Everything you need to know to understand the Bible can be found here. Let’s break it down so that you can grow closer to God, today!

1. The Bible In One Sentence

God created the world for his pleasure, but sin entered in, so Jesus was sent to atone for sins and left his Holy Spirit to be with us until the new heaven and earth is fulfilled.

Many of us were not taught about the latter part of that sentence. 

God’s plan for earth is to redeem and restore everything.  

Those who love God will live in a new Heaven on Earth one day! (Revelation 21)

Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 

Eph. 1:9-10

2. Difference Between New and Old Testament

If you have ever cracked open the Old Testament, you may have felt extremely confused, bored, or even scared.

Genealogies (names of people) from generation to generation, stories of a wrathful God who sends plagues and kills people, men who had concubines/many wives..

Why is the bible full of such terrible things?

The Old Testament took place before Jesus came.  The people of this time were still under the law.  

Let’s look at a quick summary of the Old Testament compared to the New Testament.

3. Find A Bible Translation You Enjoy

There are many different bible translations to chose from today.

Popular bible translations: NIV, ESV, NJKV, KJV, NLT

Many pastors preach from KJV (King James Version) or NKJV (New King James Version). 

For a complete beginner learning how to read the bible, I would recommend the NJKV, NIV, ESV, or NLT.

The original manuscripts of the Bible were written in Hebrew and Greek!

4. Write in Your Bible

One of my favorite ways to study the Bible is by writing notes! I love going back and seeing verses I had circled or highlighted during different seasons of my life.

I also recommend using a journal. Write down verses and scriptures that jump out to you.

5. Where To Start Reading The Bible

Now you have a grasp on the overall theme of the Bible.

You have recommendations for translations.

You have your pen & paper, and you’re ready to start..

But where on earth to begin? 

You don’t have to start at the very beginning!

Start reading the bible in Psalms, Proverbs, or the Gospels.  

1. Psalms 

The word Psalm is Hebrew for the word “song.”  The book of Psalms is simply that – a collection of songs. 

Most of the Psalms were written by King David, but he was not the only author. 

When I have a bad day, I open up the book of Psalms.

When I wipe the dust off my bible because I haven’t read it in so long, I turn to Psalms.

When I can’t sleep at night, I read Psalms.

Another great thing about Psalms is that each chapter is fairly short.

Feeling alone? Read Psalm 145:18

Feeling like God has betrayed you? Read Psalm 22

Doubting your self-worth? Read Psalm 139

2. Proverbs

My grandfather always said that the best place for a new Christian to start reading the Bible was in Proverbs.  Proverbs was (mostly) written by King Solomon. 

There’s a story in the Old Testament where God asked Solomon to pray for anything he wanted.

Instead of asking for money or power, Solomon asked for wisdom. 

And wisdom he was given!

King Solomon wrote his wisdom down. 

Which is what we now know as Proverbs.

I always learn something when I read Proverbs.

Who couldn’t use more wisdom in their life?

Proverbs is easy to read, simple to comprehend, and full of great practical life advice and wisdom.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5

3. Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 

All 4 books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) essentially tell the same story.  

“The Gospel, according to Matthew”, “The Gospel, according to Mark”, “The Gospel according to Luke”, and “The Gospel” according to John.

It is each person’s account of Jesus’s life.

The Gospel means “good news” or “good telling.”

It is the good news or story of Jesus’s life and ministry.

His blood and redemption!

Inside the gospels, you will also find parables.

Parables are the way Jesus taught–he taught many times using stories. 

Essentially, parable = story.

But be aware — parables can be hard to understand.

I believe Jesus meant it to be this way.  He says “He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15)

He wants us to search and find the truth. He gave us the tools. We just have to seek him!

5. Find a Bible Story or Topic that Interests You

After you’ve read Psalms, Proverbs, or the Gospels, then where do you start reading the bible?

Has there been a topic or story in the bible that has always interested you, but you have never “studied” it yourself? 

Start there!

Some interesting books of the Bible that are fairly easy to read: 

Ruth, Isaiah, Song of Solomon, Ephesians, Hebrews, James

Are you wanting to know more about what the bible says about prayer, love, marriage, living a Christian lifestyle — all of these topics can be found in a bible that has an index, or even by doing a quick google search:

“What does the bible say about prayer?”

6. Pray Before You Start to Read

When you sit down to read your bible, the first thing you should do is pray. Pray and ask God to speak to you through his words and ask him to reveal to you what it means.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for giving us the bible so that we could learn more about you and what it means to follow you. Holy Spirit, I ask that you would help me to understand these words and that you would reveal to me what your Holy word means. 

You will be astonished at how much more you will be able to understand the bible when you first invite the Holy Spirit in to help reveal it to you.

7. Understand the Bible Like a Child

One of my favorite ways to read the Bible is by reading out of my daughter’s Jesus Story Book Bible!

In this book, the author takes the beautiful stories of the New and Old Testament, and points each one back to Jesus.

The stories are easy to understand/comprehend (obviously because it was written for children).

8. Understand The Context

Have you ever heard someone take a verse, completely out of context?

The first way to understand the bible in context is to read the verses before and after the main one you are reading.

For example, many people take this verse in the bible out of context:

 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:22-23

Wives just have to submit to their husband, be quiet, and do what he says.  But guess what? Keep reading..

