Read the Bible - Getting Started

By Rick Moffett

Many people around the world have discovered the riches contained in the Bible, the Creator’s revelation of Himself to mankind. But sadly, many have neglected reading the Bible​​ because they don’t understand it, they don’t believe it, or they just have no interest. Still, others give it a superficial reading but never uncover the many treasures that lie within its pages.​​ Consider -

My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,  Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;  For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.​​ Proverbs 2:1-6​​ 

I recently met a young man, Eric, who told me he had never actually read the Bible and that he wanted to but didn’t know how to get started. This article is for those who, like Eric, would like to read God’s Word but don’t know where to begin. I’ve been meaning to write this article for several years. Thanks, Eric, for motivating me to finally put my thoughts down where others might benefit.​​ 

There have been numerous books and articles written to instruct people on how to read the Bible. Ask anyone who has read and studied the Bible for very long and they will all have suggestions on how to best read it. The following recommendations are things I wish someone would have told me 30 years ago when I first decided to get serious about reading God’s Word.​​ 

First, trust that the Bible is truly the Word of God. Ask God to reveal that truth and He will. But beware, our enemy, Satan, will be there to tell you that you can’t trust God or His Word. That was Satan’s plan in the beginning (see Adam and Eve -​​ Genesis 3) and he is still using it today... because it works. If you doubt that the Bible is really God’s Word, you will have a difficult time reading it and an even more difficult time following its counsel. For a deeper discussion on this subject, read the article on this website -​​ Is the Bible the Word of God?​​ 

Below are some suggestions to help you know and understand what our Creator wants to communicate to us in His written word. To keep it simple and not overwhelm someone who is just starting to read the Bible, I have kept them as brief as possible. There is much more to say on most of these subjects, but this should be sufficient to get you started. Always pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of God’s word as you read it​​ (John 16:13).

1. Get the right translation

​​ 

There are many different English translations of the Bible. In general, they fall into two different categories -​​ word-for-word translations​​ and​​ thought-for-thought translations. ​​ Word-for-word​​ translations​​ are more​​ literal but not always as easy to read.​​ 

Thought-for-thought translations​​ are easier to read but not as literal. They attempt to reproduce the intent of the original thought rather than translating the exact words.​​ 

Examples of a​​ word-for-word translation​​ are the New American Standard Bible (NASB); King James Version (KJV) and English Standard Version (ESV). I would recommend using a NASB or ESV. I would not use a KJV alone.​​ 

Examples of a​​ thought-for-thought translation​​ are New International Version (NIV); New Living Translation (NLT); Contemporary English Version (CEV) and The Living Bible (TLB).​​ 

There are many more English translations in both of the above categories. I prefer to study using a​​ word-for-word translation, hence I use a NASB​​ translation. That being said, I have Bible software that has about 30 different translations so I can compare many different versions to get the best understanding. There are also many websites that allow you to read the Bible in a variety of different translations. See the list at the end of this article.​​ 

2. I Have a Bible, What Now?​​ 

Read it! I suggest you start at the beginning, the book of Genesis. For many years I’ve recommended that people begin reading one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). However, I no longer believe that is the best place to start. Genesis provides the foundation and context for the rest of the Bible, both for the Old and New Testaments. Furthermore, all the key theological doctrines are directly or indirectly mentioned in​​ Genesis 1-11, for example, - ​​ 

• God - as creator, judge, merciful savior, and most high God, etc.

• Creation - spoken into existence by God in six literal days.

• Man - created in God’s image. Created as male and female.

• Satan ​​ 

• Sin and the resulting curse on all mankind and all the earth.​​ 

• The promise of a coming savior.

• Marriage - between a man and a woman.

• Etc.​​ 

If you don’t understand Genesis, you will likely misunderstand the rest of the Bible.

