“Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible” Book Review

Jones, A. R. (2022) Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible. Concordia Publishing House.

There are a good number of great books available to help students of the Bible get the most out of their study of God’s Word. There are books to help you understand the culture of biblical times. There are books to help you understand the various literary genres used across the Old and New Testaments. There are books to help you understand the historical context of the people of God to whom each of the individual books of the Bible were written. With all these options, why would we need Pastor Jones’s book Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible?

Well, let me tell you that this is a much-needed resource. What Pastor Andy (sorry he’s my circuit visitor so I thought I would get a bit less formal) does in his book is to provide the reader with a series of ten great questions to help personalize our time with the Bible. Knowing the genre as well as the cultural and historical context of the library of books that makes up the Bible is critically important and necessary, but personal growth in Christ takes place when through the Holy Spirit, we apply what we are reading to our lives. The Bible is historical book, but as St. Paul says, it is “breathed out by God” and continues to have much to give this generation.

Pastor Andy notes that “Asking questions is fundamental to being human. We are curious people. We cannot go a single day without asking questions…We ask questions because they move us toward discovery. They bring clarity and understanding. Questions help us make sense of our world.”[1] Young people ask questions. I once had it pointed out to me that teens and preschoolers operate out of the same fundamental question, “Why?” (naturally at very different developmental levels, but still the same driving force to understand why).

As we mature, our questions mature. Sadly, for some of us, we lose our inquisitiveness over time. Perhaps life has taught us that our questions are not wanted or we might worry about how we will be perceived. Teens might be too cool at times to ask questions and adults might not want to look like they don’t have the answers. Either way, if we lose our drive to ask questions, we run the risk of losing out on the true riches of God’s Word. 

This is where Pastor Andy’s book is so valuable. The ten questions that he provides offer a jumpstart to our own questions as we dig deeper and wisely apply God’s Word to our daily lives. It gives us a framework that we can teach teens that will continue to help them as they read God’s Word throughout their lives. The questions in the book are structured in three groups:

1. Questions 1-4: On the biblical text itself.
2. Questions 5-7: On the context of the passage.
3. Questions 8-10: On the connection between the passage and our lived experience.

Note that neither the text itself nor its context is neglected. These foundational elements are retained and built upon for practical application. Pastor Andy does an excellent job providing sample passages that demonstrate how to apply the ten questions to biblical texts.

The most interesting aspect of Pastor Andy’s book is the way he frames the ten questions.  Even with the first two groups of questions on the text itself and its context, the questions are framed in a way that drives the study of the Bible toward personal life application.

1. Who is the enemy?
2. How is this enemy defeated?
3. Whose point of view am I taking?
4. Who are you, Lord?
5. Where are we?
6. How did we get there?
7. What happens next?
8. What have I experienced that connects to this?
9. What am I feeling?
10. Where have I heard this before?

These simple and accessible questions open the door for personal contemplation on the message of salvation in the pages of Scripture. As we encourage youth to be lifelong learners, these questions remind us of the truly dynamic and powerful story of a God who loves us so very much. This book can be used book club style or as a book you provide to youth looking to dig deeper into Scripture.

Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible is an excellent resource for youth workers as they prepare to teach and youth as they learn how to learn from God’s Word.

[1] Jones, A. R. Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible (Concordia Publishing House), 10.