Where To Begin Reading In The Bible

Starting from the very beginning of the Bible, at Genesis 1:1 is extremely time consuming and distracts the believer from the purpose of the Bible. So it is best for a new believer to start in the New Testament at St. Matthew 1:1 and continue throughout to Revelation.

The reason for this is to understand the new relationship God has established for those who believe. The Old Testament was written for an entirely different time age under very different religious and traditional instruction. The New Testament is the beginning of the end for the believer and the world.

Jesus, the Messiah, was introduced as the mediator between God and man and no longer did man have to confide in Priest. Understanding the purpose of Jesus Christ and his ministry begins in St. Matthew. The gospels according to those who knew him and walked with him are important in understanding what God requires from people today.

St. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the gospels and should be read first. Following that the rest of the New Testament in the order of the books. Revelation should not be read but explained to the new believer until they have matured to a certain degree in spirituality.

Neither should the new believer venture into the Old Testament until they are at a certain level of spiritual understanding of God and his word. The books in the Old Testament that are safe for reading are the following:

Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: These are poetic books the believer can gain a sense of peace from. The rest of the Old Testament should be studied with a church leader and explained by reference to stories and examples of life.