You have just purchased or have been gifted a Bible and want to start reading but where do you begin?
This article will give you the basics of where and how to begin.. please read to the end to obtain all the information you need to get started.
Lets start with the Benefits or the “Why’s” of Reading the Bible…
The Benefits of Reading the Bible are Many
1. The Word of God will actually begin to sanctify (bless and make holy) you personally and the memorization of the Word will actually help to keep you from sinning.
John 17:17 (KJV)
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Ps 119:11(KJV)
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
2. The Word of God will begin to mold you into a true worshipper of God
John 4:23(KJV)
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Knowing who and what you are worshipping is extremely important.
3. The word of God will actually guide you in decision making and make your life more productive.
Ps 119:105 (KJV)
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ps 119:17-19(KJV)
Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
4. The Word of God is a great Comfort – Read all of Psalm 119; it is so encouraging and deals with the power of the Word of God in a person’s life.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
Ps 119:50 (KJV)
So…Where to Begin?
How to Study the Bible for Yourself
1. Find a good version of the Bible in which to study from, we recommend the KJV or NKJV available at any good book store or Christian book store.
2. Realize that the Bible is actually 66 individual books written over thousands of years. It is actually a library of books.
3. Realize there is only one author to the Bible – God Almighty – he had many writers (secretaries) but he alone is the author.
4. Realize there are different themes, time periods, and covenants in the Bible
Take Note that the Bible is Divided into Two Main Covenants or Testaments
-
The Old Tesament with 39 Books.
The Old Testament Includes:
Law – The first 5 books of the Bible penned by Moses:
Genesis-Deuteronomy
History – The next 12 books of the Bible include the history of Israel & Judah:
Joshua-Esther
Poetry – The next five books are books of poetry
Job–Song of Solomon
Prophecy – The final 17 books of the Old Testament contain prophecy some of which has already occurred and some of which is soon to come to pass
Isaiah-Malachi
2 And the New Testament with 27 Books
The New Testament includes:
The Gospels – The first 4 books of the New Testament they are a biography of the life of Jesus Christ told from four different perspectives.
Matthew, Mark, Luke & John
Acts – The only book in the Bible where you can read sermons to the lost and find how to be saved, and read accounts of people actually being saved.
The Book of Acts
The Epistles – Letters written to the real Biblical Church to folks that are already saved.
Romans – Jude
Prophecy – The only New Testament book of prophecy.
The Revelation Of Jesus Christ
Firstly:
We encourage people starting out for the fist time to read these two books found in the New Testament first.
The Book of Luke
The Book of Acts
These Books will give you the story of the Life of Jesus Christ and the Story of His Church.
Secondly:
Then we encourage everyone to take the Bible Study Exploring Gods Word-this covers the main topics of the Bible and teaches you how to use it, A video course online here at Special Space or Request a trained teacher to come to your home anywhere in Canada.
If You wish to continue on as a self guided student of the Word of God…these tips will help.
Following these simple rules will help to keep you on the straight and narrow, ask your self these questions when studying any scripture text.
1. Who wrote the book?
2. Who was the book written to? I.e. The Patriarchs, Israel, the Churches, the Lost
3. What is the time period in history? Old or New Testament.
4. Does this teaching transfer from the Old to the New Testament?
5. Does this apply to me today? Is it during the church age?
Let the Bible interpret the Bible. If two scriptures seem to contradict each other; find the third or fourth scripture on that topic to make it clear.
The Word of God will Never Contradict Itself
Let’s look at a common misinterpretation error of the Bible:
Matt 28:19(KJV)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Acts 2:38(KJV)
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The contradiction here seems to be what formula or saying should we use when people are baptized.
Should we baptize…
1) in the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost or
2) in the name of Jesus Christ.
To correct this problem we look for a third or fourth scripture on the topic of baptism to see how baptisms were performed during the church age.
Acts 8:16(KJV)
(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Acts 19:5(KJV)
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
As a result, we now have three scriptures that say to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Why then do most churches baptize in the titles Father, Son and Holy Ghost if we have more scripture on baptizing in Jesus name?
What was wrong with the interpretation of Matt. 28:19?
Let’s look at it closely
Matt 28:19 (KJV)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
This was a commandment given to the disciples of Jesus; they were commanded by Jesus to baptize in the NAME (singular) of the Father, Son & Holy Ghost.
So what is that name? It’s Jesus Christ.
Father, Son and Holy Ghost are not names but titles of an office that a person holds.
I’m a mother, a daughter and a wife but my name is Lois.
Jesus is the Father, the Son & the Holy Ghost, these are positions or roles that he holds when dealing with mankind, but his name is Jesus Christ.
(For more on just who Jesus is see The Power of Knowing Who You Are Praying To or The Quick Study Guide called The Truth about the Oneness of God
By using the third and fourth scripture principle and allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible, the misinterpretation problem corrects itself. All Biblical baptisms were done in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and if we are truly Bible believing Christians this is the only method of baptism that we could possibly endorse.
By adding the Word of God to your life you will receive so many benefits and yes, incredible blessings if you follow the teachings that are in the book.
NOTE: You may find it helpful to purchase a Strong’s Concordance to help you study different topics of interest in the Bible.
Simple Read the Bible Through in One Year Plan
January
1: Genesis 1-3
2: Genesis 4-7
3: Genesis 8-11
4: Genesis 12-15
5: Genesis 16-18
6: Genesis 19-21
7: Genesis 22-24
8: Genesis 25-26
9: Genesis 27-29
10: Genesis 30-31
11: Genesis 32-34
12: Genesis 35-37
13: Genesis 38-40
14: Genesis 41-42
15: Genesis 43-45
16: Genesis 46-47
17: Genesis 48-50
18: Exodus 1-3
19: Exodus 4-6
20: Exodus 7-9
21: Exodus 10-12
22: Exodus 13-15
23: Exodus 16-18
24: Exodus 19-21
25: Exodus 22-24
26: Exodus 25-27
27: Exodus 28-29
28: Exodus 30-32
29: Exodus 33-35
30: Exodus 36-38
31: Exodus 39-40
February
1: Leviticus 1-4
2: Leviticus 5-7
3: Leviticus 8-10
4: Leviticus 11-13
5: Leviticus 14-15
6: Leviticus 16-18
7: Leviticus 19-21
8: Leviticus 22-23
9: Leviticus 24-25
10: Leviticus 26-27
11: Numbers 1-2
12: Numbers 3-4
13: Numbers 5-6
14: Numbers 7
15: Numbers 8-10
16: Numbers 11-13
17: Numbers 14-15
18: Numbers 16-17
19: Numbers 18-20
20: Numbers 21-22
21: Numbers 23-25
22: Numbers 26-27
23: Numbers 28-30
24: Numbers 31-32
25: Numbers 33-34
26: Numbers 35-36
27: Deut. 1-2
28: Deut. 3-4
March
