Whether you’re a new Christian or a long-time Believer, this resource guide includes everything you need to read the entire Bible for the first time and enjoy the experience.
Before I proceed, one of the most important things you need to help you read and understand the Bible accurately is a good Bible teacher. Ideally, this would be your pastor at church.
Once that’s covered, you can make the most of the resources I’ve suggested below.
A Beginner’s Resource Guide to Reading The Whole Bible
1. Get A Physical Bible.
While digital Bibles are amazing, reading a physical Bible can help you focus better.
To enjoy using your physical bible, get a bible that has a beautiful design and layout, a legible font size and is in a translation that is easy to read and understand.
Suggested Bibles:
-
NLT Filament-Enabled Bible
- This Bible is in the New Living Translation, but it’s available in other translations, designs and print sizes.
- It comes with access to the free Filament app, offering additional Bible study resources.
- This is the Bible I currently use to read the entire Bible.
- Available on Amazon
-
CSB She Reads Truth Bible
- This Bible is only available in the Christian Standard Bible translation, but other colours are available.
- This is the Bible I used for my first time reading the entire bible.
- Available on Amazon
2. Download Bible Apps.
Bible apps give you access to read the Bible in multiple translations, listen to an audio Bible, additional resources for Bible study and use bible reading plans to help you read the entire Bible over a period of time.
There are many Bible apps available, both free and paid, but most apps have similar features. You can start with one or two apps to get comfortable and explore what works for you.
Suggested Free Bible Apps:
Here are 3 of my favourite Bible apps right now that can help you read the entire Bible for the first time. They are available on the IOS and Android App Stores.
-
YouVersion Bible App
- Click here to download it.
- You get access to the Bible in multiple translations, audio Bibles in different voices, video summaries of the books of the Bible and many options of bible reading plans.
- It’s a good app for reading the Bible and for a light study, but may not be the best for a deeper bible study.
- For instance, you won’t have access to many commentaries or a concordance.
-
Blue Letter Bible App
- Click here to download it.
- This is a fantastic app for bible study.
- It has a concordance where you can learn about the original Hebrew or Greek word translated and its meaning, and also see other places in the Scripture where the word was used.
- It has many commentaries from Bible scholars. You can read the commentaries from David Guzik, Matthew Henry and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown.
- Please note that commentaries are not the authoritative Word of God, so test what you read against the Scripture and only hold on to what is true.
-
Filament Bible App
- Check it out here
- Although it’s a free app, you can only use the app when you buy a Filament-Enabled Physical Bible. For example, the NLT Filament-Enabled Bible.
- The app syncs with your physical Bible and provides access to additional resources for Bible study, including beautiful and informative infographics and videos, overviews of each book, profiles of relevant people in each book and devotional articles.
- It has only a few bible reading plans, including a 1-year Bible Reading Plan.
- It doesn’t have a digital Bible to read in the app, but there’s an audio Bible while you read your physical Bible.
Get A Free Copy Of This Resource Guide
If you want to read the entire Bible for the first time, get easy access to the suggested Bibles, Bible apps, Bible Reading Plans and study resources delivered to your inbox + a 5% discount on My Faith Journal Notion Template.
3. Use A Bible Reading Plan
A bible reading plan provides a structured way to read the entire Bible over a period of time. To choose the right bible reading plan, decide how long you want to take to read the Bible and in what order you would like to read it.
For the duration, you can choose a plan that splits the reading portions over 1, 2 or 3 years. Choose a length of time that is sustainable and matches this season of your life.
For the order of reading the Bible, these are some options available:
-
A plan in canonical or chronological order of books.
- You’ll read the chapters of the bible in the order in which the books are arranged in the regular bible. e.g. Genesis, Exodus, etc.
-
A plan in chronological order of events.
- You’ll read the chapters of the Bible in the order of how the events unfolded in the Bible days. e.g. You start with chapters in Genesis, then in between you read the book of Job because bible scholars believe the events in Job’s life happened around the time of some events in Genesis.
-
A plan with a mix of chapters of the Old Testament and New Testament.
Suggested Free Bible Reading Plans
These plans are available on the YouVersion Bible App, and you can view the sample plan before starting it.
-
2-Year Bible Reading Plans:
- Read the Old Testament once, and the New Testament and Psalms twice over 2 years: Volume 1 for the first year and Volume 2 for the second year
- A Plan for the Whole Bible in Under 2 years – A mix of the Old and New Testament
-
1-year Bible Reading Plans:
- New Testament in One Year – A chronological order by books
- Old Testament in One Year – A chronological order by books
- One Story That Leads to Jesus – A chronological order by books with a Psalm daily.
- The Full Story – “From The Beginning to the Amen” – A chronological order by books with a Psalm daily.
- The Bible Year – A chronological order by events of the Bible over 6 days a week and 1 catch-up day.
- One Year Chronological Bible – A chronological order by the events of the Bible.
Create A Custom Bible Reading Plan
If you can’t find an existing reading plan suitable for you, you can create your own with biblereadingplangenerator.com. You can customise how long you want the plan to be split, the days you want to include in the plan, and your preferred order for reading.
Once you create your plan, you can export it as a pdf. file to print or save digitally, an iCal file to add to your device’s calendar or as a csv. file which you can import to Notion to create a table and track your progress.
4. Get A Journal or Note
Finally, to read the entire Bible for the first time and enjoy the experience, use a journal to document your thoughts, lessons and questions.
Suggested Bible Journals
- A physical journal or notepad
- A digital journal.
If you want a simple and beautiful digital journal for your bible study notes, get My Faith Journal. This is a Christian Notion Template to help you document your faith journey and build a robust devotional culture.
Instead of having your bible study notes scattered across different apps and notes, My Faith Journal has a section for writing your notes all in one place, and you can go back to read or find something you recorded previously.
Click here to get My Faith Journal Notion Template. You can also sign up below to get a copy of this Bible Resource Guide delivered to your inbox + a 5% discount on My Faith Journal Notion Template.
Additional Bible Study Resources
Check out these additional resources to help you read and understand the bible better as a beginner:
- 10 Tips For Understanding The Bible Better
- How to Start and Complete Your Bible Reading Plan
- Are There Errors In The Bible? – A Discipleship Video by Apostle Emmanuel Iren
- Can I Understand the Bible on My Own? – A Discipleship Video by Apostle Emmanuel Iren
- Overview of The Books of The Bible by The Bible Project
Don’t be overwhelmed, you’ve got this!
Well done for taking on this challenge to read the whole Bible. God’s got you!
In case you missed it, watch this video where I shared what I learnt from my experience reading the entire Bible for the first time and why every Christian should do it too.
Coming soon on Colours & Flavours
Next Thursday, I’ll be sharing a two-part video to walk you through everything you need to read the whole bible for the first time. You’ll see what the suggested Bibles, bible apps and bible reading plans look like, and how to choose the right one for you.
Subscribe to Colours & Flavours on YouTube so you don’t miss it!
If you found this resource guide helpful, please let me know in the comment section and share it with your friends. Thank you!
p.s. As an Amazon Associate, I might earn a commission if you purchase a Bible through the links shared at no extra cost to you.
Blog Banner Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash
