Have you read the whole Bible before? Some Christians know for sure that they have and may even read it through every year. Other Christians may have done it once or twice as a challenge at some time in their past.
Other Christians may not know for sure if they have read the whole Bible or not. You get bits and pieces of the Bible through sermons, devotionals, and Bible studies, but you may not know for sure if you have read it all or not.
Why You Should Read the Whole Bible
Reading the whole Bible shows you the whole picture.
If you were to open up a brand new puzzle, but only put together two-thirds of the pieces, you would have an incomplete picture. The Bible is one cohesive book that shares the whole story of God’s redemptive plan. Don’t miss out on any part of God’s message.
Reading the whole Bible forces you to read the hard parts.
There is great joy and deeper understanding of God and His love for you when you wrestle with the hard parts. If you haven’t read the whole Bible, chances are it’s the hard parts that you have avoided. The hard parts can be hard to understand and hard to read, but there are also simple truths for today waiting for you there.
Reading the whole Bible allows the Holy Spirit the greatest opportunity to work in your life.
Pastor Raymond Bertolet says it’s so important to read the whole Bible because “it provides opportunities for the Holy Spirit to challenge me in unexpected ways.”
Reading the whole Bible is important because Scripture interprets Scripture.
Understanding one part will help you understand the other parts. Del Potter, an apologist, shared on Twitter that when Jesus and the apostles explained things in the New Testament, they were speaking to an audience that had a good understanding of the Old Testament. When you read the whole Bible, you may find yourself saying, “oh! This part reminds me of that part!” When you’ve read the whole Bible, you have a chance to understand the connections that the Bible authors are making.
Reading the whole Bible gives you access to all of God’s empowering message.
Carol Barry, a Bible Study Fellowship Bible study leader and teacher, says that she needs “the entire Bible to sustain me, every promise to hold me up!” When you haven’t read the whole Bible yet, you are missing out on some of God’s promises. The book of Ezekiel is a great example. It’s a tough book of the Bible, but there are some sweet nuggets in there.
Reading the whole Bible means you can answer “yes” when someone asks you if you read the whole Bible.
This is important if you are teaching the Bible and a student asks you if you’ve read it all. Being able to answer yes can give you credibility. The same is true if you are speaking with an unbeliever about Christ and they ask you if you believe the Bible. If you say you have read it all, there is more credibility when you say you believe it to be true.
Ways to Read the Whole Bible
Please, do not feel bad if you have not read the whole Bible yet. Instead of getting stuck in defeat, work towards the goal. All you need is a plan.
Here are some popular Bible reading plans:
90 day plan. I attempted this last summer. I didn’t complete it 90 days, but I did end up reading the whole Bible.
Read through the Bible in a year. This is probably the most popular plan. There are a lot of different ways to go about it (chronologically, straight from front to back, or some OT, some NT and some Psalms each day). You don’t have to wait until January to start this plan.
One chapter a day. If you read the Bible one chapter a day it would take three years and three months to read the whole book.
Read your own pace. I am so excited to share with you the new Read the Hard Parts Bible Reading Record Chart. This simple, free printable allows you to keep track of what parts of the Bible you have read so that you can work towards reading the Bible at your own pace.
A Bible reading record chart is no-stress and no-pressure. You get closer to your goal whenever you mark off a box. No matter how long it takes, you can know you have read the whole Bible when the chart is completed.
Click here to get the free Bible Reading Record Chart.
Thanks to Rebekah Dorris from Isaiah 53 Design who designed this beautiful and easy to use Bible Reading Record Chart.
Great post, Rachel! Your printable is a wonderful resource.
Thank you so much! I hope it’s helpful and motivating to people who are trying to read through the Bible. Everyone CAN do it!!
I’ve read through the One Year Bible several times and always enjoyed it. Often the readings they pick for the day dovetail in amazing ways. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and challenging us to this very worthwhile and meaningful pursuit, Rachel!
Is that the plan that has you read a little Old Testament, a little Psalms, and a little New Testament each day? Thanks for reading and commenting!
It’s so important to read the whole Bible to keep it in context. The Bible will never contradict itself so knowiing the whole of it is beneficial to our spiritual growth. Great post, Rachel!
Great point–reading the whole Bible gives you the whole context. Thanks for reading and commenting, Cindy!
This guide looks like one I would do. I’ve never liked the deadlines. Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting! That’s what I was hoping–that without the deadlines, reading through the whole Bible would feel doable. If you decide to use the guide, please keep me updated on your progress. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to read it. No pressure!
Excellent. About 5 years ago, one of the young moms in our church’s MOPS group challenged the moms to read through the Bible. There were several young moms who took on the challenge. They were all busy with young children but they managed to do it. That really challenged me as a fifty-something mentor mom. If they could do it, I certainly should!
Wow! That’s so cool! I love this. Thanks for sharing!
I’m on my sixth year of reading the Bible chronologically. It’s been life-changing! I am part of a group that reads together and discusses it on Facebook. We never meet in person, but we dive into God’s Word together. Such an encouraging post!
Wow! 6 years! That’s awesome! The Facebook discussion sounds great, too. I know I remember what I read way better if I talk about it.
Thanks for the encouragement to read through the Bible. I completely agree that we need to read all of Scripture to be able to interpret correctly and have a fuller understanding of God’s plan of redemption. I haven’t found a good reading plan this year, so I am going to take this post as a challenge to do the 90 days straight through over the summer. I’m excited to see what God works in my heart as I do!
Oh, that’s exciting, Bailey! Way to go! Please let me know along the way how you are doing with your goal.