If you are new to the Bible or have not spent a lot of time in it so far, we recommend you start by reading one of the four Gospels which are the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Most people prefer to start with John, and some prefer to start with Luke. If you have a Jewish heritage, you may want to start with Matthew. If you are person who tends to be quick to act and speak and respect others who do the same, you may want to start with the Gospel of Mark.

It also a good idea to spend time frequently in the Psalms and Proverbs. Psalms is a collection of the worship songs of ancient Israel in which the heart of God is poured out for us in the context of difficult life experiences of God’s people. Proverbs is a book that will teach you about the mind of God and the practical life wisdom that comes from knowing His mind.

After you have read through at least one of the four gospels, you will probably find it valuable to read the first book in the Old Testament, which is the book of Genesis.

As a start point, and you probably already assumed this, you should know that the Bible is actually the words of God, revealed by His Holy Spirit to the prophets who then wrote it down. The Apostle Peter confirms this in one of his letters to the church:

The Bible is actually a collection of books and letters written mostly in Hebrew over a period of about 1000 years. The Old Testament was written to the Jewish people (and preserved for us, today) prior to the birth of Jesus Christ. It consists of 39 different books. These books chronicle God’s laws, important history about how God delivers and blesses His people, and prophesies about the future (mostly about the coming of Jesus Christ).

The New Testament was written entirely in the first century after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was written by His Apostles in the form of 27 different books and letters to the early church. It was written in the most common language of that day, which was Greek.

The bottom line here is that if you want to read the words and revelations of God (and He wants you to read them) you will need to read translations into the language you feel most comfortable reading.

Translations of the Bible exist in every major language (over 1400 languages). A free digital Bible provided by the YouVersion app can offer you the most common 100 languages. We recommend you get this downloaded to your mobile device. You can download it from here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ .

In addition to a digital version of the Bible, many people prefer to use a hardcopy Bible for their daily devotional readings. For new Christians whose native language is English, we recommend one of the following bibles that can be purchased from a local Christian Bible book store, or Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com or where ever else you prefer to buy books.

The New Believer’s Bible is uniquely designed to help the new Christian read, study, and understand the Bible. It includes features that help Christians develop and deepen their faith, while providing a foundation for their new life in Christ.

This personal-size edition of The Message is ready to go and easy to carry. In the front of the Bible, Eugene Peterson helps readers learn to use a “reading Bible.” In the back, the Topical Concordance will help them find Bible passages on more than 80 topics, including doubt, anger, love, and money. With “The Story of the Bible in Five Acts,” and additional charts and maps, anyone can feel at home in the world of the Bible.

The Christian Basics Bible is filled with features designed to help readers—especially those new to the Bible—connect biblical teachings to Christian beliefs and to see how those beliefs apply to their lives. By delivering the right amount of both information and application, The Christian Basics Bible can become the catalyst for living a vibrant Christian life.

Please note: If you are very comfortable reading older English as it was written several hundred years ago such as in the works of Shakespeare and other authors of that era, then you might prefer to read the Bible in the King James version. The King James is a tried and true English Bible that is highly revered as a masterpiece of classic English literature. It is an excellent translation of the original languages, but it tends to be more difficult to understand for those who are not experienced in reading this older form of English.