How To Start Learning the Bible

Although the task of learning the Bible might be intimidating, one only needs to remember that learning the Bible is the best way to appreciate and practice the Christian faith.  This is the best motivation. The following steps only serve as a guideline to your personal journey with Christ.

1. Always pray for Divine intervention as soon as you open your Holy Bible. One suggestion would be praying Psalm 119:18-19. Lord, "Open my eyes to see wonderful things in Your Word. I am but a pilgrim here on earth - how I need a map - and Your commands are my chart and guide."  Keep this in your heart while learning the Bible.

2. Decide which sections to read. Some people use the Bible interestingly - like a fortune-cookie. If they aren't sure what to do for the day or uncertain about how to deal with a problem, they pick up the Bible, open at any page and find the answers. But since you're only beginning to learn the Word, you don't want to miss any important page of it. Instead, you should read every section of the Bible one chapter at a time. The best time for learning the Bible's many chapters is when you just feel the need for it.

3. If you're not sure where to start, you can refer to a chart of daily Bible readings available from your congregation (note: this chart changes yearly). This could be especially helpful if you wish to read the Bible as though it were the biography of Christ – starting with accounts on His birth towards His baptism by John, His ministry, the Last Supper, Death, Resurrection, Ascension into heaven, and so on.

4. Don't miss out. Familiarize yourself with the world's most favorite Bible stories or accounts. Don't skip the Creation Story, Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Noah and the Ark, Jonah and the Big Fish, The Promise to Abraham, Joseph's Dreams, Moses, Crossing the Red Sea, Gideon’s 300 Men, Samson and Delilah, David and Goliath, Elijah's Fiery Chariot, The Shepherd's Psalm, Forgiveness Psalm, God's Nearness, The Fiery Furnace, Daniel and the Lions' Den, Jesus' Miracles, Jesus Calms the Storm, The Christmas Story, Sermon on the Mount, The Good Samaritan, The Lord's Prayer, The Faith Chapter, The Prodigal Son, Nicodemus and Jesus, Lazarus from the Dead, The Last Supper, The Passion. Those who are learning the Bible ought to know that these stories are one of the reasons why the Bible remains the international best-selling book of all time.

5. The Old Testament is a very important half of learning the Bible. First of all, it is important because of its prophetic content, which supports the coming of Christ. Without reading the Old Testament, you will never proceed believing anything written in the New Testament. On the other hand, if you’ve already familiarized yourself with the message of old covenant and are inclined to dwell on reading the New Testament, still, every now and then you should return to some Old Testament stories, those accounts from which you can learn important moral lessons to live by. 

   People are wrong when they think that all of the Old Testament lessons have somehow been eclipsed by the New Testament and could no longer be applied to practice. Especially of great interest are the Old Testament’s poetry and wisdom sections – Job (Book of Suffering), Ecclesiastes (Book of Searching), Song of Solomon (Book of Loving), and Proverbs (Book of Wisdom) and Psalms (Book of Praise).

6. Read the stories that Jesus tells – the parables. These are no easy reads, but as soon as you learn them by heart you'll find it is worth a vastly greater effort. If it helps, you can bear in mind that learning the Bible (the Old and/or New Testament) is just like reading an interesting piece of literature.

7. And as you'll have difficulties learning the Bible, join groups of other Bible believers. Listen to sermons. You'll find help from other faithfuls.

8. You can find many other sources referring to the Bible. It's wonderful to find the story of The Prodigal Son in – guess what – children's story books and cartoons. Remember the Flying House and Super Book? Those are great introductions to learning the Bible no matter what age. There are even Biblical comic books, and educational Biblical cards and game boards available. Learning the Bible is fun!

9. Lastly, share to others what you learn by living according to the Word – offering it to God. Not only is this the best way to keep the lessons to your mind and heart, but also you will be obeying some of the most important passages while learning the Bible: “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:27) and “Preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15-16).

Learning the Bible is learning the Christian “Manual for Life.” It gives life direction.