that will be very helpful in your quest to better understand the Bible.

[Jerry1023]

I wonder if you’d be kind enough to try and answer another few questions for me. I am struggling to understand the bible. I don’t just mean a given passage, I mean all of it. However I have to admit I have not attempted to read more than a few sections.

Can I be a Christian and believe in God, and Jesus, but not understand the bible? This troubles me a little.

I just find it so hard going. Firstly the old language that is used, but secondly I find it so hard to get any clear meaning from it.

I have however just read the first 3 chapters of genesis. I think it is the new international version, which does seem a little easier reading. Please bear in mind it’s the first time I’ve read these passages although I have some prior knowledge of the content. If what I say seems a bit obvious, I apologise. I understood the first part of the text about the 7 days of creation, and the creation of man, woman, and animals.

The tree of knowledge was forbidden. Was the implication that man was not to study science? Or I wonder if the meaning is different? and what the tree of knowledge symbolizes.

And if it was God’s will for the apple not to be eaten, I wonder why the serpent tempted eve to do it. Was the serpent inherently evil?

I understand then that the serpent, man, and women were punished for the deed, as the original sin. This seems to change the world forever. But was it Gods intention for man to remain pure forever, if the sin was not committed? And if so I wonder what kind of world we would live in.

Anyway enough questions for now. Thanks for reading.

Mick.

God bless you Mick,

actually for you to read and understand the word of God,

you need the help of the Holy Spirit,

you need a mentor,

the bible said in Jeremiah 3:15"

And i will give you,pastors according to mine own heart,which will feed you with knowledge and understanding,

And i will also advice you to start from the new testament,

especially the gosple of St John,

you need to pray to God,to help you to understand His word,

the knowledge of the word of God will enable us to resist temptation and to flee from every appearance of evil,

I will like you to read Acts 8:19-40"

this very passage talks about an Ethiopians man,who was reading the bible,

yet he did not understand what he was reading,

it was philip that,help him to understand what he was reading,

this very passage will help and encourage you to look for a physical mentor,that will help you in your christian life,

may the good God that we serve grant you the grace that passeth understand,to understand His word and put them into pratice.

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Mick.....

      God Bless you  & you needn't apologize......yours is a sincere concern for you & how will you ever know unless you ask................even the most learned of scholars begin at page one & have to start somewhere

        I am sure that most will agree that the best place to start reading Gods Word is with the Gospel of John,this is the 4the Book of the New Testament the first 4 books are Matthew,Mark ,Luke & then John.The Bible is actually made up of 66 books in all(the Christian Bible) Remember that the Bible is called "the Living Word",the Word",Gods Word"........this is the way we communicate with(Living Word) & get to know God,much more than," getting to know about Him",,,,,it is about"getting to know Him"

          God tells us in His Word that He will reveal Himself to us through his Word,Mick......He says "Seek & you shall find Me,Knock & I will answer".....the reason most Christians agree that the Book of John is a great place to begin is because it is considered Gods love letter to us......when you begin by finding out how much He loves You ,You will begin to know Him........I suggest if the KJV is difficult to read then try the NKJV,much simpler but basically the same translation.I would suggest you pray for God to reveal Himself & help you to receive the Wisdom & Understanding by the Power of the Holy Spirit as you start there,,,,,perhaps even reading some Psalms of David also.......Psalm 1 is beautiful to learn & Psalm 23,they are just so full of inspiration & encouragement & great to lift your spirit....

          Do you have a local church that you attend?A Pastor?Most churches have a night(or two) of Bible Study......which is wonderful to have the support & fellowship while learning & studying..........but remember,if you are studying with anyone,under anyone & through anyone it is always your responsibility to read the Scriptures for yourself & to seek the guidance & revelation of the Holy Spirit...................God Bless you!

                                                                                                                                                     With love-in Christ,Kwik

 

Aslo,remember the Bible is unlike any other Book ,it is many Books ,,,,,God Breathed.....it is not a single book designed to read from page one,cover to cover......................of course ,you may think Genesis is a good place to start"In the beginning"........but maybe you could think of it as beginning with Jesus,,,,,as we are born again in Him(I suggest you start in the NT)

[Guest]

....And if it was God’s will for the apple not to be eaten, I wonder why the serpent tempted eve to do it....

