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Ever want to start reading the Bible on a regular basis or do you have a goal to read through the entire bible, but have no idea where to start? Neither did I. But I did want to read the whole bible as well as understand what I was reading better. In fact, I sat on this goal for years without following through. I finally found a method that has worked for me. And once I finished, I am rereading it in the same exact order.
Full list, in order, is at the bottom of this post!
I had tried different bible devotionals and methods for “a 1-year plan to read the bible” that I had found online. Even the old and random, open it up and just let God reveal what he wants to say to me today. None were helping me understand anything I was reading. I wanted to understand the historical accounts of the Old Testament and how they connect to the life of Jesus in the New Testament. I also wanted a grown up understanding of the characters I learned about when I was younger.
Then, our church held a series that hinted a little on the different characteristics of the disciples, which I found super interesting. Shortly after that there was a series that walked through Paul’s letters, which I also found interesting. And then a bible reading plan dawned on me. This has been the best way I have found to read through the books of the bible.
The Plan
In a nutshell, here was the plan. Start with the gospels, then the letters from the apostle Paul, the remaining collection of books known as the Epistles, then finishing up the New Testament with the book of Revelations. Then I read the Old Testament in chronological order. I will list the exact order by books at the end of this blog.
The Gospels
First, I started in the New Testament reading through the gospels. Starting with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What you will find while reading these is that there are a lot of the same stories told over and over. This is because these four books are the birth of Jesus through his life as told by each of these four disciples. So on the surface they seem repetitive, but you may start to see the perspectives and personalities of each of the different authors coming through.
For example, in John 20:3, John is describing finding the tomb empty after Jesus’ crucifixion but obvisiouly couldn’t resist mentioning that he beat Peter in a foot race to the tomb. He also refers to himself as the “one whom Jesus loved” several times. In this same passage Peter barges right into the tomb, while John hangs outside at first. It is a just a great reminder that these incredible, supernatural accounts were witnessed and documented by actual people.
Next, I read the book of Acts. Which details the events immediately after the death and the next days after the resurrection of Jesus. Which was also the introduction of the Holy Spirit and the start of the Christian Church. Another marking event that occurs in Acts is the introduction of Paul. Which leads to the next collection order.
Paul’s Letters
Paul basically wrote the rest of the New Testament…nearly. After Paul who was (originally named Saul) has an encounter with Jesus and is later filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to preach about Jesus, spreading the gospel and growing the early church of believers. He was persecuted and imprisoned for his teachings. In fact many of the books are written from prison. He provides a lot of practical daily life guidance and instructions for Christians.
Paul’s books include Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
The Remaining Epistles
Epistle means letter. And that is exactly what the remaining books are as well. Technically, the books written by Paul are also considered to be part of the bible referred to as the Epistles, but the remaining books have various authors. After reading through Paul’s books I read Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John as well as Jude.
The book of Revelation
This book is the very last of the New Testament books and the Bible. I honestly went into this one knowing I wouldn’t understand much, a lot of people don’t. So don’t feel like you need to either. In fact, I think it is okay to not fully understand the meaning of a lot of things in the bible. Especially, regarding the end times.
Old Testament – Plan
Once I read through the life of Jesus and the days following his death and resurrection, it was time to figure out a method for the Old Testament. In terms of the number of pages, the Old Testament is about 75% of the Bible. So, I knew it had be methodical. I really wanted to connect the dots between all of the characters like Jonah and the Whale and David and Goliath and get a small understanding of the biblical history. Plus the New Testament refers often to the Old, so I wanted to connect those dots as well.
I decided on a chronological reading plan. I did a little research and found the books listed in chronological order and decided to go about it in this way. See the full list in order below.
I really enjoyed that method. I highly suggest keeping a piece of paper or a journal to make notes along the way. For me, I kept a little log or timeline of historical events as I read them. A photo of my (super messy) notes is below. But, I would just jog down things as they occurred as I found them interesting or as they were little light bulb moments for me. Doing this really helped outline the big picture for me.
Where else to start, than with the very first book of the bible; Genesis. Between Genesis and Exodus a ton of major characters are introduced and the framework and genealogy of Jesus is already set.
Finding Time
Figuring out where to start reading isn’t the only challenge to seeing through a plan to read the bible, you have to find the time as well. Finding time to do anything voluntarily is not easy in our busy lives. Especially if you are raising kids or working full time. So as with anything else, you have to make the time.
It seems to be easier for me to grab a few extra minutes on the front end of the day rather than the back end. Getting up a little earlier, even 15 minutes, is not easy but this has been the only time to steal a few minutes to myself anyway.
A great place for me to read God’s word, uninterrupted has been in my car. So I get up about 15 minutes early, get ready and out of the house. Then after I drop off kids or what ever else I have to do on my commute, I find a place to pull over in a parking lot. (Please make sure you do this in a safe, visible location…no creepy behind a shopping center spots…ok).
It is great for me because I can keep my seat heater on and be super warm and cozy. But with very little to distract me so I can do a little of my own bible study.
Now, 15 or 20 minutes a day isn’t going to get you from bible cover to cover quickly. If you have more time than that then by all means, go for it! If not, don’t worry. It took me about 18 months, honestly maybe a little longer, reading this way. There is no reason to get discouraged about how fast or slow this takes you. There absolutely is no right way or wrong way to go about this. Enjoy the process.
If you are a new Christian and are looking for a good Bible, I recommend the one shown below. It a great study bible because it has wide-margins for note taking.
For guys, I recommend this one below. It has great commentary and side notes that are applicable to being a husband, father or really any relationship.
Reading Order:
New Testament
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
- Revelation
Old Testament in Chronological Order
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi