What Is the First Book to Read in the Bible
A lot of new and seasoned Christians have a story about their attempts to read the Bible cover to embrace that goes something like this: Information technology was going great every bit they read through Genesis and Exodus, but somewhere in Leviticus or Numbers, they started to go bogged down in details they didn't quite understand. And by the time they striking Deuteronomy, they were washed.
While it's true that "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy three:16), nosotros demand to recognize that the Bible is non like any other volume. It isn't necessarily meant to be read from forepart to back. In fact, the Bible is actually a library.
The Protestant Bible is comprised of 66 books, and many of those books are written in a variety of different genres or types of literature. These genres all need to be read a fiddling differently. Starting at Genesis and trying to read straight through without a strategy tin get frustrating if you lot don't know how these books and their literary genres work together.
There are a few ways to allocate the genres of the Bible, but they typically autumn into these categories.
Historical narrative
Books include: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, i and 2 Samuel, one and 2 Kings, 1 and ii Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Acts
While most of the Bible's books have some element of history to them, these are the ones that are primarily focused on communicating stories of historical significance. In these books, you lot'll notice a lot of the Bible stories you probably heard when yous were a child.
Wisdom literature
Books include: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
Wisdom literature focuses on what it means to live well. Some of the linguistic communication is poetic and figurative, and then information technology tin can't always exist read in the same mode that yous'd read the Bible'south historical books. For instance, Proverbs xiii:14 tells united states that "the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life . . ." This doesn't mean that wise teaching is a literal fountain, but a rather continuing source of intellectual and spiritual nourishment.
Poesy
Books include: Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations
While many One-time Testament books contain portions of poesy, these 3 books are written equally verse. Unlike English poesy that focuses more than on rhyme and meter, Hebrew poetry creates an emotional touch on by focusing on balanced, parallel lines. Nosotros can see an case of this in Psalm 24:3-4 where we're told,
"iiiWho may ascend the mount of the Lord?
Who may stand up in his holy place?
4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does non trust in an idol
or swear past a false god." — Psalm 24:3–4
Both verses use repetitive lines to bulldoze the point abode. To ascend to the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy identify both communicate a blamelessness before God—and faithfulness is communicated past the comparable ideas of not trusting in idols or swearing by imitation gods.
Prophecy
Books include: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The Bible's prophetic literature focuses on God'southward word spoken through his prophets. These messages tend to emphasize Israel'due south need to repent before they experience the Lord'southward judgment. When reading prophecy, it'south essential to empathise who God is talking to through his spokespeople and the overall message he is trying to convey.
Apocalyptic literature
Books include: Daniel, Revelation
Like some of the Bible's prophetic literature, the apocalyptic writings focus on futurity events. Considering so much apocalyptic literature involves dreams and visions translated into symbols and imagery, this is often the most difficult genre to understand—and the easiest to misinterpret.
Gospels
Books include: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Sometimes the Gospels go lumped in with the historical narrative books of the Bible, and that makes sense. After all, their unabridged value rests on their historic nature. But what separates them into their ain genre is that the Gospels focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And while all four Gospels concentrate on the life of Jesus, they all take a unique emphasis and each ane approaches the story differently. Luke's Gospel and Acts are both technically epistles, simply they revolve around the Messiah and his establishment of the church building, so they also fall into this literary genre.
Epistles
Books include: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, i and ii Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and three John, Jude
Epistles are letters, and similar mod letters, they're fabricated up of a greeting, a body, and a closing. These letters focus on pedagogy, correction, and encouragement for these new first-century churches.
Some books take multiple genres
In that location's definitely some genre-hopping going on throughout the books of the Bible. Daniel is both historical narrative and apocalyptic literature, and Acts works equally both history and Gospel. Proverbs is a wisdom book that includes poetic elements. But the point is that learning to see these books through the lens of genre can help make Scripture reading a lot easier.
And so where practice I start?
