I am constantly being asked for suggestions of where to start reading in the Bible, so I decided to create an entire list of some of my favorite passages! My prayer is that this can be a starting place for you to dive deeper into Bible study. If you are wanting to get into Bible study, but feel totally overwhelmed and don't know how or where to start, I would highly recommend snagging our Bible Study Guide for more help!
Where to start if you are new to the Bible:
John is one of the four Gospels. The Gospels tell the story of Jesus while He walked this earth. This is a great place to start because the entire Bible centers on Jesus' life.
Genesis can be a little confusing if you aren't familiar with the stories, but try to push through! Genesis explains how the world began, how sin entered the world, and sets the stage for redemption to come through Jesus.
Where to start if you want to read wisdom:
Proverbs was penned by the wisest man to ever live: King Solomon. It is jammed packed with practical wisdom that is applicable to our everyday lives! Check out
this guide to read Proverbs in one month!
Ecclesiastes was also written by Solomon. If you struggle with the mundane days and what the purpose of life is, you are not alone! This entire book is about the purpose of life and it is packed with wisdom!
Where to start if you want to see the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament
Exodus can be hard to read in places, but for the most part it is adventure packed! It also explains parts of the Old Testament, like the law and temple very well. It's important to understand the Old Testament so we can see how Jesus' fulfills it in the New Testament.
Hebrews ties the Old Testament and the New Testament together perfectly! If you want to understand how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, this is the best place to start!
Romans is another book that really explains how Jesus fulfills the law.
Where to start for comfort reading
I find myself in Psalms almost everyday! Most of the Psalms are written as songs. A lot of them were written by King David during the span of his life. As one of my 5th grade Sunday school students put it, "It's kinda like David's diary but in song lyrics". It truly depicts a broken man's relationship with a loving and Holy God.
I have to include this one again! It truly has something for every circumstance!
Hosea is a beautiful book! It is about Hosea and his adulterous wife Gomer. Hosea continually buys Gomer back. He redeems her. This is meant to serve as a picture of what Jesus does for us.
Who doesn't love a good romance? You can read Ruth in about 30 minutes too!
Where to read to feel inspired and bold in your faith
Acts lights a fire under me! It is also a page turner! To see how bold and relentless the early church was during heavy Roman persecution is absolutely inspiring.
The courage of one girl saved an entire nation, and not just any nation... this was the nation Jesus would later come through. Yeah, it's pretty remarkable. We have any entire
blog post on it!
It's time to lead an entire nation into the promised land after forty years of wondering in the wilderness. Moses has just died and Joshua is in charge. The promised land is filled with Canaanites that must be fought. Oh, and not to mention the huge city of Jericho that has to be overtaken. This book is all about being a courageous leader.
James was the brother of Jesus. The book of James give applicable advice on how to live a godly life. It is straight forward and convicting. If you want to study James deeper, check out our James guide!
Some of my favorite passages
- Colossians 2:6-15
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- Galatians 4:3-7
- James 4:2-12
- 1 Peter 1:3-7
- Psalms 1:1-6
- Psalms 139: 1-24
If you have places you recommend reading in the Bible, drop them in the comments!
