How Do I Start Reading the Bible? Start with John!

Tuesday, June 11, 2019 vaneetd ?>

 

The Holy Bible can seem like a big, overwhelming, sometimes highly confusing book—we know your hesitation with reading it, and we know exactly how you feel when deciding where to start in the Bible.

A lot of people reading the Bible for the first time have had the same thought; how do I start the reading the Bible? Is it like a regular book that I read from the beginning? Is it something I can just open and dive into from any page? Do I go for the Old Testament first, or the New Testament? In what order should I read the Gospels?

A person, of whom we can only see their hands holding a mug and thumbing through their Bible, and their shoulders as they sit in bed with a comfy white blanket covering their legs. The Bible is in focus, with the person out of focus in the near distance. Dive into your Bible study when you start with the gospel of John.

Are you even wondering if you should pray about something specific and see if God will drive you to his answer from a random page? (Yes, we’ve tried that approach too.)

We get it! It’s hard to know where to start with your Bible study and how to get the most out of it.

So we recommend this: start with John.

Who’s John?

John wrote the Gospel of John—the book of John—in the New Testament. If you’re pretty new to Christianity or are unfamiliar with reading the Bible, you’ll get a lot out of John because he (yes, he was real!) covers the entire life and ministry of Jesus.

A picture of an elephant in water accompanies the text that says; "The Gospel of John is like a swimming pool: shallow enough that a child may wade and deep enough that an elephant can swim." This quote is from Leon Morris.

John was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, and he witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles firsthand! The book of John is his own retelling of these events.

When you know and can understand all that Jesus did, the other books of the Bible—even the Old Testament—will make so much more sense. There are a lot of references to, or predictions of, Jesus as the coming Messiah in the Old Testament. These are far easier to spot and understand with the knowledge of Jesus and his life in ministry that John provides.

A young woman with bangles on her right wrist, sits at a wooden table in a yard reading her Bible. Want to know where to start reading the Bible? Start with the Gospel of John!

Considering that our faith is rooted in the life and miracles of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us on the cross, the book of John really is a great place to start studying the Bible.

If you’d like some help, there are fantastic free resources and a simple way to dive in by following the #John1Challenge.

A Bible sits open at the Book of John on a yellow background. The hashtag John 1 Challenge, and a pop out sticker saying 'Start here' accompany the Bible. This picture states that John is the place to start reading the Bible!

So get into the Word of God and see how easy it is to start reading the Bible. Everyone can learn and grow through their own Bible study, and you are no exception. God has important things to tell you, too!

Pictured is a copy of the Filament Bible, sat open on a table with a mobile phone showing the accompanying app, and a tablet also showing the app.

We especially like the Filament Bible because it’s totally unique with an accompanying app that helps you dive deeper into each page of the Word. Just scan the page number in your Bible and the app reveals all sorts of extra content to help you discover more about what is happening, the meaning, the locations, and the context, plus engaging videos and commentaries.

Front cover image of the book Life Change, John, by The Navigators. A Gospel of John Bible study guide, perfect to help you start reading the Bible!

 

We also love Life Change, John, by The Navigators. This study explores the book of John and helps you to imagine life at the time of Jesus’ ministry, giving you details to enhance your study and helping you to discover God’s Word for your own life through John. Great for group study too!

 

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