How To Start Reading The Bible, If You Don't Know Where To Start
Maybe one of your resolutions is to start reading the Bible. Maybe you’ve fallen away from your faith and want to get back into it. Maybe you’ve never read the Bible and you came across a motivational Instagram graphic or post or TikTok video and you seem intrigued. Whatever the reason may be, know that you are welcome here and that God invites you into this story.
I want these tips to be for the person who’s trying to get back in their relationship with God or for the person who may not know God at all. You may be exploring Christianity, and if that’s you, I hope you stay a while; you’re always welcome here.
Start with an easy to understand translation.
Examples include NIV, ESV, and NLT. While KJV is also very credible, it is harder for the “newbie Christian” to begin reading the Bible with. NIV, ESV, and NLT are credible and easy to understand translations for anyone who’s just starting out with Bible study. I also recommend the Parallel Bible that puts different translations of verses and passages next to each other so that “you can explore the rich nuances of meaning in the text.” These three translations mentioned above are also close to being the most accurate translations of the ancient text.
STUDY Bibles that I recommend:
Start in the Gospels, Psalms, or Proverbs.
I highly recommend starting in the Gospels, but the books of Psalms and Proverbs are also great books to begin with.
The Gospels
The Gospels tell the story of Jesus’s life and ministry and death here on Earth, and illustrate a beautiful picture of His life and death. The book of Matthew is a very literal, word-for-word book and references the Old Testament as Jesus fulfilling the OT prophecies. His book is also very detailed as well, something that may be interesting to you. The book of Mark is a very literal and short, to the point book. It is shorter than most, and known for its compactness. The book of Luke is very interesting; first, Luke was a physician. His book focused on women and told the stories of women the most—specifically Mary, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, and more. The book of John is the most interesting, or at least to me. The book of John is different than the other Gospels because it portrays Jesus discussing on theological matters and describes Jesus as the God in flesh (John 1:1). The content in the gospel of John are unparalleled and not found elsewhere, compared to similar stories being told from different perspectives in the other gospels.
If you’re interested in reading specifically more about the Gospels, I recommend picking up an Amplified version of the Bible (maybe even a parallel Bible!) and diving into what individual verses mean in your reading.
The Book of Psalms
The book of Psalms are a book of hymns, laments, or psalms of thanksgiving. Hymns are sang to God, praising God as King, glorifying Him. Laments are usually an address to God, a description of suffering, faith in God’s receipt of prayer, call for God’s help, or something like that. There are also psalms of thanksgiving, where we gather together and thank God for deliverance and even some are prophetic.
The Book of Proverbs
The book of Proverbs are a great book to start with because these are practical. They offer insight and wisdom (not advice) and instruct on how to live a godly life and reflect God’s glory in our lives. It’s almost like … a step-by-step map on how to live a godly life. There are 31 of them, so you can even make it a 31 day (one-month) challenge.
Journal your “journey.”
I use the word “journey” because I can’t think of a better word to use. Walk with God? Relationship with God? Journey? Now I sound like The Bachelor. But no, in all honesty, journal while you begin studying the Bible.
Write down questions you have. I recommend getting a journaling Bible so you can do this right in the margins so you can tie things to specific verses, but write these in your journal. You can ask a pastor or mentor who’s Christian these questions later, or you can ask your good pal Google.
Highlight or underline key verses. I used to feel weird for highlighting all over my Bible, or honestly, kind of lame, but honestly? The more I do it, the better I understand the verses. I highlight verses that stick out to me and underline the verses that I know I need to remember (or even memorize!). If this doesn’t work for you, don’t sweat it. But if you’re the type of person who likes to write things down to commit it to memory, this will probably work for you.
Write down your prayers. Additionally, write down whatever you’re feeling or want to say to God. Make this journal as a conversation with God. Write down anything that you want to say to him. This may seem silly at first, and may seem silly even the 1000th time you do it, but this helps me in the awkward prayer part where I think I have to pray out loud. Write down what or who you’re praying for—this is the part to talk to God without making it awkward by talking out loud in your room. (But hey—if that works for you, go for it!)
Start slow.
I mean, you can always jump right in and start reading a chapter or book (oh my gosh, if you do this, please let me know because you’re amazing), but most likely, you will burn out and never want to read the Bible again. Read for 10-15 min a day … or even every two days. As with any habit, set a time on each day of when you’re going to do said habit, and then stick to it. Be consistent with that time. If you choose to read your Bible in the morning at 6 a.m. before work or school, best believe that you are going to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning before work or school to read for 10-15 min a day (or however you long to read each morning).