Soap Method Bible Study
Write out a scripture or bible verse that speaks to you.
O Observation
What stands out to you about this verse? What is the context of the verse? Who is God speaking to in this verse?
A Application
How does this verse apply to your own life? How does it apply to a specific situation you are facing?
P Pray
Pray and ask God how he wants you to apply this verse to your life.
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.
Some Books Have Multiple Genres
Theres definitely some genre-hopping going on throughout the books of the Bible. Daniel is both historical narrative and apocalyptic literature, and Acts works as both history and Gospel. Proverbs is a wisdom book that includes poetic elements. But the point is that learning to see these books through the lens of genre can help make Scripture reading a lot easier.
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How Should A Beginner Read The Bible
If you are new or a beginner to reading the Bible, I highly suggest reading through the Bible using a Bible study or Bible reading plan.
The biggest battle when you first start reading the Bible is getting in a consistent routine reading the Bible. With a Bible study or Bible reading plan, these will help you stay on track as you read the Bible as a beginner.
There are so many Bible study books or groups you can join, and there are several free Bible reading plans available on the internet.
Some people like to follow a plan for reading through the Bible, while others like to read as they feel led.
Ive done both bible plans and bible studies, as well as reading as I feel led, and over time I have to say I prefer reading on my own. For example, some mornings I may want to read a particular story, while other mornings I may want to look up bible verses on a certain topic.
But my husband is the complete opposite. He loves reading through the Bible in a year by following one of the bible reading plans. For the past few years, hes gotten a new Bible where it already has the plan organized for him. Hes read the Bible chronologically and has also read a version where he reads part of both the Old and New Testament each day.
While I enjoy following a bible plan or bible study for certain topics or during certain time periods, Ive found that constantly following a bible reading plan was too much structure for me.
You can download free Bible reading plans here to get started.
The Beginners Guide To Where To Start Reading In Your Bible
So you want to start reading the Bible, but you dont know where to begin? Whether youre a new Christian or never really read the B ible on your own outside of church settings, Im here to remove any confusions or complications to make starting out reading your Bible an easy and fun experience! This is the beginners guide to where to start reading in the Bible.
Im going to share with you 2 simple application steps that you can take to know where to start reading in your B ible .
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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.
Where To Start Reading If Youre New To The Bible
Psalms and Proverbs are always a great choice to begin reading because they are simple and full of encouraging verses.
Its usually not hard to comprehend the context and meaning behind these verses and they are beautiful when applied to our lives.
Other great books to start with are Romans and the gospel of John.
- Romans is a wonderful overview of what living the gospel is all about. Romans answers a lot of questions new Christians might have.
- John gives a wonderful and concise glance of Jesus and His ministry while here on Earth. This is vital information to new believers.
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As You Read Keep Context In Mind
Context is key, the saying goes. And thats true for all situations including reading Scripture! Before you begin doing any type of Bible study, remember that all Scripture must be read in context.
Studying the Bible in context involves not just reading an isolated verse, but reading the verses around it as well. Another way to practice this is to learn the history behind the book of the Bible you are reading, find out who it is written to, and learn to see the verse as it relates to other verses in the Bible.
**If you are just starting out reading the Bible, dont let this overwhelm you. The idea of studying in context is simply something to keep in mind as you read, because it keeps us from misunderstanding what God is saying.
Heres an example of not reading in context :
The story is told of a man who wanted to find out what God had for his future, so he closed his eyes, opened the Bible randomly, and stuck his finger on the page. He opened his eyes and read Matthew 27:5, Judas . . . went away and hanged himself. Not liking that answer, the man tried again. This time, his finger landed on Luke 10:37, Go and do likewise. Again, not liking that answer, the man tried again. This time his finger landed on John 13:27, What you are about to do, do quickly.
Obviously, what those verses seem to be saying arent what they are saying at all!
Heres an example of how to read in context:
Recommended Bible Studies Or Bible Reading Plans For Beginners
I first did the Discerning the Voice of God Bible study to get into the habit of reading the Bible every day. I surrendered my life to Jesus through this study, so it had a powerful affect on my spiritual growth. If you are a new Christian or just starting to read the Bible, I highly recommend doing this bible study.
In general, I recommend checking out Lifeway for their Bible studies. They offer Bible studies by many well-known Christian authors on various topics.
If youre looking to read the Bible in a year, try searching for ‘bible in a year’ on Amazon.
I created a set of free Bible reading plans that are downloadable as a pdf. These Bible reading plans are a great way to start reading the Bible as a beginner, or if you aren’t sure what to read next in the Bible.
There are also a lot of free bible reading plans on or on the Bible Reading App, where you can find plans by different topics or books in the Bible.
If you’re looking to read a summer devotional for summer or vacation, you can check out a few of my beach devotions and my 40-day summer devotional, God, You, & The Ocean Blue.
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Be Cautious Of Devotionals That Are About The Bible
I dont know how many times Ive seen quotes from devotionals posted on social media that do not actually represent what Scripture is saying! They are sometimes complete lies, twisted to make the Bible passages say what the devotional writer wants them to say. They are devotionals about the Bible but not actually based on the Bible.
That is why I firmly believe it is SO incredibly important when you are a newer believer to read the Bible for yourself first with minimal commentaries. Using a reliable Bible translation with a simple commentary that helps you understand context, etc, is just fine.
When you know the Bible for yourself, and allow the Holy Spirit to instruct and teach you first, then you can begin to see which devotionals represent Gods Word in the right way and which are simply the ideas of others with a few verses thrown in for good measure.
I would also highly recommend doing a Bible study with a more mature Christian if at all possible. I would also recommend finding a resource that will give you a simple tool to write or read through Scripture verses without a lot of additional ideas so you can form a Spirit-led understanding of the Word.
