How to Read the Bible – A Three Step Plan (written for Catholics - valid for all)

taylormarshall.com ^ | September 30, 2013 | Dr. Taylor Marshall

[narses]

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[Alamo-Girl]

The difference is that we choose not to wield it as a club.

Actually, the word of God is a sword - more specifically the sword of the Spirit:

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: - Ephesians 6:17

It is quickening and cutting:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. - John 6:63

God's Name is I AM.

[Salvation]

A good book to read. There is so much more of the Bible in the Mass than just the three year Sunday readings cycles and the two year Daily Mass cycles.

A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri (Book Review) [Ecumenical]

[Salvation]

"We are compelled to concede to the Papists
that they have the Word of God,
that we received it from them,
and that without them
we should have no knowledge of it at all."

~ Martin Luther

How to Read the Bible – A Three Step Plan (written for Catholics - valid for all)
Where Does the Bible Say We Should Pray to Dead Saints?
The Canon of Scripture [Ecumenical]
To understand Bible, one must understand its nature, pope says
Let the Bible be “entrusted” to the faithful
But Seriously — Who Holds the Bible’s Copyright?

Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ
Apostolic Authority and the Selection of the Gospels (Ecumenical)
The Bible - 73 or 66 Books? (Ecumenical Thread)
How Rediscovering the “Plot” of Sacred Scripture is Essential to Evangelization
The Word of God is a Person Not Merely a Text
Are Catholics into the Bible?
Are the Gospels Historical?
What is Biblical Prophecy? What Biblical Prophecy is NOT, and What It Really IS
Biblical Illiteracy and Bible Babel
The Pilgrims' Regress - The Geneva Bible And The "Apocrypha"

The "Inconvenient Tale" of the Original King James Bible
The Bible - an absolutely amazing book
Christian Scriptures, Jewish Commentary
Essays for Lent: The Canon of Scripture
Essays for Lent: The Bible
1500 year-old ‘ Syriac ‘ Bible found in Ankara, Turkey
How we should read the Bible
St. Jerome and the Vulgate (completing the FIRST Bible in the year 404) [Catholic Caucus]
In Bible Times
Deuterocanonical References in the New Testament

Translations Before the King James: - The KJV Translators Speak!
EWTN Live - March 23 - A Journey Through the Bible
"Our Father's Plan" - EWTN series with Dr. Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins on the Bible timeline
The Daunting Journey From Faith to Faith [Anglicanism to Catholicism]
Reflections on the Soon to Be Released New American Bible (Revised Edition)[Catholic Caucus]
New American Bible changes some words such as "holocaust"
Is the Bible the Only Revelation from God? (Catholic / Orthodox Caucus)
History of the Bible (caution: long)
Catholic and Protestant Bibles
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: ON READING THE BIBLE [Catholic Caucus]

Because I Love the Bible
Where Is That Taught in the Bible?
When Was the Bible Really Written?
Three Reasons for Teaching the Bible [St. Thomas Aquinas]
The Smiting Is Still Implied (God of the OT vs the NT)
Where Is That Taught in the Bible?
Friday Fast Fact: The Bible in English
Bible Reading is Central in Conversions to Catholicism in Shangai, Reports Organization
Verses (in Scripture) I Never Saw
5 Myths about 7 Books

Lectionary Statistics - How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass? (Popquiz!)
Pope calls Catholics to daily meditation on the Bible
What Are the "Apocrypha?"
The Accuracy of Scripture
US Conference of Catholic Bishops recommendations for Bible study
CNA unveils resource to help Catholics understand the Scriptures
The Dos and Don’ts of Reading the Bible [Ecumenical]
Pope to lead marathon Bible reading on Italian TV
The Complete Bible: Why Catholics Have Seven More Books [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Books of the Catholic Bible: The Complete Scriptures [Ecumenical]

Beginning Catholic: When Was The Bible Written? [Ecumenical]
The Complete Bible: Why Catholics Have Seven More Books [Ecumenical]
U.S. among most Bible-literate nations: poll
Bible Lovers Not Defined by Denomination, Politics
Dei Verbum (Catholics and the Bible)
Vatican Offers Rich Online Source of Bible Commentary
Clergy Congregation Takes Bible Online
Knowing Mary Through the Bible: Mary's Last Words
A Bible Teaser For You... (for everyone :-)
Knowing Mary Through the Bible: New Wine, New Eve

Return of Devil's Bible to Prague draws crowds
Doctrinal Concordance of the Bible [What Catholics Believe from the Bible] Catholic Caucus
Should We Take the Bible Literally or Figuratively?
Glimpsing Words, Practices, or Beliefs Unique to Catholicism [Bible Trivia]
Catholic and Protestant Bibles: What is the Difference?
Church and the Bible(Caatholic Caucus)
Pope Urges Prayerful Reading of Bible
Catholic Caucus: It's the Church's Bible
How Tradition Gave Us the Bible
The Church or the Bible

[Zionist Conspirator]

Why Don’t More Catholics Read the Bible?

