Do you understand the Bible when you read it? To be able to read and understand the Holy Bible is the greatest need of modern man. The following will help us to that end:

1. Read it often. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

2. Read it slowly. "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want" (Proverbs 21:5).

3. Read it regularly. "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

4. Read it earnestly. "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Hebrews 2:1).

5. Read it persistently. "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine... Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all" (1 Timothy 4:13, 15).

6. Read the words by finding out their meaning - use a dictionary.

7. Read the thought by grasping the author's meaning. The inspired authors combined spiritual thoughts with spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:13).

8. Read it progressively in its natural order and sequence.

9. Read it naturally as you would any other book, ancient or modern.

10. Read but a little at a time, fixing each thought in your mind, till you comprehend it and make it yours. "But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little..." (Isaiah 28:13).

11. Read with a prayerful heart, a teachable mind and a broken and contrite spirit. "...but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word" (Isaiah 66:2).

12. Read it remembering that dangerous errors grow out of imperfect and one-sided views of things. "Take heed therefore how ye hear..." (Luke 8:18). We must seek the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

13. Read each passage as if it were the only one, and then read it again in relation to the stupendous whole. Some who take a verse from its setting, or fail to consult the whole composite of teaching on a subject wrest the scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Taking separate verses by themselves, the Bible can be forced to teach most anything!

14. Read, remembering that all truth is harmonious and that God, being its author, will at last make it plain to you. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God..." (John 7:17).

15. Read, asking yourself, who wrote this, when did he write it, why did he write it, and for whom did he write it?

16. Read it remembering there are Two Testaments: an Old and a New (Hebrews 8:6, 13). We must always rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The Old is the New Testament concealed. The New is the Old Testament revealed.

17. Read it, not to store your mind with "arguments" or to teach others, but to feed yourself, to enlighten yourself in the ways of God. As young Samuel, say, "Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:9).

18. Read it, feeling that the promises of God are not for some other people or age, but for you now; bring yourself face to face with God and His truth. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises..." (2 Peter 1:4).

19. Read it comparing Scripture with Scripture. Like the Bereans, search the scriptures to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11).

20. Read it resisting the Devil, remembering he is always ready to catch the word out of your heart (James 4:7; Matthew 13:19).

21. Read it forcing your faith out on the promises of God. We must "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

22. Read it endeavoring to see with the eyes of those who took part in or witnessed the scenes portrayed. Remember those things were written for our learning (Romans 15:4).

23. Read it determined to obey from the heart, from that moment on, all you have learned. "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22).

This article was first printed in "Firm Foundation" on August 26, 1969. The author acknowledges that the list actually came from a book titled "Ten Lessons in How To Read, How To Understand, and How To Remember the Bible" by Ashley Johnson in 1903.