As for the rest of the Old Testament, it can be difficult to understand, but I would suggest a least getting an overview of it before moving to the New Testament. Here’s a link to a website that offers a series of short videos on most of the books of the Bible -​​ https://bibleproject.com/explore/. But, let me caution you, watching these videos is no substitute for carefully reading the Scriptures. ​​ 

Always ask the Lord to give you understanding as you read.​​ Spiritual truth is always revealed rather than reasoned. Consider the Apostle Paul’s comments -​​ 

 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,  which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit,​​ combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.​​ 1 Corinthians 2:10-14​​ 

As you read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to spiritual truths. He will teach you what you need to know.​​ (John 16:13; John 14:25-26)​​ That being said, we should not disengage our ability to think when we read the Bible. The Holy Spirit often works through our thoughts and meditations.​​ 

3. Understand What You Read

I have been told by more than one person that the reason they don’t read the Bible is that they don’t understand it. Several things are critical for understanding anything you read.​​ 

A. Word Definitions

If you don’t know the meaning of a word in a sentence, it’s difficult to know what the sentence means. If you don’t know what the sentence means, it is difficult to know what the paragraph means. If you don’t know what the paragraph means .... you get the idea. Whenever you come to a word in which you don’t know the meaning, stop and look it up! If you are taking your time to read the Bible, you should take the time to understand it.​​ There is a list of websites below that provide access to Bible dictionaries.​​ 

B.​​ Context

Failure to understand the context of a particular Bible verse is probably the number one reason for the many​​ different beliefs regarding what the Bible says and what it means. Consider the following illustration -​​ 

Suppose you get a ten-page letter from your fiancé and you begin reading on page five that “she/he is breaking off the engagement and does not want to see you ever again”, ​​ you may be very hurt and confused. However, had you read on the previous pages that she was describing a recent dream she had, it would probably not be quite so disturbing.​​ 

There are several things to consider when reading the Bible -

a.​​ Who is writing the particular book of the Bible?​​ (see chart below)

b.​​ When in history was it written? (see chart below)

c.​​ What was the culture like at the time of the writing? (extra-biblical sources)

d.​​ Where was the writer​​ when he wrote the​​ particular book?

e.​​ Who is the recipient(s) of the book/letter?

d.​​ What message is the writer trying to convey (is he addressing a particular issue, e.g., false teachers, or is he writing to encourage someone, etc.)?

f. ​​​​ What type of literature is the book​​ you are reading? Some of the books of the Bible are written as history, e.g., Genesis and Acts, and thus, would demand a literal or natural interpretation. Others are written as poetry, prophecy, gospels, letters, etc., and must be interpreted accordingly.​​ 

Taken out of context, the words in the Bible can mean just about anything a person wants them to mean.​​ There is only one meaning for every verse in the Bible. While there can be multiple applications, God had a specific meaning for everything in His Word. And remember, the Bible can never mean now what it did not mean at the time it was written.​​ 

4. Covenants

The Bible is a book of covenants. God has always related to His people on the basis of blood covenants. There is much to say about this subject, but for now, I want to give you just the basics about covenants. Having an understanding of covenants helped me understand many things about the Bible that I had struggled with for years.​​ 

What is a covenant?​​ 

A biblical covenant may be defined as a binding together of two parties. A “party” can be one person, a group of persons, or an entire nation of people. This binding together or union involves promises or obligations by one or both parties. In addition, failure to abide by the covenant terms often placed the negligent party under a penalty or a curse. ​​ Covenants were usually initiated by the stronger of the two parties;​​ thus all covenants involving God were initiated by God. He set the terms and offered them to man.

