How often do we hear this at church? Maybe some of you more than others. I know I’ve heard it quite a few times. Let me ask you another question though: How often have you been taught how to do so?

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Can’t you read the Bible like any other book? You can, but you won’t get the richness of its message that way… And I bet not as many of us have heard that.

We look around and see Christian families, couples, and individuals struggling, but the best we have is “you have to read your Bibles more”? More is required for holistic health than Bible reading alone, but to some extent, it is true. Even if they read their Bibles, however, they are missing out on the context of Scripture, the meanings behind the original Greek and Hebrew words, and the basic understanding of what certain items, phrases, and practices meant to the people of that day. In fact, people may not even get the same idea from different English translations, let alone all this extra “stuff.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should launch a make-all-Christians-theologians initiative, and making every Christian a scholar wouldn’t solve the world’s problems (It’d actually probably make them worse). What I am saying, however, is that we could see a huge difference in the lives of Christians if we taught them how to use basic Bible tools. It has taken me until my Master’s degree to really jump into the basics, but these are skills every Christian can benefit from. Some won’t want to do the extra work, and that’s up to them. But for those who decide to take just a few extra minutes to look into what they’re reading, it has the potential to make a big impact on how Christians function as the Body of Christ.