Where to Start Reading the Bible

If you’ve ever opened a Bible, seen 1,189 chapters, and quietly closed it again — this is for you.

The single most common reason people give up on the Bible isn’t doubt or boredom. It’s that they didn’t know where to start, so they started at page one, hit a wall of ancient law around Leviticus, and stopped.

You don’t have to do it that way. There’s a better on-ramp, and it’s short. Here’s exactly where to begin.

The short answer: start with the Gospel of Mark or John

If you remember nothing else, remember this: start with a Gospel.

The Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are the four books that tell the story of Jesus. Since Jesus is the center of the entire Bible, starting there means you begin at the heart of it instead of on the outskirts.

For a first-ever read, pick one of these two:

• Mark — the shortest Gospel, fast-moving, almost breathless. You can read the whole thing in under an hour and come away with the shape of Jesus’ life.
• John — slower, warmer, more reflective. It opens with “In the beginning was the Word” and spends more time on who Jesus is and why it matters.

Either one drops you straight into the action. My own way back into regular reading, years ago, started with Mark on a phone app during a stretch of bad nights — a chapter at a time, nothing fancy. It worked because it was short enough to actually finish.

Why not start at Genesis?

Genesis is a wonderful book, and there’s nothing wrong with reading it. The trouble is what comes right after.

Read straight through from page one and you get Genesis (great), then Exodus (starts great, turns into detailed law), then Leviticus (almost entirely law and ritual). For a beginner with no context, that’s where the momentum dies. I’ve watched more than one person’s New Year “read the Bible” resolution end in a ditch somewhere around the sacrificial regulations.

You’ll get to Genesis — and it’ll mean more once you’ve met Jesus and know where the whole story is heading. Just don’t make it the gate you have to get through first. More on sequencing in what order to read the Bible in.

A simple first path through the Bible

Once you’ve read a Gospel, here’s an order that keeps the momentum going without overwhelming you:

• 1. A Gospel — Mark or John. Meet Jesus.
• 2. The Psalms. The Bible’s 150 prayers and songs, honest about grief, fear, anger, and joy. You don’t read these front to back — you dip in. Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Psalm 139 are good first stops.
• 3. A short letter — Philippians or James. These were written to real, struggling churches and are intensely practical. Philippians is warm and full of joy; James is blunt and down-to-earth.
• 4. Another Gospel — Luke. Now go wider on Jesus’ life with more of his stories and parables.
• 5. Genesis. With Jesus in view, the opening of the whole story lands differently.
• 6. Acts. What the first Christians did next — how the story spills out into the world.

That’s a few months of reading right there, and by the end you’ll have a real feel for the book. No Leviticus required to get started.

How much to read when you start

Start small. Genuinely small.

One chapter — or even half a chapter — read slowly, beats five chapters you skim and forget. When you’re beginning, the goal isn’t distance covered. It’s building a habit your brain will keep.

A realistic first-week target: one short chapter a day, at the same time, in the same spot. Ten minutes. That’s it. You can always read more on the days you want to; you can’t get back the momentum you lose by burning out in week one.

Where to physically start on a page

A small practical thing that trips beginners up: how to find your way around.

Bible references work like an address. “John 3:16” means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. The big numbers in the text are chapters; the little ones are verses. The table of contents at the front lists every book and its page.

Most Bibles put the four Gospels near the start of the New Testament — which is the second, shorter half of the book. If you’re using an app, you can just search “Mark 1” and go. Speaking of which: reading isn’t the only way in. The Still app reads Scripture aloud over calm narration, so you can start with a Gospel by listening on the drive or in bed, then follow along in print when you’re ready. Download Still on the App Store.

When it stops feeling new

The first few weeks often carry a little momentum of their own. Then the novelty wears off, and that’s the real test — the same test as any habit.

When that happens, don’t reach for a bigger, more ambitious plan. Reach for a smaller, more certain one. Keep the ten minutes. Keep the coffee. Let the habit be boring and reliable, and let the meaning show up on its own schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to start reading the Bible? The Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of John. Both put you directly into the story of Jesus, who is the center of the whole Bible. Mark is the shortest and fastest; John is warmer and more reflective. Starting there is far more encouraging for a beginner than starting at Genesis and stalling in Leviticus.

Should I read the Bible from beginning to end? You can eventually, but it’s a rough first strategy. Reading straight through means hitting Exodus and Leviticus — long stretches of ancient law — before you have any context, which is where most beginners quit. Start with a Gospel, then the Psalms and a short letter, and come back to Genesis once the bigger story is in view.

What should I read first in the Bible as a beginner? Read one Gospel first (Mark or John), then the Psalms for prayer and honesty, then a short practical letter like Philippians or James. That order introduces Jesus, gives you words to pray, and shows faith working in everyday life — all before you tackle the harder Old Testament sections.

How long does it take to read the Bible? Cover to cover, most people take somewhere between two and four months reading around 20 minutes a day — but you don’t need that pace to benefit. Ten focused minutes a day on the right books builds a lasting habit, and a lasting habit is worth far more than a fast finish.

Conclusion: begin where the story does

The Bible can feel like a locked building with a thousand doors. Here’s the one that opens easily: a Gospel, ten minutes, tomorrow morning.

Start with Mark or John. Meet Jesus first. Let everything else find its place around that. You don’t have to read it all, understand it all, or love every page to genuinely begin.

Open to Mark 1 tonight and read until you’re tired. That’s a real start, and it counts. When you’re ready for a longer plan, what order to read the Bible in maps the rest, and how to read the Bible covers understanding what you find there.