How you can avoid these three Bible reading mistakes

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We often make mistakes while reading scripture. These mistakes might seem harmless, but they can interfere with us learning what God wants us to from His word.

Here are three common Bible reading habits to avoid and how to fix them.

  1. Making the text about you

So often, we come to God’s word to learn about ourselves first. We look for a quick and easy fix. We want a word of encouragement that will boost our mood or we seek a nugget of wisdom to solve a specific problem. Remember that God’s word is first and foremost about God. It’s about His plan of redemption through His Son. Yes, we get to learn about ourselves and discover wisdom to apply to our lives. But to correctly understand and interpret God’s word, we must first understand what it tells us about God and what the text would have meant to the original audience.

Instead, try this:

When you read a passage of scripture start by asking what you’ve learned about God. This will give you a strong foundation as you seek to understand scripture and apply it to your own life.

Ask yourself:

  • What does this teach me about God? What does this show me about God’s intentions and purposes?

  • What does this say about how God made me and what He has done for me?

  • Who am I in light of what Christ has done for me?

2. Reading scripture out of context

It’s easy to take a powerful, quotable text out of scripture and forget to seek its broader context. When we do that, we risk interpreting it incorrectly. We also miss out on fully appreciating all God was communicating with His word.

Instead, try this:

Apply the 20/20 rule. You’ve heard of 20/20 vision? We can see the meaning of scripture more clearly if we read twenty verses prior and twenty verses after the verse we are examining. Doing so will help us gain “20/20 vision” when reading a passage of scripture.

Look at Philippians 4:13 as an example. I’m sure you’ve heard this verse:

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This verse is often used to say that we can do anything we set our minds to. This is far from the intended meaning. If we read twenty verses before Philippians 4:13 and twenty verses after, the meaning becomes clear.

Paul is sharing about the different circumstances God has placed him in. He’s been in poverty and prosperity, starvation and plenty. Through all these circumstances, he has endured because of the strength that God supplied. This verse doesn’t mean we can accomplish anything we set out to do. It means that if God has placed us in a circumstance, He will give us the strength to overcome it. Context is everything!

3. Applying scripture before understanding the meaning

We often rush to interpret scripture before we’ve fully understood the intended meaning. But if we don’t know what it meant to the original recipient, how can we be sure we’re applying it correctly?

Instead, try this:

Take time to understand what the text says first. This might mean that you don’t make as much progress as you would like and your study will take more weeks or months to complete. Believe me, it’s worth it. It’s far better to get the meaning and application right rather than rushing through your reading.

Allison Mattson