There are a lot of blogs and vlogs out there telling people how best to read the Bible, but let’s face it – they’re all wrong…

No, I’m kidding. In all actuality, there is no “one way” to read the Holy Bible. Please don’t get hooked up on the ‘where to start’ fear factor. No matter where you start in reading the Bible, you will surely find what you are looking for, or, better yet, what you need.

Below, I have detailed some common ways to read the Bible that might help you on your journey.

*Disclaimer: this is how to read the bible, not study it.*

1. Church Camp Style

I am certainly not the only one to have grown up going to summer group sessions for kids at a church. Granted, I was brought by my Catholic friends who attempted to rebel by bringing me, somebody who is not christened or baptised and did not grow from a religious family, only to then have me memorise all the lyrics of Veggie Tales songs and speak to the pastors in-depth about their faith (sorry not sorry). In these groups, it is pretty common to be told that a fun and meaningful way to read the Bible is to simply open it, and the page that you open it to is the scripture meant for you. It follows the idea that it might not be what you want to read, but it might be what you need. It also takes away from the fear about where to start, which can sometimes be so off-putting that it stops people from reading the Bible altogether, and at the absolute least gets you started.

2. From the Beginning

To quote ‘the king’ from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,

Begin at the beginning… and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

This is the way I am reading. I have started at Genesis and am reading all the way through until I get to the end of Revelations. And then I’ll stop, because I will be at the end. Personally, as an avid reader, this is my most preferred method. I would not read any other book by starting halfway through and then going back and forth between the beginning and end, so certainly would not think to do so with the Bible. The benefit of this method is that you are reading it as it is happening. We start with the five books of Moses and move onto Joshua where we are reminded of the Law laid out by Moses and as we move further into the Bible, we are consistently reminded of all that we have read so far. I would argue that it makes aspects like the Law and armies of God much more impactful as you can track both the growth and destruction of God’s Word much easier. It is also easier to see how we get from a to g because we get all the in-between information there and then. This method causes less confusion about how certain things came to be.

However, that all said, the Old Testament is heavy, especially at the start. It is a fair read to get through before hitting the joys of poetry in Psalms and Proverbs. The Books of Prophets are even further from that. Overall the message of God’s grace is slimmer in the books of Law and History (mainly because the Israelites keep sinning against His Word), and can sometimes read too heavy if you are in need of hopeful scripture to keep you going. I choose to get around this by having scripture further ahead highlighted and bookmarked, like Proverbs 31, Jerimiah 29:11, Isaiah 43:18-19 and so on. This way, I can keep reading from beginning to end, while also having some faithful reminders to turn to when I need them.

3. The TikTok Style

This is the style that I am personally not so fond of (in case you hadn’t already noticed that). “TikTok Style” because it has been flooding TikTok feeds as people repost about how great a style of reading it is. I am trying especially hard to not be judgmental about this style but it is really hard!

It goes like this:

Start in the New Testament with the Book of John (book 4 of NT) then read Mark (book 2), then Matthew (book 1) and then Luke (book 3). The argument is that these books teach you about Jesus, so if you are a Christian wanting to learn about Jesus then this can be a good place to start. I have no idea why its order is all over the place though.

Next you read all 5 Books of Moses, which are the first five in the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books set out the Law of God and explain the creation of all living things too.

Then you go back to the New Testament and read Romans (book 6), Galations (book 9), and Colossians (book 12). This set will further outline the Law of God for you and also refer to the Law and Jesus.

From there you again go back to the Old Testament for Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to learn about God’s wisdom. Then flip back a little to read the Book of Job, before jumping way forward to read 1 Peter (NT book 21) to learn about the consequences of expecting from God while not following His ways.

Then you hit it like this:

1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Ephesians
Philippians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
James
2 Peter
John
Jude
Psalms

This is a complete mixture of OT and NT and comprises of books that highlight God’s love for and promises to you.

Then you follow the rest:

Joshua
Judges
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Micah
Hosea

Followed by Luke, Esther, Jonah, Song of Solomon, Acts, Titus and Philemon to read all the stories, hear the love songs and learn the history of the church/congregations.

The last three books are Hebrews, to find out why things had to happen and the way they did, and Isaiah, Daniel and Revelations for the prophecies of the future, of Jesus, and end of times.

You certainly won’t be bored keeping up with this back and forth style of reading, but I would personally suggest it as a way to study the bible rather than for a first time read. Of course, I am studying as I am reading it first myself so that might come across a bit hypocritical. In my opinion, it is better to read first and then go back over it in a bible study session (if you want to study it while reading for the first time) whereas this method seems to focus you more on learning about specific themes of the bible at one time.

Ultimately, if you want to start reading the bible, then the best way is actually to simply start. God is going to be happy you are reaching out to Him by reading His Word, so do not stress about how to read it. Whether you focus on one of the above methods, a method not mentioned, or throw caution to the wind and start reading bits, the point is that you are reading and learning and opening up a conversation between yourself and God.