Thank you for picking up one of our pew Bibles. Our prayer is that the God revealed through these pages will change your life and lead you to faith in Jesus Christ.
So, how do you start to read the Bible?
Where should you begin? In other words, what’s the best book of the Bible for someone who hasn’t read the Bible before. Everyone probably has a different answer – and they could all be right! Wherever you begin, reading the Bible is better than not reading the Bible. But some places in Scripture seem more advantageous than others for beginners.
If you are new to reading the Bible, the best place to start reading in the Bible is probably the Gospel of Mark. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The Gospel of Mark introduces you to Jesus.
We see an intimate image of Jesus as we read a biographical sketch of his life, something new believers should immerse themselves in. In particular, the Gospel of Mark focuses on the actions of Jesus which quickly helps a new believer understand Jesus’ life and ministry.
2. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest Gospel.
You will ask, “If you recommend a Gospel for a new believer, couldn’t Matthew or Luke or John suffice?” The answer is – yes, of course, it will. But at 16 chapters, the book of Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, making it less intimidating than, say, Luke, which is 24 chapters long. You can read Mark in less than 90 minutes.
3. The Gospel of Mark is action-packed.
The Gospel of Mark is jammed-packed with the actions of Jesus with new scenes beginning and ending quickly. The word “immediately” appears 42 times, showing that Jesus wasn’t just standing around doing nothing. It’s an exciting book to read, one that will surely keep and capture the attention of a new believer. This Gospel convey that Jesus is not merely a historical figure, but a living reality, a person who addresses us today.”
4. The Gospel of Mark is fairly easy to understand
Not that a new believer won’t have any questions about Mark’s Gospel as he or she reads it. But the Gospel of Mark, overall, is not that hard to get. There are no genealogies. There aren’t an abundant number of difficult sayings. The Gospel of Mark is a quick, easy to understand biographical sketch of Jesus’ life.
5. The Gospel of Mark is about discipleship
The purpose of Mark’s Gospel is discipleship. That’s the main point. Discipleship means walking with Jesus. It’s a call to love and obey Jesus, to emulate his character, and to be prepared to suffer as he did. This is something a new believer needs to grasp. This is why the Gospel of Mark is a great start.
Once you have read through the Gospel of Mark, you may want to read the Gospel of John.
The Gospel of John highlights Jesus’s deity as the Son of God. The first chapter is so incredibly beautifully written! It also has beautiful themes and imagery of light versus dark woven throughout. The book of John also has the most popular (and possibly the most important) Bible verse John 3:16 which is such a beautiful encapsulation of the gospel! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Following that, we encourage you to join us in our daily Bible reading plan that is available on a convenient bookmark you can pick up in the Connection Center or church foyer.