I never really considered myself religious. When I was a teen I was an atheist for a long while. Then I moved to a new-age kind of spirituality. But now I'm more of a pantheist believer that God is just a representation of all consciousness (omniscience), energy (omnipotence), and light (omnipresence.)
I'm more curious to read the Bible now. I've read either here or on TheDonald that the King James is the way to go. Do you think so? And where do you begin reading? Cover to cover? Or read certain passages at a time?
Gospel of John is a great place to start!
I second this!!
This ^^
2nd on the Gospel of John.
Also if youre going to go King James, go New King James, its a little easier to follow as the english is less dated. I would recommend reading the NT first before attempting to read cover to cover. There are a lot of parallels in the OT you might miss if you arent familiar with the NT. As my pastor would always say "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed"
Disagree, read the direct translation, free from the conniving's of men. KJV only. God will shew you what He wants to shew you.
OP, don’t listen to absolutists like this.
If you want to read exactly what was written, learn Greek, Hebrew, etc. that’s a waste of time to me because great men already translated it. Many false religions like seventh day adventists that interpret the Bible wrong. They end up becoming so stuck okay one translation as if that’s the key to Jesus. When I’m fact, Jesus is the only way to Heaven not the Bible translation.
Read John 3:16 and it’s clear in all translations!
With the new Bible apps out there you can read in a version that is easy to read for you. And then do comparisons of verses to see how the different translations translate the verse.
I never find the different versions worded so differently that it changes the translation but I do find that by comparing them all against each other, I gain a better appreciation for the text in question.
chills...so good. Thanks for this.
?this. You start at the beginning. It’s best read that way.
John, Mathew, and Genesis
Genesis
Psalms
Start with the TALMUD, I'm pretty sure after that you will be done with any Abrahamic religion period.
The first four books of the New Testament are called the gospels which are the accounts of Jesus. I’d suggest starting there. The gospel of John is a good first read.
As for versions/translations, choose what fits your reading level. Details and nuance aren’t a concern in the early going.
If you like audio books or have lots of time to listen but not read, try one of the Bible apps that does audio. Listening allows you to get through the Bible much quicker than sitting down and reading.
Genesis
Personally, I'd read the Good News Bible, it's much easier to read.
I like New King James. For me personally, I started with Luke, cant remember why, then went to matthew and read thru New Testament. Then I went to Genesis and read straight thru beginning to end, never stopped reading it. The main thing Id say is pray and ask God to show you and go for it. Theres nothing like Gods word Awesome post to see made my day
God is 100% Good
God is 100% Love
God is 100% Just
We rebel against God, some more than others, but we all do it. That is called Sin. We cannot be in God's presence with sin (God is 100% Good), so our sin must be paid for, the slate must be wiped clean. God won't just forgive us without the payment (God is 100% Just), but he really wants us to be with him (God is 100% Love). So he came up with a plan. He would die for us, to pay our debt. He gave us that gift, all we have to do is accept it. Love him back, call him King, desire his presence, and we will live with him forever.
Luke, then John.
Also, no coincidence that 31 days a month, and 31 chapters in Proverbs. Take the short five minutes a day, and read the chapter of the date it is.
If you are coming from a spiritual pantheistic background, ROMANS is a REALLY good place to start. It was specifically written for polytheistic people.
The most important thing, is before you read, clear your mind, give it your full attention, and just ask God to grant you wisdom in what you read.
PLEASE NOTE- once you read the Bible, and discern the truth, it is life altering and PERSONAL DECISIONS WILL NEED TO BE MADE. Ignorance will no longer be an acceptable excuse for disobedience. Thankful God is loving and forgiving (read the parable of The Prodigal Son). I've understood God's love towards us more, ever since I've been blessed by becoming a father myself.
If you want to understand salvation for this age, read Romans.
Also, listen to Les Feldick. You can find him on YouTube.
Start with Psalms 91 -> version of the Bible doesn't matter it is the word of God.
Old Testament - Fall from Grace, Free Will, Law of God New Testament - The Great Promise as told by the Disciples of Christ
Just open it up and start reading, you will find what your are looking for.
Matthew Mark Luke and John. Then read John again. The greatest true story ever told.
Adding my vote for original KJV. Besides translation arguments which can be arcane, KJV is beautiful, by which I mean it flows well and becomes easier to remember as a result because it is simply more pleasing to the ear.
You can download the e-Sword and download any version you want but the KJV is the oldest translation and all the mis-translations are well known. The Gospel of John is the best place to start but here is a link to a great teacher. He passed away but his knowledge is tremendous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3hESj__M8
Download the Bible app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible/id282935706
They have reading plans that’ll help you read the entire Bible in a year. It also has audio if you’d prefer to listen.
So, just know the Bible wasn’t written in English. There is no ideal translation, because it’s a translation. There are many reading plans you can look up that consist of an Okd Testament reading, a wisdom book reading, a gospel reading, and an epistle reading.
Remember: the Bible belongs to the church, not the other way round. There were 3 centuries of Christianity prior to the New Testament being canonized.
Find the church first. There is only one right choice.
I could tell you which, but what fun would that be?
I haven't read the entire Bible but I think proverbs and Matthew are good starting points. I read both simultaneously, I was flipping back and forth. Proverbs has so many good words of wisdom, and you can jump into it without it being too overwhelming. Matthew is the origin of Jesus and contains his basic teachings, which though basic are powerful. That was how I went about it as a newcomer (and still am in many ways a newcomer).
I recommend starting with the Gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke John. Each book is the same story told from a different perspective. The Gospel is what Christianity builds its foundation on, the fact that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth and died in our place so we may have a place in Heaven. Without this fact, Christianity is nothing, as Paul said:
Christians believe that Jesus was raised from the dead 3 days after He died, and ascended into Heaven, promising to one day return. Until that day, we are to spread the Word of God so that everyone can hear the good news: that Christ has risen, and He is coming back.
Please note, I do not recommend speed-reading these in an afternoon. I recommend the SOAP method: Scripture, Observations, Application, and Prayer. Make a journal and record your thoughts when reading the scripture, how it can be applied to your life, and pray on it if you wish. Here's a good resource that goes into more detail: https://lovegodgreatly.com/how-to-soap/
If you wish to go another route, you can do a daily reading from a short passage. I like to use Our Daily Bread, which gives a daily passage and a commentary on it. There are even reading plans for specific topics, which you can find here: https://odb.org/deeper
Sorry if this feels like I am throwing a lot at you, I just want to give you as many opportunities and avenues to research and examine the Bible. I am very grateful you have taken the decision to make this journey, and I pray it will be fruitful for you!
Acts 2:38 has instructions
I'd suggest the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the book of James, Acts as good starting points.
Pick a version that makes sense to you. I like CSB, NLT, NET -- all fairly easy reading. Some might say King James only, but don't start learning to swim in the deep end. The point is to understand what you are reading, and old English is an extra hurdle. You can always dig into the KJV when you are ready for deeper study.
The problem I had with the bible is it is pretty confusing. So what I did Is I looked for like short stories or animated shorts of the bible. I would watch the book, then read the book. The best ones I found were done by the bible project. Here is genesis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQI72THyO5I
God bless and have fun.