New Vineyard: Reading the Bible

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What
New Vineyard Believes About the Bible..

Parables of Christ...

Which Bible
is Best?

Recommended Version

"The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good, and the best corrector of all that is evil, in human society; the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of men, and the only book that can serve as an infallible guide to future felicity."
Noah Webster, 1833.

You may choose to begin with the King James Version (KJV), Cambridge University Press, supplemented by at least one other based on the Critical Text, such as the New American Standard Bible New American Standard Bible Updated (NASB), the English Standard Version (ESV) or the NET Bible.

You may want to consider using a Red Letter edition of your chosen translation. This has the words of Christ in red.

Also consider using a study or reference bible (but don't put too much reliance on the study notes. The best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself. What may be difficult to understand in one passage will be made plain and clear by another. Use cross references, usually found in the centre column). Study bibles have helpful notes on almost all verses, usually found at the bottom of each page. Reference bibles will have references to major themes, topics and subjects throughout. (Examples of reference bibles are the Thompson Chain Reference King James, and the NIV Thematic Reference Bible, edited by Alistair McGrath and the ever popular Nave's Topical Bible.) In study/reference bibles, the books will have well written introductions explaining the context, the content itself, some historical information and an outline of each book.

First, begin reading the words of Christ recorded in the New Testament. This can be done easily in a few evenings. Please don't rush! Take your time and read prayerfully.(This is the only reason we recommend a red-letter edition.)

You may choose, rather, to begin to read the parables of Christ (A good start.) If your bible does not have the parables listed you may have to do a little research at your church library or local Christian bookstore. (Click here for a list of parables.)

You may also wish to begin reading through topical studies. Look up any subject or word in a good concordance or a topical study bible such as Nave's Topical Bible or the NIV Thematic Reference Bible mentioned already.

At this point you should begin to read a Bible Plan. A bible plan imposes regularity and completeness on your reading and helps with the discipline of reading.Reading plans are usually in one year and three year timeframes. There are many good plans on the web. (Here's one I recommend.) As well, many Bibles have reading plans as part of the Helps section. If you are a member of a church (and if you aren't, you should be) chances are good that it will have a good, reliable plan. Check it out.

Here's another excellent article on bible reading and study.

King James Version?

While we are fond of the King James Bible, also known as the Authorized Version, and maintain the firm conviction that it is an accurate, dependable and sufficient version of the very Words of God, as well as being the most beautiful of all the English translations, we do not believe it to be absolutely or exclusively accurate, as the translation is the work of fallible men. We also maintain that, due to the evolution of the English language, it no longer displays the clarity of language it once had and so is harder to comprehend than some more modern translations. Nor do we believe one's understanding of the language used in the KJV should be used by others as a qualifier or test of the depth of a person's commitment to God, as often happens within fundamentalist congregations. Such a notion is not only unbiblical, it is also contrary to the intent and understanding of the KJV translators themselves, who only saw their version as the better of many previous translations.

All bible translations are the work of sinful men. They are all therefore, to a lesser or greater extent, imperfect concerning God's revelation. While we believe that only the original writings (autographa) could have the undisputed distinction of being inerrant and infallible, we also believe that the autographa are essentially irrelevant, God bringing to salvation thousands upon thousands of people by imperfect manuscript copies and various translations in different periods of history. We believe that God has chosen a multiplicity of translations to reveal His Word, each one suitable for the times in which it predominates. Why has God not provided the autographa in order to settle all disputes among believers? We do not know, and for us to provide reasons would be to merely speculate and second-guess God.

We do believe, however, that to the degree a translation is true to the manuscript copies in the original languages, it is under the control and blessing of God and can therefore be considered sufficient as a sure guide. (This obviously rules out most modern translations and all paraphrase bibles!)

Articles about Bible versions, translations and so on

More about bible versions...

The Revised Version: The Debate