How to Get a Grip on the Scriptures

“Get a grip!” Many people use this phrase, meaning to get control of oneself or to not get so worked up about something. Can’t stop complaining about things happening in your life? ‘Get a grip!’ If watching the news makes you depressed, ‘Get a grip!’ Consumed with envy over what other people have? ‘Get a grip!’

But there are other, broader senses of that phrase. The most obvious would apply to people who work with their hands, like carpenters, plumbers, or artists. If using a hammer, wrench, or paintbrush, you better ‘get a grip’ if you’re going to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do. When I was taking drum lessons, I discovered ‘getting a grip’ was easier said than done – trying to move quickly around the drum kit, occasionally a drumstick would slip out of my hands.

 

Of even greater importance is getting a grip on a particular pursuit, achieving a measure of mastery in a chosen skill or discipline. I admire people demonstrating great expertise at whatever they do, whether it’s interior design, accounting, teaching, genealogy, mechanics, culinary arts, or other such vocational or avocational interests. But they didn’t achieve their excellence overnight; it took countless hours to ‘get a grip’ – to master what they desired to do.

 

The same holds true in a spiritual sense. For instance, gaining a deep understanding of the Scriptures isn’t something that can be achieved by spending a few minutes now and then. The typical Bible has more than 1,500 pages – the truths they contain are deep enough to fill the lifetime of even the most determined theologian.

 

That doesn’t mean biblical teachings are unfathomable for the ‘layman,’ someone who has never darkened the halls of a seminary, much less preached from a pulpit. To get a grip on the Scriptures, all we need to do is look at our hands. 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ began years ago when I joined a small group that used study materials developed by The Navigators. Originally focused on ministering to people in the armed forces, the Navs eventually expanded to college campuses and churches. One strategy for teaching how to get a grip on the Bible was what they called “the hand illustration.”

Why the hand? Pick up a Bible with one hand. Then transfer it to your other hand but try holding it only with your little finger. It’ll fall, right? Attempt this again, using only your little finger and thumb. Your grip on the book is tenuous; it can easily be pulled from your grasp. Add a third finger, then a fourth, and finally all five. Now you’ll have a strong grip on the Bible – someone would have a hard time wresting it out of your hand.

 

In a similar sense, it requires five ‘fingers’ to gain a strong grip on God’s Word. Each finger on the hand represents an action step for internalizing the Scriptures and learning how to put the truths and principles into use. The five are to: hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate.

 

Hear. It starts with hearing, whether a sermon at church, a message at a conference, a program on the radio, or even a conversation with a follower of Jesus. As Romans 10:17 explains, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

 

Read. Next comes reading the Scriptures for yourself, seeking to learn who God is and the truths He reveals through His Word. “Blessed is the one who read the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3).

 

Study. The third ‘finger’ in this process is studying – when the hard work really begins. It’s more than just reading what the Bible says. It’s digging, seeking to understand its meaning and discover treasures it contains for today and for eternity. In Acts 17:11 we see an example: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” We’re to be like the diligent, studious Bereans.

 

Memorize. When we encounter especially meaningful verses or passages in the Bible, one of the best ways for internalizing them is to commit them to memory. Then, like building a spiritual filing cabinet, they’re accessible for use without having to open a Bible. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says they’re to become such a part of us they work themselves into everyday conversations: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” 

 

Another passage that affirms Scripture memorization is Psalm 119:9,11 in which King David says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

 

Meditate. Finally, we have meditation. This isn’t mindless repetition of some mystical mantra, or emptying one’s mind. It’s deeply pondering a specific passage, striving to draw as much insight and understanding from it as you can. Kind of like a cow chewing its cud over and over, seeking to get as much nutrition out of it as possible. This is addressed in Psalm 1:2, which describes a “blessed” man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

 

Do you desire to get a grip on the Word of God, to become a ‘person of the Book’? Then make every effort to hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate. Over time you’ll find the truths of the Scriptures becoming part of you more and more.

Willing To Take on the Challenge?

The Christian life, if we’re honest about it, isn’t easy. We’re called to live by faith, which Hebrews 11:1 defines as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Living in a visible, tangible world, trusting in the invisible and intangible can be difficult. 

