Bible Reading Plan For Beginners Pdf
Landerico Benson
Last December, I went on a hunt for a new Bible reading plan. I wanted to find one that was 5 days a week (instead of the usual seven) and I was hoping to find one that was psuedo-chronological (more on what I mean by that in a moment). After searching a variety of websites, I came across this Bible reading plan that is my new favorite. I think it will be one that I use time and time again.
A couple of years ago I used a One Year Chronological Bible. I appreciate this format because it weaves together the prophetic books with the historical books. I learned about the Old Testament just by following the plan. I also enjoyed reading the Psalms of David in conjunction with the historical narrative of his life (there really were bands of angry men attacking him).
This plan is just one of many. We are blessed to have so many available options (Justin Taylor provides an excellent list here). My main hope is to encourage you to consider making this the year you read through the Bible in a year.
Melissa Kruger serves as vice president of discipleship programming at The Gospel Coalition. She is the author of The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, In All Things: A Nine-Week Devotional Bible Study on Unshakeable Joy, Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know, His Grace Is Enough, Lucy and the Saturday Surprise, Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age, and Ephesians: A Study of Faith and Practice. Her husband, Mike, is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary, and they have three children. She writes at Wits End, hosted by The Gospel Coalition. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
So...you're new to the Bible and you don't know where to start. Or...you've been around church for a long time, but you've never really read the Bible on your own much. Or...you've read parts of the Bible, but it all seems a little disconnected. Or...you've only recently come to know Jesus, you're incredibly excited, and you want to make sure you start strong.
If any of these statements describe you, read on my friend! After 25 years of helping people read, study, and enjoy the Bible, I am convinced that what follows is the best Bible reading plan for beginners (and anyone who wants to lay a foundation for lifelong Bible reading)!
I call this plan the New Disciple Challenge. I call it that because it's what I share whenever pastors or youth pastors ask me what I recommend for someone who is new to faith in Jesus. That said, it is also fantastic for anyone who wants to build a solid foundation for all of their Bible reading. I do it myself every 2-3 years.
Before diving into the New Disciple Challenge, it's important to quickly share what MOST pastors will tell you...and why I think it's a huge mistake! (I know that just sounded incredibly arrogant on my part, but I used to tell people the same thing, so please hear me out.)
While I do think the gospels are a terrific place to start (more on that a few inches south of here), I am convinced that encouraging someone to "read a chapter a day" is the fastest way to bore someone out of ever being consistent in their Bible reading!
Your brain wasn't designed to enjoy reading in 3-4 minute time periods. (That's how long it will take you - on average - to read a chapter of the Bible.) Think of reading a novel a page a day. Not a chance! Your brain doesn't start to enjoy what you read until you've been reading for at least 10-15 minutes.
Not only that, but the mission of my life is to help people read and study the Bible relationally, not informationally. Our time in God's Word was meant to be time spent with Him, not simply learning about Him. When we start our journey in the Bible by feeling like we have to "figure out what it means" and "find something to apply" every single day, we are treating the Bible like a textbook, not a relationship guide.
The New Disciple Challenge is all about laying a foundation for Bible reading for the rest of your life. The gospels are four different accounts of the life of Jesus, written by early followers of Jesus. Acts walk through what happened in the few decades immediately after Jesus's earthly life. In fact, Acts begins with the last conversation Jesus has with his disciples.
Pick an amount of time. If you can do 30 minutes, that would be ideal. If not, you'll need at least 15-20. If you only read 5-10 minutes a day, you'll never get into the "flow" of the narrative and it will be hard to remember what's happening from day to day. Again...similar to reading a novel 1-2 pages each day. Boring!
At the end of 10 weeks, you will have walked through each of the gospels 2-4 times (since some are longer and others are shorter) and the book of Acts 8-10 times. Your knowledge and understanding of the life of Jesus and the first few decades of the early church will be well-established.
Whatever we talk about we get more interested in. Your favorite hobby. Sports. Movies. Cooking. Think of any topic you love. I'm guessing that you have some friends you could talk with about it for hours on end.
Obviously, if you can find 2-3 friends to join you for the New Disciple Challenge, and you get together at a coffee shop once a week, that will be the best case scenario. However, I've heard of people who email or text each other every day to check in. Other people have discussed their Bible reading over Zoom/Skype/Facetime/etc. Still others start a private Facebook group where they share what they're seeing, learning, enjoying, questioning, and applying.
Basically, we take one book of the Bible, and read it everyday for a month. Then the next month, we pick a different book and read it. If you stick with this for about two and a half years, you will have read the New Testament 30 times!! How awesome is that?
I am NOT a morning person and I never thought I would be the person sharing this. But in this season of little kids, it has so been worth the sacrifice to shut off the tv, power down our phones and go to bed earlier so that we can have those precious minutes in the morning.
So I do my 25-30 minutes of Bible reading, with a cup of coffee of course, and then spend anywhere from 5-20 minutes in prayer (depending on when my littles start waking up and breakfast time begins).
If you want to take this concept further and jump into how you can plan for a successful day (and what that even means), then I want to invite you to sign up for my FREE video and PDF guide 5 Keys to Planning a Successful Day.
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When choosing a plan, sometimes our choices get clouded by things such as current, popular study methods or what a teacher or preacher suggests. Or who can read the Bible the fastest in a year? And while there is nothing wrong with those goals or trends, for a beginner, that can make it feel as though there is a right or wrong way to read the Bible. So instead of focusing on what method and plan, think about who you are becoming.
The Bible says we are conforming to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). So we know the end goal of our Bible reading, and the main reason we are choosing a plan is to become more Christ-like. So why not consider this as you choose a plan?
For example, a few years ago, I was surrounded by people, who mainly studied the New Testament. Many of our conversations about God included New Testament themes, stories, and scriptures. But I found myself wanting more. I wanted to know about the Old Testament too. So I created a plan where I read one Old Testament book, one chapter at a time, and then when I finished that book. I would pick the next book from the New Testament. And I would do that until I had finished reading all the books of the Bible.
Another example would be when I was a brand new believer. I had never read the Bible for myself. But I felt as if God were challenging me to read the Word from cover to cover. He was already at work in that area of my life, so that informed my method of reading the Bible. I chose to start in Genesis, and I read the entire Bible from cover to cover, one chapter at a time.
So before you choose a plan, consider what the Lord is trying to teach you in this season. And then decide what type of Bible reading plan best supports the ways the Spirit is already at work. Always consider formation over current trends, cultural pressures, or, even, personal preferences when choosing a Bible reading plan.
Sometimes as Bible study beginners, we struggle to select the right Bible reading plan. By using three components to guide your decision-making process, you can eliminate some of the overwhelm when it comes to narrowing down the right plan for you. Try focusing on these three things today: formation over hitting goals, longevity over speed, and conversation over comprehension.
What happens to me when I try a one-year Bible reading plan is that, by the time I get to Leviticus or the Prophets, my reading has become about checking off the box for the day, and I fail to absorb the rich truths contained within the words.
How will you read your Bible this year? Despite my own reluctance to commit to a Bible-in-a-year plan, I do recommend having a plan. A plan keeps us accountable and ensures that we read beyond our favorite passages. It can keep us focused and motivated.
A new year brings fresh opportunities to grow in the knowledge of God through His Word. As you consider your study plans for the year ahead, we invite you to explore an array of Bible reading plans that can help you meditate on the Scriptures daily.
This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month and a set number of Proverbs and Psalms for each week. It aims to give you more flexibility while grounding you in specific books of the Bible.
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