What are the best books in the bible to read in order? for someone who has barely read it

Braydeno

Active Member
Jan 24, 2017
165
205
bc, canada
✟15,138.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I don't have much knowledge of the bible and i keep meeting the trials in life and failing hard. its obvious i need the word in me to survive more than a day, can someone who's read the who book, suggest a list? for example: best books in order from most important lessons ----> to least important lessons(but still important) I want to get the important stuff in me first so i can be a successful christian, and stop failing after half a day of trying. I dont know which books have the best lessons, and its discouraging because the bible is massive, can someone please make me a list?
 

tryintogrow

ContraryTwit
Sep 11, 2006
162
224
✟11,908.00
Country
United States
Faith
Pentecostal
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Do you want a list of the easiest to study or the ones with the most information?

When you say you're meeting trials, what sort of help do you need? Do you struggle with faith? Do you struggle with relationships?
 
Upvote 0

stuart lawrence

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2015
10,527
1,603
65
✟70,875.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I don't have much knowledge of the bible and i keep meeting the trials in life and failing hard. its obvious i need the word in me to survive more than a day, can someone who's read the who book, suggest a list? for example: best books in order from most important lessons ----> to least important lessons(but still important) I want to get the important stuff in me first so i can be a successful christian, and stop failing after half a day of trying. I dont know which books have the best lessons, and its discouraging because the bible is massive, can someone please make me a list?
After the gospels, I would suggest Romans. Then the rest of the Apostles letters. Psalms may also be helpful. Then in time the rest. Definatly the NT first
 
Upvote 0

Braydeno

Active Member
Jan 24, 2017
165
205
bc, canada
✟15,138.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Do you want a list of the easiest to study or the ones with the most information?

When you say you're meeting trials, what sort of help do you need? Do you struggle with faith? Do you struggle with relationships?
I'm not sure how to put it... the trials i'm having is myself.. I'm blind to the person i am and today i just realised what im like, my Mentality, mindset,.. im selfish, inconsiderate, ignorant as hell, ignorant of consequences,.. apathetic with the "I can't this, I can't that" attitude, i just realised all this today and i thought to myself.. No wonder im not close with god, no wonder i can't last more than half a day. I'm not sure what books i specificly need, maybe books that would help me with changing who i am or books that increase faith so that god will change me.

edit: also Temptation is eeeeverywhere, I'm a little worried i'll give into it even if jesus gives me a way out, im gonna try to change that attitude, I know i want heaven, sometimes its hard though. e.g. food, weed/cigarettes, flesh like gaming, anything that gives me pleasure its everywhere.

After the gospels, I would suggest Romans. Then the rest of the Apostles letters. Psalms may also be helpful. Then in time the rest. Definatly the NT first
thank you
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

RC1970

post tenebras lux
Jul 7, 2015
1,903
1,558
✟80,684.00
Country
United States
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Single
I don't have much knowledge of the bible and i keep meeting the trials in life and failing hard. its obvious i need the word in me to survive more than a day, can someone who's read the who book, suggest a list? for example: best books in order from most important lessons ----> to least important lessons(but still important) I want to get the important stuff in me first so i can be a successful christian, and stop failing after half a day of trying. I dont know which books have the best lessons, and its discouraging because the bible is massive, can someone please make me a list?
Basic understanding of Christianity

1. Luke
2. Acts
3. John
4. Romans
5. 1 Corinthians
6. Philippians
7. Hebrews

Read these seven through once and then a second time with a study bible.

Then read the rest of the NT the same way.
 
Upvote 0

Braydeno

Active Member
Jan 24, 2017
165
205
bc, canada
✟15,138.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Basic understanding of Christianity

1. Luke
2. Acts
3. John
4. Romans
5. 1 Corinthians
6. Philippians
7. Hebrews

Read these seven through once and then a second time with a study bible.

Then read the rest of the NT the same way.
thank you
 
Upvote 0

Stancet

Active Member
May 20, 2016
120
147
33
Tennessee
✟22,935.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
1) Luke
Of the four gospels, this is the easiest to read because it's more biographical and written to people who didn't understand the Old Testament, and it emphasizes Jesus's perfectionism as well as His compassion.

2) 1&2 Timothy
These two letters were written by Paul to his young and timid pupil to encourage him and raise him up in proper Christian teaching.

3) 1 John
An amazing letter written to people to help them identify who they are in Jesus, and how we can be sure if we are saved or not.

4) James
This is a very strict no-nonsense book written to help clarify what it means to live by faith and demonstrate Jesus's character in front of other people you meet.

5) Romans
This is doctrinally the most important book in the Bible, since this is the fundamental beliefs all we Christians believe and hold fast two. I suggest reading this one twice, once casually, and the second time with a good commentary or instructional videos.
 