Now that you accept a ameliorate movie of the Bible as a collection of books, you can be intentional about how you lot approach it. Instead of walking into what is substantially a library and trying to read your mode through the books indiscriminately, y'all tin can read them strategically. As you practice, you lot'll notice that with each Bible book that you read, you gain a ameliorate understanding of the others.
Hither are some suggestions to become y'all started:
The Gospel of Mark
Genre: Gospel
Capacity: xvi
Total verses: 678
For the Christian, the Bible is ultimately about redemption through Jesus Christ. It makes sense then to begin your biblical journeying in the Gospels, and Mark's is a great identify to beginning. Running the length of a longer mag article, it should have less than ii hours to read in a single sitting.
Mark's Gospel will give you an overview of Jesus' life without getting you lot bogged downward in too many details. Once y'all accept an understanding of this Gospel's narrative and all the characters, yous'll be able to dive into the other Gospels with more clarity and understanding.
Key poetry: "For even the Son of Homo did not come to be served, simply to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." —Mark 10:45
The Gospel of John
Genre: Gospel
Chapters: 21
Full verses: 879
Where Mark focuses on what Jesus did, John looks closely at what Jesus said about himself. We notice some of the clearest explanations of who Jesus was and what he came to accomplish in John's Gospel account. It'southward from John's Gospel that we learn that "For God then loved the world that he gave his i and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Key poetry: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —John ane:i
Genesis
Genre: History
Chapters: 50
Total verses: 1,213
Genesis sets up many essential biblical themes. It's here that we learn that God was responsible for creating the heavens and globe; we witness humans as they rebel against their creator; and nosotros lookout God institute the nation of State of israel. The unabridged biblical story of God's working with and redeeming humanity is established in this important book.
Genesis is a genuinely enjoyable read, only we realize pretty quickly that we're reading virtually an aboriginal, foreign culture. It's helpful to have some tools on mitt to make sense of some unfamiliar concepts and traditions. Resource like the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible or the NIV Faithlife Illustrated Study Bible can provide a lot of helpful context.
Key verses: In the starting time God created the heavens and the earth. —Genesis 1:1
The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your begetter'southward household to the land I will show you.
"I will make you into a swell nation,
and I will anoint you;
I will brand your name neat,
and you will exist a blessing.
I volition bless those who bless y'all,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on world
volition be blessed through you lot."—Genesis 12:1–3
Proverbs
Genre: Wisdom literature
Capacity: 31
Total verses: 915
While there is of course theological truth to be found in Proverbs, information technology'south substantially a compilation of simple instructions for living wisely. Post-obit these principles volition help you alive a life of integrity and virtue.
As you're reading Proverbs, it'south important to remember the departure betwixt a principle and a promise. For case, Proverbs 22:6 says, "Outset children off on the mode they should get, and fifty-fifty when they are erstwhile they will not plough from information technology." The bespeak is that it's important to be intentional about teaching your values and behavior to your children. Simply it's non a promise that doing so will ensure a specific outcome.
Proverbs is full of wise communication virtually living, but it shouldn't be read as God promising sure results for specific behaviors. Retrieve that the wisdom that the Proverbs offers is wide-ranging and more general in nature.
Key poesy: The fear of the Lord is the get-go of cognition, just fools despise wisdom and educational activity. —Proverbs 1:7
ane John
Genre: Epistle
Chapters: 5
Total verses: 105
Since the beginning of the Christian church, authorship for this letter has been attributed to John the apostle. In this epistle, John makes unproblematic contrasts similar low-cal vs. darkness, truth vs. falsehood, and dearest of God vs. honey of the globe. This letter is intended in part to give Christians an balls of their conservancy.
Cardinal Verse: I write these things to you lot who believe in the proper noun of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. —1 John 5:13
Psalm 119
Genre: Poetry
Full verses: 176
The unabridged book of Psalms is full of insight and comfort. Christians throughout history take turned to the Psalms when they needed management, alleviation, and contentment. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and shares David's center for God's Word. If you're diving into Scripture, Psalm 119 will help yous run across what falling in love with the Word of God looks like.
