I am absolutely convinced that every single person who is reading this already has the skills necessary to read and understand the Bible. Why am I so sure? Let me give you a one-word answer: Netflix. (Or any other streaming service!)
Watching a movie or box set actually requires a very sophisticated set of skills to make sense of what’s going on. And it all starts as we simply watch and listen carefully.
As the characters are introduced, we instinctively look out for the hints and cues that the writer gives us to answer a whole pile of questions: When and where is all this happening? Is this person “good” or “bad”? Can they be trusted? Are they up to something? Are they hiding anything? What’s their relationship with the other characters? Is something terrible about to happen to this person? (The scary music usually gives that one away!) Is this person central to the plot or a bit-part player? And so it goes on. You probably don’t say any of this out loud (although some members of my family do!). Nor do you ask all those questions consciously. But it’s all going on in your head.
Of course, not all these questions are answered at the start or all at once. If we want to find out the answers, we just have to keep watching—at least to the next episode. Sometimes, we have to stick with it for a while to get a sense of what’s going on. But we know that if we give it time, everything will start to become clear. It’s as we keep watching that we sort out in our heads what’s important and what isn’t. As the story unfolds, the writer tells us who really matters and who doesn’t—who are the main characters and who plays the supporting roles. Gradually, we work out which details are just incidental and which are crucial to the story. And, of course, we do all that instinctively.
The same thing goes for putting it all together at the end. At the end of the movie or series, suddenly all the pieces fall into place (or enough of them to come to a satisfactory conclusion, while leaving enough loose ends to justify another season!). We say to ourselves, or to whoever else is in the room, things like “Ahhh—that’s why he said that to her then. It all makes sense now.”
"If you don’t know the words or aren’t quite sure of what the writer is getting at, then keep reading. As with any good box set, if we keep going, the Bible itself will tell us what’s important."
So there really is a lot going on as we watch Netflix—it’s just that most of it is instinct.
In a similar way, when it comes to reading the Bible, our greatest need is to read what it says on the page and trust our instincts. God has spoken to us in words, sentences and paragraphs, and we can handle all of those. So we simply read and keep reading, and eventually it will all come together.
Yes, it is! Read the words. If you don’t know the words or aren’t quite sure of what the writer is getting at, then keep reading. As with any good box set, if we keep going, the Bible itself will tell us what’s important. Look at the whole sentence and try to make sense of that, and then just keep going, trying to make sense of the whole paragraph, and then just keep going!
This article is adapted from an excerpt of Read This First by Gary Millar. In a warm, approachable style, Millar gives readers the tools to read and understand the Bible for themselves, helping them move from confusion to confidence as they enjoy refreshment in God’s word.
Gary Millar is the Principal of Queensland Theological College in Brisbane, Australia. He teaches Old Testament, Biblical Theology, and Preaching. Before taking up the post as Principal, he was a pastor for 17 years in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is married to Fiona, and they have 3 children.