Upvote 0

Traveling teacher

Well-Known Member
May 2, 2017
993
499
64
Belton
✟31,844.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Start with Mark its the shortest and easiest
Then acts

I would then read genesis to get a foundation

You can also read these 3 books together......
Read 4-5 chapters and alternate back to
Genesis with 4-5 chapters

Bible is great never get tired of it......
Also get a bible app.......
I listen to the bible constantly....
While i am driving or working out....
YOu can get through a book in around an hour listening
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

tryintogrow

ContraryTwit
Sep 11, 2006
162
224
✟11,908.00
Country
United States
Faith
Pentecostal
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Make sure you have a good translation that is correct but easy to follow. I'd check out New Living Translation, Contemporary English Bible, NASB, and The Message. Read each book in various translations until you completely understand what the book says.

Then confess, out loud, what you learned from the book. Repent for any behavior you learned about yourself. Invite God to make the new information a reality in your life.

When you get tired or burned out, read Psalms. David spent a lot of time being depressed, and we can learn a lot about worship through sadness from him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0

Marilyn C

Pre-tribulation.
Supporter
Dec 26, 2013
4,811
596
Victoria
✟592,788.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Hi Braydeno,

Lots of good advice there, bro. We all understand the early days of struggling with what seems so many `balls in the air.` However really the Holy Spirit only gives us one lesson at a time. We want to do it all perfect now, but its the process that makes us appreciate how patient Jesus is with us. Appreciate every little hurdle you go over with His guidance. Look more to what is being changed than having to learn all the lessons now. It`s like asking a young child to read an encyclopaedia when they are just learning the alphabet.

My suggestion is to buy the book `My utmost for His highest,` by Oswald Chambers, as it is a daily read, that opens up God`s word and makes it very, very practical.

all the best, Marilyn.
 
Upvote 0

Braydeno

Active Member
Jan 24, 2017
165
205
bc, canada
✟15,138.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Make sure you have a good translation that is correct but easy to follow. I'd check out New Living Translation, Contemporary English Bible, NASB, and The Message. Read each book in various translations until you completely understand what the book says.

Then confess, out loud, what you learned from the book. Repent for any behavior you learned about yourself. Invite God to make the new information a reality in your life.

When you get tired or burned out, read Psalms. David spent a lot of time being depressed, and we can learn a lot about worship through sadness from him.
good advice, Ill take note.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Braydeno

Active Member
Jan 24, 2017
165
205
bc, canada
✟15,138.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Hi Braydeno,

Lots of good advice there, bro. We all understand the early days of struggling with what seems so many `balls in the air.` However really the Holy Spirit only gives us one lesson at a time. We want to do it all perfect now, but its the process that makes us appreciate how patient Jesus is with us. Appreciate every little hurdle you go over with His guidance. Look more to what is being changed than having to learn all the lessons now. It`s like asking a young child to read an encyclopaedia when they are just learning the alphabet.

My suggestion is to buy the book `My utmost for His highest,` by Oswald Chambers, as it is a daily read, that opens up God`s word and makes it very, very practical.

all the best, Marilyn.
no wonder i get overwhelmed to easily, i think i have to learn everything at once which is overwhelming, glad you said that. good way of putting it too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marilyn C
Upvote 0

Jim Langston

Non denominational fundamentalist
Supporter
Jul 9, 2005
839
406
60
Bellingham, WA
✟79,514.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
I, personally, think reading the four gospels in order is good understanding that the rest of the new testament is trying to explain what Jesus said.

In my mind anyone who claims truth contrary to the words of Jesus does not quite understand the bible.

So, read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John paying close attention to the words of our Lord Jesus. Anyone who claims the words of our Lord don't apply are teaching lawlessness and is warned against.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0

PoetStorm

Wanderer in the wilderness
Nov 4, 2008
84
82
Long Island New York
✟21,920.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
I'm not sure how to put it... the trials i'm having is myself.. I'm blind to the person i am and today i just realised what im like, my Mentality, mindset,.. im selfish, inconsiderate, ignorant as hell, ignorant of consequences,.. apathetic with the "I can't this, I can't that" attitude, i just realised all this today and i thought to myself.. No wonder im not close with god, no wonder i can't last more than half a day. I'm not sure what books i specificly need, maybe books that would help me with changing who i am or books that increase faith so that god will change me.

I KNOW the feeling! That actually could be an indication you're heading the right direction. Every time I get the idea that I'm a pretty good person without really major sins, I run into a time when God kind of clears his throat behind me and points to places where I'm falling short but didn't see it.

It's not meant to be a hopeless thing, more like a "Excuse me but you've still got work to do. Don't go grabbing for your angel halo just yet." kind of clarity. :p

I'm still relatively new to the word too, so I often wonder what book I should focus on. And I jump around a bit. Here are my newbie thoughts so far:

Genesis and Exodus - Great for helping you to get to know God and his intentions toward man, his anger, his compassion, and how he uses people, sometimes unconventionally. If you can get past the begats, it's a really eye opening and enjoying part of the bible.

