Read the Bible: 3 wonderful tips for understanding the scriptures

The Bible contains a lot of statements and passages that may be difficult to understand by the current generation. The Holy Scripture is full of metaphors and symbolism, stories are depicted with bizarre images in ways different than how we live today. So, it is not uncommon that many find it hard to read the Bible and come up with single or linear interpretations of what is stated in the most mysterious book ever written.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Here are three useful tips that make Bible reading easier, as shared in Crosswalk.com by Lea Bronwyn, a writer for the Relevant Magazine.

1. "You" is not just for one, it is in a plural sense.

In the Bible, the pronoun "you" refers to a lot of people and not just the singular "you." We are part of a bigger community consisting of all the followers of Christ, that's why the pronoun is a collective one despite grammar rules. As children of God, all are seen as one and equal to each other.

2. Lamenting is not wrong.

To mourn and lament is normal, these are natural human responses to sin and suffering, which are described in the Bible. Christ brought us love, peace and joy, but we are also exposed bad things in life to help us realize our limitations and the importance of a good relationship with God. Lamenting helps us understand that we did something against the teachings, reminding us we should do right.

3. Prophecy is not equal to fore-telling but closer to forth-telling.

What happened as written in the Bible has little to do with our time and the future; it is to guide us from the experiences of the prophets who followed the path set by God. Those stories are talking about their experiences, the current problems in Israel during that time should be taken into consideration to recognize we should not repeat the same dilemma.

Lea Bronwyn shares more tips, in Relevant Magazine, critical to the quest of proper understanding of the passages for the people in this time and age.

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