I Just Became a Christian, Now What? – The Bible
I realize I promised to write about what happened to you when God saved you. But I would like to take a short detour before discussing that topic. The Bible is the primary resource for these articles. So, before we go further, I thought it would be good to discuss the Bible, what it is, and why it is essential for the saints.
In short, the Bible contains written words from God. The longer answer is more involved. As we typically know it in the protestant tradition of Christianity, the Bible comprises sixty-six documents. These texts were written by more than thirty people over more than 1,500 years. But in reality, this compilation of documents has one author, and that person is God. He[1] prompted each human author to write the individual books.[2]
The documents of the Bible were written in many different styles. Some of these include history, poetry, prophecy, and letters. However, combined, they provide a unified story of God’s relationship with humanity from creation to eternity. This story is both beautiful and heart-wrenching, complex and straightforward. God also uses it to provide a description of himself that our human minds can comprehend. It is also a depiction of the true nature of human beings. The Bible is sometimes referred to as God’s word and Scripture. I will use these terms interchangeably throughout these articles.
At the end of this article, I will provide some resources to help read and study the Bible. However, there are a few essential items that I want to discuss to start you on the right path to understanding God’s word.
First, it is crucial to spend time in God’s word. While reading or listening to teaching is important, you must read and study the Bible yourself. I don’t mean to indicate that you should always do it alone; it is vital to immerse yourself in Scripture with the church, that is other saints. Spending time with God through studying his written word is one of the most important things you can do in your life. It is the primary way we learn to navigate our relationships with God, the church, and the world.
Second, when you read and study the Bible, it is best to do so prayerfully. If you are not familiar with prayer, it is simply the act of talking to God. We can ask God for wisdom and an openness to his Spirit as we read his word. Jesus told his chosen disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth.[3] You also have the Holy Spirit, and he is your helper.[4] When we ask God for wisdom, he promises to supply it to us.[5] This doesn’t mean we will never need human help in understanding the Bible. There are times you will need help from people who have been trained in the history, languages, and other elements related to the Bible. This consultation can be through books or in person. However, caution must be used in who you listen to, and it should be understood that human wisdom alone is insufficient to comprehend the things of God.
Third, you must read the Bible in context. In this and subsequent articles, I will sometimes reference a specific Bible verse to emphasize a point, but I try to do so thoughtfully. I make every effort to use the verse consistent with the meaning for which it was written. However, when you read the Bible, be careful not to put too much emphasis on one verse. Just like any written material, it is imperative to understand a verse or sentence in the context of a paragraph and understand the paragraph in the context of the whole document.
The Bible was not originally written with verse numbers. They were added in the sixteenth century to help study the Bible by providing reference points to specific parts of the documents. However, they are now sometimes a liability because it is easy to artificially take them as individual thoughts outside the context in which they were meant to be read. Throughout these articles, when I refer to a statement or concept from the Bible, I will provide a footnote with a reference to where the idea is found. I will refer to a section that contains a contextual description, but additional reading may be necessary to understand the complete story.
Finally, you will learn that the Bible centers around the person of Jesus Christ.[6] This does not mean every story is directly about him; it means he is central to the relationship between God and humanity. When we read the Bible, we see Jesus was involved in the original creation. He was the hoped-for Messiah for Israel, the savior of the whole world, and the coming king of restored creation. As a believer and child of God, you are part of the restoration that started with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Through the Bible, you benefit from knowing the end of the story by seeing what Jesus will do in the future. You have his Spirit to help you learn how to live in the present, and you can see how Jesus fulfills God’s promises in the past.
Following are several books that can help you read and study the Bible. Each book is followed by a few thoughts from my perspective:[7]
How (Not) to Read the Bible, by Dan Kimball (Zondervan Reflective)
A basic introduction to reading and studying the Bible. The author uses some current rejections of the Bible to illustrate how the Bible is misused. One caution is that the author references one subject without giving much explanation, i.e., “a heavenly council of spirit beings.” He provides references to learn more about the heavenly council. Still, this topic is not central to understanding how to read the Bible. In addition, the author discusses the “mission” of the church more in line with evangelical tradition than within the context of the Bible.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart (Zondervan Academic)
A more scholarly approach to the Bible than the previous book. Covers how to read and interpret the Bible in more depth and discusses detail for the various genres of Scripture. The authors sometimes reference one of their other books which can be confusing.
Saving the Bible From Ourselves, by Glenn R. Paauw (Intervarsity Press)
The author shares how the Bible has been changed over the centuries, contributing to distortion and misunderstanding. He also shares ways that individuals and the church can overcome these problems and better understand how to read and study the word of God.
The Bible Made Impossible, by Christian Smith (Brazos Press)
This is an intellectually demanding book on how the Bible has been misunderstood and misrepresented in particular ways. The text is challenging but provides a way to overcome the problems with how the Bible has been characterized.
The next article will return to discussing what happened when you believed in Jesus. We will explore what the Bible says about what God did in you when you became a saint. I hope you will join me and feel free to contact me with your questions.
[1] Some people take offense at referring to God with male personal pronouns. Nevertheless, I will use them because they are consistent with the way God is referred to in the Bible. I in no way intend to dimmish the equal nature of humans who were created both female and male.
[2] I am working from the assumption that the Bible is God’s word. How we know the Bible is from God is somewhat complex and would take a lot to discuss here. For an introduction to how and why the Bible was put together go to YouTube and search “Why 66 – Brian Edwards.” Why 66 is a four-part series on how the Bible came to be.
[3] John 16
[4] Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2
[5] James 1
[6] Luke 24:13-35, John 5
[7] While each of these books can be helpful, I don’t necessarily endorse or agree with every idea presented.