How Many Times Have You Read The Bible Through?

[seoulsearch]

Hey Everyone,

Since people always tell us that one of the blessings of being single is supposedly more time with God, I was wondering how many people out there have read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation.

I have to admit, I grew up in church and have had people tell me about God and the Bible all my life. During some of my more rebellious stages, I thought to myself, "Oh yeah? I'm gonna read and study the Bible MYSELF in order to have something to back up my questions that you always seem to be dodging!" (I have a brother who tells me that if it wasn't for spite, I wouldn't accomplish anything!)

For instance, why is it that when we suffer through something, everyone says, "Oh, think about poor Job!" In other words, why is it that when we are struggling, we are always told to look at someone who has it WORSE than we do, but if we look to someone who has it BETTER, we are suddenly ungrateful heathens? (Interestingly, and feel free to correct me, I don't recall a single incidence in which Jesus told those who were suffering, "Oh, think of all the people whose problems are so much worse than you")

I've participated in parochial schools and classes all my life, but, a bit embarrassingly, on my own, I have only managed to read the Bible all the way through 5 times in my life (I like to read a different translation/version each time for different footnotes, translations, and insights.) For my 6th attempt, I am currently trying to study my way through an Apologetics Bible (very different from others I've read so it's a challenge) and am trying to step it up a notch because so far, I've only made it to Jeremiah.

Something else that has frustrated me during my Christian walk are Christians who love to tell others what to do, that they should pray more and "just trust God", "give their heart to Jesus", and "make God first in your life"... but yet have never actually read the entire Bible.

Now, I'm not condemning ANYONE in any way--most especially newer Christians. And I'm not saying we have to have read the whole Bible in order to claim to be a Christian, nor do we win "extra points" for doing so. But if we claim to have faith in something and invest our ENTIRE life into it, shouldn't we at least have read the manual?

Tell us about your own experiences with Bible study, reading, helpful hints for organizing passages, etc. I used to fill up entire notebooks with questions and am currently keeping all my "I gotta learn this!" concepts and passages on recipe cards arranged alphabetically according to subject (love, forgiveness, healing, etc.) It's a tip I picked up from an online Bible study and makes it handy when I want to write a letter or card and reference a passage.

What about all of you? When do you find it's best for you to study God's Word, and what tools and tips can you share with the rest of us? Do you set aside a certain time each day? Morning or night and why? How do you organize your thoughts? Do you read it from cover to cover or skip around and why?

Iron sharpens iron... let's all challenge each other to get even more out of our special times with God.

 

[seoulsearch]

P.S. The poll is anonymous and multiple choice... and as always, I'm sure I'm missing some crucial answers so please feel free to add your own ideas.

Once again, I AM NOT saying that one must have read the entire Bible in order to be a genuine or effective Christ-follower... But I do admit that in my own Christian life, I have had a hard time accepting criticisms/corrections/debate from people who don't even regularly read the Bible. (As some of you know, most of my threads are rooted in my own frustrations!)

And, of course, I know that God can use ANYONE He chooses to correct us--I know I have to be humble and accept that correction. A person DOES NOT, by any means, have to be a Bible scholar to be a part of God's purpose. I guess I'm just curious as to how crucial other people out there feel that Bible study really is--we all SAY we follow what Jesus says... but when the cards are turned up on the table, how often do we familiarize ourselves with what Jesus has to say?

 

[jb]

I have studied it from cover to cover twice, in saying I 'studied' it, I did a lot of Greek/Hebrew word studies, background reading from commentries and books...

I have found over the 30 years I have been a Christian that it is prayer that is the key to opening up the Scriptures and understanding them and the best time for me to study the Scriptures is late at night 11.30pm-12.30am after prolonged prayer during the day, if I did little praying during the day, I would get absolutely nothing from my study later on at night.

I would do all my study (an any studies that I would write) on my computer using Bible study software, like PC Study Bible 5, BibleWorks 6, also software from Galaxy and Zondervan, also have a lot of reference books/commentries that I refer to at times...

Yahweh Shalom...

 

[zaoman32]

This is the best poll I've seen on here yet. I have not read the entire bible all the way through. I have read certain books of the bible all the way through, and I've read Genesis I don't know how many times. I also attend bible studies regularly, and listen to a verse by verse bible teacher regularly.

I think this is where we find the beauty in the differences of God's creation, it's obviously important for you to remain in scripture to have a relationship with God, however my brain is far to scattered to just be able to sit and read the bible for however long an amount of time. 15-30 minutes, fine, much more than that and I get a headache. I rely more on my prayer life to maintain my relationship with God, I try to stay in constant prayer as per the verse "pray without ceasing".

I do agree that the bible is vital and important to know for a believer, and I also believe it is the best way to get to know God, it's his heart. I get slightly jealous when I hear about people who have read the bible front to back, I've tried and I'm just not wired to read it straight through that way.

I have no idea where I am going anymore, so I'm just going to stop while I'm ahead. Great post!

 

[seoulsearch]

JB--thanks for mentioning the software programs you've used in your studies, as well as original language tools--to be honest, I haven't even looked into any of that but those are wonderful recommendations.

