I want to sit down and read Scripture properly instead of bouncing around random verses, but I have no idea where to start. Genesis cover-to-cover sounds noble and all, except I know myself well enough to admit I’ll probably tap out somewhere in Leviticus lol. Friends keep telling me different things.
Which book of the Bible do I start with?
I tried the cover-to-cover thing years ago and stalled in exactly the same place. Leviticus gets a lot of people.
Start with John. If that feels long, Mark works too since it moves fast and stays close to the action. The whole point of Scripture is Christ, so meet him first and everything else gets its proper context (more on that here). Once you’ve finished a Gospel or two, Acts follows naturally, then maybe Philippians or James. Genesis is worth your time, but it reads differently once you know where the story is headed.
Genesis. That’s where I’d start, and I’d study it as one book on its own before worrying about the rest.
Go one chapter at a time and ask what the passage shows about God and how it connects to his promises. Slowing down for the repeated words and the family lines made Genesis surprisingly absorbing for me. Once you finish, you don’t have to march straight into Exodus and Leviticus. Pick a New Testament book instead and start seeing how those early promises point toward Christ.
Start with Luke. It was written as an orderly account for someone who wanted the story straight, which sounds like you.
Read Luke like any book you plan to finish, a couple sittings a week is plenty. Stay with it from the early chapters through the ascension. I stalled out in Leviticus once too, but that’s a story for another day.
Leviticus has claimed many a well-meaning reader, so starting with Luke’s orderly account and reaching the ascension feels like a much friendlier plan.
The part about reading it like any other book you plan to finish is what more people need to hear. Luke works well for reading straight through.
Luke wrote a sequel too. Once you reach the ascension, Acts continues from the same spot with the same author and recipient. That kept me going through months of reading.
No shame in getting stalled on Leviticus either.
John over Luke if you’ve never cracked open a Bible before. It opens with that prologue about the Word becoming flesh and gives you the theological framework right from verse one.
If you’ve already read through everything and want to get into proper study mode, I’d point you to Acts or Romans. Acts for the narrative of what happened after Jesus ascended, Romans for the meatier doctrinal stuff.
Match the book to how you naturally engage with things and you’ll finish it.
The “what person are you” approach has some merit. If you connect through emotion and story, the Gospels will pull you in faster than starting with law codes.
If you’re more analytical, try Genesis. You get to trace the ideas from the beginning, though it does mean wrestling through some tough chapters later.
The Old Testament is long, and reading plans that go straight from Genesis to Revelation often set people up to fail.
I stick with the New Testament as my base. Read through it once, then mix in Psalms and Proverbs, then go back to the New Testament again before trying Genesis.
When you finally start the Old Testament, flip back to something familiar if you need a break.
Reading all four Gospels gave me the full picture of who Jesus is. The variety kept me engaged way longer than powering through one book at a time would have.
John first. Then Abraham’s story in Genesis.
John was written for people like us instead of a specifically Jewish audience, so it’s easier to follow. You feel loved when you read it, and that matters when you’re starting out.
Abraham’s interactions with God as a friend set up everything Paul later teaches about faith.
A good study Bible makes all the difference when you’re trying to read Scripture properly. The Oxford Study Bible has solid notes and plenty of context, so it helps you understand what you’re reading instead of pushing through.
John, personally. Matthew pairs well with it after. Before going too deep into Paul’s letters (Romans, Corinthians), I got a general overview of the Old Testament story, the covenant God made with Abraham and the Israelites, and how sin entered through the fall in Eden. Knowing all that makes Jesus’s mission way more meaningful.
Read it like it’s your first time. Years of church culture pile a lot of baggage onto how we read Scripture. Set that aside and it can change what you see.
Start with one of the Gospels. Jesus sounds pretty different from what you might expect.
One of the Gospels is the usual answer, John more often than not. So that’s probably where I’d point you, and then Acts after it since it picks up right where the story leaves off.
John might be worth a look too. Luke’s great for the orderly account angle, but John stays with the moments longer and lets you marinate in who Jesus is.
Different feel, same place.
The slot matters more than the book. Same time, same chair, phone in another room got me through, and audio on the commute helped too. Finished Acts in a week that way.