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Read This First: How to read and understand the Bible.
You know the Bible matters. You have heard it described as God's Word — the book through which the living God speaks, and through which his Spirit works to change lives. You may even own one. But if you are honest, it can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What does it all mean? Why does some of it seem so distant, so strange, so difficult to connect to your life today?
Read This First by Gary Millar is the book you need before you begin — or the book you wish someone had given you years ago. Warm, practical, and genuinely encouraging, it hands you the tools to read and understand the Bible for yourself, and helps you move from confusion and hesitation to confidence and delight in God's Word.
One of the most important things Gary Millar does in this book is dispel a myth that keeps many Christians from ever really engaging with the Bible: the idea that reading and understanding Scripture requires specialist knowledge, theological training, or some rare gift of spiritual insight.
It does not. The skills needed to read the Bible well are not beyond the grasp of ordinary believers. Millar shows that with a few foundational tools — understanding what kind of book the Bible is, how its parts relate to one another, what to look for as you read, and how to ask the right questions of the text — any Christian can move from feeling lost in Scripture to hearing God speak clearly through it.
This is not a book that does the reading for you. It is a book that equips you to do it yourself — and to keep doing it for the rest of your life.
Many Christians fall into one of two camps when it comes to Bible reading. The first group has never really started — the Bible feels too big, too ancient, too unfamiliar, and they are not sure where to begin. The second group has started, many times, but has never quite found a rhythm — dipping in sporadically, feeling vaguely guilty, never quite sure what they are supposed to be getting out of it.
Millar writes for both groups with equal warmth and practicality. He does not lecture or shame. He simply opens a door and invites you through it — showing you that the Bible is not a forbidding religious text to be endured but a living word to be enjoyed, a place where God himself speaks, and a source of genuine refreshment and transformation.
Gary Millar is the Principal of Queensland Theological College in Brisbane, Australia, and serves as head of The Gospel Coalition Australia. He is one of the most trusted voices in evangelical theological education in the Asia-Pacific region, known for his ability to make rigorous biblical scholarship accessible and compelling for ordinary Christians. Before his role at QTC, Millar served in pastoral ministry in the United Kingdom and Ireland, giving him a pastor's heart alongside a theologian's mind. He is the author of several books including Calling on the Name of the Lord and Motivated, and his writing is consistently characterised by warmth, clarity, and a deep love for Scripture and for the people God calls to read it. His connection to The Gospel Coalition Australia also means his work reaches and shapes a wide evangelical readership across Australia, Asia, and beyond — including India.
Read This First is published by The Good Book Company — one of the most trusted evangelical publishers of accessible, biblically faithful resources for Christians at every stage of the faith. The Good Book Company also publishes the God's Word For You expository series, the Explore Bible devotional range, and a wide variety of resources for personal study, group discussion, and church life. Their books are characterised by clarity, gospel-centredness, and genuine usefulness for ordinary readers.
