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BIBLE READING PLANS
Step 3

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Reading Plan 3 - Thru the Entire Bible for the First Time

 

Congratulations on completing plans 1 and 2.  By now, you will have a good working knowledge of the Bible as well as an increased desire for reading God's Word.  We'll now fill in the gaps by reading through the entire Bible. 

Two questions I get quite often is "How much do I read each day?" and "How long does it take to read thru the entire Bible?".  To answer the second question first, at a moderate rate, a person can read thru the entire Bible in 72-76 hours.  I haven't actually timed it, but most audio Bibles are in this range.  This means that a person, reading at a moderate rate, can read thru the Bible in a year by reading less than 13 minutes a day!  If you dedicate 30 minutes a day, even with reading book intros and a few study notes, you should be able to make it thru in about six months (or three months at one hour per day).  The more important objective is not to see how fast you can complete the plan, but to increase your knowledge and faith, so don't get into too big a hurry

Most folks attempting to read thru the Bible for the first time, get bogged down in the first five books, usually in Leviticus and Numbers. While an accurate interpretation of the New Testament depends on a proper understanding of these books, it's difficult to appreciate the details without a general understanding of the entire Old Testament.  To get around this problem, we suggest reading the OT books in the order listed below.

This same strategy is followed for the New Testament readings.  By reading the books in the order listed, you will acquire a good basic overview of the entire NT first, then fill in the blanks with the remaining books.

The structured day-by-day plan is located at First Year Reading Plan.  This plan divides each day's reading into selections from both the OT and the NT and a selection from either the Psalms or Proverbs. 

  Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
   
Psalms Examples of Hebrew Wisdom and Poetry (We suggest reading concurrently with the rest of the books)
Proverbs Examples of Hebrew Wisdom and Poetry (We suggest reading one chapter for each five chapters from the Psalms)
   
Genesis History of Creation; Fall of Man; Covenants; Origin of Nation of Israel
Exodus History of Liberation of God's Chosen People (Nation of Israel)
Joshua History of Conquest of the Promised Land by Israel
1 & 2Samuel History of the Monarchy with Samuel, Saul and David
1 & 2Kings History of Israel from Solomon to the Fall of Jerusalem (Includes Division of the Kingdom, the various Kings of Israel and Judah, and the Prophets of the Era)
Ezra History of the Return of the Exiles
Nehemiah History of the Rebuilding of Jerusalem
Micah Example of Minor Prophets
Isaiah Example of Major Prophet to Israel (Series of Visions)
Jeremiah Example of Major Prophet to Judah
   
the other books Read the other books of the OT in the order of the traditional or Rabbinic Canon
   
   
  New Testament
   
Luke Life and Teachings of Jesus
Acts History of the Early Church
John Divinity of Jesus
Ephesians Compact Introduction to Paul's Teachings
1Corinthians Teachings in the Early Church
1Timothy Example of Pastoral Epistle
Hebrews Christology (Theology of Christ)
1John Example of General Letter to the Church
James Example of General Letter to the Church (Genuine Faith much be accompanied by a lifestyle consistent with that faith - Real faith produces good works)
Romans Paul's Theology
   
the other books Read the other books of the NT in the order they occur or per our plan
   

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Advanced Reading Plans

 

We recommend undertaking these advanced plans only after reading through the entire Bible at least once. 

 There are many good methods when approaching advanced Bible reading, so in this section, I'll lay out some principles that can be used to customize your own plan.  We also welcome comments and suggestions if you have a plan that you'd like to share.

After you've read thru the entire Bible and have a good working knowledge, we recommend shifting the emphasis of your reading to the New Testament.  The Old Testament was primarily written to Israel while the NT was written to the Church (Christians).  This is not to say that the OT is not as important as the NT.  You must have a working knowledge of the OT to properly understand the NT.  As St Augustine said, "The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New".  I suggest that the average Christian spend about half their time in each testament.  This can vary if you feel called to specialize or do research in a certain area.  I personally spend more time in the OT due to my Hebrew Heritage studies.

Custom Advanced Plans:  We suggest that, now that you're at the advanced level, continue to read thru the entire Bible utilizing the 365 Day Reading Plan, but add some of the supplemental readings listed below (or develop your own).  For example, you might follow you "thru the Bible" plan for one month, then read the Book of James thru each day for a week, then continue your "thru the Bible" where you left off.  We recommend dividing time between the "thru the Bible" plan and the supplemental readings such that every book of the Bible is read at least once every three years. 

An alternate is our Two Year Reading Plan.  This plan is similar to our "365 Day Plan" except, over a two year period, you'll cover the entire Old Testament once, and the New Testament plus the OT books of Psalms and Proverbs twice.  Since this takes less time per day as the one year plan, you should be able to add supplemental readings without breaking from your daily plan.
 

  Supplemental Readings (in addition to "thru the Bible Plan")
1John Read thru each day for one week.  Great book on assurance of salvation and spiritual growth.
James Read thru each day for one week.  Practical book with emphasis on ethics, obedience, and works as "evidence" of our salvation
Gospel of Mark Read twice (1-2 chapters a day) Gospel book provides the "Readers Digest" version of the life and teachings of Jesus
Gospel of John Read twice (1-2 chapters a day) Gospel with emphasis on the deity of Christ and his mission on earth.  Read chapters 14-17 several times.
Shorter Epistles of Paul Read each in one or two days Paul's letters to various churches or fellow Christians.  Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2Thessalonians, 1&2Timothy, Titus and Philemon
Ephesians Read each day for 7 days Condensed book of Paul's Theology.
Hebrews Read once, a few chapters a day Main theme is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  Contrast old and new covenants.
Gospel of Luke Read a few chapters a day The most detailed of the Gospels, emphasizing the humanity of Jesus.
Acts Read once, a few chapters a day Pentecost and the History of the Early Church
2Peter Read each day for 7 days Letter to stimulate Christian growth, combat false teachings, and how to live in view of Christ's certain return.
Romans Read 3 chapters a day The most detailed book of Paul's theology.  A great book for study.  Read chapters 5-8 several times.
Proverbs Read one chapter a day for a month OT wisdom book.
Psalms Read a chapter a day OT wisdom book.  I usually read a chapter prior to my other readings.
Gospel of Matthew Read a few chapters a day Gospel written to the Jews to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Jewish Scriptures (OT)
Selected Epistles Read entire book every day for two to four weeks A great way to develop a thorough knowledge of a certain book.  I recommend trying this with Ephesians (Paul's condensed theology), Philippians (epistle of joy written from prison), Colossians, James, 1John, 2 Peter and others.
Gospel of Luke Read once, a few chapters a day The most detailed of the Gospels, emphasizing the humanity of Jesus.
 
Creeds & Confessions Varies We believe the Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms are some of the most important texts that you can study, other than the Bible Itself.
Bible Study Tools As Required We suggest consulting Bible Commentaries, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, etc, as needed. 
Extra-Biblical Literature Varies We suggest reading books on Bible doctrine as well as Christian living. 

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