In the very next verse it says:

 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. 

Ephesians 5:25-30

So yes, wives must “submit” to their husbands, but husbands have to lay their life down for their wife!

The second way to know the bible in context is to study the history and culture of the time.

This could be a big undertaking for anyone, and it could take a lot of time and research.  Luckily there are people who have already done it for us.  Again, you can do a quick google search, or use your commentary bible to help you understand. 

Satan uses God’s word against him

 Did you know that even Satan tried to twist God’s word against Jesus?

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Matthew 4: 5-8

Be aware that the enemy likes to use what he “knows” will get us. If you are a person of great intelligence and science, he might try and tell you that there are no facts or proof that God is real.   (This is where faith + encounters with God help you)

Wherever you are weakest, he will try to attack…  

9. Recognize The Adversary Might Come Against You

First and foremost, do not let this scare you! We have power over Satan.

It is good to be aware, however, that the enemy does not want you reading the bible. He doesn’t want you spending time in God’s word.

Let’s say you’re about to start reading your bible, and your husband does something to upset you. You would then want to close your bible and be frustrated about whatever was going on.

Instead, notice this could be the enemy working against you– keep your Bible open! Continue studying the Word.

Be on guard, and stand strong against anything that might try and interrupt you.

10. Allow Yourself Grace As You Start Studying The Bible

It’s okay to not understand what you are reading.

It’s okay to feel bored, accidentally fall asleep, or just not want to.

In fact, most people feel this way–at first.

I have found though, that the more I am in the Word, the more I want to be.

The more time I spend in prayer, the more I desire to pray.

Once you realize how fulfilling and satisfying being in God’s presence and reading his Word is, the more you will desire to do so.

Remember, the enemy does not want you seeking God. He will try to distract. (Steal, kill, and destroy is his life’s motto! John 10:10)

So give yourself grace.

11. God Can Do A Lot With a Little!

What time of day are you going to devote to reading the bible?

Is it the last 5 minutes of the day, when you’re weary and exhausted?

That’s okay!

God knows how much time you have, he sees the busyness of life.

He just wants us to give a little, and with that, he can do so much.

What did he do with the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? (Matthew 14)

He fed 5,000 people!

I remember working 40 hours a week, with a 6-month-old, and having nothing to give at the end of the day. I craved time with God, but I just didn’t have any. 

I would spend my final few moments of the day reading the bible. And guess what, God honors that. He loves that!

Don’t allow yourself to feel guilt that you don’t devote an hour every morning to an in-depth bible study.

There is grace. 

There is also grace when you don’t understand. 

There is so much to learn about the Bible. No Biblical scholar, no professor of theology, no pastor–knows it all. And that is okay! You don’t have to know it all either.

Yes, study and “show yourself approved” (2 Timothy 2:15)

One day, we will have full knowledge. 

Until then, we just try the best we can. We pray, we listen, we invite the Holy Spirit in.

12. Know Your Goal for Reading

Something to ask yourself as you start studying the bible is: What is my goal? What am I searching for as I read?

Examples of different goals as someone would read the bible:

To figure out if God is real, to have a closer relationship with Jesus, to study what the bible says about hell, to find help and restoration for marriage, to understand why God chose the Jews as his beloved people, to gain more overall knowledge about the bible, to study the life of Christ, how do I live life as a Christian

What are you searching for? 

I encourage you to first evaluate your reasons for wanting to start learning how to study the bible– that will help lead you in the next direction.

13. Allow God To Speak To You As You Read His Word

Did you know God speaks to us through his Word?

(2 Timothy 3:16, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 1:1-2)

How does God speak to us through his Word?

For someone to speak to you, you have to first listen. As you read the bible, allow it to speak to your spirit.  

If you want to ask God, How do I forgive someone who hurt me?

He can speak to you, by the answers already placed inside the bible!

If you want to ask God, How do I love my neighbor as myself?

That answer is in the bible too!

Maybe you don’t have a direct question to ask God. But maybe he wants to get your attention about something.

As you read the bible, listen to your spirit and see if the Holy Spirit nudges your heart in any way—this is God speaking to you!

14. Read A Commentary Bible

How a Bible Commentary Works

A scholar has “comments” on the verses bible. Those comments are then written in the margin of the bible.

There are many different bible commentaries available.

There are some free bible commentaries on the internet, however I prefer to have a physical bible in my hand and read the comments on the borders of the pages.  

Bible Commentary Resources

At blueletterbible.com, you can check out David Guzik’s commentaries for free.

Here is a link to his commentary on one of my favorite chapters in the bible, the 23rd Psalm

Free Bible Commentary On Psalm 23

*Just like there are many different versions or translations of the bible, there are also many different commentaries.

Some commentaries will be more difficult to read than others.

The bible that I personally use and study out of is the Dake’s Annotated Study Bible.

I have read several different commentaries, but the one that is easiest to understand and seems the most accurate to the Word is definitely this one!

15. Free Bible Study Plan PDF

If you do a quick google search on “free bible study plan pdf” you will find a countless number of ideas. I LOVE that there is so much Jesus on the internet!

One of the most popular bible study methods is called the SOAP bible study method.

Scripture

Observation

Application

Pray

This is a great method for how to start studying the bible for beginners! 

I pray that this guide is helpful to you as you begin to learn how to study the bible effectively.