Read This First - A Simple Guide to Getting the Most from the Bible - Paperback

The Bible Is Waiting. Are You Ready to Read It?

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.

You Already Have What It Takes

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.

From Confusion to Confidence

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.

What This Book Covers

• What kind of book the Bible is — and why that shapes how we read it
• The big story of Scripture — how the Bible holds together as one unified, coherent narrative from Genesis to Revelation
• How to approach different types of biblical literature — narrative, poetry, prophecy, letters, and more
• Practical tools for reading a passage well — what to look for, what questions to ask, how to find the main point
• How to move from observation to understanding to application — reading the Bible in a way that actually changes you
• How to establish a regular, sustainable habit of personal Bible reading
• What to do when the Bible seems confusing, difficult, or apparently contradictory
• How the Holy Spirit works through the reading of Scripture to shape us into the likeness of Jesus

What Readers Will Learn

• Why the Bible is unlike any other book — and why that matters for how we approach it
• The basic shape of the biblical story and how every part of Scripture fits within it
• Simple, transferable tools for reading any passage of the Bible with understanding
• How to ask the right questions of a text and find answers that are grounded in what the author actually wrote
• How to apply what you read to your own life in a way that is honest, concrete, and genuinely transforming
• How to build and sustain a regular personal Bible reading habit that lasts
• Why reading the Bible — however imperfectly — means hearing God speak and being changed to be more like Jesus

Who Should Read This Book

• New believers who have never read the Bible consistently and do not know where to begin
• Christians who have tried to read the Bible regularly but have never quite made it stick
• Long-time church attenders who rely on sermons and small groups but have never developed a personal Bible reading practice
• Anyone who finds the Bible confusing, intimidating, or hard to connect to daily life
• Disciplers and mentors wanting a warm, practical resource to give to someone they are walking alongside
• Pastors and church workers looking for a trusted first-step resource for new members or enquirers
• Youth and young adults ministry leaders seeking an accessible Bible reading guide for teenagers and students
• Churches in India running new believers courses, membership classes, or discipleship programmes

About the Author

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.

About the Series

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.