How to Read the Bible

What Is Reading Scripture?

Reading the Bible is not merely a spiritual discipline, it is an encounter with the living God. In Scripture, God speaks to us about who He is, who we are, and the true story of the world. The Bible is the unfolding story of God’s redemptive work, centered on Jesus Christ. Through His Word, God comforts the brokenhearted, exposes what is false, anchors us in truth, and gives hope that suffering and sin do not have the final word. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

God’s Word is also one of His primary means of healing and transformation. It renews our minds, steadies our hearts, and equips us to live wisely in a confusing world. Scripture calls itself a light for our path (Psalm 119:105), a sword for spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:17), and living and active, able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Next to prayer, there is no more worthy or formative way to spend our time than sitting attentively under God’s Word, listening for His voice, and allowing His truth to shape our lives.

H.E.A.R.

A way of approaching the Bible:

  • Humble Your Heart – Come before God in prayer, asking for humility, illumination, and a receptive heart

  • Examine the Text – Read carefully and attentively, noticing what the passage actually says

  • Attend to the Meaning – Seek the author’s intended meaning by understanding the original context

  • Respond with Your Life – Align your beliefs, loves, and obedience with what God has revealed

Humble Your Heart

Before you read, pause to pray. Ask God for humility, clarity, and a teachable spirit. We do not come to Scripture to master it, but to be shaped by it. The same Spirit who inspired the Word must also illuminate it to our hearts. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). Beginning with prayer reminds us that Scripture is a gift to be received, not a task to be completed.

Examine the Text

Read the passage carefully and slowly. Pay attention to what is actually written—repeated words, tone, commands, promises, and flow of thought. Resist the urge to rush or skim. Scripture was meant to be read attentively, not consumed quickly. “Give attention to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13). Let the text speak before you decide what it means or how it applies.

Attend to the Meaning

Before asking what a passage means to you, ask what it meant to the original reader. The Bible was written by real authors, to real people, in real historical situations. Scripture cannot mean to us what it did not first mean to them. Consider the context: Who wrote this? To whom? Why? How does it fit within the larger story of Scripture and point us to Christ? Honoring the original meaning helps us handle God’s Word faithfully and guards us from reading ourselves into the text.

Respond with Your Life

God’s Word always calls for a response. Once you understand the meaning, ask how this truth shapes your beliefs, desires, actions, or trust in God today. Respond in prayer, repentance, faith, obedience, or praise. Scripture is not given merely to inform us, but to transform us. “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

Scripture invites us into a real encounter with God. Through His Word, the Spirit works truth into our hearts, forming our faith, trust, and love for Him and others. As we respond to what we read, our understanding deepens, not simply as knowledge, but as a lived relationship with God, becoming more like Him.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. — 2 Corinthians 3:18