5 Best Books On How To Read The Bible For Beginners
Reading the Bible does not have to be difficult.
But, attempting to understand the Bible is another level.
In fact, trying to grasp the entire Bible can be intimidating.
Thankfully, a great resource and beginner’s guide are available to many beginners or new believers in their Bible study.
In this blog post, we will show you several books that can help you learn how to read the Bible.
What Are The Best Books On How To Read The Bible?
These books will generally teach you the following items:
- How to read the Bible effectively.
- An introduction and overview of each book of the Bible.
- An overview on how to understand the literary genres of the Old Testament and New Testament.
- How not to read the Bible from our contemporary lenses.
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
Overview
God’s word is originally written in multiple styles by different authors. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart help beginners understand the different biblical literatures or literary genres. The purpose is so that they can get the most out of the genres, such as poetry, history, gospels, the law, etc.
Key Benefits
- Focuses on explaining different literary genres
- Begins with Bible Translations
- Readability
- Diagrams
- Appendix: a list of commentaries for each book of the Bible
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Helps you to think thoroughly about the interpretation of Scripture.
- Introduces interpretation methods and principles
Cons:
- Jam packed with information
- Content is lengthy
- Less focus on the big picture of the Bible story
How to Eat Your Bible
Overview
Are you starving spiritually? Do you feel spiritually cold and stagnant? Is God close to you or far from you? Nate Pickowicz wants to help you approach the Bible in a fresh way. Using the analogy of a meal, the book teaches you the reason why you should read God’s word regularly. The whole point is for you to learn and love God’s words by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Key Benefits
- Providing simple approaches to start your Bible reading.
- Encouraging readers to love God’s words.
- Incorporates systematic theology
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It is a short book
- It provides simple steps on how to start reading the Bible.
- It is accessible and readable for beginners.
Cons
- N/A
How to Read the Bible Book by Book
Overview
Do you feel overwhelmed not knowing individual books of the Bible? Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart will act as a tour guide by providing an introduction and overview of each book of the Bible. They help you understand the major themes and messages so that you don’t have to figure them out on your own.
Key Benefits
- It offers bite size information that forms the summary of the book.
- Provides a brief survey of each book.
- Like a tour guide, they point out how you can dig deeper into Bible reading so that you can understand the overarching context of God’s word.
- They carefully walk you through each section in connecting to the big picture of God’s plan in His word, which is Jesus Christ.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It serves as a reference or guide book. So, you don’t have to read through it.
- Each introduction and overview is helpful for beginners.
- Quick preparation for your next Bible studies.
Cons
- The content of each book may be too short and not in-depth for some people. A study Bible may provide more information than this book. Still helpful nonetheless.
Related Article: The Best Study Bible For Beginners
Living By the Book
Overview
Howard G. Hendricks wrote a book for serious students of the Bible. As the title suggests, it is a technical and detailed book on how to improve your Bible reading. Nevertheless, beginners or veterans of the Bible can benefit from Hendricks’ thorough instruction.
Key Benefits
- Provides basic principles of Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application
- Learning the ten strategies for Bible reading.
- Good for Bible students who are keen on taking their Bible reading to the next level.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The steps provided are fluid from start to finish.
- It provides many examples for applications.
- It can function as a reference book whenever you study the Bible.
Cons
- It could be a long and wordy book.
- There should be a chapter dedicated to different translations of the Bible.
A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better
Overview
How should we measure a Christian’s spiritual health?George Guthrie suggests that “the number one predictor of a person’s spiritual health is the regular practice of personal Bible reading.” This short guide serves to guide you to read the Bible better.
Key Benefits
- Knowing your motivation and spiritual condition as foundational for reading Scripture.
- Learning to read the Bible with others.
- Entering into the Bible story.
- Using great tools to improve your Scriptural comprehension.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- It’s a short book as a beginner’s guide.
- It contains discussion questions that are good for small group Bible study.
Cons
- While it addressed the heart and motivation of Bible reading, a chapter devoted to spiritual discipline would be helpful.
What Is Reading The Bible?
Reading the Bible is an essential spiritual discipline of the Christian life.
Christians are followers and disciples of Jesus who want to grow in their relationship with God.
In order to know God and follow Jesus, they must know, read, and understand the Bible.
That’s because God inspired His word for our instructions.
How Can Reading The Bible Benefit You?
Jesus Christ said that man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
Christians should view the Bible, God’s word, as spiritual food for our souls.
Reading the Bible can spiritually nourish us. It can deepen our faith in the Lord and know His will for our lives.
Just like food is our ordinary human diet, so should Scripture be Christian’s ordinary spiritual diet.
Related Article: The Best Order To Read The Bible For New Believers
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my life change if I read the Bible?
Absolutely!
God promised that His word will never return to Him void, but it shall accomplish which he intended (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Which Bible version should I use?
If you plan to read Scripture, you cannot avoid the different translations the churches have.
So, it is important to choose the best translations of the Bible.
I personally use the English Standard Version, but there are other versions such as the King James Version, New King James Version, New Living Translation, New international Version, etc.
Is it OK for me to use a Bible app for my Bible reading?
It’s okay for you to use it.
But there are drawbacks to using Bible apps.
- You can only see the passage that is on the screen.
- You can easily be tempted to check other notifications.
I recommend reading the Bible from the physical copy.
Conclusion
Unlike the early church, we are living in the digital age. There is a host of resources and articles that can assist your walk with Jesus.
Getting a copy of one of those five books can be a useful resource for your Bible reading.
If you’re a beginner, I recommend getting How To Read The Bible Book By Book.
Let me know which book you plan to get!
