Ways to Deepen Your Faith This New Year
Dec 21, 2022
It's a common New Year's resolution to make it a habit to read the Bible every day. And it's a great habit to get into. Any activity that increases our understanding of God's word is worthy of being done. Here are three ways to use that daily habit to deepen your faith.
1. Choose Your Bible Version With Care
There are many translations available today. Avoiding the “modern” versions like The Message still leaves lots of choices. Choosing one that is closer to the original Greek texts may be harder to read at first, but it will help you understand the true meaning of the words you read.
Why does this matter? Well, words change over time, and a small difference in how a word is translated can change the entire meaning and context of the text.
You don't read Greek, you say? You can actually study biblical Greek online!
With a little time and effort, those verses that seem so hard to understand will become much more clear and more applicable to our lives today.
2. Read With Intent to Understand the Original Meaning
While the Koine Greek language is, well, Greek to us today, it is the language in which the New Testament was written. It was the common language of the entire Mediterranean region during the time of Christ.
Taking a New Testament Greek course online will give us insight into the true life and times of Jesus and his followers. Without that understanding, we are distanced from the true depth and scope of the Bible. We don't get the deeper meaning because we do not have the correct interpretation of all of the words.
3. Read to Immerse Yourself in the Culture and Background of the Land Where Jesus Walked
To appreciate the people and how they lived in Biblical times is to have a deeper level of understanding of how the Bible applies to our lives today. Only by digging into the original words and ideas from the past can we come to realize that they still hold true today.
We also have an “inductive Bible study course” that helps students learn to read the Bible by considering the context and other clues in the text.
This optional course is designed to help people read the Bible inductively. Inductive Bible study is a great way to learn and understand the Bible. With this course, students will be able to learn how to read the Bible in a more profound way and have a better understanding of it.
This course is not required to finish the class, but it is highly recommended for students who want to understand the Bible better.
Tying It All Together
We can make an effort to see God's actual words and truly understand them. When we study biblical Greek online, we can do this from the comfort of our homes and at our own pace.
Our faith becomes deeper as we see how the people in the familiar Bible stories really lived and apply the truths they lived by to our own lives. The Bible becomes more than just a story. It's a living truth, as relevant to us as it was to those who lived a couple of thousand years ago!
How to Get Started
The company Greek to Me is an excellent resource for learning New Testament Greek. The blog articles are full of relevant information about the many reasons to learn Greek in order to study the Bible more efficiently. Here's the link to the course catalog so that you can get started today!