How To Start Reading the Bible
No matter what your reason is for wanting to read the Bible, the fact that you are here and want to start is wonderful! Several years ago, I was interested in reading the Bible for context to apply to my graduate studies, but I didn’t really know how to do it in a way that would provide substantial understanding of the Christian worldview. I could have just picked up the Bible and starting reading it, but I knew there was more to it and I wanted to truly understand it. At that time, I looked at a couple blog posts, but felt overwhelmed because it seemed like those posts where for people who already had a Christian background. I wanted simple tips on how to gain an understanding of what Christians believed and why, but I didn’t want to have to make all the decisions, like what translation to read, what reading plan to follow, or even what questions to keep in mind while reading.
I found the solution to my problem in Allie Beth Stuckey’s book You’re Not Enough (and That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self Love (I highly encourage all women to read this book. It’s very convicting.) and that is pretty much what you’ll see summed up here. Her advice provided me the ability to know where to go and where to start, I just had to do it. As a result, in five years I went from having a very bare minimum understanding of the Bible to now being able to talk about the Word of God in a much deeper and meaningful way.
It’s so simple, that it feels silly to even be writing this. Yet, I couldn’t find a simple guide online when I wanted to start, so I figure this might help someone else who is like me! And, no, you don’t need highlighters, notebooks, pens, outside resources, or commentaries. You can use them, of course, but you won’t find them listed here. All you really need is a desire and interest in the Bible to begin. (I do think outside resources can be extremely helpful, but I didn’t use or seek them out until I finished these three steps. Obviously, do what works for you!)
I do want to provide a word of warning. If you do not want to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; if you do not want to be convicted to lay down your life for Jesus and to join a local church or become a part of the local Christian community, then maybe do not follow these steps that I have laid out. Because I cannot guarantee that you won’t be convinced of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thereby changing your heart into one that is a believer and follower of Him. It might sound crazy to you now, if you don’t already have faith, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Step 1: Get a Study Bible
This is the only expense you are going to incur on this journey, and I do have some ways to work around the up-front cost, if you aren’t ready to completely commit just yet. But this is a journey. No matter how long one has studied the Bible there is always more to learn and explore. The purchase of a Study Bible will be an invaluable source of knowledge, no matter how many times you read through it.
Whether you feel like you have a good grasp of the Bible or not, a Study Bible provides a plethora of information that is both contextual and historical. I had no idea such a thing existed prior to reading Stuckey’s book. Yes, that is how little I knew about Christianity prior to studying the Bible myself. So for those who’ve never heard of such a thing, it provides a really robust understanding of scripture. The amount of knowledge pulled together in a Study Bible is unparalleled to anything else I have ever seen and the ESV version is, in my opinion, extremely accessible for a beginner, but also has so much information that it provides deeper knowledge for the more “mature” Christians.
You can purchase the Study Bible directly from the publisher or you can find it on Amazon, where a Kindle option is available. If you purchase through the publisher, you can create a free account with them that provides a 30% discount. The account will also provide you discounts off other books published by Crossways, the publishing house, which you may want to utilize after beginning your Bible Study. (During Christmas time they offer really great deals, like 50% off Bibles and other books, journals, and devotionals, so depending on when you are reading this, I would make sure to check their website out!).
If you really do not want to spend any money to start reading the Bible, and you don’t mind reading on a screen, you can read the same version at ESV.org or by downloading the ESV Bible App. In order to get the most out this version of the ESV Bible, I would suggest creating an account. They will ask you to choose between the Basic Plan ($2.99/month) or the Basic + Commentaries Plan ($3.99/month), but they offer the first 30 days free. Meaning, you can test it out and see if it’s a good fit for you, before committing either to the online version or getting yourself a hard copy. I just began exploring these online resources and so far what I really like is that you get access to all of their different Study Bibles (including the one I recommend above), devotionals, and reading plans. This can be overwhelming if you are just starting out, so do your best to keep it simple – utilize the primary Study Bible and follow the next two steps.
