Shuffle mode is great for music, but the Bible is “not a random anthology of inspiring bits that you can read in any order. It’s a single, sweeping narrative about how the living God makes and keeps his promises to save sinners. And yet the irony is that, for most Christians, the only way they have been taught to read the Bible is by putting it on shuffle. They read a little bit today from the Old Testament, and then a little bit tomorrow from the New Testament, and always tack on a bit from the Psalms or Proverbs at the end of each day.”
Once you understand, though, that the Bible is one grand story that runs from start to finish, individual passages settle into place. This is why our Christ Covenant pastors and teachers -as they lead us through different books and thematic passages of the Bible– are so diligent to show us the gospel. Either looking back as we study in the New Testament or forward if we are in the Old Testament, they are careful to show us God’s plan of redemption in Christ.
In this article, author Greg Gilbert emphasizes the importance of looking at the Bible’s message as a whole, even as you read it in parts. He offers two thematic examples to show the beauty of God’s redemptive story and then provides four tips to help you read holistically through all of its passages.
