How to Study the Bible for Beginners (Made Easy) in 2026

0 Comments
This article may contain affiliate links. Please read disclosure policy for more information. All Bible quotations are from the New International Versions (NIV) unless otherwise stated. Bible copyright permission can be found here.

Spread the Word!

How to Study the Bible as a Beginner

If you have never read the bible before, this is a great way to start reading the bible and this is exactly how I did it myself. The most easiest way without stressing you out. Once you begin understanding the basics, bible reading becomes a lot easier.

1. Read the Stories of the Old Testament

Start with the Old Testament Stories

I know this is not the easiest way to read the Bible, because many people often tell you to start with the New Testament—the Gospels—first, and I agree that it is a great idea. However, I have found that this method works better because without the Old Testament, the New Testament may not make much sense. While reading the bible, cover to cover is the way to do it, here is another option you can choose.

Read the Old Testament stories first.

There are many references to the Old Testament in the New Testament and so when we understand the reason behind the Law and the prophecies, the Gospel message will be easy to follow.

Use these bible verse references to study these bible stories in the Old Testament:

  1. Story of the Creation (Genesis 1-2)
  2. The Fall (Genesis 3)
  3. Noah and the Ark (Genesis 6-9)
  4. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)
  5. Story of Abraham and his wife Sarah (Genesis 15-18:15 and Genesis 21)
  6. Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)
  7. Abraham and his son Isaac (Genesis 22)
  8. The twins Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25-26)
  9. The Story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37-45)
  10. Moses, Pharoah and the Israelites (Exodus – 10 Plagues and the 10 Commandments)
  11. Joshua enters the Promised Land (Joshua 1-8)
  12. Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 1-7)
  13. King Saul (1 Samuel 8-15)
  14. David – from Shepherd to King (1 Samuel 16-31 and 2 Samuel 1-2)
  15. Wisdom and Wealth of King Solomon (1 Kings 1-9)
  16. Downfall of King Solomon (1 Kings 11 also read book of Ecclesiastes)
  17. Prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17-21 and 2 Kings 1-10)
  18. Prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2- 25)
  19. Jonah and the Big Fish (Book of Jonah)
  20. Daniel and King Nebuchanezzar (Book of Daniel)

Free to Download Bible tip-in:

Bible reading plan

➡ Download this page using this link. The is no need to sign up for anything to avail this printable. Simply click and download to your device or print for personal use.

These are only a small percentage of the many stories that are there in the Old Testament. But use these as a starting point before you begin to read your bible from cover to cover.

2. The Gospels

The Gospels are the first of the four books in the New Testament that talk about the life, miracles and teachings of Jesus Christ. They are:

  1. The book of Matthew (Free ebook Bible Study)
  2. The book of Mark (Free ebook Bible Study)
  3. The book of Luke (Free ebook Bible Study)
  4. The book of John (Free ebook Bible Study)

Matthew, Mark and Luke all address topics like Jesus’ birth, signs and wonders, teachings and parables and finally His death and resurrection, they all do so from a different lens. Each of them add in a bit more information helping us as readers understand the scenario better.

John on the other hand, does not cover topics like Jesus’ birth or any of the parables mentioned in the other Gospels. He instead highlights on the deity of Jesus Christ, where we can see the I Am statements of Jesus like I Am the Good Shepherd, I Am the Bread of Life, and the most popular one – I Am the Way the Truth and the Life.

3. Rest of the New Testament

After the 4 Gospels, you can read the remaining of the New Testament books, which is made up of letters written by Apostle Paul, James, John, Jude and Peter.

To summarize the New Testament:

4 Books = The Gospels of Jesus

1 Book of the Acts of the Apostles = Early Church history

21 Books = Written Letters

1 Book of Revelation = Revelation of Jesus Christ

Total Books of the New Testament = 27 Books

Free Bible Study Tools

I was moved by the Holy Spirit to create these free books of the Bible (New Testament) study PDF’s that may assist you in not giving up on bible study. I have personally struggled to complete reading the bible from start to finish, many times in the past and I know it may be the same for you. So I hope these free guides can motivate you to not give up. Feel free to use the links for reference or to download them all.

➡ Here is a preview of the Book of John bible study worsheets. Download some or all of the New Testament books using the links below.

➡ Download Free Bible Study PDF Guides: (All 27 Books of the New Testament)

Instead of having rigorous bible study plans, follow the Holy Spirit in reading the bible as God leads you. Sometimes, one single verse can be more impactful that reading two Chapters in the bible. It is not about how much we read in a day, but how much wisdom we gain from it.

For Your Bible Study:

Three simple and basic essentials for a Bible study are:

  1. Bible highlighters
  2. Bible pens
  3. And the obvious last one – a Bible

Bible Highlighters

For highlighters, you can get any wax-based highlighters from Amazon or a Christian bookstore. The waxy tips glide smoothly through the pages and do not bleed through.

Bible Pens

These are really important because using a normal pen will not only bleed through the pages, but it can also cause impressions on the pages. Since Bible pages are often thin, these impressions can make reading uncomfortable.

I always use a Micron pen to write on Bible pages. If you are not a fan of highlighters, these Micron pens also come in different colors to mark your Bible.

Bible Journaling pen

Bible

When it comes to studying the Bible, depending on your method, you can choose from three options.

  1. Normal bible
  2. Journaling bible
  3. Study bible

1. Normal Bible: This is a standard Bible that comes in different translations, such as the KJV, ESV, NLT, or NIV. They also come in regular or large print, and the sizes can vary (compact, personal, and large).

➡ what I use: A large print ESV Bible.

2. Journaling Bible: This is also a standard bible that you can buy in different translations, but they come with an extra margin space that you can use to write note or reflections. This is like a 2-in-1 bible/journal. If you are someone who prefers writing in your bible itself, this is a good option – saves you carrying an extra journaling note book.

3. Study Bible: Finally we have the study bible, which again comes in a number of different translations. These are larger heavier bibles as they have a lot of additional bible study content like:

  • Maps
  • History
  • Dates and Authors
  • Cross references
  • Chart and diagrams
  • Photos
Study Bible

As you can imagine, with all this additional material, a study Bible is great if you want to dive deep into Scripture. Most people use a study Bible as an additional resource alongside a standard Bible. However, if you want to save money but still want a study Bible, you can simply use the study Bible on its own. While they are great for home studying, keep in mind that these Bibles can be heavy to carry around.

Feel free to drop a comment below if this has helped you in any way. God bless!

Spread the Word!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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