Bible Reading Schedule

This reading plan is organized primarily by author.

We begin with the gospel of Mark, a fast-paced account of the life of Christ. Mark penned the words, but Peter was the source and voice behind the pages. With that in mind, we will then read the letters written by Peter.

From there, we’ll read Luke’s account of the gospel, and since he is the author of Acts, we’ll go right into his historical record of the early church. In Acts, we’ll be introduced to Paul, so then we’ll read his letters to the churches.

After Paul, we’ll read John’s gospel, his letters, and the revelation that he received on the end times. Much of the language in his revelation is symbolic, but it serves as a warning and an expectation of things to come. We’ll finish the year out reading through the remaining authors of the New Testament.

Reading one chapter, five days a week, will take us through the New Testament in one year. This will also allow a couple of extra days each week to either catch up on missed days or to add other portions of Scriptures, such as Psalms or Proverbs.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – II Timothy 3:16-17

This reading plan is organized according to the dates that the New Testament documents were written.

The New Testament is organized in such a way as to present first the life of Christ (the Gospels), followed by how the church was born and the Gospel began to spread (the Acts of the Apostles). These documents are followed by letters that were written to churches, as well as individuals. Finally, the New Testament is book-ended by the prophetic letter of Revelation.

But that is not the order in which the documents were first written. The Acts of the Apostles narrates how the Gospel spread throughout the world and churches were started. These newly formed congregations needed encouragement, instruction, and at times, correction. So the apostles began to send letters to these congregations to help them.

At the same time, the words and events of the life of Christ were being compiled into written form. Mark was probably the first to publish Peter’s account of the Gospel, but Matthew and Luke followed closely behind. Because the authors knew each other and ministered together, it is reasonable to conclude that they had conversations to verify things and collaborated in some ways.

Knowing the exact dates that the books and letters of the New Testament were written is virtually impossible with the information that we have today. But we can make some very close, educated guesses based on the writings of second and third generation leaders in the church.

This reading plan is organized in the same way as the Bible is compiled, starting at the beginning with the book of Matthew, and then reading straight through to the end of Revelation.

The early believers compiled and organized the New Testament in the following way. First, the life of Christ is presented in the Gospels. They end dramatically with the resurrection of Christ and His ascension to heaven. Immediately after, we read about the birth of the church in the book of Acts and how the Gospel began to spread throughout the world.

The Gospels and the book of Acts are followed by letters that were written by the apostles to the churches, as well as to individuals. Finally, the New Testament is book-ended by the prophetic letter of Revelation.

Reading one chapter, five days a week, will take us through the New Testament in one year. This will also allow a couple of extra days each week to either catch up on missed days or to add other portions of Scriptures, such as Psalms or Proverbs.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – II Timothy 3:16-17