What Is A Good Bible For Beginners
Janoc Florez
So...you're new to the Bible and you don't know where to start. Or...you've been around church for a long time, but you've never really read the Bible on your own much. Or...you've read parts of the Bible, but it all seems a little disconnected. Or...you've only recently come to know Jesus, you're incredibly excited, and you want to make sure you start strong.
If any of these statements describe you, read on my friend! After 25 years of helping people read, study, and enjoy the Bible, I am convinced that what follows is the best Bible reading plan for beginners (and anyone who wants to lay a foundation for lifelong Bible reading)!
I call this plan the New Disciple Challenge. I call it that because it's what I share whenever pastors or youth pastors ask me what I recommend for someone who is new to faith in Jesus. That said, it is also fantastic for anyone who wants to build a solid foundation for all of their Bible reading. I do it myself every 2-3 years.
Before diving into the New Disciple Challenge, it's important to quickly share what MOST pastors will tell you...and why I think it's a huge mistake! (I know that just sounded incredibly arrogant on my part, but I used to tell people the same thing, so please hear me out.)
While I do think the gospels are a terrific place to start (more on that a few inches south of here), I am convinced that encouraging someone to "read a chapter a day" is the fastest way to bore someone out of ever being consistent in their Bible reading!
Your brain wasn't designed to enjoy reading in 3-4 minute time periods. (That's how long it will take you - on average - to read a chapter of the Bible.) Think of reading a novel a page a day. Not a chance! Your brain doesn't start to enjoy what you read until you've been reading for at least 10-15 minutes.
Not only that, but the mission of my life is to help people read and study the Bible relationally, not informationally. Our time in God's Word was meant to be time spent with Him, not simply learning about Him. When we start our journey in the Bible by feeling like we have to "figure out what it means" and "find something to apply" every single day, we are treating the Bible like a textbook, not a relationship guide.
The New Disciple Challenge is all about laying a foundation for Bible reading for the rest of your life. The gospels are four different accounts of the life of Jesus, written by early followers of Jesus. Acts walk through what happened in the few decades immediately after Jesus's earthly life. In fact, Acts begins with the last conversation Jesus has with his disciples.
Pick an amount of time. If you can do 30 minutes, that would be ideal. If not, you'll need at least 15-20. If you only read 5-10 minutes a day, you'll never get into the "flow" of the narrative and it will be hard to remember what's happening from day to day. Again...similar to reading a novel 1-2 pages each day. Boring!
At the end of 10 weeks, you will have walked through each of the gospels 2-4 times (since some are longer and others are shorter) and the book of Acts 8-10 times. Your knowledge and understanding of the life of Jesus and the first few decades of the early church will be well-established.
Whatever we talk about we get more interested in. Your favorite hobby. Sports. Movies. Cooking. Think of any topic you love. I'm guessing that you have some friends you could talk with about it for hours on end.
Obviously, if you can find 2-3 friends to join you for the New Disciple Challenge, and you get together at a coffee shop once a week, that will be the best case scenario. However, I've heard of people who email or text each other every day to check in. Other people have discussed their Bible reading over Zoom/Skype/Facetime/etc. Still others start a private Facebook group where they share what they're seeing, learning, enjoying, questioning, and applying.
The Bible is a big book with lots and lots of memorable passages. There are an unlimited number of passages that would be helpful to have in your mind and heart when you need them. However, in an attempt to give a starting point for beginners, here is a collection of verses that will give you something to hang onto for a variety of life circumstances.
if u habe fallen away dont be hard on ur self bec god still love u we are all like trees but when we ask jesus in are hearts we grow a bloom then more we pray, bible church holy spirit and wittness the bloom grow to leaf and more we do the prayer bible church holy spirit it witenss then grow to and apple or punkin .
May I reach across the computer screen and help you, too? These are my top suggestions for those wondering how to start reading the Bible. It is my prayer that this beginner's guide to reading the Bible will encourage you and help you reach your goals! These six simple steps will help you start to read the Bible today.
