New to bible where do I start?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
13,947
5,648
113
#21
I'd stay with the New Testament for awhile. Oftentimes the New Testament will quote passages from the Old Testament; you could look those up and familiarize yourself with the Old Testament that way. You might also enjoy reading a hard copy of the Bible if you can get one.

Have a blessed day.
yeah the ot can really give us the wrong idea about Gods ways to be honest he doesn’t want us acting like the people in the camp of Israel stoning each other for sin and accusing one another and all that they were taught it can be rather terrifying and have a new believer wonder , why would I want to believe in a God who demands tbat his people kill the ones of his people who commit adultery or pick up a stick on a sabbath day

just an example

“And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭15:32,

If we read this type of thing without forst hearing and believing the things Jesus taught it can give us many wrong ideas about Christianity judging each other condemning each other showing no mercy to each other stoning one another to death for a sin ect is all contrary to what Jesus taught

as your saying we can believe the gospel first and look back and learn a lot of valuable info but if we don’t go to Jesus and his apostles writings first it can really distort our view of God trying to see him in the ot , but not when he steps into the world and says “here I am come to me and live “
 

Edify

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2021
1,559
654
113
#22
I've now downloaded the bible apps and to be honest I dont even know where to begin. What books do I read first and in which order? Any help thanks.
Hi Anthony, & welcome.
As far as bibles the New American Standard Bible(NASB) & the English Standard Version (ESV) are about the best concerning accuracy is concerned. You can also use the New Living Translation(NLV) for its simple English, but always compare it with one of the other two mentioned because its accuracy isn't all that great.
If you use a Strong's Concordance, remember it only shows the KJV word used, not necessarily the correct word.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
13,947
5,648
113
#23
I was baptised a Catholic but never followed. I'm sorry that disappoints you but I'm now trying
We all started somewhere at least Catholicism believes the Bible and in Jesus like most denominations of Christianity they also have distortions and traditions instilled by man

many folks who start as a catholic , or Mormon , or seventh day Adventist or jehovahs witness will find God for themselves beginning just with the e basis of faith that the Bible is true regardless of the false conclusions denominations sometimes come to

many Catholics find the same Jesus a Protestant does is my point when we find the true Jesus it’s much less about what denomination we claim and more about a relationship we have between just he and us a personal relationship between our creator and us our savior and us who has always desires to be our friend and companion our father and family to be with us and know us personally regardless if we fill
Out paperwork “ catholic “ Protestant “ “ Baptist “ “ Christian - other “

just seeking Jesus like your doing is the way don’t worry about where you started but where your going lots of very faithful Catholics in the world 🌎 know a few who God lives as much as the Protestants I know and associate and relate more with

if we have a heart full of Jesus the denomination isnt going to matter there are saved and I saved in every denomination some just have more erroneous ideas than others
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
7,089
1,718
113
#24
Hello I'm in my late 40s I'm from UK and I was baptised a Catholic. I remember bible classes and I can recall little to be honest. But as I've got older and I've seen how the world is and how bad it is in my opinion I started thinking there must be something else out there. I e always believed there was a god but I was never a practicing Christian. I've now downloaded the bible apps and to be honest I dont even know where to begin. What books do I read first and in which order? Any help thanks.
Welcome, Anthony... I pray that God will bless you in your search...
One of the first things to know is that God loves us all, as His children, and he desires that we all come to Jesus, and accept him as our saviour...
As has been suggested by others, start with the 4 Gospel accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus.... Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John..... these are simply 4 of Jesus' inner circle of followers, apostles, who each wrote their account of Jesus' birth, life, ministry, and death on the cross, followed by his resurrection.
Each story differs slightly, as any story would differ, being told by different people.
Spend some time getting to "know" Jesus, and what he taught us, and how he wanted us to live our lives....
After that, you should have a much better idea of which to read next....
 

Sipsey

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2018
1,476
690
113
#25
May I suggest a couple of books to help as you read. One is Nave’s Topical Bible. All it does is group passages together that cover a particular topic. For example, look up Grace and all the verses in Scripture that mention Grace are grouped together to help understand the topic from many angles.