Zao--I want to encourage you that you CAN indeed read the Bible through!! I myself have made it through in 15-minue increments. In fact, right now, what I do is get up 20 minutes earlier than what I need, get ready for work, set a timer, and use that 20 minutes for study. If you've read several books already, make yourself a copy of the books of the Bible, cross out the ones you've already read, and start using that time to read the ones you haven't, one at a time. Don't be discouraged!! If it takes you a few years, that's ok!!! You'll make it

Trust me, I'm one of THE most scatterbrained people you'll ever meet. My co-workers laugh at me because they regularly catch me asking myself, "Who am I and what was I doing?" (And yes, I do answer myself as well .) Persistence is the key! You'll make it! Don't give up--keep trying and keep us updated. Thank you as well for the compliment on the poll... It was something that's been on my heart for a while.

 

[zaoman32]

JB--thanks for mentioning the software programs you've used in your studies, as well as original language tools--to be honest, I haven't even looked into any of that but those are wonderful recommendations.

Zao--I want to encourage you that you CAN indeed read the Bible through!! I myself have made it through in 15-minue increments. In fact, right now, what I do is get up 20 minutes earlier than what I need, get ready for work, set a timer, and use that 20 minutes for study. If you've read several books already, make yourself a copy of the books of the Bible, cross out the ones you've already read, and start using that time to read the ones you haven't, one at a time. Don't be discouraged!! If it takes you a few years, that's ok!!! You'll make it

Trust me, I'm one of THE most scatterbrained people you'll ever meet. My co-workers laugh at me because they regularly catch me asking myself, "Who am I and what was I doing?" (And yes, I do answer myself as well .) Persistence is the key! You'll make it! Don't give up--keep trying and keep us updated. Thank you as well for the compliment on the poll... It was something that's been on my heart for a while.

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[limelime]

I have never read the bible Thoroughly the whole way through, from Genesis to Revelations, in as much detail as I hope to. It's something I aspire to do, if ONLY I stop procrastinating I, however, being in a christian school for years, have known, heard and internalised most of the writings. I think what is Most important here is not the mere knowledge of the bible, but really Understanding it, and living a lifestyle that is in accordance to the bible, and glorifying God. I mean, I bet Richard Dawkins read the bible in greater details than I do, and sadly he does not believe. To sum it up, the bible is important, but what is more important is knowing the morals, values, behind each and every verse, and not just knowing, but understanding it, and applying it to our everyday lives. My main problem, is, when talking to non-believers; it is important to know where the verses came from...to be able to debate, and talk about it confidently. I can't remember where my verses come from, or the order of the books for that matter, but there is always trusty Google, but that is inefficient. Hence, read your scripture, and keep a notebook of the verses that are important to your life!

 

[zeroturbulence]

I've read the first half of the OT and most of the NT, including two of the major gospels (Luke, John).

I spend a lot of time listening to preachers and researching biblical answers to my questions about life and have accumulated a lot of great insight into God's word and what Jesus's teaching and purpose was here on earth. I've also read a few books by christian pastors that have been very helpful and I still read my bible(s).

I've also spent a lot of time counseling christians online (informally, and at other sites) and this has helped reinforce my memory of scripture and showed me how God's word really does have answers to every problem we come across in life. The answers are not always easy, but they're there.

 

[sanglina]

Honestly speaking, I have read the whole of NT except Revelation where I might have probably covered only 50% of it. As for OT, I hardly read some books like Leviticus, Numbers, Chronicles and Lamentations otherwise, I pretty much have read the rest.

 

[Nautilus]

Ive read genesis, exodus, and the new testament really.

 

[arwen7]

I've read from front to back once on my own. And depending on the course i'm taking at uni, we will dive into certain books of the Bible. Probably the book I've read least has been Numbers.

 

[Blooming_Violet]

I have read the Bible completely through twice and I am almost through my third time. In the past I have used the old fashioned bible reading plan. Now I listen to the word on my phone app You Version. I believe that it is important to stay in the word even if you play Bible roulette If you have at least read it, God can bring back verses to your mind when you need them, but you have to read it. Also the bible is the sword that we can use to protect ourselves from the enemy.

Ephesians 6:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Why wouldn't you want to put on the full armor of God? Yes the bible is a library of books, but take it in small doses. It is worth it, especially when you are going through trials and there is not anyone I know who does not have something that they are dealing with. Prayer is without a doubt important, but God's only instruction manual to us is priceless.

 

[Relena7]

I haven't read the whole thing all the way through. It wouldn't matter even if I did, because at this point I'd just interpret it wrong, or just flat out not understand. Everyone interprets the bible differently and highlights different parts over others.

So even if you had a room full of 20 people who read the Bible all the way through several times, it is still entirely possible that they disagree on some major things. Even worse, it's still entirely possible they'd try to out-authority one another.

Therefore, any trust I may have had left in the use of learning the entire bible is pretty much shattered. At least with this human brain.

