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Where To Start Reading The Bible For New Believers

What Do You Say After Reading A Psalm

Where to Start Reading the Bible for Beginners & New Christians

The reader says, The Word of the Lord, and the people reply, Thanks be to God. The reader says one part and the people the next, so its traditional to read responsively. It is customary to say after the prayer. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures He leads me beside still waters.

Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows.

How To Read The Bible: Read A Little Every Day

Getting Gods Word into your life doesnt have to take long. Start smallfive or 10 minutes is better than none. Sometimes less is more, especially when reading less means youll actually remember more.

Chose a time and place thats convenient for you. Many people read their Bible first thing in the morning, choosing to spend time with God before daily distractions get in the way. But if mornings arent your thing, dont sweat it. That you read Gods Word is more important than when you read Gods Word. Personally, I love to read my Bible at a local coffee shop, but I once read through the entire Bible while waiting in carpool lines.

Suggested Reading Order Of Old Testament Books

By starting with the three books below, readers will grow in their understanding of Gods creation of the world, sins invasion of it, peoples struggles as a result of it, and Gods plan to redeem and overcome it.

  • Genesis: Though Genesis is one of the longest books in the Bible, readers love its stories. The first quarter of the book teaches about the origins of the universe, Earth, people, families, work, and sin. The remaining portion of the book tells readers about the origins of the nation of Israel.
  • Psalms: Many Bible readers consider Psalms one of their favorite books because of the beauty of its descriptions and the way it speaks for people who long for God, struggle with sin, and live life in a world infected with sin.
  • Daniel: The Old Testament prophet Daniel is a shining example of faithfulness to God. Readers love the stories about Daniel risking it all to stand up for his faith and for surviving being eaten by lions because of Gods intervention.

The Old Testament contains 39 books, three of which are suggested above. A person can read the remaining books in order. If some want a suggested order based on ease of reading, then the recommendation is below.

Please note that the order is just a recommendation. It may be best to use it as a starting point for considering what books to read and study.

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What Is A Study Bible

Study Bibles are excellent resources that new Bible readers should strongly consider. Study Bibles contain explanatory notes to help people understand what they are reading.

They commonly include maps, charts, timelines, and pictures. Every major English translation has a Study Bible and most have multiple options. Recommendations include:

  • The NIV Study Bible
  • The ESV Study Bible
  • The NLT Study Bible

What Is The Correct Way To Read The Bible

New Believer

The method is called the chunk it up. If you want to read the Bible in small bits and pieces, try not to set out to read it all at once. Pick a single verse or two and then ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. If you want to study the passage, read it, then pray that the spirit will lead you to it.

If you cant find what youre looking for, ask a friend or family member to help you find it. They may be able to point you in the right direction. If you dont know where to start, start with the first few chapters of the New Testament and work your way up. You may find that you need to go back and read the Old Testament to get a better understanding of whats going on.

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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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Where To Start Reading The Bible For Beginners

New Christians or people seeking to learn more about Christianity should start in the New Testament.

The New Testament covers the life of Jesus, the history of the early church, and ethical and moral guidelines for Christians.

To get an excellent overview of this information, I recommend the following reading order:

The Gospel of John Having a firm understanding of who Jesus is and why he came is important to your faith as a Christian. The book of John does a marvelous job of explaining who Jesus is and what his ministry is about. The other Gospels detail Jesus ministry, but they focus more on the things Jesus did.

Acts- The book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel Luke, and records the history of the early church. Starting with Jesus ascension and commission of the disciples, the persecution of the early church, and the spread of the Gospel throughout the known world.

Romans- Every Christian should read the book of Romans. If you want to build your faith and gain a clearer understanding of the Good news of Jesus Christ, this is the best place to start once youve read the two books.

Once youve read through these first three books you should have a firm understanding of who Jesus is, the history of the early church, and a better understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

After youve read these books, you can dive into the Old Testament and read:

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Where Should I Start

Unlike most books that are meant to be read from front to back, the Bible comprises of 66 books that could be more accurately described as a library of holy texts. It is possible to read the Bible from sequentially from start to end, but you might get stuck by the time you get to Leviticus, the third book, full of dos and donts.

To help you get started, heres our recommended order of books to whet your appetite. :

Bible Reading Plan For Beginners

HOW TO GET STARTED READING THE BIBLE || Our Journey as New Believers

If you are ready to commit and dive into the whole Bible then you need a Bible reading plan. Then you dont have to think of where to start reading the Bible, you read it all!

When reading the Bible all the way through there are two main ways to do it.

One way is just from cover to cover. This is often the easiest place to start.

*Sometimes Bible reading plans include the books in a different order to break up some of the longer story sections and make it easier to read!

You can also follow a chronological order of reading. The way the Bible is currently published is not necessarily the order the books were written in.

When looking at context we realize a few books actually repeat stories of others.

This kind of Bible reading plan is often as a way to go deeper after reading it through at least once cover to cover.

Its good to mix things up and read the Bible both ways!

This year Ive read the entire Bible all the way through for the first time. It taught me so much about the bigger picture of the Bible and how Gods plan was happening throughout.

I even took on a challenge that is only for those who are really ready for a big commitment I read it through in 60 days. Check it out here!

If you are looking for a Bible Reading Plan for the entire Bible here it is! This one will go back and forth on the Old Testament and New Testament everyday!

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Best Bible Recommendations For Beginners

There are the bible translations that I recommend for beginners based on their accuracy level. Ive also included a sample of the same scripture from each translation.

