What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Reading the Bible

Aug 14, 2025

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Reading the Bible

The Bible was written over 1,500 years by 40+ authors in 3 languages across multiple cultures—you’re not supposed to understand everything on your first read. Starting with Genesis and forcing yourself through Leviticus has a 90% dropout rate. Most successful Bible readers start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) instead.

I started really reading the Bible when I was 23.

Sure, I’d heard Bible stories before. I knew about Noah’s ark and Daniel in the lion’s den and that Jesus died on a cross. But actually sitting down and reading the Bible for myself? That was new territory.

And nobody prepared me for how weird it would be.

Not weird in a bad way. Just… different from what I expected. If you’re thinking about starting to read the Bible seriously, or if you just started and you’re feeling a little lost, here’s what I wish someone had told me.

It’s Okay to Not Understand Everything

I thought reading the Bible would be like reading any other book—start at the beginning, read straight through, understand everything as you go.

Narrator: It was not like reading any other book.

The Bible was written over about 1,500 years by dozens of different authors in multiple languages for audiences living in cultures completely different from ours. It’s got history, poetry, prophecy, letters, law codes, and visions. Sometimes all in the same book.

You’re not supposed to understand everything on your first read-through. Or your second. Or your tenth.

I spent way too much time feeling stupid because I didn’t get what was happening in Ezekiel or why Paul was so upset in Galatians or what on earth was going on with that stuff about kinsman-redeemers in Ruth.

Someone should have told me: That’s normal. Keep reading. Some things will make sense later. Some things you’ll need to look up. Some things will probably never fully make sense, and that’s okay too.

God is bigger than our ability to fully comprehend everything He’s said. That’s kind of the point.

You Don’t Have to Start at the Beginning

Here’s what I did when I first decided to really read the Bible: I opened to Genesis 1:1 and started reading.

This worked great for about three weeks. Then I hit Leviticus and ground to a halt so hard you could hear the brakes squealing.

Nobody told me that there are better ways to start.

If you’re brand new to Bible reading, starting with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) is probably a better bet. They tell the story of Jesus’s life, which is kind of the central thing everything else is pointing toward or flowing from.

Or start with Genesis and Exodus, but then skip to the Gospels before tackling the law books. Or start with some of Paul’s letters if you want practical teaching.

There’s no wrong way to read the Bible, but there are definitely easier on-ramps than “start at the beginning and white-knuckle your way through Leviticus.”

The Old Testament Is Not Just Filler

For a long time, I thought the Old Testament was basically “The Boring Part Before Jesus Shows Up.”

Wrong. So wrong.

The Old Testament is where you learn who God is and how He interacts with people. It’s where you see the promises God made and how He kept them. It’s where you find out why Jesus’s arrival was such a big deal.

When Jesus talks about fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, He’s talking about the Old Testament. When Paul writes about Abraham’s faith, he’s pulling from Old Testament stories. When Revelation uses all that imagery about bowls and trumpets and seals, it’s echoing Old Testament prophecy.

You can read the New Testament without knowing the Old Testament, but you’ll miss so much. It’s like watching Return of the Jedi without seeing A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back. Sure, you’ll get the general idea, but you won’t understand why anything matters.

It’s Okay to Feel Uncomfortable Sometimes

There are parts of the Bible that are hard to read.

There’s violence. There’s suffering. There are moments where you’ll read something and think, “Wait, God said to do WHAT?”

I wish someone had prepared me for this instead of acting like the Bible is just full of comforting verses and nice stories.

Yes, there are comforting verses and beautiful stories. But there’s also war and judgment and accounts of people doing terrible things. Sometimes people who are supposed to be the good guys do really messed up stuff.

This doesn’t mean you’re reading it wrong. It means the Bible is honest about the brokenness of the world and the complexity of human nature.

When you hit those uncomfortable parts (and you will), don’t just skip over them or pretend they don’t exist. Sit with them. Ask questions. It’s okay to wrestle with hard passages. God can handle your doubts and confusion.

Context Changes Everything

I cannot emphasize this enough: context matters way more than I realized.

That verse you saw on a coffee mug or Instagram graphic? Go read what comes before and after it. I guarantee you’ll understand it differently.

For example, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” sounds like a general motivational statement about achieving your dreams. But if you read Philippians 4, Paul’s actually talking about being content whether he has plenty or nothing—it’s about enduring hardship, not about winning at life.

“For I know the plans I have for you…” sounds like God promising you a great future. But Jeremiah 29 is actually a letter to people in exile, telling them to settle in and build houses because they’re going to be there for seventy years. The “good plans” God has for them involve their grandchildren, not them personally.

This isn’t to say these verses aren’t true or meaningful. But they mean something different in context than they do on a decorative pillow.

Reading the whole passage, the whole chapter, the whole book—it gives you the full picture instead of just a fragment.

You’re Going to Have Questions. Lots of Questions.

Why did God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac if He was just going to stop him anyway? What’s the deal with all those genealogies? Why does it matter what kind of fabric people wore? Who are the Nephilim? What’s going on with Revelation?

The questions don’t mean you’re doing something wrong. They mean you’re paying attention.

