As we have already discovered, The Bible is a unique book. Here are some suggestions as you begin reading and exploring.

Foundational principles

Before we begin, a few convictions shape how we read Scripture:

• The Bible addresses the history of man and God’s purposes in it — not a window into the past before mankind or the future beyond it.
• The Bible is one truth. Truth is consistent throughout Scripture.
• There are themes that are only understood in the context of the whole.
• New Testament truth must first be understood in the Old Testament.
• The seed of all truth is contained in the Torah — the first five books of the Bible.

First, since it’s God’s Story, before you begin reading, ask God to help you discover His Story, and to help you understand what it means for you, specifically, as you seek to live into His Story in your own journey. This is the story of God’s interaction with humanity, and He has invited each of us to participate in His ongoing Story. Ultimately, this is your story as well.

Don’t expect to understand everything at once, and don’t be discouraged. Consider for a moment, the normal process of education and learning. We anticipate a minimum of twelve years of formal education for learning the basics of “reading, writing and arithmetic.” When we come to the Scriptures, we are learning ancient history and culture, creation and revelation, and God’s interaction with humanity throughout history. These documents have been studied for millennia and found to be inexhaustible, so be patient in your learning.

A foundational principle for interpreting the Scripture is to understand something about the culture and context in which it was first written. Hence, in addition to what we can learn from Scripture itself, other resources that enable us to understand ancient cultures can be helpful as well. This is not a “holy book” that “fell from the sky.” It is rather the story of God revealing Himself to humanity through His interaction with us in time and space. Scripture, therefore, has a context.

It is also important to understand that often the stories help us to understand the consequence for disregarding God’s revelation of Himself. Human depravity and failure are not avoided in the story. The consequence of evil and disregard for God’s intention is evident as well as the goodness God intended.

The story tab provides a reading plan for beginners. The goal is to discover the meta-narrative, and ongoing understanding of the “story behind the story” This is the reason the site will continue to be developed over years. It is not my full-time occupation, and it will take significant time to build out with additional depth.

Relax, and begin to explore.