How to Read the Bible and Understand It: A Simple Guide to Help You Understand God's Word Better

©2018 Daniel Hernandez. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses

permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-54394-362-7 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-54394-363-4 (ebook)

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Jeanette. The life and family that we have built together is so special and dear to me. It has brought out the best of me which then has inspired and allowed me to accomplish writing this book. She is more than I could have ever hoped for. I dedicate this book to her, because, without her support and sacrifice, this book would have never been possible. She is my joy and best friend whom I love more and more every day. I also want to acknowledge our four lovely children; Daniel, Genesis, Amiah, and Makayla. They have also inspired me to do great things. I do what I do to show them that with God, anything you put your heart and

mind to can be accomplished.

I ultimately want to thank God for my salvation. Without His love and mercy, I wouldn’t have thought or desired to write this book. He is truly my everything, and I am so grateful for what He has done for me.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1 Introduction – The Bible

Day 1 What is the Bible?

Day 2 Is the Bible without Error?

Day 3 Bible Translations ‘What’s the Difference?’

Day 4 Why Should I Read the Bible?

Part 2 Observation – What Do You See?

Day 5 Asking the Right Questions

Day 6 Surveying the Text

Day 7 Structural Outline

Part 3 Context – What Does It Say?

Day 8 Literary Context

Day 9 Historical Context ‘Then and Now’

Day 10 Cultural Context ‘What’s Going On?’

Day 11 Social Context ‘How They Interacted Socially’

Part 4 Interpretation – What Does It Mean?

Day 12 Interpreting Scripture

Day 13 What it Meant and What it Means

Day 14 Genre of Literature

Day 15 Figures of Speech

Part 5 Application – How to Apply It?

Day 16 So, What’s Applicable?

Day 17 A Transformed Life

About the Author

Bibliography

Endnotes

Preface

Have you ever sat in church and heard a pastor read a few bible verses at the beginning of their sermon and then watch them spend the next 30-45 minutes teaching and preaching in depth on those same verses and ask yourself, How did they get all that info and knowledge from just those few verses? Would you like to be able to study God’s word in the same way and learn how to get as much understanding as you can from your Bible?

Have you ever read a verse, section, chapter or a whole book in the Bible and only understand very little or even nothing, you just read? Are you looking to grow more in your understanding of God’s word in your personal life?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, this book was written with you in mind. The purpose of this book is to equip you with foundational methods and principles to use when reading and studying your Bible. So many Christians today, unfortunately, don’t read or study their Bible as much as they may want to or should. When they’re asked, Why don’t you read your Bible as much as you want to? they reply, When I read it, I get confused and don’t understand what I’m reading. This book provides you with the proper methods to use that will help you better understand God’s word during your reading and studying time.

There are many great books out there from authors who have written extensively on this subject, and many have done a great job in doing so, but not everyone has the time to read those three hundred plus page scholarly books. Plus, there may be one book that covers certain things on this subject while other books cover different aspects on this subject.

Each section covered in this book was intentionally selected to help you get a full grasp of the fundamentals of reading and studying your Bible in an easy and practical way. You can read one chapter a day and finish this book in just 3 weeks, or you can read it much faster, but the purpose of this book is not only to read it but to take the time to reflect on what you have read and apply what you have learned to your personal Bible studying time.

This book is designed to be a guide that encourages you to read your Bible regularly with excitement and expectations because now you have the essential tools to understand what you are reading. You will learn guidelines set forth to help you properly understand the Bible. I will focus on five central features of understanding the Bible – What the Bible is all about (overview), observing the text (observation), the context (literary, historical, cultural and social), how to interpret the Bible (interpretation), and how to apply it to your life (application).

To get the most out of this book, I would encourage you to read it in chronological order. It has been intentionally structured to be read that way. This book will also teach you how to apply God’s Word to your life. I trust and pray this book will be a useful resource to equip you in understanding, interpreting, and applying God’s word to your life.

My prayer is to encourage you to read and study your Bible more often and get understanding – to apply it to your life so you can grow in your walk with Jesus. I also want to encourage you, after reading it, to challenge others that you know, who would benefit from this book, to get this book to help them better understand God’s word too. This is also a great book to get for those you are mentoring or ‘discipling’ to read it along with them. My hope is to give you these basic tools to enhance your passion and understanding of God’s word.