Key verse: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. —Psalm 119:105
Bible reading plans
If you're brand new to the Bible, it's adept to have an agreement of the Bible'south message and scope before you dig into a through-the-Bible reading plan. Zondervan provides a fantastic drove of reading plans that will give you a strong working knowledge of Scripture.
This reading plan starts with an overview of Jesus' ministry, and and then spends a month helping y'all to become to know and understand God better. From there information technology focuses on various topics and readings appropriate for new Christians. By the time you're washed with this reading plan, you're going to have a helpful agreement of the foundations of God and his Word, which volition prepare you for committing to a more intensive Bible reading program.
Near total-Bible reading plans focus on a yr, which is a very reasonable amount of time to read through the Bible. The boilerplate reader reads most 200 words per minute. This means that y'all should be able to become through the unabridged Bible in a year past spending around 15 minutes a solar day on this effort.
There are a total of 1,189 chapters in the Bible, which means that you should exist able to get through the entire Bible by reading three or four chapters each day.
Zondervan has a strong program to get through the Bible in one year. This one starts at Genesis and goes straight through to Revelation. They also accept readings that include a 60-day overview of the Bible, and a listing of not-and then-famous Bible stories. You can check those out here.
BlueLetterBible.com has some helpful reading plan options that give y'all readings for every day of the year. These include the post-obit:
● Approved plan: While this entire post is written to offering alternatives to reading the Bible straight through, there are people who still desire to follow that method. This program breaks Scripture into daily chunks for a comprehend-to-cover trip through Scripture.
● Chronological program: This program organizes Scripture sequentially. As you work your way through this plan, you'll be reading Scripture in the actual order in which the events took identify.
● Quondam Testament and New Testament together plan: Going through the Former and New Testaments simultaneously tin give you a lot of insight into God's Word. This reading plan will equip you lot to read both testaments together in 365 days.
How to stick to your reading plan
Permit's be honest; a year is a long time to stay committed to something—especially when you're working through some of the harder-to-read passages. Here are four tips for seeing your ane-year reading commitment through.
ane. Read at the same time every solar day
Habits are built on persistent beliefs. If you lot're doing your reading at random times every solar day, information technology's going to be harder to institute a routine. But one time you begin reading your Bible at a specific time of day (and fifty-fifty in a consistent place), it'due south going to be a lot easier to follow through.
2. Find a Bible-reading partner
If you lot're serious about your commitment, find someone who volition join you. Setting goals with a friend tin can make all the difference in the world. Not only volition the ii of yous hold each other accountable for your daily reading, but you'll besides be able to get deeper by discussing what you're reading together.
3. Get a Bible you enjoy reading
Bible reading isn't very fun when you don't understand what you're reading. It's incredibly helpful to accept a Bible that tin can help y'all sympathize what'south happening (and how it applies to you).
If you're looking for a helpful resource, the NIV Educatee Bible will provide a lot of insight. Congenital specifically for students of the Bible, information technology gives you only the correct amount of assistance without overwhelming your time in the Give-and-take. And it has its own three-rails reading program!
Another groovy resources is The Books of the Bible. Broken into four-volumes and by many of the genres mentioned earlier, this Bible is free from chapter and verse numbers that provides a seamless reading experience. When done with a partner or grouping, this approach to reading the Bible can be very enlightening and meaningful.
4. Listen to an audio Bible
For a lot of the church's history, people listened to God's Word instead of reading it. Sometimes it can be helpful to purchase an audio Bible, and then take a walk and listen to the Bible instead of reading it. If yous discover that you're struggling through your daily reading, consider supplementing it with an audio Bible.
With the NIV 50th Ceremony app (available for iPhone and Android), you can read or mind to the full Bible text—and it's gratuitous!
Benefitting from God'southward Word
The Bible can be pretty intimidating for the new Christian, but information technology doesn't have to be. Knowing where to start can help immensely. Every bit you make your way through Scripture, yous'll detect the balls, forcefulness, and wisdom that only come up from immersing yourself in God's Word.
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7
NOV
2018
Source: https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/start-reading-bible/
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