Bible Reading Plan
A Bible Reading Plan:
The following is a plan for reading through the Bible. It seems there are hundreds of “read through the Bible” plans available. What makes this one different is that it attempts to connect thematic elements throughout scripture and show how the Old Testament and New Testament work together to paint a picture of God’s attempts to relate to humanity through love in the midst of human failure.
Suggestion: I like to read a few Psalms before or after I read my other chapters. 1 Psalm per 5 chapters seems to be a good balance.
Invest in the stories and let them speak to you. Beware of understanding scripture at face value—remember, this is the story of God’s attempt to reveal Himself to humanity. On many occasions it’s clear we missed the point, and God allowed those failures to be recorded as misunderstandings to show the corrective work of Jesus Christ.
Directions:
Keep three notepads nearby as you read—
one to write questions (remember to write down the scripture reference where you came up with your question);
the second to write down favorite verses or passages;
the third to journal reflections or revelations—let God speak to you (What are you learning about God? What are you learning about You? What are you learning about His Will and Purpose for Humanity and your life?).
Take a little time to read footnotes if your Bible has them—they help you understand why things are important or what is going on culturally.
Take some time to find answers for your questions.
Now for the outline: (feel free to print this out)
Introducing the story of Man and God
I John 1-5 The Gospel in a Nutshell: The point of it all
John 1 Introducing the Creator
Genesis 1-2 The Beginning
Revelation 21-22 The ending reveals purpose in the beginning
Genesis 3-5 The Beginning of the End
Romans 1 What went wrong?
Genesis 6-10 Noah—a Fresh start
Jonah 1-4 God’s typical response to our failure—Grace
The Story of Man continues
Genesis 11-23 Abram and Sarai
Genesis 24-26 Isaac
Genesis 27-36 Jacob
Genesis 37-50 Joseph
Exodus 1-18 Moses and the beginning of a Nation
Hebrews 1-13 Bridging the Old and New Testaments—Faith Hall of Fame
Introduction of the Law
Exodus 19-40 The Beginning of the Law
Romans 2-16. The Fulfillment of the Law
I Corinthians 1-10 From “Letter-of-the-Law” to the “Spirit of the Law”—healthy boundaries in a post-law world.
Instructions for Worship (notice how they are interconnected with Health—why?)
Leviticus 1-27 Ancient rules of worship and health (feel free to breeze through, especially repetitive areas—skim when necessary)
I Corinthians 11-15 The New Worship
Israel Enters the Promised Land
Numbers 1-36 (feel free to skim or skip chapters 1-4, 7, 26—don’t let them slow you down)
Deuteronomy 1-34
Joshua 1-24
A Gospel Interruption
Mark 1-16
Heroes of Scripture
Judges 1-21
Acts 1-28
A Love Story
Ruth 1-4
Flash Forward to the Purpose of it all—What God is doing and what He’s calling us to do
Ephesians 1-6
The Era of Kings
I Samuel 1-31
Psalm 1-10
I Chronicles 1-29
Psalm 10-20
II Samuel 1-24
Psalm 21-30
I Kings 1-22
Psalm 31-40
II Chronicles1-36
Psalm 41-50
A Gospel Interruption—the New King
Luke 1-24
Wisdom and Sarcasm of a King
Proverbs 1-31
Ecclesiastes 1-12
The First Prophets
II Kings 1-25
The Prophets in Chronological Order
Amos 1-9
Joel 1-3
Hosea 1-14
Isaiah 1-66
A Gospel Interruption—the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies
Matthew 1-28
Sultry Songs—two lovers
Song of Solomon 1-8
The Prophets continued
Micah 1-7
Nahum 1-3
Habakkuk 1-3
Zephaniah 1-3
Jeremiah 1-52
A Break for a Broken Man and a Broken Nation
Job 1-42
Lamentations 1-5
The Prophets Continued
Daniel 1-12
Obadiah 1
Ezekiel 1-48
Haggai 1-2
Zechariah 1-14
Malachi 1-4
Rebuilding a Nation
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Finishing the Old Testament in Psalms (Or read a few each day before or after you read your other chapters)
Psalm 51-150
The Final Gospel
John 1-21
Living Resurrected
I Corinthians 15-16 Believe the Resurrection
II Corinthians 1-13 Live the Resurrection
Galatians 1-6
Philippians 1-4
Colossians 1-4
I Thessalonians 1-5
II Thessalonians 1-3
I Timothy 1-6
II Timothy 1-4
Titus 1
Philemon 1-3
James 1-5
I Peter 1-5
II Peter 1-2
II John 1
III John
1 Jude 1
God Wins
Revelation 1-22