How to Read the Bible – Made Super Simple!

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Wondering where to start reading the bible – as a complete beginner?

It can be confusing when you start to read the bible for the very first time.

The first step is to choose the right bible, which is easy to read and understand.

How to read the Bible

1. Choosing a Bible

The best bible you can have, is the one that you will understand.

When I began reading the bible for the first time, I went straight for the KJV. With everyone saying how accurate this version is, I thought the King James Version would be the one to use. Unfortunately as a beginner, the language was too hard for me to understand and I gave up very quickly.

Best bible for beginners ➡ New Living Translation (NLT) and the New International Version (NIV). If you want to take it to the next level, the English Standard Version (ESV) is a good option and is the one I use.

2. A Bible Journal

Bible Journal

This can be a great option for someone who enjoys writting down notes and reflections in a bible.

A bible journal is similar to a standard bible except that it has a wide margin on each page to journal your thoughts or study notes.

3. Where to Start Reading the Bible

The best place to start reading the bible is with the four Gospels of Jesus. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ is written out in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

While the first three Gospels are similar in stories and parables, John dives deeper into the deity of Jesus and does not repeat the parables or stories as in the previous 3 books. The book of John is often recommended as the first Gospel to read, as it gives us a clear understanding of Jesus Himself.

Bible Study Printables of the Gospels:

  1. Free Book of Matthew Bible Study PDF
  2. Free Book of Mark Bible Study PDF
  3. Free Book of Luke Bible Study PDF
  4. Free Book of John Bible Study PDF

4. New Testament

On completing the Gospels, the next step is to study either the New Testament or the Old Testament books in order.

The New Testament books in order are:

4 Gospels – The New Testament in a Christian bible comprises of 27 books which start with the 4 Gospels. After the Gospels, we read the Book of Acts which begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit and with the story of Paul the Apostle.

22 Letters – The rest of the New Testament books are multiple letters written by Paul, James, Peter and John to the churches at that time and are still relevant for today.

1 Revelation – The last book of the New Testament is the book of Revelation written by John the Apostle. This book is the revelation of Jesus Christ of events that are yet to take place.

How to read the bible

Books of the New Testament [Free PDF]

5. Old Testament

Similar to the New Testament, here is a simple breakdown of the 39 Old Testament books.

The Law (Torah) ➡ Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

History ➡ Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

Poetry ➡ Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Solomon

Major Prophets ➡ Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Minor Prophets ➡ Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

This breakdown is important because when reading the Old Testament, it is good to read the books based on their categories. For example, you can choose to read the books of the Law and then move on to the Major or the Minor prophets.

My personal opinion would be to begin with the books of the Law before reading about the history or the prophets as the Law is what sets the foundation for the rest of the books in the Old Covenant.

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Free PDF of the Gospels of the Bible Study Pack:
Learn about the life of Jesus and His teachings throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John along with study notes and key verses to memorize
Gospel of Matthew Bible study Notes
Book of Matthew Bible Study
Gospel of John bible study notes
Book of John Bible Study
Gospel of Luke bible study notes for beginners
Book of Luke Bible Study
Gospel of Mark bible study notes for beginners
Book of Mark Bible Study