How to Read the Bible | Richard Chin

Adapted to our modernised attention span at a truly pamphlet size, this has all the basics to get you raring to go and feeling equipped.

As you sit in your comfy chair, boil the kettle and open the Bible, where do you begin? You open Ezekiel…. hmmm interesting…. but what does all that mean? You try Matthew…. hmm great story, but what am I supposed to take away from this? Is my head not in the game? Is this some special talent for other people? How do I get the meaning from these vastly different chunks of literature? The pastor seems to distil a point so effortlessly, but I’m left floundering.

If you have ever felt like that, this is the book for you. Adapted to our modernised attention span at a truly pamphlet size, this has all the basics to get you raring to go and feeling equipped. It describes the underpinnings necessary to know you are headed to God’s meaning. The book begins with our mindset as we approach reading and then looks at what the Bible is and where we fit in it, to get our expectations right. Lastly it describes how we can approach our reading so we comprehend God’s intended meaning and understand the context.

This would be helpful reading for anyone new to the Bible. Or frankly anyone looking to have more clarity when opening a new passage. This book is also increasingly necessary. As time wears on our modern ears need even more reorienting and reminding of the big narrative of scripture and how that helps us get to the meaning. Plus, we are so often reading articles and media trying to pick them apart. This book reminds us of the ways to approach a text we trust, so that we can understand, with God’s help, the way it holds together as the rich tapestry of truth it is.

To coincide with our annual conference, EQUIP Picks are 10 great reads, chosen and reviewed by the EQUIP Women Team for women.

EQUIP22 Picks will be available for a limited time online via our ministry partner, Reformers Bookshop.

A percentage of the sales from books bought via the above link will support our CMS missionary, M.


Meet Katherine Marriott

Katherine lives in the Northern beaches, ministering primarily to her 3 small children and supporting her husband in his ministry to school students at Covenant Christian school. Her role in EQUIP at the moment is moral support and prayer.