The Bible

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The Bible, unlike all other books, is the one book, you cannot necessarily read front to back.  Can you, yes.  Should you, up to you.  It is not a novel.

We would recommend starting with something like Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, which are the first four books of the New Testament.  These are 4 of the disciples that followed Jesus.  These books, written by the disciple, are from their own point of view.  All four are similar, and reference the same things, but each one does have different content, basically whatever they thought was of importance.  

Try praying to Jesus before you read the Bible!  Ask Him to help you understand what you are about to read.  We see and hear in our physical world, but to read and understand the Bible, we need to see and hear in a spiritual world.  And sometimes, you may need to read a passage multiple times!  I am not trying to discourage you, but we all struggle reading certain things in the bible.  You may find yourself reading something years down the road, that you already read, and you find a different meaning or interpret it different.  Don't just read it, and finish it!  Read it again, and again.  You will find that you gain more out of it that way!

One more little suggestion, one of our favorite things to do is read the book of Luke during the month of December.  This book has 24 chapters.  So starting on December 1st and ending on December 24th, you will have a good understanding and knowledge of Jesus' life, leading right up to Christmas day.

As you search for a bible of your own, you will quickly learn there are many different versions of the Bible!  It can be overwhelming at first.  You may just find yourself with multiple Bibles someday! (Nothing wrong with owning more than one Bible!)  Each bible is a different translation from the original.  Some are more accurate in the transcript, and others, well, they are just easier to read.  Below is a small list of a few versions:

King James Version (KJV) - A poetic language, a traditional and historical translation.  Harder to read for most in today's world.

John 3:16: - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

New King James Version (NKJV) - Still poetic in nature, with a modernization to a few words and phrases.

John 3:16: - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

New American Standard Bible (NASB) - Considered the most literal Bible, a word for word translation.

John 3:16: - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

English Standard Version (ESV) - This version is more of a literal translation.  Some words are left out.

John 3:16: - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

New International Version (NIV) - Probably the most popular version at this time. One of the easier Bible translations to read in today's time, and still accurate.

John 3:16: - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The Bible is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Old Testament is Before Christ (hence the BC acronym), and the New Testament is of Jesus' life, his death, and After Death (AD). 

Both books are equally important!  However some people/churches only discuss/preach the New Testament.  They believe that this is now the only relevant section of the Bible, but this is incorrect.  Jesus spoke and taught from the Old Testament.  The rules and laws of the Old Testament are still valid today.  Another way to think of it, Jesus "completed" the bible, so the New Testament is the completed version of the entire Bible. 

Much like going to school, kids complete elementary school, then continue on to middle or Jr high, then high school, and then college.  And what you learned in elementary school is not forgotten or no longer valid anymore.  Why would the Bible be any different?