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Curtis Elliott
Supporter
The best and most efficient way to begin reading the Bible is to join a solid Bible study group at your congregation. Moreover, you will greatly benefit from the fellowship of learning the Bible in a class setting with fellow believers. If you don't have a Bible study class for adults in your congregation, ask your minister to start one! The Disciples Series is one very strong base of curriculum that many congregations use these days.
Tim Maas
Supporter
To me, the most important sections to start with would be the Old Testament books of Genesis and Exodus (which establish the framework for all the the rest of the Biblical narrative, as well as providing a basic understanding of God's Law), followed by the New Testament gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) (which set the incarnation of Christ within the context of Israel's history (as well as world history), and show how Christ fulfilled God's initial promise in Genesis as to how the "seed of the woman" would ultimately and finally crush the head of the serpent (that is, Satan) who had caused humanity to fall into sin, and allow humans to live eternally in God's presence through faith in Him). These books also largely read as a narrative of events, and are thus generally easier to follow than the prophetic or doctrinal books that comprise the bulk of the Bible.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
To get started reading the Bible, choose a helpful English translation if that is your native language. I like the New Living Translation. If this is your first time reading through the Bible, I would choose the One Year Bible. My wife and I did choose it and loved it! My father-in-law also did and completed it, as far as I know. It led to discussions, and so it probably will with you if you and someone else decide to do it together. With it, you might decide to listen to some selected songs to go along with daily readings: https://www.youtube.com/user/singthroughthebible It’s highly recommended that you start with the Psalms, which is a book of prayers and poems in the Old Testament, and with the gospels, which are the first four books in the New Testament. Start the day reading a Psalm (most chapters in this book are prayer poems) and talk to God about your thoughts and feelings in response. Before you lay down to sleep, read a short section of a New Testament book, like John. You can think about what you’ve read while you fall asleep. Author Allie Boman has some other good ideas, too, in her online article titled, "How Can I Get Started Reading the Bible?" The NLT One Year Bible is free online if you prefer to do your reading that way, I think. But personally, I like a hard copy so I always check out one at our local library, free, of course, and then just keep renewing it and reordering it. It is also helpful to be a member of ebible.com. Questions are sure to arise when reading the Bible through, When this happens, all you have to do is type in the book and chapter of the Bible you are reading through, and then your question may very well appear as one that has been asked by someone else. If not, you can type in your question, and it most certainly will be answered by someone farther along in his or her Christian journey.
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