what is scripture?
Scripture is God’s word to us intended to shape our belief, our actions, and our emotions into submission under Jesus and his Kingdom. Here we have provided resources for you and your community to know how to read the Bible, understand the Bible, and shape your life according to God's truth. Our prayer is that you will experience transformation through the word of God leading you to know Jesus, be with Jesus, and follow Jesus.
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Scripture is God’s word to us intended to shape our belief, our actions, and our emotions into submission under Jesus and his Kingdom.
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The “Scriptures” refer to the 66 books of the Christian Bible. The Bible is a historical book written by man and inspired by God. The words in the Bible are “God-breathed” and for the sake of mankind. The Scriptures are “authoritative and without error in the original writings, complete in its revelation of his will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us to believe and do, and final in its authority over every domain of knowledge to which it speaks.”*
*Redemption Covenant Member Packet
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We trust the Scriptures because Jesus trusted the Scriptures. Jesus viewed the Scriptures as sufficient, coherent, and authoritative. All the Old Testament points to him and all of the New Testament testifies of his works, words, the establishment of his Church, and his future return.
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Scripture is the revelation of God contained in written word. It reveals God’s character and his plan of salvation that he has accomplished by sending his Son and establishing his kingdom. Jesus is the definitive revelation of God (Heb. 1:1-2) and the means by which the world comes to know the Father (Jn. 1:18; 14:6). Jesus invites us into this story and our lives become shaped around him and his good news. Scripture plays a key role in the renewal of our minds to be in line with God’s will and gospel (Rom 12:2). It is essential to reshaping our:
Orthodoxy – right belief
Orthopraxy – right practice/action
Orthopathy – right emotion + desire
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“The Bible is written in such a way that it is able to be understood; but right understanding requires time, effort, the use of ordinary means, a willingness to obey, and the help of the Holy Spirit.”*
Read – We commit to the consistent habit of reading Scripture to allow it to shape us.
Learn – We use tools, resources, and people to help our understanding of the Bible. We commit to the work of knowing the correct understanding of the text.
Prayer + Humility – We come to the Bible humbly confessing our need for God’s truth and praying that the Holy Spirit illuminates the truth of the text.
Obedience – We commit to submission under God and understand that disobeying the word of God is equivalent to disobeying God.
*Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
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“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). If all of life is all for Jesus, then Scripture is a necessary part of our pursuit. The Scripture is central to knowing Jesus, being with Jesus, and following Jesus.
prayer + practice
This serves to give ideas on how to add simple and intentional practices to your Scripture study. Some are focused on prayer and others are ways to bring more attention to the moment of reading the Bible. Choose any of these that will help you and apply it to your Scripture practice.
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A great custom is to set your time of being in the Bible before something that you do daily. It can be before you turn on your phone // before you eat // before you start work // before you turn on your car // etc. Setting a simple rule like this does two things. First, it reminds us that God has the first word. If we read Scripture before we check our phones, we are reminded daily that God has the ultimate authority and voice in our lives. Second, it is a very practical way to build the habit of reading scripture daily.
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Setting Scripture to memory is a tool that helps the words sink deep into our minds and souls. When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by satan he used Scripture as a defense. We must have the word of God (Jesus) and the words of God (the Scripture) written on our hearts.
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Some of us are audible learners and should embrace listening to Scripture. Scripture would have been listened to by the majority for all the years before printed text was accessible. Two apps that have audible versions of the Bible are the YouVersion Bible app and the Streetlights Bible app.
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Sometimes we can rush our Bible reading. A way to slow down is to partner journaling with our reading. We can journal what God was teaching, we can copy the text, we can answer specific questions, etc. Whatever it is, when we bring out a pen and begin to journal it will slow us down to be more attentive to the word.
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The hope of reading Scripture is for the word to come to life in us and through us. This starts with prayer. Write prayer cards that have specific passages to pray over yourself and others. Rewrite certain passages for the context of what you are praying and allow the word and these prayers to reshape your heart to God’s desires.
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When we read books like 1 and 2 Corinthians, we must remember that they would have always been read as a whole. We can set a rhythm where we embrace reading entire books of the Bible in one sitting. For example: once every 2 months I set aside an hour to read a book of the bible. This will bring us to notice nuances in the books that would only be seen if read as a whole.
bible reading plans
Reading the Bible can be intimidating. A simple and helpful way for us to approach reading the word is to have a plan to stick with. Take time to look through this variety of plans and choose one to stick with and commit to for a season.
These plans and more were found here.
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Read through the Bible in a year with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: epistles, the law, history, Psalms, poetry, prophecy, and Gospels.
Duration: 1 year
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Read through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday. Weekends are set aside for reflection and other reading. This plan is especially beneficial if you’re new to a daily discipline of Bible reading.