Choose Where To Start Reading The Bible For Beginners
Now that you have a good Bible and youre ready to dig in, you may be wondering how to start reading the Bible for beginners.
Let me give you a helpful tip When youre learning how to read the Bible for the first time: DO NOT start at the beginning and attempt to read straight through. This is a common beginner mistake.
The Bible isnt like a novel where you just open up to page 1 and start reading. Rather, the Bible is more like a collection or library of individual books, poems, letters, and documents, its made up of lots of different genres and writing styles, and some of the Bibles individual books are much easier to read than others.
For example, heres a quick overview of what youll find when youre learning how to start reading the Bible for beginners:
Old Testament Books:
- Genesis Exodus: Bible stories of the first people God created. Easy reading.
- Leviticus Deuteronomy: Long lists of Old Testament law that we are not required to follow today. Very difficult reading for beginners.
- Joshua Job: Longer, more complicated stories of the Israelites and their on again off again relationship with following God. Moderately difficult reading.
- Psalms Ecclesiastes: Quick, general Biblical advice for godly living. Easy reading.
- Isaiah Malachi: More stories of the Israelites and their on again off again relationship with following God with plenty of prophesy mixed in. Fairly difficult reading.
New Testament Books:
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Use Study Guide/ Tools Or Devotional
How to study the Bible for beginners involves the use of study guide, tools, or devotional. This is to help you glean from the wisdom of bible scholars as they help shed more light on your study.
These tools may include a concordance that could be found at the back of your Bible commentary, Bible dictionary, or even online bible study resources.
Formats For Reading The Bible
Did you know that you can also listen to the Bible through audio and read the Bible on an app?
You can listen to the Bible through Audible or the Bible Reading App.
Or you can read the Bible electronically through the Bible Reading App.
And if you want to watch the Bible come to life, you have to watch The Chosen!
Now I dont recommend watching Christian movies or TV shows as your main source for receiving Gods Word, but when you need some extra inspiration, The Chosen will get you motivated to read more about Jesus and all the miracles he performed in the gospels.
While there are so many ways you can read the Bible, its important to read and study the Bible for yourself. When you rely on hearing Gods Word from your pastors at your church or through others revelations through Instagram, you are missing out on how God wants to speak to you directly.
God wants you to have your own revelations, and reading the Bible for yourself is the best way to hear from God.
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The Bible For Beginners And The Rest Of Us: A Guide To Making Basic Bible Sense
Reviews from Real Users
AS a pastor of over forty years I know the important of helping new and mature Christians learn to read the bible. This book absolutely provides the necessary strategies! Along with the ease of being able to read it makes it a must read for all Christians, young or old! I am blessed to have the author, Reverend Arlington McRae in church family. I am praying he will teach the book to our congregation!
Love love LOVE! I’m an Empath and when I’m reading the authors words, I feel like I can see him writing it putting his heart, mind and soul into it. Okay, now back to the book… It is really easy to understand and what he says comes naturally, it just makes perfect sense to my everyday living/life. Please buy this book, you WILL NOT regret it! This guy is a God send, Literally!!!
Just as the title suggests, this book is a wonderful guide for both the new and seasoned Christian! As a busy wife and mother of three, The Bible For Beginners And The Rest of Us served as an easy-to-read, practical and applicable addition to my daily devotional time! This book was the perfect fit for my busy schedule and was a great way to begin and end my hectic days!The Bible For Beginners And The Rest of Us uses real-life experiences and easy to apply suggestions to provide valuable enhancement to spiritual growth and Biblical understanding!
How To Pick A Version
Now that you hopefully have some reassurance about the trustworthiness of the Bible, you may be asking, There are many English translations of the Biblewhich one should I read? Thats a good question.
Bible translations land somewhere on the spectrum between word-for-word translations , and thought-for-thought translations. There are also paraphrases available, like The Message, which seek to bring the meaning of the text to life.
If you are new to the Bible, usually a thought-for-thought translation like the New International Version or, farther along the thought-for-thought continuum, the New Living Translation , is recommended since it is more readable.
Afterwards, you could pick up a more literal translation like the New American Standard Bible or the English Standard Version for more in-depth study.
Check out One Bible, many versions for a deeper dive into the history and types of Bible translations.
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Which Book Should I Read First
The Bible is made up of two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is further divided into 39 books, and the New Testament is made up of 27 books. One of the most commonly asked questions by people studying the Bible for the first time is Which book should I start with? The truth is there is no one right answer! But here are some tips and suggestions that lots of beginners find helpful.
You can start from the beginning, literally, with Genesis. Genesis is the first book of the Bible and covers the creation of the world and how life came to be. There is certainly something to be said for opening up your Bible and reading from Genesis to Revelation . Working through the Bible from start to finish is a great way to familiarize yourself with all of the different books.
Another common suggestion is to start with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. All four Gospels recount the stories of Jesus life and ministry. What makes John, in particular, a good starting point for Bible study is the artistic and narrative style. Starting with John provides beginners with an introduction to understand the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, which can add helpful historical context for reading other books of the Bible.
Example: How To Start Bible Study
One example is John 4:1-2: Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John .
If I was relaying the basic story, I would have just said Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard he was baptizing and making more disciples than John. The fact that the author adds though Jesus himself didnt baptize them means that theres something important there.
I did some Googling/research and it turns out that thats actually a really important note! It seems like Jesus didnt perform water baptisms so that no Christian could lord their status over another, because we are all of equal status in Christ . By paying attention to what stands out, Im able to notice little details that I wouldnt if I just looked at the big picture.
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