Tips on Reading the Bible for Beginners

The Bible can be a bit overwhelming to those unfamiliar with it. Too often, interested people pick it up, open it to page one, and start reading. They may do pretty well through Genesis and Exodus but begin to get bogged down and give up in the middle of Leviticus. 

Even among professing Christians, the percentage who have read the Bible in its entirety is surprisingly low. According to Barna, evangelicals are the Christian group with the highest percentage (61 percent) who say they’ve read the entire Bible. But that means that more than a third of evangelical Christians (39 percent) believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but haven’t actually read it. 

Because the Bible isn’t like any other book, it can’t necessarily be approached like one. We’ve compiled some tips to help you read through Scripture productively, whether you’re new to the Bible or a long-time Christian who wants to read the whole thing. 

What is the Bible, and how should I read it?

The Bible is a collection of writings, making it more of a library than a book. This collection features various kinds of literature: history, poetry, letters, laws, wisdom sayings, prophecy, and genealogies. These books were written by many different authors.

In its traditional layout, the Bible isn’t chronological. It was gathered into sections like the Torah (the first five books, also sometimes called the Pentateuch), the Writings (including books like Psalms, Lamentations, and Proverbs), the Prophets (including Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Daniel), etc. And because of this, it isn’t necessary to read it from front to back or chronologically.

If you’re unsure where to begin, a good place to start would be one of the Gospels, found at the beginning of the New Testament. After that, consider reading Genesis. In fact, here is a potential reading order that can be helpful to get new readers started:

Suggested Bible reading order

These twenty books will help you cover about one-third of the Bible and offer enough context to help the reader grasp the other books they’ll be reading.  

The difference between reading and studying  

Imagine it’s time to clean your room. You pick up a folded shirt from the bed and go to hang it in your closet, but notice that the closet isn’t well organized. So you remove all the clothes to refold and reorganize them. During that process, you realize your dresser is kind of a mess too. Before you know it, all your clothes are piled around the room, two hours have passed, your room looks worse than when you started, and you no longer have the energy for any of it. 

This is a pretty good picture of many people’s first experience with Bible reading. They jump in and immediately attempt to dive deep so that they can understand everything. But they quickly discover that they’ve exhausted themselves without getting far into the text. 

There is a huge difference between tidying up, deep cleaning, and reorganizing; when we get them confused, it can be difficult to excel at any of them. In the same way, there’s a difference between Bible reading and Bible study. And when we confuse the two, you can end up spinning your wheels and not making much progress. 

Think of reading as skimming the surface of the text and studying as plumbing the depths. In your read-throughs (especially your initial ones), you’re not going to understand everything you read—and that’s OK. As you become more familiar with the Bible as a whole, things will begin to crystalize. But if you follow cross-references, read every commentary note, and do a deep dive into every question from the start, your chances of getting through the whole Bible will diminish. 

When you’re reading, keep a notebook beside you or a note-keeping app open on your phone where you can track questions and topics you want to look into later. If you are clear about differentiating between reading and study time, you will find that you can get through more of the Bible—and this exposure will only aid your study time.  

You’ll be surprised at how having a broader, surface-level knowledge of the Bible can help you understand it better when studying. In fact, this is one of the mistakes people can make when studying. Because they don’t understand the big picture, it’s easy to make little interpretive mistakes when unpacking smaller passages. 

Choosing the right Bible to read

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the Bible, there are probably passages that sound familiar to your ear. You’ve probably heard:

• “He leadeth me beside still waters…”
• “Our Father who art in heaven…”
• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…”

These lines come from the King James Version of the Bible, which was first produced in the early 17th century. Verses like these sound familiar because they’ve been woven into our cultural consciousness over hundreds of years, and their poetic nature and foreign-sounding verbiage help them stick in our minds. But the things about the King James Version that help it stand out can also make it challenging to read and understand. 

There are many modern English translations, like the English Standard Version or the New International Version, that can make your Bible reading easier, more productive and more enjoyable. If you want to learn a little more about how English versions are translated and how to choose the right one, read the Cru article “Which Bible Translation Should I Choose?” You can also visit BibleGateway.com to easily compare translations.  

Find the format that’s most accessible to you

When it comes to Bible reading, a traditional, physical book format seems like the most obvious choice—but other options are available. Some people find that a good audio Bible helps them stay focused, especially if they find it helpful to listen while they take a walk or relax at night. 

Others prefer to read Scripture on a tablet, phone, or e-reader, allowing them to take advantage of programmed reading plans, note-taking, and easy portability with the rest of their library. They might use apps like YouVersion, where they can take advantage of plans to read through the whole Bible or more topic-specific reading plans.

Read as consistently as possible 

Your reading sessions don’t need to be long, but they should be consistent. That could look like reading a chapter in the morning or one at night, or maybe tackling a few chapters during your lunch breaks. Setting a consistent schedule will help you make real headway in your Bible reading. 

The truth is that reading smaller passages more consistently will help with your retention and memory. You’ll understand what you’re reading better and remember it!

Find a reading and discussion partner 

It can be profoundly helpful to have someone read along with you. They might be new to the Bible or have a lot of experience; it’s just helpful to have someone to talk with about what you’re reading. 

When you have opportunities to ask questions and share your insights, it enables you to better remember the content and helps you maintain your enthusiasm—especially as you wrestle through some of the more challenging books or chapters.

This can also introduce an element of accountability that keeps you on track.

Supplement your reading with biblical films 

The biblical narratives––for example, the books of Genesis and Esther––are some of the easiest sections of Scripture to follow. But if you’re new to the Bible, it can be hard to understand all the context or get a mental image of what’s happening. This is where Bible-based films and media can really be helpful. There are quite a few biblical movies that follow Scripture closely and can provide valuable context and help you better understand the setting and time.

Jesus Film Project^® has several films you might find helpful! 

Life of Jesus (Gospel of John) is a version of Jesus’ story that closely follows the text of John’s Gospel. The JESUS film does the same thing with the Book of Luke (and it’s available in more than 2,000 languages). There’s also the Book of Acts, which portrays the birth of the Church exactly as Luke penned it. 

Films like these can help fill the gap between the text and your imagination, allowing you to better grasp the biblical story as it unfolds. 

To see other available videos, check out jesusfilm.org/watch or our YouTube page. You’ll find many remarkable movies, short films and inspirational videos to help you on your own Bible journey or share with the people around you. 

Start reading the Bible today! 

In the end, any Bible reading is better than no Bible reading. So get a hold of a Bible or app and get started today. These tips will help you begin, but there are more tools than ever for people serious about reading and understanding the Bible, so don’t wait! 

And if you’re not part of a community of faith, it’s a good idea to start researching trustworthy, Bible-centered churches in your area. They can help equip you to get to know the Scriptures better.