 

[seoulsearch]

I haven't read the whole thing all the way through. It wouldn't matter even if I did, because at this point I'd just interpret it wrong, or just flat out not understand. Everyone interprets the bible differently and highlights different parts over others.

So even if you had a room full of 20 people who read the Bible all the way through several times, it is still entirely possible that they disagree on some major things. Even worse, it's still entirely possible they'd try to out-authority one another.

Therefore, any trust I may have had left in the use of learning the entire bible is pretty much shattered. At least with this human brain.

Great points, Relena. Of course, someone can know the Bible and get a lot wrong, and I don't think anyone will ever interpret it perfectly, including churches, because the entire world and everyone in it is fallen.

However, I also believe that God will bless our efforts ("Study to show yourself approved") and help us understand--but we have to make an effort to take in things for Him to work with in our hearts.

This may just be me, but people who try to very strongly "sell" or "push" Godly views onto others without regularly studying the Bible for themselves are like someone who will try to sell you an appliance, cell phone, property, car, etc. without knowing anything about it. "Sure, I'm somewhat familiar with X, Y, or Z... so let me tell you why you should invest... your life savings... or your life... into buying one."

Or a person who claims he can perform a triple bypass surgery and hasn't been through the formal training or qualifications, but says, "Oh sure, I've looked over some of the diagrams... I can totally pull this off."

Just might be me, though. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt but my frustrations are rooted in running into "Christian militants" who are more concerned about notches in their spiritual belts than showing the love of Christ. And yet they've never even read the Bible!

 

[Jullianna]

I read a copy of The Living Bible from front to back in a week in 1989. I couldn't put it down. It was literally a lifeline for me at the time. It's how I met Jesus and He totally changed my life.

I was raised in church and knew all of the stories, etc., but I didn't know Him personally. Reading the Word, meeting the Word, made an indescribable difference in my life. I've read different versions all the way through 5 more times, just to see if/how they differed.

I bought a chronological version I've been wanting to read. I thought it would give me a better timeline in my head and different points of reference.

 

[AAAPlus]

I bought a chronological version I've been wanting to read. I thought it would give me a better timeline in my head and different points of reference.

That's awesome, I've always wanted to check out something like that. Where did you find that?

 

[Powemm]

I guess my bible experience is different from traditional ways .. I have no idea if I'm doing it the wrong way or the right way...I remeber the first time I picked it up was when I cried out to God...simply asked him to show me something in it I could understand ... Psalm 91 is what I first opened up too...
then something came and I thought I was going crazy... I asked God if what I saw was from Him to
Please please please show me in the bible..."white horses of awesome strength coming out of the clouds and an army of men in white robes with them". I had no idea idea if there was even anything about horses in the bible ... I simply looked in the index and read the first thing a saw about a horse, the first thing I read was about the pale horse... Scared me so bad I was just sure I was going crazy so I put the book down fir about a month... Something kept nagging me like " that's NOT what you saw get it right"
so I picked it back up and looked in the index again ... When I came across revelation 19:14. I knew immediately without one speck of doubt this is what I had seen...

So it's experiences with I dont know what to call what happens ... when I see these things .... I know when they come I'm not frightened by them anymore because they match up exactly in the bible when I look in the index and read on things I see... so my experience in the bible is as I'm shown and then confirmed ONLY if what I see matches up EXACTLY with what i read.. Otherwise I discard it as error.. ... the bible seems to play it's own movie out ... As quirky as that sounds . the bible is very much alive...I let God do the leading.. If he wants to show
Me anything I let him orchestrate the movement of the dance... I've never read the bible other than a little bit .... since my first encounter with the " living" bible... I have studied on other parts like job... But nothing has been as cool or interesting the way God does it

 

[Powemm]

Perhaps I'm just different .. God has set it up for my mind not me he wired me the way he wants me and I can be like every body else... I think everybody else's view and how God wired them is unique and different from
Me.. I often wonder what would happen if everyone stopped fighting about their views and built upon them instead.. I wonder how alive The bible would really come of people stopped trying to keep
It between the pages of a book... let it play out in the world instead... It reminds me of an intricate puzzle that can only be put together by one person... we are the puzzle pieces...I can't help
But wonder what his puzzle looks like and the image He has come up with when put all together ...perhaps if we accept the intricacies of who God is and all His many facets..., just as he has never created two
People exactly alike ...nor has he in decades..centuries... Or ever , i
Cant imagine ever thinking Hod as being small... but instead a very big big God ... Since he's never created two people exactly alike , that leads me to believe He certainly wouldn't have created two of our minds exactly alike either ... Each one of us holds a piece to the puzzle of who He is ..like any puzzle, there are sections to it... like nations ... Different colors , shapes and sizes... when all put together in proper order (because god is a god order not chaos). I am excited ! I wait with anticipation and excitement in what He's going to do with all of it.

 

[Jullianna]

That's awesome, I've always wanted to check out something like that. Where did you find that?

I bought it at a christian bookstore. It's pretty cool.

 

[zaoman32]

I never read the living bible, but I'm really digging into the message right now for just straight reading, it's easy and straight forward.

For hardcore studying I have a NASB and a KJV