Word for Word Translation

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12

Stand On The Shoulders Of Giants

In the New Testament, the apostles declare the truth of the resurrection. Their focus was on the life-changing effect of that faith. Through over 2000 years of Christian history, believers have looked to the written word of God as the source for all they believe. What is most encouraging from the Old Testament to the New, is that the writers understood in some way the God event of inspiration that was happening in their life. For example, each Gospel has a unique purpose. In addition to what was said about Luke, Matthew demonstrates how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of over 4000 years in the making. A reading through Matthew will encourage an encounter with the Old Testament. Mark shows how Jesus was Gods son in power. In his unique style, John details the purpose of his gospel in 1 John 20:30-31:Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Katherine Hankey, I Love to Tell the Story, Baptist Hymnal, 461. Nashville: Convention Press. 461.

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Where To Start Reading The Bible

Where to start reading the Bible? Where should I start reading the Bible?

The Bible is a unique book. Its not like any other book thats out there. Therefore we should approach it differently. Knowing where to start reading the Bible is key to learning and growing from it.

In this blog post we are going to look at 4 books of the Bible that are great places to start.

One of the things I often harp on in many of my blog posts is understanding what the Bible actually is and how to read it. Im not going to go too much into that in this blog post, but I would encourage you to check out some of the posts Ive written on that. They will help you better understand the Bible and get more out of your time in Gods word.

If you want more information about what the Bible is and how to read it Ive written several blog posts on those topics. You can find them here:

Chapters That Cover Specific Doctrines

Best Study Bible for Beginners, Beginners Bible for Young Adults

There are some popular topics that are important for a Bible reading plan for beginners. Below, you will find the specific chapters or verses where you can find ten of the most popular topics to study in the Bible.

  • Creation and the Flood Genesis Chapters 1-8 cover the creation and the flood.
  • Abraham and the Promise Genesis Chapters 12-25 tell all about Abraham and his journey through the promise God gave him.
  • Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit 1 John chapter 4, and 5. John chapter 1, 3, and 20. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 8. Colossians chapter 1.
  • The Ten Commandments The ten commandments can be found in Exodus chapter 20 or Deuteronomy chapter 5.
  • The Birth of Jesus This story can be found in Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2.
  • The Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ John chapter 7, 14, 16, and 20. Mark chapter 16, and Luke chapter 24.
  • Christs Second Coming, the Day of Judgement and Salvation of the Faithful John chapter 14. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 2.
  • The Fall of Man, Sin, weve all sinned and need a savior Romans chapter 3.
  • The Everlasting Gospel& How to Be Saved Romans chapter 10.
  • Becoming a New Creation 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

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What Book Of The Bible Should I Read First

Start with a Book of the Bible such as John.

Part of the reason I would recommend starting with the book of John, and not a book like Genesis, is that John gives you an overview of the story of salvation: the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

Genesis, though an extremely important book in regards to creation and also salvation, can sometimes be overwhelming to a new believer because of the geneologies, Old Testament practices and other details interspersed throughout the 50 chapters.

All of Gods Word is inspired and without error, so certainly you will want to get to Genesis at some point! But starting with John, which is shorter and easier to understand if you do not have a background of reading the Bible , will bring the rest of Scripture alive and give it deeper meaning as you continue to learn and see how all Scripture goes together to paint the beautiful story of Gods love for us!

Another great book to move on to after John is the book of James. It is practical, full of wisdom and able to be easily applied to your life.

Overwhelmed? Just read 5-10 verses each day. And then think on them for a couple of minutes and pray over what youve read!

Confess Along With Peter

When Jesus asked Peter, Who do you say that I am? He finally responded, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. This declaration is the privilege of all believers. Sing it, read it, say it and live it. Paul said in Romans 10 that if you can confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. New believers soon discover that the initial conversion leads to a daily conversion. This confession becomes a lifelong privilege.

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Consider Reading John First

Heres a brief case for why you should read the Gospel of John first. The apostle John, who authored this book, explicitly tells us this books agenda:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John wrote his Gospel to convince us that Jesus is exactly who He says He isthe Son of God, the promised Rescuer to whom the whole Bible points. The Holy Spirit inspired John to write this book in a way that would lead us to believe in Jesus. Johns ultimate goal is that we would come to know Jesus personally, and being reconciled to God through Jesus, that we would experience the life that is truly life.

Hopefully you can see why this book would be a fantastic place to begin your Bible reading.

Are You Wanting To Start Reading The Bible But Arent Sure How To Begin

Where Should a New Believer Start in the Bible?

When I started attending Bible college at age 19, even having grown up in a Christian home, I found it hard to know how to gain the most out of my time in the Word. I hadnt made personal devotions a habit up until that point, although Id learned plenty of verses in Sunday school and youth group, so it was a challenge to me at first.

I wondered if I was doing it right.

Should I just start reading through the book of Genesis?

Was there a particular version I should choose over another?

And what did all that Old Testament stuff about animal sacrifice really mean, anyway?

If you are like me, and didnt have a personal devotional time growing up or just didnt grow up in a Christian home, it can be intimidating to figure out where or how, exactly, you should start reading the Bible.

Now that many years have passed, I have learned much about the essentials of reading and learning Scripture, whether as a new believer or a long-time Christian who has not read the Bible much lately. I want to share with you five key practices to keep in mind as you seek to spend more time in Gods Word.

These practices will give you a process that you can follow at all times to give you confidence that you are reading the Bible according to the way it was written and in its proper context. Through reading the Bible, your heart and mind will be changed by the beautiful, life-giving Word of God!

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