Better Bible Study: "Where Should I Start?"

In the post below, I address the question,"Which translation should I use?," so give that a look if you need guidance in that area.

The question at hand, "Where should I start," goes on to ask, "Is there a resource that maps out where to start, and explains the chapters along the way?" Great questions!

Many people do what seems to make sense: start reading at the beginning of the Bible, and continue toward the end. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but I know of many who get bogged down pretty early on in this pursuit (say, around the book of Leviticus, or perhaps Numbers!).

On your tear-offs, a few of you mentioned a resource that you found helpful: It's called The Victory Bible Reading Plan. My wife has used this in the past, and I know she really liked it as well. I just checked, and it's available through amazon.com (just type in the title).

My recommendation, if you're just starting to read the Bible, is to start with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John - giving perspectives on the story of Jesus), and then proceed through the book of Acts (what happened immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven). This will ground you in the heart of God's Story. And since Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, that might be the best place to start - reading Luke, and then Acts.

And for those who might prefer either watching or listening to the Bible, there are DVDs on Matthew (Matthew: The Visual Bible) and John (The Gospel of John), both of which I have used and like. Plus, there are audio versions of the Bible for most any translation. A recent resource, called The Bible Experience, is a dramatic audio version of the TNIV, and I really like it (it's on my iPod for when I walk).

Now, as far as a resource that "explains the chapters along the way," a few of you mentioned that you benefit from a study Bible - a large Bible that has many helps, including introductions to each book, and explanatory notes to help you understand what you're reading. One of you mentioned The Life Application Bible as a great resource. I can add to that the recently published TNIV Study Bible, which has loads of helps in it (making it a pretty hefty Bible, but most study Bibles are big).

Another resource that I have found really helpful is called How to Read the Bible Book By Book, written by Douglas Stuart and Gordon Fee, which walks you through each book, helping you to know what to look for as you are reading (their companion volume, dealing more directly with how to interpret various parts of the Bible, is mentioned in the post below; both are highly recommended).

Stay tuned! More encouragement to come in future posts!

Yours for better Bible study,
Dave Detwiler