How do I read the Bible?

Question

I am a christian but I have always been lax on reading the Bible, I have read the whole thing before but in bits & pieces. I just bought a new bible and want to be more disciplined about it, where should I start in the NT? Prefer to start in the NT because I connect to it more than the OT. How do you choose what you read?

Answer 1

The best way, pray before you read, so Holy Spirit will guide you to understand and enjoy your reading. It's not matter whether you start with the NT or OT. Choose one book to start and try to finish 1 chapter on the first day. Each new day, try to finish more chapters. It's better if you could find a guideline for daily bible reading (ex. from ODB-Our Daily Bread) so your reading could be more organized, but if you don't have it, that's OK. The important thing is your determination to start reading the Bible. It may not be easy, we all lead a busy life, but if we spend some time with God through His word and prayer daily, you'll find abundant blessings each day. God bless you!!

Answer 2

Somtimes a student bible will help guide you. I would personally start with the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I would only read a chapter or two at a time, or you will probably not pay attention if you are anything like me. I would also suggest a good Thompson chain Bible to find coordinating scriptures as you go along. Sometimes this helps to clarify what is happening. After reading and studying the gospels, read Acts. It is a history book, and shows the start of the church and how people received the holy ghost and how it spread throughout the land. It also shows the plan of salvation. Next, read the letters to the churches. This is everything from Romans till Jude. A Thompson chain helps throughout everything. If you have trouble with the translation, keep a NIV version or a student Bible handy to help you understand (a dictionary can help too). The read Revelation. This is a tricky book to read because there are so many symbolic meanings in this book. Do not expect to understand it all, but read it slowly. A chapter at a time is all I can handle in this book. Sometimes you can ask your pastor if you do not understand something and they can help you find the answers you are looking for. Also, I can understand how you relate more to the New Testament, but the Old Testament has prophecy that relates to the tribulation and today. Again, a Thompson chain Bible can help relate the New and Old Testaments together. The OT foreshadows the NT also. It is interesting to see the correlations. I hope this helps :)

Answer 3

Why is it an either/or question. Read some of each every day. There are countless guides (available free on the web) to help you read the Bible all the way through in a year. Of course it doesn't have to take that long, depending on how much time you have each day.

Start with a few chapters of OT and then a few chapters of NT and repeat daily. Do a word study, or a topical study on the side.

Answer 4

Start with one of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark or Luke). They offer great historical information about Jesus. Read it in bits each day, don't miss a day! While you're reading one passage, see what the other synoptic Gospels have to say about it (There are usually footnotes on the NRSV or NIV bibles refering you to the exact place each story reappears on the bible).

After that, it's a lot easier to read John (which has more theology in it), Acts (the history of the early church) and the letters of Paul and Peter, 'cuz they refer back to previous things that has happened. Read the Book of Revelations last, 'cuz you need some background information from the Old Testament to read that.

Answer 5

You don't need to read the OT first. There are lots of devotional books out there that can help you. If taking on a whole book of the Bible is intimidating try reading a chapter or part of a chapter at a time. Mark is the earliest gospel, and shortest.

Answer 6

Hi,
After putting it off a long time, I finally got impatient with myself and just started at Genesis 1. But if I were doing it over I think I would start at the beginning of the New Testament and read it straight through, a chapter or so each day, and then do the same thing with the Old Testament. Blessings to you!

Answer 7

I hope you bought a King James Bible. All of the other versions are "per-versions." (See avpublications.com or chick.com for more info about that.)

I have read the bible many times because I do it as a lifestyle. You will always see something you haven't seen before, no matter how many times you read it. It is the very wisdom of God, the very nature of God; so in reading it you will gain His wisdom and become more like Him.

Here are a few different ways I've read the bible: Genesis to Revelation -----Revelation to Genesis-----New Testament then Old Testament ---- and currently I am TYPING the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation (I'm in Ezekiel Chapter 33 and started doing this last May). My next plan is to read the first verse of each book from beginning to end to see if I can see any divine parallels. Then I may read the second verse of each book and so on.......

The most important thing is to STAY IN THE WORD.. Jesus said, "if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7
And you can pray as David prayed, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalms 119:18 Pray this before reading.

God bless you richly with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.

Answer 8

I have a student Bible, and it outlines a way to begin reading it. I would also pray about what you should read before you open your Bible. In the back there is all kinds of topics, like, Fear, Love, marriage, anything, and it will give you the pages and chapters on that topic. You could read about all you experienced that day. I would pray first, and God will give you a topic each time to look at.

Answer 9

Hi There!

I would start in John. If you take a step back, it reads like a movie. If you've ever seen Star Wars, the first chapter of John looks like it could be slowly floating in space like the opening of every Star Wars movie. Good stuff.

I would then read the other gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and pick up on the differences and similarities between those books. Each author has his own style and important points. Pick up on those subtle differences.

Answer 10

Well, reading your Bible is a tricky thing it take a lot of discipline. I would start in Romans. This is where Paul is telling the Romans the fundamentals on how they should act. Try it you might learn something. Good luck and God Bless!

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see."

P.S Hebrews 11 is a great book and chapter! its on faith