Journey

How to Read the Bible

Maybe you’ve been reading the Bible for years, or maybe you just picked it up for the first time today. Either way, you might have some questions about this giant, inspiring, intimidating, hope-filled, and sometimes confusing book. That’s why we created this simple guide to commonly asked questions about the Bible. 

Table of Contents

1. What is the Bible?

Let’s start with a simple definition: The Bible is a library of books written by diverse authors seeking to understand and display God in their particular places and times. They wrote in different styles and from different backgrounds and cultural contexts, but they all have something to say about God’s identity and our purpose.

Most of the books were written as standalone pieces of literature. Over time, the people of God combined these individual histories, poems, laws, letters, and parables into the Bibles we know today.

But the Bible is more than just a wildly ambitious human project. From the earliest days of the Hebrew and Christian faiths, people knew that this library of books was a partnership between the human and the divine—that God had been behind the scenes as these books were written and collected into the Bible.

Here’s the point: The Bible is a library of ancient books brought together by God and people that can help us get to know God and our purpose.

2. What does it mean for the Bible to be God-breathed?

The Bible is a human book but also a divine one. God was present while the authors of Scripture wrote about their hopes, fears, doubts, and confidence. That’s why one author wrote that the Bible is inspired, or God-breathed.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

God’s breath is one way the Bible’s authors talk about God’s life-giving presence. When God breathes into things, they come to life and, in some mysterious way, carry God’s presence within them. The Bible describes humans as God-breathed in Genesis, and the Bible itself is also God-breathed.

The Bible itself is not God, but it can point us to God, bring us hope, and help us fulfill our purpose.

Here’s the point: When the Bible’s authors speak of the Bible being God-breathed, they’re saying that the words on the page contain God’s mysterious, life-giving presence. And because God’s life-giving power is somehow present in the Bible, it can provide encouragement, correction, and inspiration as we follow Jesus.

3. Who wrote the Bible?

Think about all that’s changed over the last 1,000 years. Now imagine a collection of books written by authors across that time. How diverse would their perspectives be? What cultural norms would have changed? And how many world-changing events would have happened?

The Bible was written by dozens of authors during a 1,000-year span. During that time, the people of God settled in a territory, left due to famine, became enslaved for hundreds of years, returned to their territory, faced constant invasion, navigated a civil war that split their nation, were taken into exile in a faraway country, then returned home only to be occupied by a different global empire. 

Each author wrote during one of these periods to make sense of how God was working in their current situation. These dozens of authors knew what it meant to suffer, doubt, and ask difficult questions. They also knew what it felt like for God to keep His promises and rescue them from desperate situations. They spoke different languages and came from different places, yet together, they told one unified story. 

Here’s the point: The diverse human authors of the Bible weren’t perfect, all-knowing spiritual masterminds. They were real people with real questions, doubts, and hangups that show up in Scripture. This doesn’t diminish Scripture—it enhances It, showing us how God works through flawed people just like us.

4. Do we know the names of any Bible authors?

Dozens of people contributed to the Bible’s books. We know the names of many of the authors, like Paul, who wrote several letters in the New Testament (we’ll explore what the New Testament is in just a minute). But we don’t know the names of every Bible author.

Most books of the Bible don’t name an author, so we rely on Jewish and Christian traditions to learn about their authorship. But a few remain a mystery, and that’s okay! 

While it might be fun to have a friendly debate about who wrote the Book of Hebrews, the name of the author doesn’t make a massive difference in how we read the Bible. It’s also likely that many books of the Bible were written by several authors who collaborated to create a book. Check out this podcast from BibleProject to learn more about how several of the books were written.

Here’s the point: We know the names of many of the Bible’s authors, but their names are less important than the truth they reveal in their books. So even though we don’t know the names behind several of the books, we can still be confident that their words can help us discover God’s character and our purpose.

5. Did Jesus write the Bible?

What about Jesus? Did He write anything down? Not that we know of. The four books of the Bible about His life and teachings (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) contain plenty of His words, but as far as we know, He didn’t contribute to physically writing the Bible while on earth.

With that being said, Jesus is God, so His life-giving presence is throughout the whole Bible. So, in a way, you might say He wrote the Bible alongside the human authors.

