I didn't grow up reading the Bible, much less studying it. There was a year or two in middle school when I was in a youth girl's small group. I have no idea what we studied, but I was fired up -- waking up early before school to read my Bible and praying for patience around annoying middle school boys.
Unfortunately, this "middle school God moment" did not last through high school. That is a story for another time.
When I became a believer in college, my biblical illiteracy had its advantages. I didn't approach the Bible with many preconceived notions. I didn't have to fight through the baggage of misinterpreted Scripture or unintentionally damaging youth group experiences.
Instead, I was hungry for the Word. Though I didn't understand much of what I read, the little I knew about Jesus called me to question some major commitments and beliefs in my life before that point. Whether I knew it consciously or not, committing to Jesus and his Word as revealed in Scripture wasn't just a religious add-on to my already busy days, but a story to transform all of my life.
In the first couple of years, my introduction to the Bible came from my Intervarsity small group, new friends, and church sermons. I remember my friend Erin and I reading through her Fellowship of Christian Athlete (FCA) study Bible as we talked about what it looked like to follow Jesus and be involved in triathlon (she has continued this work as an Endorphin Fitness Triathlon Coach in Richmond, VA!).
For a couple of years, I hopped around to a few different churches. First going to church alone, then built up the courage to go with friends from my small group. Eventually, I landed at The Church of the Incarnation -- an Anglican Church in Harrisonburg, VA that nurtured and grew my faith in innumerable ways.
All of these experiences and studies taught me aspects of my newfound faith. However, it wasn't until I did a nine-month fellowship with my church in 2017 that I began to discover the world-changing, life-altering story that Scripture tells. Like a mini-seminary program, we studied books on culture, worldview, and Scripture, as well as read the Bible from cover to cover in whole-book readings.
I'm still chewing on all that I learned from these nine months. But, here are three principles and resources that changed how I understand and study the Bible:
1. The Bible is a unified, cohesive story
This may seem basic, but it is not often the assumed view of the biblical story. If you've ever heard someone say, "The Old Testament isn't as important as the New Testament," or "Jesus is so different from the God of Israel," you can safely bet that this person does not recognize the continuity between the Old and New Testaments.
Why does it matter?
As Bartholomew and Goheen write in The Drama of Scripture, "The Bible's claim to tell the true story of our world's history and meaning is fundamental to its structure" (21, emphasis mine). Essentially, the purpose and meaning of the Bible's claims are shared not only in the words and stories but in the structure of the Bible itself.
Whether you're Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox, you've received the canon of Scripture with both the Old and New Testaments. So, when we want to interpret Scripture, we can't do it without one or the other. This discipline challenges us from merely interpreting a verse or story to fit our own purposes or whimsy.
Thankfully, you don't have to do the work of defining the cohesive story of the Bible on your own. A great place to start is Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen's book, The Drama of Scripture: Finding our place in the biblical story.
2. There are themes in the Bible connected by repeated patterns of words, images, and phrases
This is where things get fun! The Bible Project calls these repeated patterns, hyperlinks. The hyperlinks aren't simply "proof texts" or interesting literary elements, but thematic threads within the biblical story that are loaded with meaning.
In podcast episodes and videos, Bible Project traces these hyperlinks through the Scriptures. When you start to recognize these hyperlinks on your own, you feel like a huge Bible nerd in the best way!
One essential hyperlink is the sin pattern that we first see in Genesis 3. Just focusing on the wording (see image), notice how the woman sees the tree that she believes is good for food. It is not only good for food, but it delights her eyes and she desires it. She takes its fruit, eats it, and gives it to her husband.
See. Good. Delight. Desire. Take. Give.
Trace this pattern throughout the Scriptures and you discover so many illustrations of man choosing his own way, rather than following the wisdom of God.
Check out:
Sarai, Abram, and Hagar - Gensis 16:1-4
Jacob and Esau - Genesis 25:29-34
David and Bathsheba (see image below) - 2 Samuel 11: 2-5
Notice when the pattern is changed, as in Matthew 4:7-10. In this passage, Jesus is tempted by Satan himself. Satan takes Jesus to a high mountain so Jesus could see the glory of all the kingdoms of the world. He gives Jesus the choice to take all the kingdoms if He worships him.
See. Glory. Give. Worship. DECISION.
But, Jesus refuses! He follows God's wisdom and God's voice instead of desires of the flesh. Meditate on that for a few minutes!
If you want to see another pattern in the Bible, check out The Tree of Life Bible Study from Bible Project.
3. The Bible stirs up hope
Those in Christ don't have a wish for death, but a hope for restored, resurrected LIFE because we have been rescued by Jesus!
In the words of N.T. Wright from his book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church, "'God's kingdom' in the preaching of Jesus refers not to some postmortem destiny, not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God's sovereign rule coming 'on earth as it is in heaven'" (18).
This is not another way to preach the inevitability of human progress. If all of history hasn't shown us, the last few years are proof that more education, more technology, and more stuff does not equal a better humanity. Instead, this hope of a restored creation and people is entirely centered and dependent on the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This is Good News!
Studying the Bible should lead you to hope, praise, and worship of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit! I hope these resources and ideas encourage you as you read God's Word!
What is helpful for you to remember when you study the Bible? Which of these principles is new to you? What excites you about God's Word? What is confusing?
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