Should You Read the Entire Bible in One Year?
| 23 comments
Because Christianity Today only had space for a small excerpt of my response, here's the full answer I gave them...
"I’ve never been a big fan of reading through the Bible in a year. I know that makes me seem like a spiritual weakling. All my life I’ve been taught that the strongest Christians use the 'snow plow method;' they start in Genesis at the beginning of the year and plow all the way to Revelation by the end. The problem is most people never get past February, which I call Bible Bail-out Month; that’s when they hit Leviticus and give up.
The truth is reading through the Bible in a year is a good thing; I’ve done it several times myself and believe it should be on the spiritual bucket list of every Christian. I just think we should avoid making it our default methodology. So regardless of which Bible reading plan we use, let’s agree that the most important thing is not how much Scripture we read every year. It’s how much Scripture we apply every day."
So what do you think? Should Christians read through the entire Bible in one year? Feel free to add your comment to this blog. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and this expanded answer.
I read through the Bible every year by simply starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation. Even though I have never "bailed out" in Leviticus in Feburary, I do believe that it is a temptation and can become difficult for some people.
However, I think it is okay to look at alternative ways to read the Bible (as you have mentioned). Maybe someone listens to an audio Bible while driving or exercising? Maybe they focus in on a specific book of the Bible every month?
Just thoughts. I agree that we need to focus not on how much of the Bible we read, but how much of it we apply to our lives.
Thanks for sharing,
Christopher S.
Thanks for sharing the broader context of your quote!
In thinking about reading the whole Bible in a year, you bring (as always) a measured and realistic response to what, after all, is simply a humanly created response to the Bible. Great idea though it is it can easily become a measure of spiritual maturity and a reason for spiritual pride and condescension. It is of huge importance that we ensure that we grasp the big picture and vary the Bible genres that we read. But of even greater importance is ensuring that our reading of the whole Bible sends us to the Lord Jesus, focusses ultimately on him and expands our appreciation of what God has done in Christ
I have written 'Bible Stories For Big Kids' which is the Old Testament written as a story in a contemporary and sometimes humorous style for teens and adults. This is a great way to read through all the Old Testament and use it an introduction to reading the Bible version. Check out www.BibleStoriesForBigKids.com Karina Shim
It's good to read the Bible through every year, and a good way to avoid the February Bible Bailout is to read a One Year Bible. The one by Selwyn Hughes has two or three Old Testament chapters, a portion of the Psalms, of Proverbs and of the New Testament, followed by a short reflection and suggestions for further study. This takes no more than about a quarter of an hour a day and means that you meet unfamiliar passages as well as greeting old friends.
Anne
Having come late to faith at 38, over the last 15 years I have read the Bible through 7 times. Although I've had many 'rhema' scripture moments and 'remez' hints that have led me to some deeper scriptural revelations, I can't say I had any recognisable benefit from reading the Bible through in a year, except that it helped me form and maintain the habit of daily reading of scripture.
Lately I've taken to watching David Pawson's Bible commentaries on YouTube and found them quite illuminating, although as his teaching spans the learning of some decades, the later material shows more depth and includes his newer realisations.
The other thing I'm finding helpful is reading the same few chapters daily for a month to really get to grips with it before moving onto another section, thus apparently covering the whole Bible in around 3 years.
I appreciate your thoughtful response to the CT inquiry. I, like several of the other responders, have read through the Bible in one year and found it vey helpful. One of the more meaningful years was reading the Bible in chronological (or at least a close as possible to chronological) sequence. It puts all the historical events in a more logical order, including sequencing several of the Old Testament books that are were written at or near the same time or like Kings and Chronicles books which cover the same events from slightly different perspectives. The chronological sequence reveals God's plan in an easier to comprehend beginning to prophetic end story compared to jumping around in history.
