In What Order Should Beginners Read the Bible?

Opening the Bible for the first time as a new believer is an exciting moment. You’re ready to dive in and discover what God has to say. But that excitement can quickly turn to confusion when you’re faced with a big question: In what order should you actually read it?

The Bible isn’t a single book written from start to finish; it’s a library of 66 different books, including history, poetry, prophecy, and letters. Just starting at “In the beginning…” in Genesis and reading straight through to the “Amen” in Revelation—while a noble goal—isn’t always the best approach for someone just getting started. Understanding the different reading orders can help you build a strong foundation and a lasting reading habit.

Why Your Reading Order Matters

Choosing a thoughtful reading order helps you grasp the overarching story of Scripture without getting bogged down in the more complex or challenging sections too early. A good starting plan should accomplish a few key things:

• Introduce you to Jesus: He is the central figure of the entire Bible. Understanding His life and teachings provides the lens through which to understand everything else.
• Build a solid foundation: It should give you the core building blocks of the Christian faith in an accessible way.
• Create momentum: An achievable and engaging starting point will encourage you to continue, turning your initial desire into a consistent habit.

Think of it like exploring a new city. You wouldn’t start by walking every single street in alphabetical order. You’d probably visit the most important landmarks first to get your bearings. The same principle applies to the Bible.

Popular Bible Reading Orders for Beginners

There is no single “right” way to read the Bible, but some paths are more beginner-friendly than others. Let’s explore the most common approaches.

1. The Foundational Start: Begin with the Gospels

For new believers, this is almost always the best place to start. The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—tell the story of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

• Why it works: By starting here, you begin with the person at the very heart of Christianity. It gives you immediate context for everything you’ll read in the New Testament and helps you see how the Old Testament points toward Jesus.
• A good starting point: The Gospel of John is a wonderful first book to read. It focuses deeply on who Jesus is and why He came. Alternatively, reading Luke and then Acts (written by the same author) gives you a fantastic two-part narrative of Jesus’s life followed by the story of the first Christians and the birth of the church.

2. The Straightforward Path: Canonical Order

Canonical order simply means reading the books of the Bible in the order they appear in the table of contents. It’s logical and helps you learn where each book is located.

• Why it works: It’s simple and requires no special guide. You just read one book and move on to the next.
• A word of caution: For a brand-new reader, starting a canonical read-through from Genesis can be tough. You’ll move from the exciting stories of Genesis and Exodus right into the detailed laws of Leviticus and Numbers, which can be a major hurdle. Many people find it more helpful to read the New Testament in canonical order first, then go back to the Old Testament.

3. The Storyteller’s Path: Chronological Order

A chronological plan arranges the biblical text according to the historical timeline of events as they happened. You won’t read book by book, but rather jump between them to follow the story.

• Why it works: This order can bring the Bible to life in a new way, weaving the Psalms of David directly into the story of his kingship, or placing the prophets’ messages within their historical context. It helps you see the Bible as one unified narrative.
• Is it for beginners? While incredibly insightful, this order can sometimes be confusing without a good guide, as you’ll be switching between books frequently. It’s often a great option for your second read-through of the Bible.

A Recommended Reading Path for New Believers

If you want a simple, practical path to get started, here is a suggested order that combines the best of these approaches:

1. Start with a Gospel: Read the Gospel of John or Luke.
2. Explore the Early Church: Read Acts to see how the gospel spread.
3. Understand Christian Living: Read a few of Paul’s shorter letters, like Ephesians or Philippians. They are encouraging and packed with foundational truths.
4. Go Back to the Beginning: Read Genesis to understand the origins of God’s relationship with humanity, sin, and His plan for redemption.
5. Find Daily Wisdom: Read Psalms and Proverbs. Psalms can teach you how to pray, and Proverbs offers timeless wisdom for everyday life.

This path gives you a solid grasp of Jesus, the early church, and the foundational stories of the Old Testament without being overwhelming.

How Bible Plan Generator Simplifies Your Choice

We know that choosing an order and turning it into a daily plan can feel like a lot of work. That’s why we created Bible Plan Generator—a free tool to help you start reading the Bible with confidence.

• Beginner-Friendly Curated Plans: Don’t want to decide? We have over 20 pre-made plans ready to go. You can instantly select a “Gospels in 40 Days” or “New Testament in 90 Days” plan to begin your journey.
• Create Your Own Path: Our custom plan generator puts you in control. You can build a plan based on the recommended path above by selecting just the books you want to read (like John, Acts, and Ephesians) and setting a timeline that works for you.
• Easily Switch Your Reading Order: Want to try a chronological plan? With our generator, you can create a plan for any section of the Bible and toggle between canonical and chronological order with a single click.
• Stay on Track: Every plan comes with simple progress tracking and daily links to read the text in your preferred version (KJV, ESV, NKJV, or NIV) on sites like YouVersion or BibleGateway.

The most important thing is not to let the fear of choosing the “wrong” order keep you from starting at all. The best order to read the Bible is the one that gets you reading it.

Start with a beginner-friendly Bible reading plan today. Let us help you take the guesswork out of the equation so you can focus on what matters most: connecting with God through His Word.

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