There are people who open the Bible at first and start reading from Genesis, but soon give up.
The Bible is not a simple book. It is a library of 73 books. They are very different from each other, have the most diverse styles, were written in very distant times and in very different situations.
Imagine arriving at a library like this and starting to read the first book you find on the shelf, moving on to the second, and so on. This reading cannot work! There are people who open the Bible at the beginning and start reading from Genesis. They, in general, do not go beyond the fifth book. They become discouraged and never return. And, what’s worse, they end up saying that it’s impossible, that you can’t understand the Bible. But that would happen to any library in the world!
Photo: Daniel Mafra/
A Reading Plan is required. At the beginning, there is a lot that is not understood, which is very natural. This happens even when reading a novel. Don’t stop because of this. Proceed! As you read, things will become clearer. It’s a golden rule: the Bible explains itself. That’s why a reading plan is so important.
There are several reading plans. They are all good because they are based on one principle. Here I present a certain plan. It is intended for those who want to start reading the Bible and have no other resources than to know the Bible through itself. Follow the order indicated here, it is part of the method.
New Testament reading plan:
1. 1st Letter of Saint John (2 times)
2. Gospel of Saint John
3. Gospel of Saint Mark
4. The little letters from São Paulo:
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1st and 2nd Thessalonians
1st and 2nd Timothy
Titus
Philemon
5. Gospel of Saint Luke
6. Acts of the Apostles
7. Letter to the Romans
8. Gospel of Saint Matthew
9. 1st and 2nd Letter to the Corinthians
10. Hebrews
11. Letter of Saint James
12. 1st and 2nd Letter of Saint Peter
13. 2nd and 3rd Letter of Saint John
14. Letter of Saint Jude
15. Apocalypse
16. 1st Letter of Saint John (3rd time)
17. Gospel of Saint John (2nd time)
Why start with the 1st letter of Saint John?
The first need of a Christian is to be sure of his salvation. It’s knowing that God loves you and chose you. Free of charge, without any merit from it. God put him on the list of those he wants to save. It was a free choice! Loving! Undeserving! Knowing this gives us the certainty of salvation. And every Christian needs to have it.
Of the 73 books of the Bible, only this short letter was written with this purpose: to give us the certainty of salvation. At the conclusion of his letter, Saint John says: “This I have written to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). Reading and re-reading, you will become convinced of this happy reality: you are saved! You are chosen!
Readings from the books of the Old Testament
“Always carry in your mouth the words of this book of the law; meditate on it day and night, taking care to do everything that is written in it; so you will prosper in your ways and be successful (Joshua 1,8).
Start reading with the three wisdom books: Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and Proverbs. These are books very close to the New Testament and sources of rich teachings. Read the book of Psalms together. The gateway to the Old Testament is the Psalms. Make them your bedside book. I already told you that it’s worth having a pocket edition of for you to carry with you continually and read in your free time. Anyway, what I want to emphasize here is that you should work through the Psalms independently of any particular order. Whenever you feel compelled to do so, read a Psalm. I write a diary about it, without fear of interrupting the work I am doing next. Salmo is like fruit: we eat it at any time, regardless of mealtimes. And it never hurts. It always does good.
At this point, you will be much more free and creative when it comes to keeping your diary. Don’t stop doing it. You will be able to carry out a true experiential study of each chapter of these wisdom books and each Psalm. It will be very rich.
The books of the Old Testament will be read in chronological order: from the origins to the coming of Christ.
Old Testament Reading Plan
1. Genesis 17. Jeremiah 33. Tobias
2. Exodus 18. Lamentations 34. Judith
3. Numbers 19. Ezekiel 35. Esther
4. Joshua 20. Abdias 36. Ecclesiasticus
5. Judges 21. Isaiah (40-55) 37. Song of Songs
6. 1st Samuel 22. 1st Chronicles 38. Job
7. 2nd Samuel 23. 2nd Chronicles 39. Ecclesiastes
8. 1st Kings 24. