How to Read Scripture

by Pastor Brian Dobak, Streamsong Church

Reading the Bible can be simple. God has given us His Word in such plain terms, that on one hand, it's simple to comprehend. But on another hand, it can be confusing, particularly depending on what book of the Bible you read. There are various ways to read scripture. The following is just one way to extract what God wants to say to you. We will take a scripture from Ephesians 6:10-20 as an example...

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Directive
We need directives from God. We need to know what He wants us to do. The directives are often ultra practical. As a result, the directives leave us scratching our heads and thinking, "Out of everything the Creator of heaven and earth could tell me, THIS is what He wants to tell me? Really?" In this Ephesians text, Paul gives us a directive stated in the beginning in verse one - "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."

How?
If all we were left with was a directive, it would fall to the ground. We need more. We need a "How?" Verse 11 give us the "How?" - "Put on the full armor of God"

Why?
If all we were left with was a directive and a how, it might all still fall to the ground. We need to go deeper. We need a "Why?" or "Because". The "Why?" may be the most important part. Without the "Why?", the directive isn't going to gain traction. Paul follows the directive and the "How?" with a "Why?" - "So that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers over this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." How's that for a "Why?"!!!! The "Why?" is the motivating factor we need that propels us towards the directive!

How? & Why?
Paul then states the "How?" again in verse thirteen - "Therefore put on the full armor of God". And he follows it with another "Why?" - "so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

What?
Paul then goes on one of the most famous threads of Holy Spirit induced thought in describing the "How?" - What exactly is the "Full armor of God"?

"The belt of truth" - the truth of the Gospel
"The breastplate of righteousness" - Jesus's righteousness, not our own.
"Feet fitted with the readiness from the Gospel of peace"
"Shield of faith"
"Helmet of salvation"
"Sword of the spirit, which is the word of God"

Stand firm
It should be noted that a theme within the theme of this scripture is to "stand firm". Paul repeatedly uses the word "Stand" or "stand firm". It's evident in this scripture that we are called to take a defensive posture against evil, not an offensive posture, at least the one we think of. Jesus has defeated evil and death. The work is done. Jesus took the offensive against Satan, we are merely called to stand firm and defend. We use this armor by speaking the truth in love, living in both grace and truth.

Ask yourself questions
Based on this text, questions you might ask yourself and answer are, "How am I experiencing evil around me?" "How is Satan manifesting himself through my sin?" "Is there any armor I am lacking?" "Am I living out of my own righteousness and not Jesus'?" "Am I consistently and devotionally in the word of God?"

Conclusion
In conclusion, when you're reading a New Testament letter, look for a "directive", see how the writer follows it up with a "how?", a "why?", a "what?". It may not be in that order all of the time. Finally, ask yourself questions and answe them honestly. I hope this helps you in your personal scripture reading time!