There are two primary types of covenants in the Bible. There are unconditional covenants meaning that only one party has an obligation and conditional covenants meaning both parties have an obligation.​​ 

To help you understand the Bible, I will discuss just three covenants, the​​ Abrahamic Covenant,​​ the​​ Old Covenant, and the​​ New Covenant. I find that many Christians are either confused by these three covenants and how they affect the understanding of the Scriptures or they are completely unaware of them altogether.​​ 

The Abrahamic Covenant

A Bit of History

God chose a man named Abram to fulfill the destiny He had for all mankind. Seemingly there was no special reason Abram was chosen, however, Abram trusted God and thus he was counted a righteous man in the eyes of God. God gave Abram a series of promises including -​​ 

• I will make you a great nation

• I will bless you

• I will make your name great

• You will be a blessing

• I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you

• In you, all the families of the earth will​​ be blessed​​ 

• I will give to your seed this land (Canaan)

You can read about these promises in​​ Genesis 11- 25. Eventually, Abram (name changed to Abraham) and his wife Sarah (formerly Sarai) conceived the son God had promised. His name was Isaac. Isaac​​ and his wife (Rebecca) conceived Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. He became the father of the 12 sons who became the nation of Israel.​​ 

The fulfillment of the promises God gave to Abram is a point of contention and sadly, has often been very divisive. ​​ 

The Old Covenant​​ 

The​​ Old Covenant (Exodus 19 - 34)​​ is also referred to as the Mosaic​​ Covenant, the Sinaitic Covenant, or just simply the Law. This covenant is a conditional covenant meaning both parties have an obligation (e.g., If you do..., I will do...), and if either party does not honor their obligation the covenant is broken.​​ 

A Bit of History

God chose the nation of Israel to teach the world about Himself - His power, His holiness, His love, and His desire to have a relationship with mankind. Through a series of events, the sons of Israel​​ (aka the children of Israel)​​ journeyed to Egypt where they increased in number and became “exceedingly mighty”​​ (Exodus 1:7). Eventually, the king of Egypt grew fearful of the Israelites and began to oppress them and subject them to slave labor. Israel was in bondage in Egypt for 400 years.​​ 

About 1400 years before Jesus was born, Moses was chosen by God to lead the sons of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt.​​ (Exodus 12)​​ Shortly thereafter, God established a covenant with Israel, with Moses as their representative. God gave the terms of the covenant to Moses on Mt. Sinai and all Israel agreed to abide by them.​​ As mentioned, this covenant was a conditional covenant.​​ Both parties had an obligation.​​ (Exodus 19)​​ 

God’s part​​ was to make Israel His own possession among all the people of the earth. They would become a kingdom of priests and a holy people.​​ Israel’s part​​ was to do all that God commanded them to do. God gave them His requirements which consisted of 613 commandments (laws) including what we now call the Ten Commandments.​​ (Exodus 20 - 31) Bottom line -​​ God offered earthly blessings for obeying His commandments and earthly curses for disobedience.​​ (Deuteronomy 28)

The Old Covenant established a​​ legal system for the sons of Israel that included courts for administering justice under its strict regulations. Penalties for failure to keep these regulatory laws ranged from monetary fines and could be as harsh as death, depending on the severity of the crime.​​ Let me emphasize that the Old Covenant was a covenant of law and focused on one’s ability to keep it.​​ When the Israelites failed to keep the Law there was a complicated code of blood sacrifices that were required by God in order​​ to​​  atone for their sin. These animal sacrifices were offered in the​​  tabernacle where the priest presided over the procedure.​​ 

No surprise to God, Israel failed miserably at keeping this covenant of law.​​ While it had a purpose, God never intended for the Old Covenant to last forever. The Old Covenant was greatly inferior to the New Covenant for many reasons. But God had in mind a better covenant all along.​​ 

When He said, "A new​​ covenant," He has made the first​​ obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.​​ Hebrews 8:13

Before I begin the discussion on the New Covenant, let me make a few things clear.​​ 

1.​​ The Old Covenant was between God and Israel (Jews).​​ The Gentiles​​ (non-Jews) were never a party to this covenant.​​ 

2.​​ The 613 commandments were never divided into parts or categories of laws.​​ Some people like to divide the commandments into moral law, ceremonial​​ law, and civil law. While there are parts of the Old Covenant that deal with these different aspects of the law, the Bible​​ never partitions it as such, and the Jewish people always considered the covenant laws as a whole.​​ Consider -

