How to Use the Bible

As has been and will be stated throughout this work let the Holy Spirit speak to you through the Bible. Do not come to it seeking confirmation of a favoured idea (unless it has been supported through previous study) but come to the Bible seeking to have your mind opened and your ideas directed toward your God..

The Bible is itself the inspired word of God and, as Paul has said, is suitable for training and correction unto Godliness. The chapters, verses, divisional headings, marginal notes, cross references and all other additional materials are all the work of man and are therefore not nearly so trustworthy. It can sometimes be of great benefit to read the Bible without all that has been added throughout the years to facilitate our use of it. A Bible with only chapter and verse notation (as it is next to impossible to obtain a Bible with the words alone) can be very useful when you are gathering a feel for the context of the passage being studied.

Read the Bible not merely as a textbook on how everything came to be but as a textbook on yourself. You and I are participants in the Bible story to as great an extent as any of the characters portrayed within its pages. You and I are as much (potential) recipients of salvation through Jesus Christ as were the Hebrews of Jesus' day (in His physical presence on Earth in human form).