The Bible is the most popular and widely published book in the entire history of mankind. Yet, it is also the most misunderstood book. As a result, a lot of Christian religions and denominations sprouted like mushrooms around the world — all claiming to be holding the truth.

So, how can we really understand the Bible? How can we better know what it means? Most importantly, how can we know what God, Yahweh, really wanted us to do?

Today, I’m going to share with you 10 quick tips on how to better understand the Bible. Stick around to the very end and I’ll share with you free resources that you will truly enjoy.

Hello everyone, I’m Joshua Infantado of Becoming Christians Academy, the best online course for you if you want to become a zealous and faithful servant of God.

A lot of us want to read the Bible and understand what it says. While some parts of the Bible can easily be understood and self-explanatory, there are those that are difficult to comprehend.

In that case, let me share with you 10 helpful tips to understand the bible better.

Tip no. 1: Pray to God

If you don’t understand something about a book and you want to confirm something, the best thing you can do is ask the author. The same is true about the Bible. The Author of the Scripture is no other than Yahweh, the Most High.

That’s why, as the first tip, you must always go to God and ask for wisdom and understanding. The Bible tells us in James 1:5:

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

So, don’t hesitate but go to God. Sincerely ask for His divine inspiration. He is more than willing to help you.

Tip no. 2: Check the context

One of the most common mistakes of people is to isolate a certain verse or passage and make a whole new doctrine out of it. The problem with that is it ignores the context of a certain verse.

A context will help you better understand what a particular verse is saying. It allows you to zoom out of the verse and see the bigger picture.

Isaiah 28:10 tells us:

 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.

The Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle. You need to put together the bible verses from one chapter to another and even from one book to another.

Tip no. 3: Check the original word

The Bible is originally written in Hebrew and possibly Greek. Although, some studies now are saying that even the New Testament is originally written in Hebrew.

Nevertheless, checking the origin of the word uncovers a deeper meaning. There are even some Bible verses that you will not fully appreciate until you know what it means in the original language.

Tip no. 4: Use different Bible translations

There are three types of Bible translations today. There is the literal word-for-word translation, phrase-for-phrase translation, and the idea for idea translation.

You need to start with word-for-word Bible translations such as New King James Version and the Literal English version. The two other types of translations would be helpful in further understanding what the word-for-word translation tells you.

However, the idea for idea translation can potentially be dangerous since the translator injected his own interpretation already in the translation. So, to get a better idea of a particular verse, you can use a parallel Bible where various translations are compared side by side.

Tip no. 5: Use Bible Study Guides

Bible study guides include bible dictionaries, concordances, maps, and illustrations. All these can help you better understand the Bible. With the right Bible study guide and tool, you will have a better idea of the historical and cultural background of a certain text.

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Tip no. 6: Use the Internet

The Internet is full of articles, blogs, and resources that can readily explain certain passages in the Bible. A simple Internet search with the right keyword would give you hundreds of helpful links. One good example would be our website, Becoming Christians. We have hundreds of articles on our page that explain various verses and their practical applications.

Tip no. 7: Read by topics

Randomly reading the Bible can cause some confusion. You need to be systematic in your reading. We read in 2 Timothy 2:15:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Rightly dividing the word of truth means that we categorize the Bible and read through them in an organized manner. By reading the Bible according to topics, we can have a better understanding of it.

For example, you can read topics such as the fruit of the Holy Spirit, baptism, the armor of God, the kings of Israel, the Apostles of Christ, and so much more.

Tip no. 8: Listen to sermons about the passage

There are helpful sermons that could also expound on a particular passage. In my case, if I need some more explanation on a particular verse, I go through our sermon library and there, I would find helpful sermons to help me get a better picture of what the verse is all about. Perhaps, you also have a list of sermons in your church.

You can go through them as well. There are also sermons available on the web. Of course, I highly recommend that you go with the sermons given by true ministers of God.

Tip no. 9: Use commentaries

I have learned a lot of things by using commentaries. What’s great about commentaries is that they have a full explanation for each verse in the Bible. So, if you don’t know what it means to love your enemies, you can just get a commentary, and open the entry for John 5:44. You’ll then quickly find the verse explained by the author.

Just a word of warning: remember that commentaries are written by imperfect men. So, you should always be alert to commentaries that could be contrary to what the Bible teaches. 

Tip no. 10: Ask for help

Look for people who are spiritually mature and knowledgeable of the Word of God. You can approach them and ask for help in understanding the Bible. It can be your pastor, elder, father or mother, and even your close friend who knows the meat of the word.

Introducing Read Your Bible course

There you have it, friends, those are the 10 quick tips on how to understand the Bible better. However, I just want to give you one final tip on understanding the Bible. My final advice is for you to read the Bible from cover to cover.

In my life, I have found this super helpful because it helps me get an overview of what the Bible is all about. It helps me to get familiar with various parts of the Scripture. Not only that but reading the whole Bible allows me to better understand God’s plan and purpose for my life.

I know reading the Bible in its entirety can be overwhelming and at times, tedious. That’s why I want to help you by introducing to you our Read Your Bible course. In this course, you’ll get assigned reading for the day until you have read all through the Bible. You can read at your own pace and really immerse yourself in reading God’s word.

What makes our course really special is the powerful, insightful, and inspiring reflections for each day. You will have a better understanding of difficult Scripture, know how to apply what you read, and most importantly, improve your relationship with God.

You can immediately click the link in the description box to learn more. I offer a 7-day trial so that you can first check what the Read Your Bible course is all about. Sign up today and see how you can read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation today!

Well, that’s it for me, friends. I’m so glad you’re here. Again, I’m Joshua Infantado of Becoming Christians Academy, praying that the Almighty God will bless us with His truth, grace, and love. See you next time!