Short answer
Start with one of the Gospels (Mark or John), read a little every day, ask God to speak to you before you begin, and look for what the passage shows you about God and how to respond. The Bible is one story that leads to Jesus, and it is available free in your own language.
What the Bible is
The Bible is a library of sixty-six books, written over about 1,500 years by many people, yet telling one story: God making the world, humanity turning away, and God’s long plan to rescue and restore His creation through Jesus. Paul says that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
(2 Timothy 3:16).
Because it is God’s Word, it is not just information. The word of God is living and active
(Hebrews 4:12); God still speaks through it today.
Where to start
Do not start at page one and try to read straight through; many people give up in Leviticus. Start with a Gospel. Mark is short and action-packed; John explains who Jesus is. Then read Acts to see the early church, and a letter such as Philippians. Come back to Genesis and the Psalms after that.
Read a short passage rather than a lot at once. Before you begin, ask God to help you understand (Psalm 119:18). As you read, ask three questions: What does this show me about God? What does it show me about people? How should I respond? Then pray about what you have read.
Read in your own language
God speaks every language. The free YouVersion Bible app at bible.com has the Bible in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and hundreds of other languages, with audio and reading plans. Reading in the language of your heart often helps the words land more deeply.
And read with others. Our Friday Bible Study works through the Scriptures together each week; everyone is welcome, whatever your level.
How this connects across the Bible
The Bible is one story. Here is how this theme runs from the Old Testament to Jesus:
- God’s word creates the world (Genesis 1:3) and later creates a people through the law given at Sinai (Exodus 24:7); the same word became flesh in Jesus (John 1:14).
- Moses said people live not by bread alone but by every word from God’s mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3); Jesus quotes it when tempted (Matthew 4:4).
- Psalm 1 pictures the person who delights in God’s law as a fruitful tree (Psalm 1:2-3); Jesus says whoever hears His words and does them builds on rock (Matthew 7:24).
- The risen Jesus shows that Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms all speak of Him (Luke 24:44-45); the Bereans check Paul’s message against the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).
What we believe at Spring Valley
We believe that the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, the infallible, all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. Being submissive to the authority of God’s Word is the first of our core values.
Your next step
Download the Bible app today and read Mark chapter 1. Then come to Friday Bible Study, 8:15 PM, and read with us.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read the Bible free in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and many more languages at bible.com.