Acknowledgments

I render sincere gratitude to all the pastors and leaders who have taken the time to invest in me and disciple me in the things of God. Thank you to all the pastors and members of Victory Outreach Church who have encouraged and helped me along the way in my journey through seminary and writing this book. Thanks to my pastor, leaders, and church who have believed in me.

I also want to thank every professor I have had throughout my seminary journey, who have taken the time to pull out of me all the potential and spiritual gifts they saw in me. I want to thank my mom (R.I.P.), whom I love and miss so much, for always being there for me, loving me for me and being the best mother a son could ever ask for. I want to thank my Dad who was the one who first told me about Jesus in 1995, and after I walked away from the Lord for 10 years, he was there with me on a Wednesday night church service where I rededicated my life back to Christ. I also want to thank my mother and father-in-law who have given me their love and the support that was needed to help me make this book possible.

Introduction

Do you long to know God more? Do you desire to have a deeper relationship with God? Do you want a transformed life? Do you yearn for a better understanding of the Bible? If so, then the book is for you. This book is intended to give you the basic understanding and principles of how to better understand the Bible in its original context so that you can apply it appropriately to your life in Christ. It will show you simple methods and clear principles to use when you are reading and studying God’s word. Reading this book should not replace your time with reading your Bible. As you go through this book and apply it to your Bible reading time, it will help you to understand better and apply what you are reading in your Bible.

Most Christians have been told and encouraged to read their Bible, yet many have never been shown how. This book was developed out of the need to show you how to read and study your Bible in a way that will help you better understand it. This book is a guide through a 17-day journey on equipping you to discover more about God’s word. It is to be used as a resource to read alongside your Bible. This is not a commentary on the books of the Bible. It is a general guide to help you on how to effectively read and understand what you are reading. As you read and study your Bible, you can use this book as a reference with basic methods and principles to help you avoid misinterpreting and misapplying God’s word. Understanding and getting the most out of your Bible isn’t magic or something you are born with. By using these simple methods and principles, along with the help of the Holy Spirit, you are on your way to reading and studying your Bible for all that it has to offer.

The more you read and understand God’s word, the more you grow in your love and faith in the one who created you. Reading the Bible is exciting and life-changing. Whether you have given up on reading the Bible because it was too confusing or hard to understand or you want to grow in your understanding of the Bible more, this book is for you. These simple methods and principles are to rekindle your excitement and love for God’s word in a deeper way because you will now better understand what you are reading. Once you do that, then all you need to do from there is to apply it to your life.

I have separated each chapter into a day by day reading. Not because you can’t read more than a chapter a day but to show the importance of not rushing through this book. At the end of certain chapters, you will have an easy-to-use exercise to fill out that will help you to think about what you have just read. Using these exercises will help you to get the most from this book. If you have always wanted to know more about God’s word and gaining a better understanding of what it ‘really’ is saying, you are going to love this book.

By the end of this 17-day journey, you will be better equipped to read and understand God’s Word. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:7 "The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding" (NASB). By getting understanding is the beginning of wisdom. Reading your Bible is great, but without understanding what you are reading, you may not be getting from it all that it has to offer.

In Acts 8:25-40, the Bible tells us of the account where an angel of the Lord spoke to the apostle Philip to go south from Jerusalem to Gaza. So, as he went, he saw an Ethiopian eunuch sitting in his chariot reading the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. Philip asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading? The eunuch said, Well, how could I unless someone guides me?" So many people today read God’s word but don’t understand what they are reading. This book’s primary purpose is to be a resource and guide for those who want to read God’s word and better understand what it says. This book will help equip you to set yourself up for proper Bible interpretation. Proper methods and principles will help provide a better understanding which then stimulates adequate interpretation and proper application.

The Bible tells us that God the Holy Spirit is our ultimate guide into all truth. He is the one who truly reveals the meaning of the Scripture to us. That’s why praying and asking for The Holy Spirit to help explain and illuminate the Scriptures to you is so vitally important to do before and after your Bible reading time. This book will show you practical steps to use when you read your Bible. The Holy Spirit will then lead and guide you into all truth.

Whether you are a Pastor, leader, have been saved for a while, or a new Christian who wants to grow in God’s Word, this book is a must for everyone to read. Pastors and leaders need to understand what the Bible ‘really says’ because James says in James 3:1 (ESV) that teachers of the word will be judged with greater strictness. With the spiritual gift or title of Bible teacher/preacher, we are responsible for understanding what God’s word truly says in its original context and be able to teach the church what the Bible says and not just teach what we want it to mean. Choosing a verse in the Bible and twisting it to make it say what you