How To Read The Bible

By Author: James Alford
Total Articles: 3764
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"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Tim 3:16

When I finally turned my back on sin and devoted my life to Jesus Christ. The only book in the Bible that I had read was Revelation. I had searched the pages of this book as a carnal minded person because I loved end time prophecy. I wanted to know if the Bible was right about how the world would end. After I got saved my focus changed. I went out telling people about the good news of Jesus Christ and what he had done for me and how he had delivered me out of many bad situations and saved my soul. I wanted to get everybody to turn their back on sin. The only problem I had was that all I knew was that Jesus died for my sins and he was helping me get through, which is not bad, if you are involved in the right ministry. But when the ministry you are a part of misquotes or adds scripture in the bible, the unlearned (babes) shall surfer spiritually. In the beginning, when I got home I would open the Bible to where ever the book opened and start reading. I would get confused ...
... on what I thought God was trying to say to me. It might open to how to sacrifice animals, or how we must do all the works of the law to be justified by God, or how we are not justified by the works of the law but by faith, or how we cannot drink, or how Jesus turned the water to wine, etc. I quickly came to realize we cannot and are not supposed to do everything the Bible says. Don't be alarmed at this statement because I'm sure you don't see any Christian's sacrificing animals around town.
The bible can be broken down in many different ways. Here are a few of the simpler ways.....

Old Testament and New Testament
Old Covenant and New Covenant
Death, Law, Grace

The most simple for understanding and getting the message the bible is giving is studying it in the seasons of Death, Law, and Grace. These are the three seasons and periods of change that direct us to how we are to conduct ourselves as Christians today. For the beginner I believe this is best, since using the Old testament/New Testament cutoff is deceptive for the new reader in that where the New Testament starts is not the start of season of grace but includes it in the later chapters. Starting with Jesus' death and resurrection we are in the season of grace to this present day.
Romans Chapter Five gives us these seasons for our understanding of scripture. From Adam to Moses death reigned. Adam committed the original sin and changed our relationship with God. This relationship came with swift judgment by God. This is the time we see God destroying the inhabitants of the world with "the flood" and Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed for their love of sin. The next season God established was the Law with Moses. This law was to govern the descendants of Abraham which God had made the first covenant with. This season continued on until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus a Jew was born under the law and taught under the law. At his death and resurrection Jesus' death fulfilled the law and the season of grace was ushered in. The books that coincide with these seasons are.....

Death- Genesis
Law- Genesis ---John
Grace- Acts --- Revelations (until present day)

Many quote from different parts of the bible out of season. The bible states that to everything there is a season. If you are a farmer and you don't know what season it is, you won't know when to till the soil, or plant your crops, water them, or collect the crop. The "Parable of the Sower" talks about the wheat growing with the tares. Children of God are the wheat and children of satan are the tares. God allows these to grow together for a season until it is harvest time. At the time of harvest, God's angels will separate the wheat from the tares, thereby putting a wedge between the good and the bad. The Bible, as each season progresses, slowly separates the good and bad so that when we study, we get understanding. For instance the Law of Moses was not given in the bible for us to justify ourselves before God, but for us to learn from and know sin. Rom. 7:6-7. There is some confusion on what is it that we are still supposed to do to make ourselves right before God, but Paul in Gal. 3:10-12 clearly states, "for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident for, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them". This scripture under the season of grace which is the last season of the bible is opposite to what is written during the time of the Law of Moses. To be under the law is to follow 613 commandments given to Moses. So understanding that not all parts of the bible are for today's righteous person to do, the complete Bible gives us a great book to learn from and grow spiritually.