The second book I would recommend is a good Bible dictionary. There are several; a good one is Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Pray before and after reading, it really helps.
 

studentoftheword

Well-known member
Nov 12, 2021
1,701
594
113
#26
Thread Title
New to bible where do I start?


I say --anyone who wants to start reading the Bible should understand that getting a foundation of what God wants us to know starts at the beginning of His Book -------

Genesis --gives us the foundation for understanding why God predestined His Son to Come into this world ----it shows us how sin entered the world ---- and how sin progressed --and what God did to the earth and His creation because of their wickedness ------so it lays the Foundation for the rest of the Scriptures --it tells you about how Lucifer became Satan ----it shows you that when you disobey God you suffer the consequences ----and it shows God's grace and mercy and patience when dealing with His disloyal Creation ----


https://openthebible.org/article/wh...enesis proves to be,it's the story of reality.

Consider Reading Genesis First

I’ll give you an equally great second option to read when you first open the Bible—Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Naturally, reading the beginning of any book would help you understand the rest. However, Genesis proves to be a more important beginning to a story than any other beginning you have ever read. You desperately need to read it. It’s the beginning of God’s story, but it is also the beginning of your story. The Bible isn’t fiction; it’s the story of reality. It’s the story we actually live in, the one our Creator gave us, as though Shakespeare handed Hamlet the transcript of his own play.

Not only is Genesis the beginning of God’s story and yours, but it’s also the bedrock. Themes woven throughout the Bible find their source in Genesis, the patterns in plot that recapitulate throughout the Bible first appear in Genesis. The promises that are fulfilled in the rest of the Bible are first given in Genesis. In fact, just the first 11 chapters of Genesis are quoted from over 100 times in the New Testament! Reading Genesis will lay in your mind the foundation for a biblical worldview, and thus help orient you to life in general.
 

NOV25

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2019
977
386
63
#29
Hello I'm in my late 40s I'm from UK and I was baptised a Catholic. I remember bible classes and I can recall little to be honest. But as I've got older and I've seen how the world is and how bad it is in my opinion I started thinking there must be something else out there. I e always believed there was a god but I was never a practicing Christian. I've now downloaded the bible apps and to be honest I dont even know where to begin. What books do I read first and in which order? Any help thanks.
Start in Matthew.

I mostly read the New Testament over and over, Matthew through Revelation. Occasionally I’ll drop back and read through the Old Testament but I end up missing Jesus and the early church, so I jump back to Matthew 😆
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,791
1,069
113
Oregon
cfbac.org
#30
.
Where to start? In the beginning

Well; the Bible can be a tedious bore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that folks looking into the Bible for entertainment, skip the
heavy books altogether and go to the short stories of Ruth and Esther; and
for sure the philosophical book of Ecclesiastes. You gotta love Solomon's
pessimistic world view: it's spot on.
_
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
42,558
17,027
113
69
Tennessee
#31
.



Well; the Bible can be a tedious bore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that folks looking into the Bible for entertainment, skip the
heavy books altogether and go to the short stories of Ruth and Esther; and
for sure the philosophical book of Ecclesiastes. You gotta love Solomon's
pessimistic world view: it's spot on.
_
Ecclesiastes is certainly a philosophical pessimistic view of the world. It is a very interesting read for sure. I found the book of Jonah to be an amusing read. Ruth is a good book too as it appears that she seduced Boaz. Of course, he wasn't complaining about finding a young woman in his bed.
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,791
1,069
113
Oregon
cfbac.org
#32
.
Ruth is a good book too as it appears that she seduced Boaz. Of course, he
wasn't complaining about finding a young woman in his bed.

Ruth displayed no interest in Boaz until after he first revealed his interest in
her; and even then, Ruth made no moves until her mother-in-law Naomi
advised her what to do. (Ruth 3:1-6)

The venue where Ruth's meeting with Boaz took place was a threshing floor,
which are outdoor clearings-- usually elevated to take advantage of breezes
to help separate the grain from the chaff --where Boaz and his hired hands
were very likely cowboy camping rather than tucked into beds. And she only
uncovered his feet, nothing more, which was smart because that way he'd
awaken without commotion. Nor did she lay down beside Boaz but remained
at his feet.

