Christianity is the biggest religion in the world. More than 31% of the world’s population are Christians. Islam is the second one, with 24.9% of the world population. Christians believe in God, and they believe in the stories about God. The best books in the Bible are all stories about God and life. No matter if you have the original King James Bible or the 1611 version, you can read these books and stories.
Reading the entire Bible you can understand God’s love for you and his people. But what is the most popular book of the Bible? There are 66 different books in the Hebrew Bible, and it is hard to single out several of them.
Yet, we have managed to come out with the 10 best books in the Bible. Yes, some books get a lot more attention than others. Here are some of the best and most popular books in the Bible.
Genesis
As the first book of the Bible, Genesis gives you a great feel for what follows. It shows how God laid out a plan for humanity. Genesis contains the four great events, including Creation, The Fall of Man, The Flood, and The Tower of Babel.
You can marvel at how it sets the foundation for understanding who God is and how he relates to man. In the book, you will read, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them”.
The book also contains the first prophecy regarding Christ’s coming. This book tells many more dramatic stories, including Abraham and Sarah having a child in their old age, Jacob’s two wives battling for his favor, Jacob’s jealous sons selling their brother Joseph into slavery, and how God used Joseph to save them from famine later.
Gospel of John
John does an amazing job telling the readers exactly why Jesus came and how His coming has an eternal effect on all of us.
The Gospel of John helps readers understand the Mission of Jesus, as he lays it out in a nice manner. Telling the purpose of God, the Gospel is a great book for someone new in the faith. If you want to explore Christianity, John’s Gospel is a great place to start.
The Book of Psalms
This book gives you a great understanding of how we relate to God. How should you pray? What is God Like? What if I’m going through a difficult time? Read the Psalms and you will find out.
We can call it experiential literature, poetic and emotive at the same time. Psalms provide wisdom to readers. It is also one of the best books to relate to the writers.
David, Solomon, and others wrote the psalm verses during different periods in their life. Sometimes, they wrote when they were happy. Other times, they wrote when they were depressed. They reflect on their lives and wrote about people trying to kill them.
While the Gospel of John and Genesis provide historical narrative, the Psalms speak to our hearts’ struggles and joys.
Romans
In Romans, Paul wrote to the church in Rome to explain how the gospel works. In this book, he explains salvation, grace, Jewish law, and more.
You can summarize this book in one sentence, “Romans explains God”. The book shows us what God is like and how He saves us.
Written by Paul, the book represents a convincing argument of why we need a Savior. In one of the verses, the book reads “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
The Gospel of Luke
Luke wrote one of the most accurate accounts of the life of Jesus. He begins the book with the birth of Jesus, writing about the miracle of Jesus, the parables of Jesus, and the crucifixion of Jesus.
The book tells the complete journey from birth to crucifixion. And it also explains how Jesus put together his band of apostles.
By giving readers an accurate account of Jesus, Luke wants to help us place our trust in Him. If you want to walk with Jesus and see how He walked this earth, Luke’s Gospel will help you understand his ministry and mission.
Ephesians
This book is another letter by Paul, this time to the Ephesians. It begins with an inspiring description of the blessings and grace that are our in Christ.
The book reminds us that we can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus. One of the Bible verses talks about our identity and purpose, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.
It also covers topics that are helpful for the Christian way of life, including the unity in the body of Christ, counsel for husbands, counsel for wives and families.
Book of Exodus
This book takes place 400 years after the end of the Book of Genesis. In it, we find the nation of Israel suffering as slaves in Egypt. So, God calls a man named Moses to lead His people into the Promised Land.
Moses takes them on a 40-year detour in the wilderness. Moses struggles to lead them and wants to pull his hair out almost daily. It is a struggle to find food and water.
In this book, God speaks to Moses on a mountain, giving him the 10 Commandments. Similar to Genesis, Exodus lays out an important historical narrative for the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the New Testament, Jesus makes references to the Book of Exodus regularly.
Corinthians
You have probably heard verses from this book at a wedding. Famous for its love chapter, the book includes the famous “Love is patient, Love is kind” passage.
This book is another letter by Paul, this time to the Corinthians. The church of Corinth is divided and confused. So, Paul writes them a letter to put God’s glory first.
Philippians
When life gets you down and you feel like joy has disappeared from your life, read the Philippians. The book encourages readers to look beyond our circumstances and find joy in Jesus Christ.
Paul mentions joy or rejoicing sixteen times in just four chapters. Paul wrote this joyful letter from a Roman jail, reminding people that life is not as bad as you think.
The book also serves as guidance on how to handle worry and anxiety. Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ”.
Proverbs
This book is a general how-to manual. Solomon’s book contains short and pithy statements that give us timeless truths about living.
So, if you ever need wisdom, check any proverb. For example, many of the older generation, our grandparents, grew up by hearing proverbs during their breakfast.
The wisdom literature teaches us about self-control, planning, justice, leadership, success, and love.
Bonus Book – Isaiah
Written some 700 years before Christ, Isaiah foretells the coming of the Messiah, God’s anointed servant.
The book gives specific prophecies about Jesus, for example, that he would come from David’s line. The book also foretells that Jesus will suffer for our transgressions and rule eternally.
Be warned, the book contains strong words of judgment against disobedience and sin.