I also appreciate the daily Bible reading plans from your Scripture Union publications allowing us to read though the Bible in five years (twice for the New Testament). The commentaries are enlightening. I especially like the online reading option. I do have one suggestion regarding references to other verses in Bible (besides the verses that are part of the day's reading). It would be nice if the other verses were hyperlinks to make it fast and easy to quickly go to them. That may be difficult but if it is possible, I'd like to see that.
A friend of mine suggested another way which I liked.
You can use audio version too but try to concentrate on it !
Start reading two chapters from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament, plus 2 chapters from psalms and one from proverbs.. by the time you have finished the old testament (almost after one year) , you have read the psalms , proverbs and NT three times!
Does Leviticus contain the boring measures and/or so-an-so beget so and so's???? If so, then, yea, I might give up too. I think I totally skipped over those parts in when I read the Bible through. I may have the book wrong though, so it may be a moot point...
It's too difficult for me to read the Bible in one year. I'm a tortoise rather than a hare, and prefer the approach used by Scripture Union's Encounter with God daily guide to read through the Bible in 5 years. I'm in the middle of my second year, and this pace works very well, giving me more time to chew on what I've read and to apply it to my life. But I'm all for other ways to read through and study the Bible, including Bible Study Fellowship, which takes about 7 years. Sometimes, I like to take the time to read a commentary on a book of the Bible.
At first I did agreed with you, but I have read through the Bible in a year many times and sometimes it just becomes an exercise in getting it done in the time span rather than understanding or hearing God as I read. I would rather read the Word to understand, mediate, and hear from God every day. Reading one passage or devotional reading is the better approach so you can really think about what you have read and apply the Word to your life.
I have read the Bible through in a year and I feel that I get more out of it if I focus on one book at a time instead of trying to read it like I would a novel.
Reading through the Bible in one year, year after year as some do, should result in familiarity with everything in the Bible. It doesn't seem in reality to have that result for anyone I know. This says to me that many are passing their eyes over every page but absorbing and retaining very little. For me and I suspect for many of the one year folk, a slower, more engaged approach would result in richer understanding and more faithful application.
I'd just like to pass on another way to help spread the gospel and it's simply this:-
Include a link to an online gospel tract (e.g. www.freecartoontract.com/animation) as part of your email signature.
An email signature is a piece of customizable HTML or text that most email applications will allow you to add to all your outgoing emails. For example, it commonly contains name and contact details - but it could also (of course) contain a link to a gospel tract.
For example, it might say something like, "p.s. you might like this gospel cartoon ..." or "p.s. have you seen this?".
Psalms, proverbs, 4 gospels, revelation, acts, and pentateuch gets read through once a month.
Starting from Joshua one chapter, from ecclesiastes one chapter, letters/epistles one chapter those three chronologically.
As it seems the Old testament is dependent on the pentateuch, the New testament is a continuation of and is dependent on Old testament prophecies fulfilled, and to be able to apologize and be an effective witness of Jesus (and help guide my spiritual life) I am trying to be very familiar with the pentateuch as the foundation on which the gospel and the entire bible rests.
Psalms, proverbs, 4 gospels, revelation, acts, and pentateuch gets read through once a month.
Starting from Joshua one chapter, from ecclesiastes one chapter, letters/epistles one chapter those three chronologically.
As it seems the Old testament is dependent on the pentateuch, the New testament is a continuation of and is dependent on Old testament prophecies fulfilled, and to be able to apologize and be an effective witness of Jesus (and help guide my spiritual life) I am trying to be very familiar with the pentateuch as the foundation on which the gospel and the entire bible rests.
I'd just like to pass on another way to help spread the gospel and it's simply this:-
See if a newspaper will publish a gospel tract (e.g. www.freecartoontract.com/are-you-a-good-person-english). Maybe pay for an advertisement in the newspaper - but submit a gospel tract to them instead - hopefully they'll publish it as if it were an advertisement?
Another way is to print out the tract and hang it on your wall (as a poster) so that anyone entering your home will see it.
