Christians are usually told they should begin reading their Bible in the Gospels, often with the Book of John. This is partly because each Gospel is said to present Jesus differently: Matthew, as King; Mark, as a Servant; Luke, as Man; and John, as God. To many, John sounds like a logical place for a new Christian to begin in order to become established in the faith. But what does the Bible say?

The Gospels are loved, and for good reason. For in them our Savior, Jesus Christ, is revealed, and His life while on earth is shared like in no other book ever written.

They tell us how our God and Savior humbled Himself and was born in such lowly conditions, and how He walked from town to town, teaching, healing, and showing love and compassion for the ones He knew would soon reject Him. And even though He created this world, He willingly subjected Himself to harsher conditions than His creation. He said of Himself that the “foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20).

However, as precious as the Gospels are, we must not assume that is where God would have us begin or that they contain the necessary doctrine to establish our foundation in the faith. We shouldn’t, like so any do, esteem the “red letters” more than the rest of the Bible. After all, are not Christ’s words spoken from heaven just as important as His words spoken while on earth?

We should remember that God is not neglectful in providing direction, especially on something as important as a believer being established. All too often, people make the mistake of giving their opinion on an issue instead of simply asking, “For what saith the Scripture?” (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 4:30).

“Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
“But now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:25-26).

In reality, every new believer would do well to begin their Bible reading and study in the Book of Romans; it truly is the foundational book of doctrine for the Body of Christ. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Consider the words from our text in Romans 16:25-26 and the fact that Paul wrote Romans because he could not go to Rome as he wanted, and said, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established” (Rom. 1:11).

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