Um, 'cause their church tells them it's mythology?

[boatbums]

I know this is touted as a “start”, but reading the Psalms, Proverbs and the first four books of the New Testament gets one nowhere NEAR reading, much less studying, the WHOLE Bible (only six books out of 66). It really is ALL intertwined as the “whole counsel of God”. I’m glad that Catholicism is encouraging Bible study independent of what gets used in Mass.

[terycarl]

the reason that there are multiple thousands of protestant denominations and only 1 Catholic church is the protestants have decided that they are individually better able to interpret the Bible that are the fathers of the church. The Catholic Church has been interpreting the Bible that they wrote for 2,000 years...the prottys have given it a try for about 400 years...see the difference???

[boatbums]

Of course, those who prefer the authority of anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees to the authority of both Jesus Christ Himself and all of the Apostles are free to argue that anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees who could not possibly have had any legitimate authority comparable to that which had been granted to those who accepted the Septuagint in the first place, are the proper authorities to obey rather than Jesus Christ. The alternatives are to either argue that Scripture was unimportant to Christ and the Apostles and is therefore unimportant to this day, or to accept the same Scriptures Jesus Christ accepted. Personally, I side with Jesus Christ in these matters and accept the canon as it was for several hundred years prior to His birth and never questioned by Christ Himself.

Contortionist rants aside, how about you demonstrate with chapter and verse where exactly Jesus and the Apostles SPECIFICALLY quoted from these Apocryphal books and approved of them as Divinely-inspired sacred Scripture? You refer to a "canon" that existed "several hundred years prior" to Jesus birth, yet the ONLY ones who would have considered the books that belonged in a canon (rule of faith) would have been those Jews you condemn as "Pharisees who could not possibly have had any legitimate authority". Quite a conundrum, ey?

The Septuagint was a Greek translation of all the recognized Old Testament books and which also included those books called "deuterocanonical" (second canon). The Jewish religious leaders, however, NEVER accorded those books the same level of respect and consideration as those that make up what even today we ALL agree are the Old Testament books of the Bible. They rejected them NOT because of any "Christian" connection - which would be impossible - but because they reverenced what they KNEW had been given to them BY Almighty God and they knew that they were not permitted by God to add to those books He had delivered unto them by His prophets (holy men of God moved by the Holy Spirit). If one reads Jerome's introductions to those Apocryphal books that he included in his Latin translation, he also denies their canonical equivalence. So, in truth, it is not "anti-Christ", "anti-Christian", "Pharisees" who reject the canonicity of these extra books, but Christians down through the ages - just as Old Yeller said. When Jesus or the Apostles quoted Old Testament Scripture, they could have been using the Septuagint, or just plain, old speaking in Greek - which WAS the lingua franca of that time and place. Just because the Septuagint was used, it provides NO proof that the Apocrypha was held with the same esteem as God-breathed Holy Scripture. Jesus and the Apostles also used sayings that were not found in ANY of those books, but their quoting a work does not automatically imply divine inspiration.

Our FRiend Elsie has composed a great little comprehensive list of all the places in Scripture Jesus or the Apostles prefaced their teachings with, "It is written" HERE. Why don't you show us where they did that for ANY of those seven books so praised by some that they place them on par with Holy Scripture and condemn anyone else who disagrees with them.

[boatbums]

I think it's bordering on "hysteria" to claim there are tens of thousands of different interpretations for the SAME doctrine, don't you? I mean, take the divinity of Jesus Christ, either he IS God in the flesh or he's just a man. How many different ways can THAT doctrine be interpreted? You are, of course, right that the Apostles left us Scripture, inspired BY God, to tell us what is the truth and the indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to understand these truths.

I was thinking about this the other day how when we buy a car or really any kind of device, it comes with an instruction manual. That book was written specifically for that product by those who developed and built it and it's design is to enable us to effectively utilize said product. When I got a new cell phone, I went through that guide so that I could know how certain things are done on it. I could have ignored the manual and ad-libbed my way through, but to fully get it right and functioning the way it was designed, I really needed to go to the book.

