Where Not To Start
I have actually had non-believers ask me this more than new Christians and this is a great question. The Bible is not strictly written in chronological order. For example the book of Job belongs in the time frame of the book of Genesis. Some have tried to start at Genesis and begin through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, then Deuteronomy, but when they get to certain sections of the Old Testament they can get bogged down in the lengthy genealogies. A good example is found in I Chronicles 9:11-12: Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. You get the idea.
Jesus The Ultimate Word Of God
Jesus is not only called the Word of God but also demonstrated in His life that He spoke with authority and power as the God of the Old Testament.
He spoke with authority over creation , people , spiritual realm and concerning the future .
The first four books of the New Testament recorded Jesus words for us to read and understand for ourselves, much like those first disciples who originally heard the words from Jesus own mouth.
Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, wrote to a young man named Timothy to encourage him to look to the Bible to grow and become wise in Christ.
His instructions show us the early churchs understanding of the nature of Scripture. Paul writes,
you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
How To Read The Bible For Beginners
There are so many things that God wants to tell us through His Word. Unfortunately, our Bibles are closed. Although this article is titled how to read the Bible for beginners, this article is for all believers.
Most believers struggle with reading the Bible. Here are some things that I do which have helped to strengthen my personal devotional life.
Quotes
- The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible. Dwight L. Moody
- Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face. Ronald Reagan
- A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Theodore Roosevelt
- The purpose of the Bible is simply to proclaim Gods plan to save His children. It asserts that man is lost and needs to be saved. And it communicates the message that Jesus is the God in the flesh sent to save His children.
- The more you read the Bible the more youll love the author.
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Are There Other Ways To Read The Bible
Another order to read the Bible is to jump back and forth between the Old and New Testaments. For example, read Genesis, then Luke, go back to Exodus, then jump to Acts, etc
Another way is to read them simultaneously. For example, read a few chapters of Genesis and a few chapters of Luke each day. That way, you get a little bit of the Old and New Testament at the same time.
Also, if you want to read the Bible in chronological order, you might find a chronological Bible useful. You can take a look at one like the One Year Chronological Bible NLT . Its formatted into 365 daily readings in the order that they happen in history. It makes it easy to read the Bible chronologically.
What is the right order to read the whole Bible? There is no one right order to read the Bible. Its just a matter of what you want to get out of it.
I think the way above is the best and preferred order to read the Bible, but whatever order you choose to go about it, dont feel restricted to the order. For example, if you find something really interesting, feel free to spend more time in that type of book.
May God open the eyes of your heart to encounter Him through His Word!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
A Beginners Guide To Reading The Bible
If the thought of reading the Bible overwhelms you, youre not alone. Even those who consider themselves to be mature in their faith can struggle, at times, with reading the Bible regularly. Perhaps youre new to reading the Bible and dont know where to start. Or, maybe youve stopped reading the Bible over the last few years and would like to start reading it again. No matter where youre at on your spiritual journey, weve all got to start somewhere. So, here are a few suggestions for you.
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Whats So Important About Reading The Bible
Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of the Creator God .
It is common to hear Christians say, God said, and you might wonder how?
While God is not one to be boxed in and limited by our understanding of His ways, one channel that God speaks to us is through His word, which is described by the writer of Hebrews as alive .
It is common to hear Christians say, God said , and you might wonder: How?
In the book of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul tells his disciple, Timothy, that all Scripture is God-breathed. One translation translates it more simply as inspired by God .
The purpose of the Bible? To prepare and equip His people to do every good work.
No one enters into a new relationship without communication as a child of God, our relationship with God is no different.
God desires to speak to us and He often does it through what He has already revealed in the Bible, the word of God .
Need A Way To Keep Track Of Your Bible Reading Plan For Beginners
When I was learning how to read the Bible for the first time, I loved checking off each book and chapter as I read them, so I could easily see my progress.
My NIV study Bible came with a built-in reading plan checklist right in the front. If yours doesnt, youre welcome to print off this Bible Reading Checklist to keep track of your progress.
It comes straight out of my Fall in Love with Gods Word WORKBOOK, but youre welcome to have it for free.
Print it out and stick it in your Bible, or hang it on your fridge where youll see it often as you work your way through your Bible reading plan for beginners.
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The Tools You Need To Start Studying The Bible
Lets not overcomplicate this.
The only tools you need to start studying the Bible is your Bible.
& your eye glasses if necessary.
You dont need a fancy large study Bible. You dont need an entire set of commentaries. You dont need 50 books to teach you how to read the Bible.
You just need a Bible and a desire to read it.
If you dont have a desire to read the Bible then ask yourself this
What am I making more important than time with the God of the Universe?
Sometimes desire doesnt come until after life changing revelations that come from spending time with our awesome God.
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How To Start Reading The Bible In 10 Steps
I meet tens of thousands of people a year at different events. Most of them are Catholic Christians who want to start reading the Bible but dont know where to start.
So if youve ever wanted to go deeper into Gods Word but havent known how to approach it, allow me to suggest a few tips .
Like anything else, if you want to build something in this case, your knowledge and love for the Scriptures you dont just grab a hammer and some nails and start pounding. To ensure that you dont just jump in and then quit out of frustration or confusion, there are certain things you can do to be more successful.
Well attack this on three levels the tools, the blueprint, and the construction. By the end, youll have ten total steps to help you build a biblical fortress able to resist anything the devil can throw at you.
