How Do I Read the Scriptures?

Responsible Methods for Reading the Scriptures

What is the most important concept when I read?

The most important concept is context. Context is the surroundings.

Context provides the meaning for some thing. The third word in this sentence has meaning because of the words around it. As you move further away in context, the effect is less.

There are many contexts. The surrounding words are the most obvious. There is historical context, religious context, economic context, political context, and others.

Pay close attention to context when you read the scriptures.

How do I identify what I am reading?

Know what section you are reading.

Know who wrote the document. Determine when it was written. Identify who are the recipients. Consider why the document was written. Figure out where the parties reside.

It helps to know what literary style you are reading.

Scripture contains many different styles of writing. Scripture contains at least the following styles. Identify what style your text is.

What should I look for when I read?

First, just read the book. After you have read a few times, you should start looking for other details. Try to do some of the following with your book:

How do I determine what words mean?

Many people pay a lot of attention to the meaning of words. It is fascinating. You can spend a lot of time researching this topic.

While interesting, words studies are less important than other topics. It is suggested that you pay less attention to the meaning of words. If necessary, look up a word in a dictionary. Let the context answer questions about meaning.

What should the scriptures mean to me?

You must first understand what the scriptures meant by the author. The author was not writing to you, but to the original recipients. Do not try to make application until you correctly interpret the original meaning.

Once you determine the original intent, then you can make application. You may determine what the original meaning implies to the present time.

Can I interpret the scriptures? Or do the scriptures interpret themselves?

To interpret means to make sense of what you read. Words do not have any meaning inside of themselves. They only mean something after you read them and figure out what is intended.

Not only may you interpret the meaning, but you must. Making sense of words happens inside the mind of the hearer. Despite claims to the contrary, no words just "mean what they mean." Words are just sequences of sounds without interpretation.

There is responsible and irresponsible interpretation. These instructions are intended to help you use responsible methods.

What translation should I read?

The scriptures were not written in any modern language. The language you read is a translation from the original language to a modern language. Most translations attempt to accurately transfer the meaning to another language.

It is a good idea to read different translations. You then can avoid the biases or mistakes of any single translation. You also benefit from seeing different ways of expressing the same idea.

There is no single recommended translation. They each have different purposes and styles. Pick at least one that you find useful.

Are there any pitfalls to avoid?

Yes--do not give up reading the scriptures.

Beware of strong biases. Tradition determines much of religious practice and belief. This is because it is easier to follow tradition than to determine truth yourself.

Isaiah warned:

These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men. (Isaiah 29:13)

Be careful to be informed by the scriptures. Do not base your faith on what people say. The question is not who is right. The question is what is right.

Make judgments about truth based on the evidence. If an argument is eloquent or sophisticated, that does not make it right. The truth is determined by the merits of the facts.

Look at the next Section.