Duration: 1 year
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Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic yet beautifully designed chart to track your reading throughout the year.
Duration: Flexible
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Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and wisdom literature, Pentateuch and history of Israel, Chronicles and prophets, and Gospels and epistles.
Duration: 1 year
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Read straight through the New Testament in six months by focusing on a short section each day.
Duration: 6 months
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Read through the book of Psalms in 150 days with this chapter-a-day reading plan.
Duration: 5 months
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Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.
Duration: 3 years
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This plan curates key chapters of the Old and New Testaments that help frame the flow of redemptive history—how God has worked in history to bring about his plan of salvation. It is designed to help you gain a solid grounding in the entire message of the Bible.
Duration: Ongoing
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This Bible reading plan includes two readings each day, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. By the end of the plan, you’ll have read through the entire Bible in one year.
Duration: 1 year
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This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month and a set number of Proverbs and Psalms for each week. It aims to give you more flexibility while grounding you in specific books of the Bible.
Duration: 1 year
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Still can’t find a plan that works for you? Generate your own.
Duration: You decide
approaching the bible
This sheet is meant to work alongside our Bible plan. Now that we have a plan, we should know how we are reading the Scripture each day. These are three simple ways we can approach our Scripture reading each day.
This is edited from Redemption Tempe’s Word + Spirit Campaign.
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The goal of the SQUID approach is to provide a basic framework to help you engage scripture in a way that helps you understand the Biblical story, its implications for all of life, and your place within that story. The aim is to provide some helpful patterns of Bible engagement to help you encounter the living God by intentionally listening to His word.
The word “SQUID” is an acronym to describe each step of this approach:
Summarize — Creatively summarize this passage in a way that helps you remember and retell it to others.
Questions — What questions do you have about this passage?
Understood — Imagine how the original audience would have understood what God was revealing.
Implications — What are the implications for all of life? // Is this passage a description of something that occurred or a prescription of what how we should live?
Do — How is God inviting you to respond?
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This is a simple and helpful way to engage Scripture. As you read a passage, ask yourself the following questions about God, life, and you.
God — What does this passage tell me about God?
Life — What does this passage mean for the various areas of life? (Work, family, relationships, recreation, politics, education, economics, etc.)
Me — How is the Holy Spirit inviting me to respond to this passage? (Worship. gratitude, repentance, serving others, etc.// Is this passage description or prescription)
Practice simple bible study with a scripture of your choice. If you’d like a suggestion, this practice works really well with the gospels.
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The phrase lectio divina means “divine reading” in Latin and is a prayer practice of listening to Scripture with the ear of the heart. Go through the following steps alone or with your community.
Silence — Prepare your heart. Come into God’s presence, slow down, relax, and intentionally release the distractions to him.
Read — Read a Scripture passage slowly and out loud, lingering over the words so they resonate in your heart. When a word or phrase catches your attention, don’t keep reading. Stop and attend to what God is saying to you. Be open to the word. Don’t analyze it. Listen and wait.
Meditate — Read the Scripture a second time out loud. Savor the words. Listen to any invitation that God is extending to you in this word. Reflect on the importance of the words that stand out to you.
Respond — Pray. Enter into a personal dialogue with God. There is no right or wrong way to do this—the important thing is to respond truthfully to God. What feelings has the passage stirred up in you? Where are you resistant? Where do you feel invited to surrender or rely on God more deeply? Talk to God about these things.
Contemplate — Rest and wait in the presence of God. Allow time for the word to sink into you. Yield and surrender to God. Before you close, consider a way to help you dwell on this word and embody it in your life throughout the day.
scripture worksheet
We created a Scripture Worksheet to help you work through how to practically practice of Scripture in your life.
additional resources
If you want to know more about the Bible here is a compiled list of helpful resources. Because this list has many options it can feel intimidating on where to start. Our encouragement is just to start somewhere. Pick one that seems appealing and start there.
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These will be very helpful alongside your daily Bible reading.
The Gospel Coalition Commentary
Note: There is a summary of each biblical book as well as good guidance on how to read and apply each book.
The Story and Message of the Bible Article
Note: This short article clarifies the big picture of the Bible.
ESV Study Bible or CSB Study Bible (She/He reads truth)
Note: Study Bibles help by providing summaries, context, and commentary as you read through books.
The Bible Speaks Today
Note: These are simple commentaries for those who want to go deeper into a specific book of the Bible.
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Unbreakable: What the Son of God Said About the Word of God by Andrew Wilson
Note: This is a short and concise book on the perspective of Jesus on the Bible.
The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson
Note: This is a biblical theology for the common reader.
According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy
Note: This is a biblical theology book meant to display the overall story of Scripture.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee
Note: This book is a practical book to give guidance in the interpretation of the Bible.
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Podcasts, videos, free graduate level Bible classes, and many more resources can be found at the Bible Project.