There are, of course, other Bible Studies. I have heard good things about the NIV Study Bible but haven’t checked it out for myself. When I was doing my preliminary search for a Study Bible, the ESV appeared to be a bit more accessible, which is why I started with it and is why I am particular to it. But don’t let my preference hold you back from utilizing a different one.
Step 2: Set aside 15-20 Minutes a Day
Obviously, in order to read and study the Bible, you actually have to make time to do so. First thing in the morning worked for me, as it was the only alone time I had where I didn’t feel like my husband would be looking at me all weird for actually reading the Bible. Yes, when I first started, I felt a bit embarrassed about it. Now, I am embarrassed to admit that I was once embarrassed about reading the Bible.
Of course, my husband knew I had purchased a copy of the Bible and he knew that I was interested in reading it. But to actually do it, when I had all the false preconceptions of what being a Christian meant, I felt a bit awkward, like I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. But that feeling faded over time. My point: instead of scrolling social media when I was up in the mornings by myself, I’d get out the Bible and read it a little at a time. It became a habit on weekdays. I would get up, grab coffee, and sit down to read the Bible for a few minutes. It turned out to be a much better habit than scrolling social media first thing in the morning!
My 15 to 20 minutes did have a specific goal in mind. The ESV Bible has the chapters divided in to titled subsections. My goal each day was to read one subsection. Sometimes that meant I only read 10 verses, while other times it was 50. The point of this goal was to make reading the Bible manageable for me. Of course there were times when I would read more, but setting out to read just one subsection made it easy for me to pick up the Bible each morning.
Step 3: Start with the Book of John
You’ve got your Study Bible – whether it’s a physical or online copy – and you’ve designated some time to read, but you aren’t sure where to begin. It would seem only right to begin at the beginning, with Genesis. I don’t want to discourage this, because any reading of the Bible is good. However, if you want to get to the meat of what Christianity is and what Christians believe, I recommend starting with the Book of John. It tells what Jesus did, what Jesus said, and provides context of the time Jesus was among us. It is where I started – thanks to the advice from Mrs. Stuckey – and it was great advice.
Another reason the Book of John is a great place to start is that it was written with an evangelistic intent, meaning it was written for the people of the world. John wrote for the Jews and Gentiles of the time who lived in the larger Greco-Roman world and beyond. In other words, it was written for people that potentially had no understanding or knowledge of the Old Testament. People like me. For this reason, whether you are a Christian or not, this is a great place to go to start understanding the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus.
What Day One Will Look Like
If you start reading the Bible as suggested, then your first day will include reading the subsection titled “The Word Became Flesh,” which is verses 1-18 of chapter 1 of the Book of John. Those first 18 verses will most likely be a bit confusing to someone new to the Bible, because it delves right into the Incarnate Word (who and what Jesus is), so I would suggest reading through the notes attributed to those 18 verses. When you’ve read through the notes, read the verses again with the newly gained insight from the notes. The second read-through should be a bit easier to understand because of the clarity and context provided from the notes. Follow the same pattern for each subsequent subsection, or chunk, of the Bible you read.
This reading pattern – of scripture, notes, scripture – is suggested within the introduction sections of the ESV Study Bible and I have found that it really works the best when trying to understand any part of scripture. In addition to the Word of God, or the books of the Bible, there are additional resources and articles in the ESV Study Bible (as well as in the App and Online versions) that I would highly encourage you take a look at whenever you have the chance. There are articles on the different Jewish groups referenced in the New Testament, what happened between the Old and New Testament historically, and so on. I’ve been studying the Bible using the ESV Study Bible for almost five years now and I still haven’t read everything in it. Maybe you’ll get through it all before I do!
Remember these steps are just a place to start. They are meant to be easy enough that you feel like you too can read the Bible and understand it. I want to provide you with encouragement, to help you see that it doesn’t take much to become familiar with God’s Word. I started reading one subsection a day and now I read chapters a day, because I want to and I enjoy it. Some days I make it through just one and other days I get through three or more. My point is that these three steps helped build my daily habit of reading the Bible each day. It really just comes down to the amount of time you have, your desires, and making a habit of opening the Bible a couple times a week.
You’ve got this!