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.​​ James 2:10​​ 

3. So what was the purpose of the Old Covenant?​​ The Apostle Paul answers this question -​​ 

19​​  Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.​​ 20​​  Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.​​ 21​​  Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.​​ 22​​  But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.​​ 23​​  But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.​​ 24​​  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.​​ 25​​  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.​​ Galatians 3:19-25 (NASB)​​ 

It was​​ given to expose the sins of Israel (so they might see their need for a savior) and it was only intended to last until Jesus came to offer Himself as the final sacrifice to pay man’s sin debt once and for all.​​ (Hebrews 9:11-15)​​ The Old Covenant and its constant sacrifices were always only temporary!​​ 

4. Jesus lived and ministered under the Old Covenant.​​ We see the life and ministry of Jesus in the four books of the Bible referred to as the Gospels -​​ Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. Often people think of these four books of the Bible as part of the New Covenant. This is likely due to the dividing page located before the book of Genesis that reads “Old Testament” and the page between the book of Malachi and Matthew that reads “New Testament”. It is important to note that man, not God, inserted these two pages. The New Covenant was initiated at the death of Jesus on the cross, thus Jesus lived and taught under the Old Covenant of law. So pay close attention when you see Jesus speaking. Often His message was not for the church (those who have received Christ by faith). He frequently preached the Law to demonstrate that a person couldn't keep it. Why? Because He came to save mankind from their sin, and that required a person to first realize their sin and hence, the need for a savior!

The New Covenant

The New Covenant is an unconditional covenant initiated by the blood of Jesus. This covenant is still in place today and will remain so for all eternity! In His unending grace, God had a plan to rescue His people by sending His son Jesus to be the savior of the world. All who receive Jesus by faith enter into this New Covenant. It was first declared by the prophet Jeremiah -​​ 

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a​​ new covenant​​ with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,​​ Jer. 31:31 (ESV)​​ 

The Hebrew word for "new" in this verse means - new in​​ kind​​ as in something that had not existed before. The New Covenant is a completely different kind of covenant than the Old Covenant. As mentioned, God has always related to his people on the basis of blood covenants. The New Covenant was no exception, however, rather than the​​ repeated sacrifices of the blood of animals as in the Old Covenant, Jesus shed His blood once and for all​​ (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24;​​ Luke 22:20).

For a better understanding of the difference between these two covenants, let’s look at a comparison.​​ 

“so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”​​ Heb.7:22

Understanding the difference between these two covenants is essential in helping you understand the context of the Bible. A lack of understanding will keep you confused.

​​ 

Know this​​ - You cannot live in a mixture of the Old and the New Covenants. They are completely opposite in nature. There is much preaching and teaching today that tries to combine parts of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant as a pattern for Christian living. It will not work!​​ That’s what Jesus was trying to communicate when he said -​​ 

"No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."​​ Mark 2:22​​ 

Additional confusion comes when people misunderstand what Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew –​​ 

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.​​ Matthew 5:17-18​​ 

The word “fulfill” means to complete. When Jesus willingly went to the cross, the Old Covenant sacrifices were no longer needed. His sacrifice did not just temporarily cover man’s sin, it took them away​​ once and for all!​​ (John 1:29; Hebrews 7:27)​​ The Old Covenant had completed its purpose.​​ 

​​ 

When a person receives Jesus by faith, he is spiritually reborn into the family of God, and as a result, he enters the New Covenant forever.​​ 

5. Pick a Time and​​ Place and Be Consistent​​ 

If possible, select a time and place that you can read your Bible without being distracted. Some find it better to read early in the morning before the busyness of the day begins. That does at least two good things. It helps to ensure that you will not miss your special time in God’s Word and it is an encouraging way to start your day!​​ 

Be consistent. This involves making the reading of God’s Word a priority. Schedule a time to read the Bible just like you would schedule a time for anything important to you.

