Many new and seasoned Christians have a story about their attempts to read the Bible cover to cover, some testimonials are something like this “I did very well while reading Genesis and Exodus, but somewhere in Leviticus or Numbers I got discouraged”, this Normally it happens because of details that there are in the Old Testament that they do not fully understand, sometimes the themes of sacrifices, holocausts and the construction of the ark or the tabernacle can make us faint when reading the Bible.
In this guide you will see the different ways in which you can read the Bible so that discouragement does not win the battle, but rather you can advance in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.
To start reading the bible follow these steps:
- Read the gospel of Mark
- read the gospel of john
- Read Proverbs and Psalms
- Read the Old Testament and proceed to the New Testament
- Define the type of Read (Complete, canonical, chronological, partial)
- Do devotional, topical, and whole book readings
Where to start reading the bible
There are many ways to start reading the Bible. Each one can choose how their trip will be, according to their reality. But, if you want to start the journey of reading the Bible and better understand its content, we suggest that you start with the simplest and easiest to understand books.
Related: How is the Bible divided?
Step 1: Read the Gospel of Mark
Read 1 chapter a day and in 16 days you will have read your first book of the Bible. If your goal is to begin to better understand the Holy Bible, nothing better than knowing its central theme and the most important character: Jesus Christ. The book of Mark is a good choice because it is the shortest and simplest gospel among the four biographies of the Lord Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). With this reading you will be able to better understand the life and work of Christ, the only way that leads to God (John 14:6).
The lively and original style of the book will help you focus on the person of Jesus and his fundamental role in the history of humanity. Despite summarizing many speeches, Mark’s narrative is rich in unique details about Jesus. It is worth reviewing the 16 chapters, with the most notable moments in the history of the Lord.
Related Article: Bible Reading Plans
Step 2: Read the Gospel of John
This book has 21 chapters, which will encourage you to know God even more. Read 1 chapter a day and in 3 weeks you will have read it. Once you have a good foundation through the short book of Mark, you’ll be ready to move on to a deeper and more personal reading of the life of Jesus. In it we have the account of an eyewitness, the apostle John, who saw and participated in many events and miracles of the Lord. He presents a life message that will inspire his faith in Jesus as the Son of God, our Savior.
Step 3: Read Proverbs and Psalms
These 2 books have a very accessible and easy to understand literary genre. They’re great to read (and reread!) over and over again. They can even be read at the same time as other books of the Bible, either OT or NT. Read small portions daily, reflect on them, and use them in your devotional times.
Step 4: Read the Old Testament (OT) and proceed to the New Testament (NT)
- Read Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and then continue reading the rest of the Old Testament books. Follow the initial advice: read the easier books first and save the more complex ones for last. Narrative story books like 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings have a simpler narrative and can be read first.
Suggestion: If reading Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, for example, is too difficult for you, skip them to the end.
- Proceed to the NT and complete the reading of the Gospels. Read the books of Matthew and Luke, to continue learning the story of Jesus, now with the fundamentals and concepts obtained from reading the AT;
- Continue with the book of Acts and the rest of the books of the NTcontinuing the story and teachings on Christian faith and practice to the book of Revelation.
Keep in mind that the reading order of the Bible can be a personal choice. But reading from the beginning is critical to understanding what is taught in the rest of the Bible. Many divine principles are recorded from the beginning and knowing them will help you understand the meaning of many biblical concepts such as: sin, death, life, love, forgiveness and salvation, or why it was necessary for Jesus to die, for example. The entire AT is worth reading.
See here: What is the Church?
to take into account
In this proposal, we suggest that you first get to know the life and work of Jesus Christ well and then understand God’s purpose throughout human history. That is, from Jesus, discover how God created and began to relate to humanity. How it gradually revealed itself and what are the biblical foundations of the Christian faith. Following the progressive order of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, will be a great way to go.
The Bible, despite being divided into two parts (2 Testaments or Covenants) and having different books, has a logical unity in its content. There is a great deal of Old Testament knowledge that is critical to understanding the New Testament and vice versa. They are complementary knowledge.
For this reason, it is important to read the sequence of the books, from the beginning to the end of the Bible. This will help you gain knowledge and understand the course of God’s history through the centuries.
