Your Bible

What Is the Bible?

The Bible is God's Word: His message to you. It is one book made up of 66 smaller books, written by about 40 men over about 1,500 years. God guided every word they wrote, so it has one Author and one message from beginning to end: God's plan to save sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:39

Your Bible is the King James Version (KJV), an English translation made in 1611 from the original Hebrew and Greek. We believe it is God's preserved Word for English-speaking people. Some of its words are old-fashioned, so there's a list of old words below to help.

The Two Parts: Old and New Testament

The Bible has two main parts. A testament is a covenant, or an agreement, that God made with people. Open your Bible and you'll find the Old Testament first, then the New Testament (usually about three-quarters of the way through).

The Old Testament points forward to Jesus; the New Testament tells us He came. It's one story from start to finish.

How to Find a Verse

Bible verses are written like this: John 3:16. That means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. (Say it “John three sixteen.”)

John A 3B

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶C For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1. A Find the book. Look in the contents page at the front of your Bible. It lists every book with its page number. John is the 4th book of the New Testament. The book's name is also printed at the top of each page.
2. B Find the chapter. Chapters are marked with big numbers.
3. C Find the verse. Verses are the small numbers in the text.

Some books have a number in front, like 1 John (“First John”). That's a different book from John. It's a short letter near the end of the New Testament.

Where to Start Reading

Don't start at page one and try to read straight through. Start with Jesus:

1. John: written “that ye might believe” (John 20:31). The best place to begin.
2. Romans: explains salvation and the Christian life more clearly than anywhere else.
3. 1 John: a short letter about knowing you are saved.
4. Acts: what happened after Jesus rose again.
5. Genesis: the beginning of everything.

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 20:31

A few tips: read a little every day; a chapter is plenty. Pray first and ask God to help you understand. When something confuses you, write it down and ask a pastor. It's fine not to understand everything right away.

Six-Week Starter Plan

One chapter a day: the Gospel of John, then Romans, then 1 John. Tick each chapter when you've read it.

Your ticks are saved on this phone or computer only.

Old Words Made Easy

The King James Bible uses some words that have changed meaning or gone out of use. Here are the ones you'll meet most:

KJV word	What it means
thee, thou, thy, thine	you, your (talking to one person)
ye, you	you (talking to more than one person)
believeth, hath, doth, saith	believes, has, does, says (the -eth ending is like our -s)
verily	truly
behold	look, see
Holy Ghost	the Holy Spirit
conversation	way of life, how you behave
careful	worried, anxious (“Be careful for nothing” = don't worry about anything)
suffer	allow, let (“Suffer the little children” = let them come)
charity	love
quick	alive (“the quick and the dead”)
meat	food of any kind
prevent	go before, come first
straightway	immediately
wist, wot	knew, know
peradventure	perhaps

How to Study

• Read in context. Read the whole chapter around a verse, not just the verse.
• Ask three questions: What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean for me?
• Let the Bible explain the Bible. When something isn't clear, look for other verses on the same subject.
• Mark your Bible. Underline verses that speak to you and write notes in the margin. It's yours.
• Sit under good preaching. A church where the Bible is preached will help you understand it.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Acts 17:11

Verses to Memorize First

Learn these by heart, a week at a time:

• John 3:16: God's love and His gift
• Romans 3:23: everyone has sinned
• Romans 6:23: the price of sin and the free gift
• Romans 10:13: whosoever shall call
• 1 John 5:13: you can know you have eternal life
• 1 John 1:9: forgiveness when you sin
• Psalm 119:105: a lamp unto my feet

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11