Tips for New Christians to Start Reading the Bible

Are you a new believer? Don’t know where to start with reading the Bible? I was once a new believer, too, and I’d love to help you on your journey to reading the Bible. Below are tips for new believers to start reading the Bible. In summary, my tips for starting to read the Bible include using a study bible, setting a time to read daily, praying for understanding, reading the Gospels and New Testament first, and joining a Bible study. To learn more about these tips, please keep reading!

Tip #1: Use a Good Study Bible

There are many versions of the Bible that are available for purchase or that you can find on free Bible apps. I highly advise that a new believer purchase a study Bible. Study Bibles will have notes, explain tricky passages of scripture, have illustrations and timelines to further explain the Bible, and include quick summaries of each book of the Bible, including the overall theme of the book. A good study Bible will help make reading the Bible a lot easier.

You’ll also want to use a good Bible translation. The top Bible translations that I would suggest are New International Version (NIV), Fire Bible (English Standard Version or ESV), New Living Translation (NLT), or a New King James Version Bible (NKJV). I’m not going to discuss Bible translations very deeply here. Just know that these are the most commonly used translations and are considered to be the most accurate. The books of the Bible were originally written in ancient Hebrew and Greek, so it is important to pick a good translation.

Picking a Translation

If you’re not sure which translation would be right for you, I would suggest reading a chapter or two in each translation and picking the one you find easiest to understand. You can use a free Bible app like Bible Gateway or YouVersion to try each translation. This way, you can decide if you want to buy a certain translation in print. For my personal use, I have purchased ebook versions of the Bible on my phone for when I travel and print versions of the Bible for reading at home. I like using print because I can flip between passages easily or peek at the summary of the book I’m reading. While I don’t highlight or write in my Bible, some Christians find this helpful. Having a print Bible makes this easy.

Overtime, you can collect other translations of the Bible as you become more comfortable as a Christian. I currently have 5 print Bibles in different translations, and I use them interchangeably when studying the Bible. This isn’t necessary, but I enjoy reading the Bible and get excited about trying different translations or study Bibles. Once again, this isn’t necessary. I just wanted to point out that you can choose to change your preferred translation or use multiple ones as you grow in your faith.

Tip #2: Set a Time to Read the Bible Daily

It takes intentionality to read the Bible daily. Find a time during the day that works for you and stick with it. Try to be as consistent as possible. I personally prefer to have a quiet time, a time of worship, prayer, and Bible study, in the mornings. I usually read the Bible while eating breakfast as the last part of my quiet time. Having a routine helps me to stick to it.

If the morning doesn’t work for you, that’s okay. Just find a time to read the Bible. When my work schedule was different, I would read the Bible during my lunch hour instead of first thing in the morning. It’s totally okay if you’re a night owl or have other obligations and need to read the Bible at another time of day. The most important thing is to make reading the Bible a daily routine. Also, if you miss a day, do your best to get back on track. Life gets crazy for everyone and that’s okay. Just try to re-establish your reading schedule as soon as you can.

Tip #3: Pray for God to Reveal Something in the Word that Day

One of my favorite things to do before reading the Bible is to ask God to reveal some nugget of truth in the Bible to me. This is a short but effective prayer. I find that God often allows me to see something new in the Word. Sometimes it’s something as small as a deeper understanding of a verse. Sometimes it’s a bigger truth. Either way, I love asking God to meet me in the Bible and share something new with me. 

One of the most important things you can do when reading the Bible is to approach it with an expectant heart. Praying to hear from God through the Bible helps me to expect God to speak to me as I read it. Personally, I don’t think there’s anyone better to help me understand the Bible. 

Tip #4: Focus on the Gospels and the New Testament When You Start Reading the Bible

Most Christians will say to start at the beginning of the Bible. I personally think it would be better to start with the Gospels and New Testament. This is because the Gospels help a new believer to further understand Jesus, why He is important to our salvation, how He lived, and what He did. The Gospels are the cornerstone of what Christians believe. Reading the Gospels helps new believers to get grounded very quickly in their faith. 

Reading the New Testament is also helpful because it provides a lot of background information on how the early church was formed. Furthermore, it provides vital information on how to live as a Christian. The New Testament discusses the importance of being a part of a church and how to live a holy life. It also offers more explanations of the importance of Jesus’s death and resurrection. 

When I was a new Christian, I found the Old Testament to be too confusing. I also wasn’t sure what to make of the creation account yet.  Someone advised me to start with the Gospels and New Testament and it helped me to understand Christian living. I was also able to get acclimated to what I could expect in terms of church life. Personally, I found the New Testament less intimidating than the Old Testament because is was a lot easier to grasp. 

More on Reading the Old and New Testament

This isn’t to say that the Old Testament isn’t important. As a mature Christian, I love both the Old and New Testament. I’m just saying that the Gospels and New Testament are a great place to begin reading the Bible. You can even find reading plans for reading through the New Testament in a year on apps like Bible Gateway.

After you’ve finished the Gospels and New Testament, you can try reading the Old Testament on its own. If you’re up for a challenge, you may even try to read the whole Bible in a year. You can also find Bible in a year reading guides on apps like Bible Gateway or YouVersion. There are even cute guides that you can purchase on Etsy. Some print and digital Bibles are formatted to be read in a year. It’s up to you what tools and resources you want to use to pursue your reading goals. 

Building Your Faith Through Reading the Bible in One Year

One of the best things that I’ve done to build my faith is read the Bible in a year. There are times when I decide to study a particular topic in the Bible. For example, a few years ago, I wanted to learn more about the Holy Spirit and spent time learning about Him in the Bible. However, most years, I try to read the entire Bible in a year. In all transparency, I don’t always make my goal, especially if things pop up in my life that distract me. However, I still think it’s important to try. Reading the Bible helps us to better understand God, his standard for Holy living, His love for us, and the gift of eternal life that was purchased for us on the cross. I also believe that reading the Bible is instrumental to learning to hear God’s voice.

In summary, starting with the Gospels and New Testament would help you gain your footing in your faith. Once you’ve accomplished that, I would really suggest trying to work up to reading the Bible in a year.

Tip #5: Join a Bible Study Group that is Reading the Bible

Not all Bible study groups read the Bible. Some follow sermon series or do special studies by well respected pastors. Special studies or sermon series can be helpful for growing in your faith, however, I would suggest joining a Bible study that is reading through the Bible. The ideal Bible study would have 3-10 people and would focus on a particular book in the Bible.

I joined such a Bible study in graduate school years ago, and it definitely helped me to become more confident in reading the Bible. In that Bible study, I learned from my fellow believers how to study the Bible. For example, I was introduced to Hermeneutics,  a methodical technique to interpret the Bible. I also got to practice interpreting the Bible with more mature believers who could correct me when I needed it. This kind of Bible study will help you prepare to read the Bible on your own. If your church currently doesn’t have such a Bible study, you could try to speak with your pastor about it. You could also ask a more seasoned believer to meet with you one-on-one to read the Bible if that’s available.

I hope these tips help you in your Bible reading journey. If you’re a new believer starting to read the Bible, please let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to connect with you!