Here’s the point: Jesus probably didn’t write any of the Bible, but reliable authors witnessed His extraordinary life, death, and resurrection and shared His words and actions through Scripture.

Bonus Question: Wait a second. What does the word “Bible” even mean?

We’ve talked about some big ideas, so let’s take a break with an easy question. 

Why do we call this library of books “the Bible”?

The word “bible” basically means writings, books, or scriptures. We got the word from the early Greek-speaking church, which called the Scriptures ta biblia, meaning “the books” or “the writings.”

Maybe not the most creative title for the most important book in history, but it works!

6. When was the Bible written?

Christian scholars date the first written portions of the Bible to between 1,500 and 900 B.C.E., but many of the stories are likely much older. Most Jesus-following scholars accept that the oldest portions of Scripture were spoken for generations before anyone put pen to paper. 

Ancient people were just as intelligent as we are, but they hadn’t yet discovered reliable, inexpensive, and durable writing materials. It was next to impossible to create long-lasting written records. As a result, most people didn’t write or read. Instead, they told stories, passing them down through generations. 

When writing materials became available, the people of God devoted themselves to creating accurate copies of Scripture to preserve its message for generations.

One group of devoted Scripture preservers stored hundreds of scrolls in caves that were only discovered in the 1940s, and we’re still discovering more scrolls today! This means we’re still in the process of learning more about when the Bible was written, who wrote it, and how it was preserved.

Here’s the point: The Bible we have today comes from ancient sources preserved by faithful followers of God. We’ve found more than enough ancient Scripture to know that our modern Bibles accurately represent these older texts.

7. What’s the difference between the Old and New Testaments?

The Bible contains two main sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The dividing line between the two testaments is the birth of Jesus. Everything written before the birth of Jesus is the Old Testament, and everything written after the birth of Jesus is the New Testament.

What is the Old Testament?

The Old Testament was created over hundreds of years by the Jewish people, which is why many people still call it the Hebrew Bible. It’s much longer than the New Testament and contains more diverse genres.

In the Old Testament, you’ll find a ton of famous Bible stories, such as Moses parting the sea, David and Goliath, Jonah and the big fish, and Queen Esther saving her people. You’ll also find history, poetry, songs, prophecies, and more!

What is the New Testament?

The New Testament was written over a much shorter time, within the first few decades after Jesus’ earthly ministry. Most of the New Testament is either accounts of Jesus’ life or letters written to early churches addressing the spiritual needs of their communities.

In the New Testament, you’ll find famous passages like the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus walking on water, and the Great Commission. You’ll also get to read about how God worked through the early church. 

Here’s the point: The two testaments are equally important and work together to show us what God is like and how to become more like Jesus every day.

8. Why do we need the Bible?

The Bible is ancient, yet deeply relevant. Yes, you’ll find plenty of strange stories and laws that don’t make sense to modern readers, but as you explore Scripture, you’ll also find plenty of helpful, hopeful, and valuable passages. 

When you feel alone, discouraged, and unworthy, the Bible can remind you of God’s faithfulness and love throughout generations. And when you need direction in life, Scripture can provide you with wisdom to help you navigate life’s biggest challenges.

But the Bible isn’t just for encouragement. When we spend prayerful time in its pages, we get to meet with God and come to know Him better. We can read all about who Jesus is, what He taught, and what He did for us—and respond to Him in surrender, gratitude, and worship.

The Bible also helps us grow. We all have flaws and fail to live up to our God-given identity. We have old, unhelpful ways of thinking that need to be replaced with truth. This process can be painful, but it’s the kind of pain that produces beauty. As we read the Bible, we need to be open to being changed. 

When we make a habit of reading the Bible every day, we can find wisdom, hope, and helpful challenges as we pursue God with our whole lives. 

Here’s the point: The Bible is a God-given tool to encourage, strengthen, and challenge us as we become more like Jesus every day. 

Still Have Bible Questions?

The Bible is a huge, ancient book that can help us get to know God better. Yes, it can be confusing, but it’s also incredibly life-giving. So keep asking, exploring, and investigating the Bible.

If you still have questions, you’re warmly invited to explore one of the resources below.