Now, our beliefs are like that. God gave us the instruction manual (the Bible) for our lives and He included everything in there that was necessary for our life and godliness and which, when followed, we can have abundant lives and go to be with Him for eternity. Do some people ignore the Bible and "wing it"? Sure they do. Do some only look up the parts that matter to them and fail to get the "whole picture"? Yep, that they do. Do some just count on others who read the manual to tell them how it all is supposed to work and don't think they need bother with reading it for themselves? Yes, and a few just might meet up with the right person who tells them the truth straight away and they believe. But the new convert should be encouraged to study the manual for his own benefit and assurance. The best results come from knowing how God desires us to live and then obeying Him - having that manual, being familiar with it and comforted by it leads to that abundant life we have been promised. God loves us and wants what is best for us - He gave us the manual to make sure we know that.

[boatbums]

Malarkey!

[verga]

I mean, take the divinity of Jesus Christ, either he IS God in the flesh or he's just a man. How many different ways can THAT doctrine be interpreted?

If you are asking this seriously; you might want to study some of the Early heresies.

Adoptionism Belief that Jesus was born as a mere (non-divine) man, was supremely virtuous and that he was adopted later as "Son of God" by the descent of the Spirit on him.

Apollinarism Belief that Jesus had a human body and lower soul (the seat of the emotions) but a divine mind. Apollinaris further taught that the souls of men were propagated by other souls, as well as their bodies.

Arianism Denial of the true divinity of Jesus Christ taking various specific forms, but all agreed that Jesus Christ was created by the Father, that he had a beginning in time, and that the title "Son of God" was a courtesy one.

Docetism Belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die.

Macedonians or Pneumatomachians ("Spirit fighters") While accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ as affirmed at Nicea in 325, they denied that of the Holy Spirit which they saw as a creation of the Son, and a servant of the Father and the Son

Melchisedechians Considered Melchisedech an incarnation of the Logos (divine Word) and identified him with the Holy Ghost

Monarchianism An overemphasis on the indivisibility of God (the Father) at the expense of the other "persons" of the Trinity leading to either Sabellianism (Modalism) or to Adoptionism.

Monophysitism or Eutychianism Belief that Christ's divinity dominates and overwhelms his humanity, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position which holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human or the Miaphysite position which holds that the human nature and pre-incarnate divine nature of Christ were united as one divine human nature from the point of the Incarnation onwards.

Monothelitism Belief that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will. This is contrary to the orthodox interpretation of Christology, which teaches that Jesus Christ has two wills (human and divine) corresponding to his two natures

Patripassianism Belief that the Father and Son are not two distinct persons, and thus God the Father suffered on the cross as Jesus.

Psilanthropism Belief that Jesus is "merely human": either that he never became divine, or that he never existed prior to his incarnation as a man.

Sabellianism Belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three characterizations of one God, rather than three distinct "persons" in one God.

These are just a small sample of the way the train can "jump the tracks". It was the Catholic Church ALONE that fought these early heresies. If you look closely at the early heresies (There are many more you can see listed at Wikipedia.) you will see many of them repeated through the ages into modern time.

[Biggirl]

.....Well better for that small amount then NO amount.

[NYer]

Better all should worship God, seek him in His Word and love Him with all their heart, mind and soul.

MPU, have you ever attended a catholic mass? The entire liturgy is worship of God vs the Evangelical service of cherry picking and discussing one piece of scripture.

[NYer]

Excellent, excellent point! Like cancer cells, these non-denominational churches split and divide with increasing frequency, each one claiming to have the truth.

[Elsie]

You can’t just read a section out of John chapter 5, or Romans 6, and Titus 1, and think that you know anything about any of those books.

This is true, but this article is about STARTing to begin reading your bible.

It does no good to complain that folks do not solve calculus problems when they've not yet become proficient with multiplication tables.

[Elsie]

also keep in mind that a majority or people were illiterate and could not read the Bible, consequently this meant that they could be subject to false teachers.

also keep in mind that a majority of our people are literate and could read the Bible if they wanted to, but they've been brought up on the milk of talking heads on the boob tube, and reading ANYTHING is like Holy Water to Dracula to them; consequently this means that they are subject to false teachers.

[Elsie]

It’s not easy being a good Catholic.

"Come to Me, all who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.

My yoke is easy."

[Elsie]

When trying to slog thru Numbers, a noobie is HIGHLY tempted to give up!

This would be a GOOD time to pick up another classic - Pilgrim’s Progress - and readit for a while.

[Elsie]

That’s over in the OTHER thread.

This one shows promise of a bit more civil discourse.

(But I’m late getting to it; so we’ll see...)

[Elsie]

God is not interested in us doing our best.

Oh?

Then what MUST we do, to do the work GOD requires?