8 ways to start reading the bible
The Bible can be read in countless ways and will depend on the intention, will and perseverance of the reader. You can read out of curiosity, necessity, as research (literary or theological) or as a source of inspiration. Regardless of intent, the scriptures will give you a greater understanding of God, as well as lay the foundation for your Christian faith and practice. Here are some alternatives to reading the Bible:
1. Complete reading
The Bible is an inexhaustible source of faith and wisdom! All Christians should have a yearning and interest to personally know the word of God. Access to the Scriptures is a wonderful privilege that not all Christians have had or can enjoy, even today.
Commit to reading the Bible at least once. This divine work as a whole has precious teachings for all who read it. Without a doubt, it is a blessing and a privilege to have the full text in our language and even on our mobile phones.
See here: The story of King David
2. Reading in canonical order
Reading follows the order in which the books appear in the index, called canonical order. The advantage is to have a more linear order of the sequence of the books. The downside may be that highly descriptive narratives are already arranged at the beginning of the Bible, like the book of Leviticus and Numbers, for example, which will require more effort on the part of beginning readers. But it’s worth moving forward to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire Bible.
3. Reading in chronological order
The Biblical books are not arranged in the historical order of events. The records of events and teachings revealed by God are not linear. Scholars have proposed attempts to bring the texts closer to the most likely historical context of the episodes. Reading in chronological order allows us to take a clearer path of the development of history in the Bible.
If you want to get a general idea of the order of events in the Bible, look up “Chronological Reading Plan” or courses and chronological studies of the Bible. Bibles are also available in this format.
4. Reading in a different order
Diversified readings are those that mix different books and are more flexible. There are more or less intense readings, which make inroads into the AT and NT, in a random or coordinated way. The purpose is always to lead the reader to a lighter and more effective reading of the Bible. Although more flexible, the plan here is still the complete reading of the Bible. This is my preferred plan because I choose the books, gospels or epistles according to my need or objective.
Note: Pick a plan that tracks your daily pace and get started! Read the entire Bible in 1, 2 or 3 years, it doesn’t matter! Do this according to your time and availability, and see the benefits in your life.
5. Partial reading
Partial reading of the Bible occurs more frequently. It is something we do naturally when we read one passage, chapter, or book at a time. It facilitates the specific study of a topic, allowing a greater attention to the details of the text and the context.
Reading by parts will help you to observe and appreciate the books in a more attentive way than in the complete reading (panoramic). If you have read the entire Bible, or if you intend to deepen your knowledge, try a deeper reading of the Scriptures. Plan book readings, important events, or specific authors.
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6. Book-to-book reading
This method proposes the dedicated reading of one biblical book at a time. It facilitates a deeper understanding of the text, context, and theme of the book. The objective here is to learn the book, gospel or epistle “forwards and backwards”. Here the reader will read the book until he can:
- understand its central message,
- remember and memorize the most important verses,
- apply what you have learned to life
- Share that knowledge with others.
The understanding of the Bible is always gradual and progressive if you dedicate yourself to reading it. There are many supplementary materials to support this method: bible commentaries and study books.
7. Devotional reading
This is the type of reading for meditation, prayer, and praise. It is a mixture of reading, reflection and practical devotion through the Bible. Prayer through scripture reading is a way of communicating with God. If you are interested in doing it, you can read our article How to make your Devotional: 11 steps the definitive guide.
Prayer through reading, for example, is a way of reading and praying the Psalms and other prayers from the Bible. This will help you memorize and internalize these Bible passages more easily. There are several biblical texts that are prayers, poems or sayings with wise teachings. Read and be inspired by your moments of communion with God. It can also support you devotional book.
8. Reading a theme
Thematic reading is usually carried out by Christians who have a greater maturity in the Lord, here the reading of the Bible is guided by a specific theme. The Christian searches the Bible for his subject of interest, and will try to discover what the subject says, which books speak of the subject, its origin, its progressive development in the word, what God wants from that teaching and for that he will have to go through stories and passages that address the chosen topic. Examples of topics:
- God’s character,
- Marriage,
- The life of the Apostle Peter,
- The origin of sin…