You can also download a Bible app or read the Bible at biblestudytools.com. These are great tools for beginners and veterans alike.One of the best places to start is in John and then Romans, following John. Download our FREE Prayer Guide for Romans to help you navigate through one of the most popular New Testament books.
There are hundreds of commentaries and devotionals that can help you learn how to start Bible study. But fundamentally, all you need is a Bible. Even that can be easier said than done, though! Here are some of my tips.
If you need free resources as you navigate how to study the Bible for beginners, check out some of these. The following apps and websites are great free add-ons to your Bible study. They can help you gain more context or information from your reading.
BibleHub is a great resource that lets you look at a variety of translations of the same text side-by-side. They also pull up some notes from study Bibles and cross-references. If you scroll to the bottom of a page for a particular verse, you can find commentaries on it, but a lot of these commentaries are older and written in an old-fashioned style of English that may be hard to understand.
Logos is an iOS and Android app that lets you look up Biblical passages and commentaries. I personally love Logos for the sleek design and easy-to-use interface, but it has fewer free commentaries than some other apps.
Blue-Letter Bible is a popular website for Biblical commentaries. I personally find the website harder to navigate than some others, but appreciate how many commentaries they have freely available.
Trace a circle into your journal and write your verse inside it. Now, using a ruler, make different sections around it on the page. The different sections can be whatever you find most useful, but I like using these:
First, I read through the passage slowly, underlining interesting phrases, putting boxes or circles around major keywords, and adding squiggly lines under things that confuse me or that I find curious.
What I love about writing in my Bible as I learn is that the text becomes like a conversation between me and God, where I can record my thoughts and questions, and where God is speaking to me in my life and learnings. The physical Bible becomes a record of my spiritual growth, as well.
Hi Sara, I just want to thank you for your blog post. I am a returning Christian who fell out of faith and backslid as I was growing into an adult. At the age of 29, I got baptized and I am 31 today. Since I have started my walk with Christ, studying the bible has been a challenge. I took a lot away from this post and you have clarified, for me, how to use the verse mapping technique. Thank you so much. I am feeling optimistic about studying my bible.
I bought a set of highlighters that are designed for the kind of paper used in bibles. I got the set of 6 at Barnes and Noble. They will bleed through if you go over the same spot over and over but other than that, they are perfect.
Sara im new to studying the bible and i have learning disabilities so i get overwhelmed and afraid that i wont understand so i dont do it. But where is a good place to start. The color coding and notes is what throws me i dont know where to get the notes and how to color code thanks Stacey
There are plenty available in whatever translation you prefer. Two I recommend from Thomas Nelson Bibles are The NKJV Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible (MacLaren Series) and The NET Single-Column Reference Bible.2
Bible dictionaries define the words used in the Bible. While not exhaustive, these are very handy to help you understand the significance behind certain places, names, and rituals that are unfamiliar to people today. I like the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary and the Nelson Illustrated Bible Dictionary a great deal.
A single-volume commentary is a good introduction to the world of Bible commentaries. These offer guidance for understanding and applying Scripture for students of any experience level. When it comes to single-volume commentaries, I recommend ones that feature multiple contributors rather than those based primarily on the views of a single individual. The Moody Bible Commentary is a solid option, as is the Believers Bible Commentary.
Getting started with Bible study can feel overwhelming. This is why Bible study tools are so valuable. A good set of tools helps you understand the more foreign aspects of Scripture. To see how the Bible works together. And, ultimately, to experience a vibrant and lived-out faith.
Of the popular Bible translations, the NIV Study Bible is the best Bible for beginners based on my analysis. It is the most reader-friendly, accurate, and widely used version in the Christian church. It also includes extra resources such as footnotes, maps, charts, and concordances. But it is not the only good starter Bible I have found. If you prefer the translations of my other recommendations, they are also top-notch choices.
The Bible translation spectrum is a way of classifying different versions of the Bible based on how they approach the task of translating the original languages into English. Different translations have strengths and weaknesses for different purposes and audiences. Some are better for beginners, while others are good for lifelong readers, in-depth study, devotional reading, or evangelism.
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