But God hasn’t left us bereft of things of substance on which to cling. He’s provided the world with its sights and sounds and smells, tastes and feels, to reveal Himself to us. Romans 1:19-20 declares, “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

 

Perhaps most tangible of all God has provided for us is His Word, the Bible that we can hold in our hands, read with our eyes, even sniff if you’re a fan of the smell of paper and ink. In a sense, it’s like a letter from a spouse or other loved one. Even though they’re not physically present, their words on a page make it seem as if they’re with us.

And yet the Bible is often described as the best-selling, least-read book in the world. In many homes, it seems, the Bible’s sole purpose is to collect dust. That’s unfortunate, because the Scriptures are a spiritual treasure trove God has given to teach us what need to know about Him. Even if you were to read from it every day of your life, you’d barely scratched its surface.

 

One of the most daunting challenges a follower of Christ can undertake is to read the entire Bible. It’s literally a book of books, consisting of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. Depending on which version of the Bible you have – and whether it contains footnotes and other teaching tools – its length can range from 1,500 to more than 2,000 pages.

 

However, it’s a challenge I’ve accepted on many occasions. The first time I read through the Bible was in 1965-66, during my senior year of high school. Being an avid reader, I didn’t do it because of spiritual zeal. It was simply a goal, and admittedly what I gained from it then was minimal. I read it front to back, Genesis to Revelation, five chapters a night. Upon finishing the last page, I put it on my bookshelf and thought, ‘Well, I’ve read the Bible. Now what should I read?’

 

Thankfully, it’s been a different story since then. Over the past four decades I’ve read through the Bible more than 20 times. This isn’t to brag. I’ve just learned the Scriptures are inexhaustible, like peeling an onion and discovering that whenever you remove one layer, there’s another layer under it. It’s become my guidebook, “a lamp for my feet, a light for my path,” as Psalm 119:105 terms it, with new understanding and insights unfolding every time I read it.

 

John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, was a strong advocate of reading the Scriptures. Writing to his son, Adams said, “I have myself for many years made it a practice to read the Bible once every year…with the intention and desire that it may contribute to my advance is wisdom and virtue.”

 

Later the father explained to the younger Adams his strong belief “that when duly read and meditated on it is of all books in the world that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy….” Apparently, Adams saw no necessity for separating faith and government.

 

Have you ever read the Bible in its entirety? If not, you have lots of company. As I said, it’s a daunting undertaking. For most of us, it’s easier to attend a church service and have our pastors impart to us what they’ve digested from diligent study. That’s not bad, but it’s no substitute for spending time alone with God in His Word and letting the Holy Spirit be our teacher.

 

You might be thinking, “That sounds good, but I wouldn’t know how to get started.” Or “I tried it once and did okay for a while, but then I got to Leviticus and Numbers and felt like I was in the wilderness with the Israelites!” Yep, I know the feeling.

 

Articles, booklets and even books have been written about how to read the Bible, but let me offer a couple of suggestions:

 

First, I’d advise not trying to read the Bible cover to cover, front to back as we do most books. The Old Testament, with all its richness, can seem overwhelming. More than once while reading it I’ve wondered, “What’s this got to do with me?” I’ve found it helpful to read from both the Old and New Testaments concurrently. Frankly, when a section of the Old Testament seems a bit deep, switching to a New Testament passage can feel like coming up for air.

 

Second, I’d recommend using a guide for reading the Bible. “One-year Bibles” conveniently present portions from both the Old and New Testament for daily reading, and often include brief passages from the Psalms and Proverbs. I’ve used several of these editions.

 

Years ago, I came across a “Through the Bible in a Year” day-by-day reading schedule in a study Bible. It’s served as my biblical “road map” numerous times. It’s not mandatory to follow such a schedule “religiously.” If you miss a day or two, you can catch up later. And it’s not make-or-break; if you don’t finish the Bible in one calendar year you can progress at your own pace, even if it takes 14 or 15 months, or longer.

 

What a blessing it is to read all of God’s Word at least once. You’ll discover stories – lots of them – as well as history, poetry, prophecy, doctrine, rules for living, and countless reasons for hope and encouragement in a discouraging world. As 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

 

Most of all, you’ll find Jesus Christ in every one of the Bible’s 66 books. He doesn’t wait to appear until the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew. John 1:1-2 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” – which means Jesus was actively involved even in Genesis’ creation story.