Proverbs - Pretty much the book of how to live a life full of wisdom. It's got a lot of really great life advice, not just spiritually but really day to day living and making smart choices.

Psalms - This is where I go for comfort and reassurance. Even when I'm reading other books I like to jump in here and read one here and there.

Acts and Romans - A lot of great things in here about what it's like to follow Christ and how salvation works.

John - encouragement, love, and good news

Daniel - If you ever wanted to see an inspiring role model of faith and prayer this is it. When I want to be pushed in my prayer life and be inspired I go to Daniel.

ALSO - What I am doing is using a multi-section notebook to copy out small parts of scripture that I want to learn to live by, separated by category, so that I have them handy when I run into a problem. So I have for example: humility, comfort in trouble, anger, suffering and perseverance, temptations, etc...
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0

JIMINZ

Well-Known Member
Apr 13, 2017
6,600
2,358
79
Southern Ga.
✟157,715.00
Country
United States
Faith
Charismatic
Marital Status
Married
I don't have much knowledge of the bible and i keep meeting the trials in life and failing hard. its obvious i need the word in me to survive more than a day, can someone who's read the who book, suggest a list? for example: best books in order from most important lessons ----> to least important lessons(but still important) I want to get the important stuff in me first so i can be a successful christian, and stop failing after half a day of trying. I dont know which books have the best lessons, and its discouraging because the bible is massive, can someone please make me a list?

.
Hi Braydeno

Here is a list of the Books of the New Testament, beginning with the Book with the least amount of Chapters to the Book with the most amount of Chapters.

It is my firm belief, a new Christian needs in his heart as much information as he is able to gain in the shortest amount of time.
If you have the information from the Bible in your heart, the Holy Spirit is then able to pull it out in order to teach you, or to convict you in some way, if the information is not there, He has nothing to work with.

I know it goes against everything you have heard here in this thread, and probably from all other Christians,
but, think about it for a second.
If you begin by reading the Gospels, and Acts, you will get the same story of Christ on an average of 23-24 Chapters.

The information is the same repeated over and over again 4 times, how long would it take you to read 117 chapters?

The other Books with 16, 13, 6, 5 still take time to read, but if you begin with the shorter Books first, you will be able to get through it quicker, the point is gaining as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time.

By reading the shorter Books first, you have a full thought of the Apostle in the shortest time, the complete teaching, so by the time you get to the longer Books you will have a better understanding of what is being taught in the longer Books, then you begin to get things which have already been taught in the shorter Books, thereby giving you a greater understanding in the longer Books, with broader concepts.

I know it sound stupid, beginning at the back of the Book and working your way to the front but, it isn't in the concepts of belief that you need, it's the fine tuning the Apostles were giving to the Churches.

As an added benefit, you will have finished more than half of the Bible (146) chapters, by the time you reach the Gospels.

The 2 Books I did not include in the list were 2 and 3 John they seem to be more on the personal level than a teaching Book you could go ahead and read them is you want, they are only 13 verses long...Your Clall.

1) JUDE 1
2) PHILEMON 1
3) 2 PETER 3
4) TITUS 3
5) 2 THESSALONIANS 3
6) 2 TIMOTHY 4
7) COLLOSSIANS 4
8) PHILLIPEANS 4
9) 1 JOHN 5
10) 1 PETER 5
11) JAMES 5
12) 1 THESSALONIANS 5
13) 1 TIMOTHY 6
14) EPHESIANS 6
15) GALASIANS 6
16) HEBREWS 13
17) 2 CORINTHIANS 13
18) 1 CORINTHIANS 16
19) ROMANS 16

If you would like more practical information, then read Proverbs, it's easy to read with the most teaching, if you read 1 Chapter a day, it would take 1 month to read.
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Faith Alone 1 Cor 15:1-4

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2017
424
234
28
Heaven
✟12,836.00
Country
Zimbabwe
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I don't have much knowledge of the bible and i keep meeting the trials in life and failing hard. its obvious i need the word in me to survive more than a day, can someone who's read the who book, suggest a list? for example: best books in order from most important lessons ----> to least important lessons(but still important) I want to get the important stuff in me first so i can be a successful christian, and stop failing after half a day of trying. I dont know which books have the best lessons, and its discouraging because the bible is massive, can someone please make me a list?

Depends how much time you want to spend for it .

I would read from top to bottom on this list :

First most important verses
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Romans 3:23
1 John 1:8
1 John 1:9
Hebrews 9:22
Hebrews 9:12
Acts 16:30-31
Ephesians 2:8-9
Ephesians 1:13
John 3:16

after that i would read first Romans , then i would read Gospel of John . Don't try to overthink what you read it's for start .

After you read these two you can do 24 hour bible study by Chuck Missler here :

God bless you love you :)
 
  • Friendly
Reactions: Braydeno
Upvote 0