I've Never Read the Bible, Where Do I Start?
The Man Who Split Time
The Bible looks like an intimidating book at first glance. This Book is made up of 66 smaller books; in total, it has 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses. But without reading the Bible, we are flying in this life blind and uncertain.
So, where do I begin?
This is a very common question. And unlike most books, it is recommended that you start not at the beginning — in terms of the first book, Genesis — but instead that you start at the beginning, from eternity’s perspective.
There is a Man who split time in half from B.C. to A.D. and His name is Jesus Christ. Here are three places to begin:
The Christ, the Church, and the Christians
1). The Christ — The Gospel of John:
The Gospel of John plainly states that this is written so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name,” (20:31, ESV). Jesus Christ is shown to be God in His words, person, glory, and work. He claims to have the authority to forgive sins, to give eternal life, that He will judge all people, and tells us that our biggest problem in life is unforgiven sin (John 5). But Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has come into the world to save sinners (John 3:16-18). In the Gospel of John, notice the order: there is a sign, then a sermon; a miracle, then a message. Respond in a resting, full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from the wrath of God and inherit eternal life (John 3:31-36).
2). The Church — The Book of Acts
Where did the church come from and how did it take shape? In Luke’s second book (his first is the Gospel of Luke), the book of the Acts of the Apostles traces the promise and providence of the Spirit working in His church in the world. The promise of Jesus to send the Spirit in John to lead and guide His Apostles (John 16) proves true. God the Spirit descends in power and preaching results (Acts 1:8). The growth of the church in and through suffering (Acts 4 and Acts 7) reveal to us God’s sovereignty and purpose in suffering to be a means of spreading His glory among the nations (Acts 8).
3). The Christians — The First Letter of John
What do Christians look like? John tells us plainly that they look like God, and God is light (1 John 1:5). God is righteous and categorically different because He is God, the eternal God. And therefore, true Christians will reflect that by living righteously and showing they are set apart from the world unto God (1 John 1:6; 1 John 3:1-10). Christians are not sinless, but they will sin less. And because this holy God is also perfectly and righteously loving, likewise, Christians will be and look the same (1 John 3:11-18; 1 John 4:7-21). This book offers assurance of the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, and the open ear of a loving and heavenly Father opened up to us by the work of the eternal Son of God in our place (1 John 5).
These books are written by eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty. They are true words, and words of eternal life. These things were written to us that we may know God, know His Son, and live as children on earth to reflect Him by speaking to others about Him, finding our joy in Him, and living fully for Him in all of life.