Write them down. Look them up later. Ask someone who knows more than you. Join a Bible study. Use study notes. Read commentaries.

Or just keep the questions in the back of your mind and keep reading. Sometimes you’ll find answers chapters later. Sometimes you won’t, but you’ll understand enough to trust God even without all the answers.

Different Translations Are Actually Helpful

I started with the King James Version because that’s what my grandma had and it seemed like the “real” Bible.

The thee’s and thou’s made me feel very spiritual, and they also made me completely miss the point of half of what I was reading.

Here’s what nobody told me: translations exist to help you understand what the original text said. Some prioritize word-for-word accuracy (like the ESV or NASB). Some prioritize getting the meaning across in natural English (like the NIV or NLT). Both approaches are valid.

If you’re reading “ye” and “hath” and having to mentally translate that into modern English before you can even think about what it means, you’re making it harder than it needs to be.

Find a translation you can actually understand. Read that. You can always compare translations later if you want to dig deeper into specific passages.

Reading a Little Bit Regularly Beats Reading a Lot Once

When I first started, I thought I needed to have hour-long quiet times where I read whole books in one sitting and emerged spiritually transformed.

What actually helped me grow? Reading consistently, even when it was just a chapter a day.

It’s like working out. Going to the gym for five hours once a month won’t make you fit. Going for thirty minutes several times a week will.

The Bible is meant to be absorbed over time, not consumed in one mega-session. Daily reading—even if some days it’s only ten minutes—will shape you more than occasional marathon sessions.

You’ll Get More Out of It Than You Put In

This is going to sound weird, but bear with me.

Sometimes I’d read a passage and think it was boring or confusing or not relevant to my life. Then a week later, I’d be dealing with something and a verse from that “boring” passage would pop into my head and suddenly make perfect sense.

Or I’d be reading something completely different and realize it connected to what I’d read a month ago, and the whole thing would click.

The Bible has this way of working on you even when you don’t realize it’s happening. Seeds get planted. Connections form. God speaks through passages you didn’t think were saying anything important.

Don’t judge a passage by how you feel about it in the moment you read it. Give it time to work.

It’s Not Just Information

Here’s the biggest thing I wish someone had told me:

Reading the Bible isn’t just about learning information about God. It’s about actually encountering God.

Yes, you’ll learn things. Historical facts, theological concepts, moral principles—all of that’s in there. But if you’re only reading to gain knowledge, you’re missing the point.

God gave us His Word so we could know Him, not just know about Him.

This means reading with an open heart, not just an analytical mind. It means praying before you read. It means stopping when something strikes you instead of just plowing through to finish your reading plan. It means being willing to be changed by what you read.

The Bible is living and active, not dead and academic. Let it be.

You Can Start Today

If you’ve been putting off reading the Bible because you don’t feel ready or you don’t know where to start or you’re worried you won’t do it right, here’s my advice:

Just start.

Pick a Gospel and read a chapter. Don’t worry about having perfect understanding or ideal circumstances or a beautiful leather-bound journal to write notes in. Just read.

You’ll figure it out as you go. You’ll develop your own rhythm. You’ll discover what works for you.

And yeah, you’ll have days where you don’t understand what you’re reading. Days where it feels dry. Days where you’d rather do literally anything else.

But you’ll also have moments where a passage reaches right into your heart and speaks exactly what you needed to hear. Where a story you’ve heard a hundred times suddenly means something new. Where you feel God’s presence in the words on the page.

Those moments make everything else worth it.

The Best Time to Start Was Yesterday. The Second Best Time Is Now.

I wasted a lot of time wishing I’d started reading the Bible seriously when I was younger. Then I wasted more time making excuses for why I couldn’t start right then.

Looking back, I wish I’d just started whenever the thought occurred to me instead of waiting for the perfect moment or the right time of year or until I felt more prepared.

There’s never going to be a perfect time. You’re never going to feel completely ready. Just start reading, and trust that God will meet you in the pages.

The Bible you read imperfectly is better than the Bible sitting on your shelf looking impressive.

So if you’re thinking about it, stop thinking and start reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should a beginner start reading the Bible?

Start with one of the four Gospels: Matthew (most organized), Mark (shortest and fastest-paced), Luke (most detailed), or John (most theological). These tell Jesus’s story and provide the foundation for understanding everything else.

Do I need a study Bible to understand what I’m reading?

No, but it helps. A study Bible includes explanatory notes, historical context, and cross-references. For beginners, the NIV Study Bible or ESV Study Bible are excellent options. You can always add study tools later.

Which Bible translation is best for beginners?

The NIV (New International Version) or NLT (New Living Translation) are easiest for modern readers. Avoid the King James Version as a beginner—the archaic language creates unnecessary barriers to comprehension.

How long should I read the Bible each day?

Start with 10-15 minutes. One chapter is usually enough. Consistency matters more than length. It’s better to read for 10 minutes every day than to read for an hour once a week.

Ready to start reading the Bible but not sure where to begin? Scriptured makes it simple with guided reading plans that take you through the whole Bible in manageable daily portions. Track your progress, build consistency, and discover what you’ve been missing. Start your Bible reading journey today.

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