6. Quality Not Quantity

There are many Bible reading plans available. I’m not a big fan of most of them. They tend to focus on reading a set amount of verses or chapters each day. That can easily turn into a “box-checking” activity, i.e., reading just for the sake of satisfying the quota of your predetermined plan. I believe it is better to read only one verse and understand it, than ten verses and not know what you read.​​ 

There is nothing wrong with reading large amounts of scripture at one time. I think it is best to read an entire book of the Bible in one sitting if possible. This helps keep you aware of the context among other things. But after you have read the book, go back and read it again making sure you understand it.

7. What if I Don’t Understand What I’m Reading?

As previously mentioned, the Holy Spirit will show you what the Scriptures mean, but not always immediately. There have been many times that I have struggled with different sections of the Bible. I’ve prayed and studied and still have not understood what God was saying. However, months or even years later it was revealed to me what these difficult sections meant. It usually was a result of something I read elsewhere in the Bible.​​ 

Know this​​ - the Bible never contradicts itself and it always provides the best commentary on itself.​​ 

However, using external Bible commentaries can be helpful. And because they are written by man and not God, they can also be misleading. I find them most helpful in providing references to common themes in different parts of the Bible. They can also be useful in providing dates, relevant cultural facts, and maps.​​ 

8. Last Thought

Let me encourage you not to read the Bible as a rule book for your behavior; but rather, read it as God’s desire to reveal Himself to you because He loves you and desires for you to get to know Him!

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ​​ Philippians 3:7-8 (NLT2)

More Information to Help You Understand the Bible

Definitions of Bible Words

• Church​​ - means to call out; the called-out ones. It has come to mean an assembly of those who are called by God unto salvation. Sadly, today it is most​​ often thought of as a building where people gather for religious purposes, e.g.,​​ “Where do you go to church?”. In the Bible, the church always refers to people, not buildings!

• Gospel -​​ good news. Most often refers to the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, which when received by faith, provides for man’s eternal salvation.​​ (1 Cor. 15:1-4)

• Holy -​​ In the Bible, it usually​​ means to be set apart - as in set apart from the world unto God.​​ 

• Reconciliation​​ -​​ (click on the word)

• Righteousness​​ -​​ (click on the word)

• Redemption​​ -​​ (click on the word)

• Eternal life​​ -​​ (click on the word)

• Forgiveness​​ -​​ (click on the word)

Timeline of Major Events as Discussed in the Bible

(approximate dates)

Source -​​ The Annals of the World​​ by James Ussher​​ as translated from Latin to English by Larry Pierce

• Creation - 4004 BC​​ -​​ (Genesis 1:1)

• Time between the fall of man (Gen. 3) and the flood -​​ 4004-2350 BC​​ (Gen. 3 -​​ 7)

• Birth of Noah -​​ 2948 BC​​ (Gen. 5)

• Building of the Ark by Noah -​​ 2450 BC​​ (Gen. 6)

• Worldwide Flood -​​ 2348 BC​​ (Genesis 7 - 9)

• Ice Age -​​ 2348 - 1848 BC​​ (no mention of this in the Bible, but the flood provided the conditions for an ice age. For more -​​ Read here​​ )

• Babel Dispersion -​​ 2242 BC​​ (Gen. 11)

• Birth of Abraham -​​ 1996 BC​​ (Gen. 11)

• Abraham travels to Egypt -​​ 1922 BC​​ (Gen. 12)

• Birth of Jesus -​​ 4 BC​​ (John 1; Mat. 1; Lk. 2)

 ​​ 

Chart of Authors and Dates of the Books of the Bible

Helpful​​ Websites​​ (in no particular order)

Most of these sites allow you to read the Bible in different translations. They also have a dictionary that allows you to better understand the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew words.​​ 

1.​​ http://classic.studylight.org/

2.​​ https://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm

3.​​ https://bible.org/

4.​​ https://www.preceptaustin.org/

5.​​ https://biblehub.com/

6.​​ https://bibleproject.com/explore/

7.​​ https://www.christinyou.net/​​ 

8.​​ https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/​​ - free app for your mobile device. Get this!

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