should i read the bible?

Question

i wanna get that goal of mine accomplished over the summer...my worry is just if it is not going to be understandable enough for me....also....would it answer these questions of mine??
:
why god lets good people suffer?
why thank god for things he didnt provide?
why the pain?
thanks =]]

and please NO BITCHES.

bitches+yahoo answers=suicide. not in my case though.......to me they are the depressed ones.

Answer 1

Just do it.
You can start tonight online.
Go to
http://www.biblegateway.com/

and enter in: John 1

Ask God to help you understand. He's a great Teacher. Only believe!

Answer 2

Well as a steadfast believer, my answer to the main question would of course be "yes". :)

Here's what you'll find...

"Why does God let good people suffer?" - The world he originally created was free from suffering. Satan introduced sin to the world through man, who should have rejected him but didn't. Ever since then there has been death, pain, and suffering for all, plus an eternal penalty for even the smallest sins we commit (because even the slightest wrong separates us from God, who is perfection and by nature CANNOT tolerate any sin). But because he loves us he provides a way for us to be restored to our original state -- through Yeshua, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

"Why thank God for things he didn't provide"? - There isn't anything good in the world that didn't come from God.

"Why the pain?" - It's a by-product of sin and will always be a part of this world, until the end of the age. God has already conquered pain and sin through Jesus so that we don't have to face it alone in this life...and after this life we don't have to put up with it at all. All that's left is to choose which side you're on.. And the Bible is clear, if you're not with Jesus you are against him.

Answer 3

Absolutely! Once I had this as my goal too but unfortunately I read the King James Version and I got lost in the formal language. Since that time I have become a student of the Bible and find it thrilling!! My advice: get an easy to read version (NIV, NAS) and start in the New Testament and read it to the end (starting at John, the 4th book in the NT, is the best place). The NT is easy to understand and very applicable. Once you have done this you should understand more of what the Bible and Jesus is about. After that, if you are still seeking, you can read more in the Old Testament.

As far as your questions, those are BIG questions and will require a good deal of time to answer. I also think you need to start with basics. Again, the NT, the book of John specifically, is a good place to start.

If you are serious about answers to those questions I suggest looking at John Piper's website. This is a good place to start: http://www.desiringgod.org. He is very respected, practical, and has answered many BIG questions in his books and on his websites.

I hope you enjoy your journey!

Answer 4

Reading the Bible takes approximately 80 hours to read at a leisurely pace. You can do it in about a month. IF you are seeking answers to those specific questions, then I would suggest not only reading the Bible, but once you read it, find and read notes and outlines on those very questions that will lead you to the verses, chapters, and books in the Bible that will answer those for you.

If you are a believer, then you should ask the Holy Spirit for guidance to open your spritual eyes before you begin to read. You will discover a multitude of wisdom.

Even if you are not a "Christian" there are huge amounts of wisdom that will help you and guide you to be a better person.

I am not going to try to answer those questions, because everyone can point to different passages within the scripture that helped them answer those questions for themselves. As a human being, we all have different thought processes and experiences. So the experience you have in finding what you believe to the be the answer to those very questions is going to be different from what I have experienced.

I wish you well, I will pray for your spirit to be open to the Truth, and to find those answers that you seek. I applaud the fact that you are open to reading the Bible. There are parts that are really tough going, but you can get through it all.

God Bless.

Answer 5

Yes, you should read the Bible. Maybe not all in one sitting, or even all in one summer. But read it! On the average, the atheists I know have read the Bible more than the believers I know. There is no book so well adapted to creating atheists as the Bible. Most believers only know the parts they hear about from other believers, and then always with the spin added to make the parts somehow sound fair. Try reading it for yourself with as few prejudices as you can. You'll find the single most effective atheist recruitment tool ever written.

Answer 6

It's a worthy goal. And know that before you start, you most definitely won't understand all of it. But you will learn more than you might think, and you'll also have many, many questions answered. I'd like to encourage you to begin each reading with a simple prayer to God, asking Him to give you understanding as you read it. He will, too. The more times a person sincerely reads the Bible, the more understanding is gained. We will never know it completely this side of heaven, but we can know much of it, and it truly is life changing.

Answer 7

The word suffer means to permit...if you read the Bible it has to be in the spirit sense or you wont understand it...When you read it you will see that God gave us the power...we have the free will and we are the ones who make ourselves suffer from the lack of the knowledge of the word and how to protect ourselves with it...and I know this, I have done it for years...God gives your the very breath your breathing right now....and pain is not nessecerly a bad thing...If you do read the Bible, get a Vines concordanance to show you what the words mean...and ask God to open up his word to your heart and show you ....hope it helps...

Answer 8

Read the story of Joseph in the second half of Genesis, that is a good example of what you are searching for. Joseph was a good guy, but in a turn of events his brothers plotted to kill him, destroyed his most prized possession, threw him in a well, sold him as a slave, and from there he was put in prison for a crime he did not commit. But these were all merely steps to reach a good consequence, in Joseph's case, he became a leader of Egypt and saved many lives.

A lot of bad things happened to Joseph, but look what he says, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Gen 50:20

We can only really see the short term - the present. But God sees the future. He knows what will come of suffering, and I believe that every bad thing has some good consequence. Even the Holocaust, from which out of sympathy the Jews were restored their home after wandering the earth for 2,000 years. We are never promised to be kept from suffering, we are only offered strength to endure it.

Answer 9

Reading the bible is a good thing. There are many different versions out there that are easy to understand. I recommend the New International Version or even the Message Bible which is written in contemporary language. It will answer all your questions.

Answer 10

Absoutely, defintely, yes, read or listen to the bible on CD or tape, the most easily understandable verison of the bible is the "New Liviving Version" stay away from the "The King James Version" thats very hard to understand, and God Bless

Answer 11

No the Bible won't answer those questions for you. But only you can decide if you want to read it or not. If you want to read it, go ahead and if you gain some understanding from it, that's great. But if you are left with more questions than you had before you even read the book, learn more about spirituality, the answers you seek are within you dear, your spirit can tell you what you want to know. Pray/meditate and get to know the God within, your questions will be answered then. Also, there are a lot of other "books" that can be helpful as well. Let your heart guide you, you ask and it will be given. Trust me.

Best wishes on your spiritual journey.