In What Order Should I Read the Books of the Bible?
If you have begun to read the Bible, you have started a noble task. But it is easy to get frustrated or dismayed while reading the Bible if you don’t know where or how to begin. It seems like the beginning is the right place to start, but that would lead you astray. In this article, I will show you a plan to read and understand the flow and thought of the Bible.
As you read the Bible, don’t begin in the beginning. Instead, find the contents page and locate the Gospel of John. It is about two thirds of the way through your Bible. It is after Luke and before Acts. Reading the Gospel of John will acquaint you with the most famous person in the Bible, Jesus. John will also help you understand the main point of the Bible, which is why a lot of people read it in the first place.
Next, I recommend that you read one chapter a day, so as not to start out too fast. Take some time and reflect on what you read. You may even want to write down your thoughts and questions about the chapter you read. Reading through John will take you about a month, if you read four to five days a week.
Once you are finished with John, go right to the next book, Acts. Acts details the lives of the Apostles after Jesus went back to heaven. Reading through Acts will help you understand the other books in the New Testament. Most of the other New Testament books were written by the Apostle Paul, who you will learn about in Acts. Acts is only a few chapters longer than John, so it should also take you about a month to read.
Now, switch gears and move back to the beginning of the Bible to the book of Genesis. Genesis is a story about the beginning of the earth and about how God chose the people he wanted to use to affect human history. Reading Genesis should take you about two months and it will familiarize you with some of the most famous characters in Biblical history. You will become familiar with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and others.
After you are done with Genesis, travel back to the New Testament and read Romans. Romans is right after Acts, a book you have already read. Romans was written by the Apostle Paul. Throughout Romans, Paul teaches us about the point of Biblical history. Most of what you just read in Genesis will help you as you read Romans. Romans is considered the height of Biblical teaching by many scholars.
If you would like to read more than just one chapter a day, try reading a Psalm or a Proverb. Psalms is found in the middle of the Bible. The Psalms are a collection of prayers and songs to God. They aren’t very long to read. Proverbs comes right after the Psalms. They are a collection of writings that teach wisdom for life in general. They are great to read if you want to gain knowledge about life, leadership skills or just plain old common sense.
So far you have read about Jesus, the apostles, the beginning of the world and the point of Biblical history. I think it is time for you to pick your own book of the Bible to read through. There are lots of different types of literature in the Bible, so take time to make sure you understand the type of literature you are reading. In the Bible there is history, prophecy, parable, poetry, and many other forms of writing. I have written a great book on how to understand them all. Most importantly, take some time to pray and ask God to help you in your reading. If you ask, you shall receive.
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