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Set Reading Goals & A Schedule
Simply choose a book of the bible you want to read, count how many chapters it has, decide when you want to finish it by and then schedule it all in your diary.
For Example, you choose Proverbs, it has 31 chapters, and you want to finish it in a month, so schedule a chapter a day and youll reach your reading goal.
How To Start Bible Study: My Experience
Ill be honest with you: I havet always loved, or even liked, Bible study. Back before I knew how to start studying the Bible, I couldnt tell Numbers from, well, a math textbook. I did my first Bible study online when I was 17, and I distinctly remember the teacher telling us to flip to Acts 2. Acts in which book? I thought, confused as everyone in the video dutifully opened their Bibles to the same page. It was like she told me to open to verse 2 and I was expected to find it.
Thats right I was so new to the Bible that thought an Act was the word for a verse. Now, 10 years later, and I have a degree in Religion with a focus on Biblical studies, and have written a few Bible studies myself. God sure does choose the strangest people.
This to say: if youre new to all of this, Ive been there.
Whether youre a new believer, a lifelong Christian whos just starting to explore the Bible, or just looking because youre curious, reading the Bible by yourself for the first time can be intimidating. I know how hard it is to find resources that explain what you need to know without overwhelming you. Or, worse, making you feel like youll never, ever get it. But you can, and you will. Today, I want to show you a few different Bible study methods that can help you learn how to start studying the Bible. But first, lets lay down some basics.
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How To Be Born Again
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 22 testimonials and 83% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 339,072 times.Learn more…
Being born again means giving up your old life to live a new life through Christ Jesus. Becoming a born again Christian might sound difficult, but God has made it easy for his faithful to come to him. By accepting Christ, you can come before God and be born again. If you want to be born again, start by becoming a Christian. Then, live your life for Jesus as best you can. Finally, you can grow your faith by attending church, reading the Bible, and praying.
Help For Those Beginning To Read The Bible
Have you ever read all of the Bible? If not, what is stopping you? A follower of Jesus should read the Bible every day. We should also read all of the Bibleand then read all of the Bible again and again and again. Here are a few pointers. In this article, I will mainly provide help for those beginning to read the Bible. Next time, I will give further advice on your whole Bible project.
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Download A Bible Reading Challenge
Well-watered women have a great 30-day challenge called Word before World that you can download for free. Its fabulous because:
- it goes through why we read the bible
- it helps with where you read the Bible and helps you to create a time and space for bible reading
- it gets you into the habit of reading the word daily
Consider doing it with a group of friends for accountability we did it as a Facebook group challenge and it was a game-changer for many of us!
Why You Shouldnt Start From The Beginning
Conventional wisdom tells us when we pick up a book to start at the beginning. Its how you read a book, from front to back. But the Bible is different. And I think its best to NOT start in the beginning.
Now, Im not saying you shouldnt read the beginning of the Bible. You should. In fact, I think you should eventually read the whole Bible. Just not at first.
Why?
Well for starters, the Bible isnt a single book. Its a collection of 66 books written over sixteen centuries by over forty authors. It is a diverse collection with different styles, unique voices, different purposes, and incredible stories.
Because the Bible is a compilation of books I think its best to start with some of the most central books in this collection. That way you can get a proper framework to engage with the rest of scripture.
So, where to start reading the Bible? Lets take a look.
Again, if you dont have a good basis of what the Bible is and how to read it check out some of the blog posts Ive written on it. You can find more under the category How To Read The Bible
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Tips To Build Up A Habit Of Reading The Bible Daily
In a previous post, we saw that the first step in understanding the Bible is to read it for ourselves, cover to cover. This is how we begin to acquire the building blocks of Scripture that are the foundation for our understanding of Gods Word. But how do we get started? What can we do to develop this healthy and necessary habit of regularly reading the Bible?
In this post, well go over seven practical tips that will help you build up a daily habit of reading the Bible.
Principles On How To Read The Bible And Enjoy It
Speaking of reading the Bible, I trust every Christian is familiar with it, because it has been an indispensable thing for us to do every day since we started believing in the Lord. However, many Christians have had this kind of experience: Sometimes, when we are reading the Bible, we feel God is communicating with us, as if He has come before us, face-to-face, and we also feel very moved in our spirits but sometimes we feel our reading the Bible is dry and barren, and that we have no enlightenment from the Holy Spirit and no spiritual enjoyment. Why are there two entirely different states in reading the Bible? In fact, this is all caused by our not grasping principles. If we want to receive light when reading the Bible every day, we need to grasp the following three principles, and then we can easily become intimate with the Lord.
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Dwell In Lessons Throughout The Day
This is often the problem I see.
Someone will add read the Bible to their daily to do list and then theyll do it just to check it off.
Dont do that.
1- it becomes something you have to do.2- It limits your time to just those spare 5 minutes.
When you truly dive into Gods Word and He chooses to speak to you, youve got to chose to dwell in the message.
God speaks when He wants you to hear AND do something about it.
Every day is a new chance to become more like Jesus. Its a daily act of choosing the Godly over the worldly.
That requires putting in some work and seeking Gods truth throughout the day not just in the morning.
This is my challenge.
Spend time in Gods Word then try to remember and reflect throughout the day.
Write a phrase on your wrist. Pray every time you are in the car. Talk to a friend about what God is teaching you.
Dont stop spending time with God when you close His Word.