 

....Was the serpent inherently evil...

 

~

 

Satan's

 

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

 

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

 

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

 

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15

 

Intentions

 

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

 

He was a murderer from the beginning,

 

and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

 

When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

 

~

 

....I understand then that the serpent, man, and women were punished for the deed, as the original sin..... 

 

....This seems to change the world forever.....

 

....But was it Gods intention for man to remain pure forever, if the sin was not committed....

~

 

Satan's Work

 

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

 

And God's

 

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

 

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

 

Intentions

 

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:20 (ESV)

 

(Still)

 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10 (ESV)

 

~

 

....And if so I wonder what kind of world we would live in....

 

~

 

The World

 

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

 

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1-5

 

Believers Will Live In

 

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

 

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

 

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

 

And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

 

And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

 

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 21:22-27

 

Amen~!

 

~

 

Pray In The Name Of Jesus For The Book To Be Opened

And You Will Be As Astonished As I Am

 

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160

 

The Bible  contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

 

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable.

 

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

 

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

 

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

 

Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

 

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.

 

It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet.

 

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

 

It is a mine of wealth, a Paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

 

It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.

 

It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.

 

From The Front Of My Gideon New Testament

[coheir]

Loss of "thee" and "thou"

Please decide what God is saying to Moses:

"And the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?" (Exodus 16:28, NKJV)

It looks like God is saying, "Moses, you are continuing to refuse to keep My commandments and My laws." But look carefully at the accurate King James:

"And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" KJV

Now we understand! It was the people, not Moses, that God was upset with. "Ye" and "you" mean more than one person. "Thee," "thou," "thy," "thine," "doeth," "hast," etc., only mean one person. How do we know? The "y" is plural. The "t" is singular. Isn't that easy? Now you know what Jesus meant when He said to Nicodemus, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:7).

And there is the therefore rule  “ Anytime you see the word therefore back up 10 to 15 verses and make

Sure what the therefore is for”

 

This may help some. also you can get a go bible for 25 bucks in most any version I use mine for road trips, a lot of things are not in my small town so I make a lot of 30 to 50 mile trips to bigger store or just stores not in my small town.

[onni]

For me personally, New Living Translation (NLT) easier to understand, and I read along with study bible that will explain all the difficult verses along with application and history, map and so on. 

[Guest shiloh357]

I wonder if you’d be kind enough to try and answer another few questions for me.  I am struggling to understand the bible.  I don’t just mean a given passage, I mean all of it.  However I have to admit I have not attempted to read more than a few sections.

Can I be a Christian and believe in God, and Jesus, but not understand the bible?  This troubles me a little.

 

Thanks be to God that our salvation is based on how much of the Bible we do or don't understand.   Salvation is based solely on your faith in the finished work of redemption that Jesus accomplished on the cross.  Salvation is Jesus + nothing.   We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone.

 

Your understanding of the Bible is part of the progress of spiritual growth that comes as we go to church, fellowship with other believers, and read/study the Bible on your own.  The Holy Spirit is with/in us to lead and guide us into all truth and if you are truly wanting to know God's word, the Holy Spirit will help you understand and will bring people into your life to bless you with an increase in your understanding.   Having a spiritual mentor or "discipler" as we call them is invaluable to getting you off on a good start to knowing God's word.

 

 

The tree of knowledge was forbidden.  Was the implication that man was not to study science? Or I wonder if the meaning is different? and what the tree of knowledge symbolizes. 

 

It is important to note that God's prohibition on eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was likely only temporary.  God was testing man and man failed that test. 

 

And if it was God’s will for the apple not to be eaten, I wonder why the serpent tempted eve to do it.  Was the serpent inherently evil?

 

the serpent was Satan.  So yes he was inherently evil

 

I understand then that the serpent, man, and women were punished for the deed, as the original sin.  This seems to change the world forever.  But was it Gods intention for man to remain pure forever, if the sin was not committed?  And if so I wonder what kind of world we would live in.

 

God created a perfect world knowing man would sin and God had a plan of redemption already in place.   It is impossible to say that God created without knowing what would happen, as God is omniscient.   God created man with the intention of redeeming Him.