The thing is: Ruth wasn't out there at the threshing floor to get laid, rather;
she was there to talk turkey because Boaz was related to Ruth's deceased
husband. (Ruth 3:9, cf. Lev 25:25-34 & Deut 25:5-10). Plus; it's important to
know that Ruth wasn't hitting on Boaz rather, she had a legal right to tag him
as a replacement for her deceased husband.
_
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
13,576
9,093
113
#33
I was baptised a Catholic but never followed. I'm sorry that disappoints you but I'm now trying
Welcome!

Following Christ is what a Christian DOES. It is NOT what a Christain IS.

A Christian is someone who has heard the Gospel, believed, and received Jesus Christ. Making that person a born again Child of God.

Here is THE Gospel unto Salvation:

God wrapped Himself in human flesh in the form of His Son, Jesus the Messiah. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin. He suffered, was crucified, and died to pay OUR sin debt. He was raised to life from the grave to prove He had defeated death. If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that His Father resurrected Him to Life on the 3rd day, you WILL be saved. You will be filled, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, who will empower ALL to turn from their sins. The sin of adultery, lying, stealing, homosexuality, gossip, slander, drunkenness, covetousness, etc... And most importantly the sin of DEAD works, or a moral life in an attempt to EARN Salvation. He will also equip you to love like He did and do good works for HIS Glory.
 
Jun 20, 2022
6,460
1,330
113
#34
The Gospel of John 1:1

The sooner you understand who Jesus is the faster you will understand who God is so you can feel a familiarity with Him.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#35
Hello I'm in my late 40s I'm from UK and I was baptised a Catholic. I remember bible classes and I can recall little to be honest. But as I've got older and I've seen how the world is and how bad it is in my opinion I started thinking there must be something else out there. I e always believed there was a god but I was never a practicing Christian. I've now downloaded the bible apps and to be honest I dont even know where to begin. What books do I read first and in which order? Any help thanks.
My favorites are the Gospel of John and Ephesians.
Genesis 1, 2, and 3 are a good place to start if you are not familiar with Creation and the Fall in the Garden of Eden, but leave the rest of Genesis and the OT till later. If you want to look at Revelation, I would suggest starting at chapter 19 and reading the end first.
 

Ted01

Well-known member
May 14, 2022
1,055
447
83
#36
Hello Anthony... Some people start at the beginning .:D. Genesis is full of great stories...


^ Gospel of John is also hihgly recommended, as you can see .:)

Have you heard of the Alpha Course?




There are 10 videos total. I hope you watch them. They could benefit you greatly :)
I've been checking out this source... I really like it!! Thanks! :)
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
#39
Psalms. Read a psalm every day, then on that same day read Romans one chapter at a time. Then the Gospel of John, remembering to continue to read a psalm prior.
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
42,558
17,027
113
69
Tennessee
#40
.



Ruth displayed no interest in Boaz until after he first revealed his interest in
her; and even then, Ruth made no moves until her mother-in-law Naomi
advised her what to do. (Ruth 3:1-6)


The venue where Ruth's meeting with Boaz took place was a threshing floor,
which are outdoor clearings-- usually elevated to take advantage of breezes
to help separate the grain from the chaff --where Boaz and his hired hands
were very likely cowboy camping rather than tucked into beds. And she only
uncovered his feet, nothing more, which was smart because that way he'd
awaken without commotion. Nor did she lay down beside Boaz but remained
at his feet.


The thing is: Ruth wasn't out there at the threshing floor to get laid, rather;
she was there to talk turkey because Boaz was related to Ruth's deceased
husband. (Ruth 3:9, cf. Lev 25:25-34 & Deut 25:5-10). Plus; it's important to
know that Ruth wasn't hitting on Boaz rather, she had a legal right to tag him
as a replacement for her deceased husband.
_
Either way, she apparently was a keeper.