The Bible consists of two parts, the Old and New Testaments. Old does not mean that it is outdated and obsolete. Many interpreter's prefer to use the wording "first" and "second" covenant language. Either way we have our Bible as it has come down to us in these two parts. In the Old Testament there are 39 'books' and in the New Testament there are 27 'books' and/or 'letters' Much of the New Testament was written by or has ties to the Apostle Paul.
The Old Testament can be divided into several sections for the purpose of study. These are The Law, History of Israel, The Major Prophets, The Minor Prophets, and The Writings.
Old Testament books of each section are listed as follows.
The Law - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The History of Israel - Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah
The Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel
The Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The Writings - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther
The New Testament can also be divided up into sections to aid one's study and overall understanding of this part of the Bible. The New Testament consists of The Gospels, The Acts, The Letters, Revelation
New Testament books of each section are listed as follows.
The Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
The Acts- Book of Acts of several of the first Apostles
The Letters by Paul - Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
The Other Letters - Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1&2&3 John, Jude
The Revelation - The Book of Revelation
In order to get into the Bible the simplest way is to just get started by reading and getting acquainted with its contents. Although a person can certainly just open the Bible and start reading and find that technique to be useful and edifying, it may be more helpful to approach your study of the scriptures in some organized way.
A good beginning for Bible reading to get the overall picture of what Christianity and Christian belief/faith is all about is to read the gospels. Each of the four gospel accounts have their own flavor if you will. The first three are very similar in structure and contents while the gospel of John speaks of the same Jesus of the first three but with varying language and style. For the rest of the New Testament you can begin with any of the letters. Realize however that they were written in the first place to a particular congregation or other intended audience. That is the first rule of Biblical interpretation, keep the context of the writing in mind. As you read you will certainly see the inspired nature of the scriptures as they speak to you in your life.
To begin reading and study in the Old Testament it is good to begin at the beginning with the book of Genesis. In this first book of Bible you will read about creation, the entry of sin into the world, and many of the major figures of Israel's faith history. People such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers. Following the book of Genesis you can continue the story of God's people through the book of Exodus where we are introduced to Moses and the work of God leading the people out of Egypt and to the promised land. Some books in the Old Testament may be confusing and/or difficult to read and understand on the first time through. Books like Leviticus tell of the law and rituals/ordinances for God's people to live by. Some of the passages found in the prophetic books may leave you wondering what the author is talking about. In these cases consult a commentary on the Bible. Through the internet you can find many good and scholarly sites to help you further your understanding of the Bible. Two sites that are particularly good and thorough with many other links for further study are; http://www.textweek.com/ and http://www.bible.org/
From : http://www.odessachristlutheran.org/bible_study.htm b
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