I am on my second reading of the bible in a year. What I do before I start my reading everyday is to ask God to send the Holy Spirit into my heart and mind to help me understand what I am reading in the scriptures today.
michael kors bags
prada outlet
jordan shoes 2015
hermes outlet
michael kors handbags
michael kors outlet
lebron james shoes
cheap jordans
michael kors factory store
michael kors handbags clearance
links of london jewellery
beats by dre
lacoste pas cher
toms shoes
fitflop clearance
longchamp handbags
air jordan 13
cheap nfl jerseys
michael kors outlet
tods shoes
toms outlet
cheap nfl jersey
nike air max uk
swarovski outlet
louis vuitton outlet
swarovski outlet
ray-ban sunglasses
jordan shoes
juicy couture outlet
calvin klein underwear
kobe shoes
cheap jordans
cheap snapbacks
louis vuitton outlet store
new balance shoes
chenlina20160402
cheap air max
ugg outlet
michael kors uk
jordan 3s
lebron james shoes 13
michael kors outlet
ghd hair straighteners
air max 95
lebron 13
kate spade handbags
nike trainers uk
ray ban outlet
kate spade outlet
longchamp handbags
longchamp outlet
christian louboutin outlet
coach outlet store online
nike store
nike running shoes for women
cheap jordans
kate spade handbags
kate spade handbags
giuseppe zanotti
louis vuitton outlet
rolex watches
oakley sunglasses
lebron 12
kate spade outlet
oakley outlet
true religion jeans outlet
coach factorty outlet online
kobe 9
coach outlet
cheap toms
air jordan homme
nike huarache
beats solo
louis vuitton handbags
toms shoes
michael kors handbags
as
jianbin0623
cheap michael kors handbags
true religion jeans
michael kors outlet
michael kors handbags clearance
true religion jeans outlet
ralph lauren outlet
prada outlet
mlb jerseys
ralph lauren,polo ralph lauren,ralph lauren outlet,ralph lauren italia,ralph lauren sito ufficiale
jordan pas cher
christian louboutin outlet
ralph lauren polo
fitflops shoes
nike tn pas cher
longchamp pas cher
ferragamo shoes
timberland shoes
true religion jeans
cartier uk
adidas wings shoes
cheap mlb jerseys
louis vuitton pas cher
rolex orologi
dior outlet
ralph lauren uk
burberry sunglasses on sale
michael kors outlet
fitflops outlet sale
kate spade uk
longchamp solde
ray-ban sunglasses
mulberry outlet
police sunglasses
christian louboutin shoes
replica rolex watches
louis vuitton
louis vuitton handbags
nike roshe run
adidas yeezy
christian louboutin sale
ghd flat iron
coach outlet store online
rolex submariner watches
insanity workout
coach outlet
kate spade
timberland outlet
ralph lauren outlet
michael kors handbags
christian louboutin outlet
coach outlet store online clearances
ugg outlet
toms outlet
toms outlet
ugg boot uk
nike outlet store
toms shoes
timberland boots
michael kors outlet clearance
los angeles clippers jerseys
michael kors outlet
louis vuitton outlet
louis vuitton outlet
adidas originals
boston celtics jerseys
michael kors handbags
louis vuitton outlet
uggs
louis vuitton handbags
chicago bulls jerseys
michael kors outlet
cheap oakley sunglasses
louis vuitton outlet
20168.12wengdongdong
zhuo20160815
cheap omega watches
ray bans
white converse
hugo boss outlet
christian louboutin shoes
cheap uggs
michael kors handbags
polo outlet
coach factory outlet
michael kors bags
louis vuitton factory outlet
converse shoes
ugg boots
vans shoes
cheap jordans
mont blanc outlet
uggs sale
kobe 9
ralph lauren
adidas stan smith
michael kors outlet clearance
burberry outlet
mont blanc pens
air max 90
burberry sale
oakley vault
nike huarache
moncler outlet
uggs sale
valentino outlet
kate spade handbags
michael kors handbags
as