1: Deut. 5-7
2: Deut. 8-10
3: Deut. 11-13
4: Deut. 14-16
5: Deut. 17-20
6: Deut. 21-23
7: Deut. 24-27
8: Deut. 28-29
9: Deut. 30-31
10: Deut. 32-34
11: Joshua 1-4
12: Joshua 5-8
13: Joshua 9-11
14: Joshua 12-15
15: Joshua 16-18
16: Joshua 19-21
17: Joshua 22-24
18: Judges 1-2
19: Judges 3-5
20: Judges 6-7
21: Judges 8-9
22: Judges 10-12
23: Judges 13-15
24: Judges 16-18
25: Judges 19-21
26: Ruth
27: 1 Samuel 1-3
28: 1 Samuel 4-8
29: 1 Samuel 9-12
30: 1 Sam. 13-14
31: 1 Sam. 15-17
April
1: 1 Samuel 18-20
2: 1 Samuel 21-24 (Passover)
3: 1 Samuel 25-27
4: 1 Samuel 28-31
5: 2 Samuel 1-3
6: 2 Samuel 4-7
7: 2 Samuel 8-12
8: 2 Samuel 13-15
9: 2 Samuel 16-18
10: 2 Sam. 19-21
11: 2 Sam. 22-24
12: 1 Kings 1-2
13: 1 Kings 3-5
14: 1 Kings 6-7
15: 1 Kings 8-9
16: 1 Kings 10-11
17: 1 Kings 12-14
18: 1 Kings 15-17
19: 1 Kings 18-20
20: 1 Kings 21-22
21: 2 Kings 1-3
22: 2 Kings 4-5
23: 2 Kings 6-8
24: 2 Kings 9-11
25: 2 Kings 12-14
26: 2 Kings 15-17
27: 2 Kings 18-19
28: 2 Kings 20-22
29: 2 Kings 23-25
30: 1 Chron. 1-2
May
1: 1 Chronicles 3-5
2: 1 Chronicles 6
3: 1 Chronicles 7-8
4: 1 Chron. 9-11
5: 1 Chron. 12-14
6: 1 Chron. 15-17
7: 1 Chron. 18-21
8: 1 Chron. 22-24
9: 1 Chron. 25-27
10: 1 Chronicles 28
2 Chronicles 1
11: 2 Chron. 2-5
12: 2 Chron. 6-8
13: 2 Chroni.9-12
14: 2 Chron. 13-17
15: 2 Chron. 18-20
16: 2 Chron. 21-24
17: 2 Chron. 25-27
18: 2 Chron. 28-31
19: 2 Chron. 32-34
20: 2 Chron. 35-36
21: Ezra 1-3
22: Ezra 4-7
23: Ezra 8-10
24: Nehemiah 1-3
25: Nehemiah 4-6
26: Nehemiah 7
27: Nehemiah 8-9
28: Nehem. 10-11
29: Nehem. 12-13
30: Esther 1-5
31: Esther 6-10
June
1: Job 1-4
2: Job 5-7
3: Job 8-10
4: Job 11-13
5: Job 14-16
6: Job 17-20
7: Job 21-23
8: Job 24-28
9: Job 29-31
10: Job 32-34
11: Job 35-37
12: Job 38-39
13: Job 40-42
14: Psalm 1-8
15: Psalm 9-16
16: Psalm 17-20
17: Psalm 21-25
18: Psalm 26-31
19: Psalm 32-35
20: Psalm 36-39
21: Psalm 40-45
22: Psalm 46-50
23: Psalm 51-57
24: Psalm 58-65
25: Psalm 66-69
26: Psalm 70-73
27: Psalm 74-77
28: Psalm 78-79
29: Psalm 80-85
30: Psalm 86-89
July
1: Psalm 90-95
2: Psalm 96-102
3: Psalm 103-105
4: Psalm 106-107
5: Psalm 108-114
6: Psalm 115-118
7: Psalm 119:1-88
8: Psalm 119:89-176
9: Psalm 120-132
10: Psalm 133-139
11: Psalm 140-145
12: Psalm 146-150
13: Proverbs 1-3
14: Proverbs 4-6
15: Proverbs 7-9
16: Prov. 10-12
17: Prov. 13-15
18: Prov. 16-18
19: Prov. 19-21
20: Prov. 22-23
21: Prov. 24-26
22: Prov. 27-29
23: Prov. 30-31
24: Eccles. 1-4
25: Eccles. 5-8
26: Ecclesiastes 9-12
27: Solomon 1-8
28: Isaiah 1-4
29: Isaiah 5-8
30: Isaiah 9-12
31: Isaiah 13-17
August
1: Isaiah 18-22
2: Isaiah 23-27
3: Isaiah 28-30
4: Isaiah 31-35
5: Isaiah 36-41
6: Isaiah 42-44
7: Isaiah 45-48
8: Isaiah 49-53
9: Isaiah 54-58
10: Isaiah 59-63
11: Isaiah 64-66
12: Jeremiah 1-3
13: Jeremiah 4-6
14: Jeremiah 7-9
15: Jerem. 10-13
16: Jerem. 14-17
17: Jerem. 18-22
18: Jerem. 23-25
19: Jerem. 26-29
20: Jerem. 30-31
21: Jerem. 32-34
22: Jerem. 35-37
23: Jerem. 38-41
24: Jerem. 42-45
25: Jerem. 46-48
26: Jerem. 49-50
27: Jerem. 51-52
28: Lam. 1-3:36
29: Lam. 3:37-5
30: Ezekiel 1-4
31: Ezekiel 5-8
September
1: Ezekiel 9-12
2: Ezekiel 13-15
3: Ezekiel 16-17
4: Ezekiel 18-20
5: Ezekiel 21-22
6: Ezekiel 23-24
7: Ezekiel 25-27
8: Ezekiel 28-30
9: Ezekiel 31-33
10: Ezekiel 34-36
11: Ezekiel 37-39
12: Ezekiel 40-42
13: Ezekiel 43-45
14: Ezekiel 46-48
15: Daniel 1-3
16: Daniel 4-6
17: Daniel 7-9
18: Daniel 10-12
19: Hosea 1-7
20: Hosea 8-14
21: Joel
22: Amos 1-5
23: Amos 6-9
24: Obadiah & Jonah
25: Micah 1-7
26: Nahum 1-3
27: Habakkuk & Zephaniah
28: Haggai 1-2
29: Zechariah 1-7
30: Zech. 8-14
October
1: Malachi
2: Matthew 1-4
3: Matthew 5-6
4: Matthew 7-8
5: Matthew 9-10
6: Matthew 11-12
7: Matthew 13-14
8: Matthew 15-17
9: Matthew 18-19
10: Matthew 20-21
11: Matthew 22-23
12: Matthew 24-25
13: Matthew 26
14: Matthew 27-28
15: Mark 1-3
16: Mark 4-5
17: Mark 6-7
18: Mark 8-9
19: Mark 10-11
20: Mark 12-13
21: Mark 14
22: Mark 15-16
23: Luke 1
24: Luke 2-3
25: Luke 4-5
26: Luke 6-7
27: Luke 8-9
28: Luke 10-11
29: Luke 12-13
30: Luke 14-16
31: Luke 17-18
November
1: Luke 19-20
2: Luke 21-22
3: Luke 23-24
4: John 1-2
5: John 3-4
6: John 5-6
7: John 7-8
8: John 9-10
9: John 11-12
10: John 13-15
11: John 16-18
12: John 19-21
13: Acts 1-3
14: Acts 4-6
15: Acts 7-8
16: Acts 9-10
17: Acts 11-13
18: Acts 14-15
19: Acts 16-17
20: Acts 18-20
21: Acts 21-23
22: Acts 24-26
23: Acts 27-28
24: Romans 1-3
25: Romans 4-7
26: Romans 8-10
27: Romans 11-13
28: Romans 14-16
29: 1 Corinthians 1-4
30: 1 Corinth. 5-8
December
1: 1 Corin. 9-11
2: 1 Corin. 12-14
3: 1 Corin. 15-16
4: 2 Corin. 1-4
5: 2 Corin. 5-9
6: 2 Corin. 10-13
7: Galatians 1-3
8: Galatians 4-6
9: Ephesians 1-3
10: Ephesians 4-6
11: Philippians 1-4
12: Colossians 1-4
13: 1 Thessalonians
14: 2 Thessalonians
15: 1 Timothy 1-6
16: 2 Timothy 1-4
17: Titus & Philemon
18: Hebrews 1-6
19: Hebrews 7-10
20: Hebrews 11-13
21: James
22: 1 Peter 1-5
23: 2 Peter 1-3
24: 1 John 1-5
25: 2 & 3 John & Jude
26: Revelation 1-3
27: Revelation 4-8
28: Revelation 9-12
29: Rev. 13-16
30: Rev. 17-19
31: Rev. 20-22