Helper Books
"How can I learn from a book I can't understand?"
.
Okay, I understand completely, for I had to wade through this same problem when I was a new Christian.
Finally, I turned to other books that offered to help clear up my confusion.
.
Now, engrave this on my tombstone:"The New Testament is the final authority on God's will and plan for our lives."
.
Because we were born after Jesus rose from the dead, the New Testament is our guide.
Even so, there are other writings that help us understand the Bible.
The entire Bible took about 1,500 years to complete,
passing through many centuries, many scribes, many cultures and more than one language.
.
And today's available Bible has many versions.
I recommend the NIV, because I've read it is the most accurate to original texts, while in modern language.
because the Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered post-WW2), revealed word usage and meanings
that we didn't know when the King James Version was written.
.
Other books that I have found helpful:
'Evidence that Demands a Verdict'. Various editions. Josh McDowell. Thomas Nelson Publishers
'The Verdict of History' 1988. Gary R. Habermas. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
'The Hard Sayings of the Old Testament' 1988. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. Intervarsity Press.
'The Hard Sayings of Jesus' 1983. F.F. Bruce. Intervarsity Press.
'Hard Sayings of Paul' 1989. Manfred T. Baruch. Intervarsity Press.
'The Screwtape Letters' 1942. C.S. Lewis. Currently published by HarperOne.
A work of fiction that portrays how demons work on human minds.
Oddly reassuring when analyzing our own struggles.
Should be required reading for everyone in mental health therapy to understand how spiritual beings can affect mental health.
'The Pilgrims Progress' 1678. John Bunyon. Currently published by Moody Publishers.
As timeless as God's sovereignty, and as timeless as human nature,
(see below)
The Keystroke Bible
Another book to consider is what I call 'The Keystroke Bible'.
I have typed the New Testament NIV, (2014) word-for-word. (See photo, left)
I urge others to do the same.
.
Typing or writing out the entire New Testament forces a person to examine every word
and to wrestle with every portion of scripture that scares or confuses them.
.
This took about 6 months of my spare time when I was living and working away from my family and could only come home for weekends a couple of times each month.
I call it my Keystroke Bible, shown at left.
.
I'm not doing this to brag,
I'm not doing this to brag,
but rather, I know how this exercise can change a life.
I would love to hear in Heaven that 1,000 other people followed my experiment
and then hear how it changed their lives.
.
I did not include the verse numbers, and was not too concerned about typos,
for this was a spiritual exercise, not a typing test.
Update: In 2024, I hand-copied the New Testament to once again immerse myself into all of the New Testament in a logical manner. It was very satisfying.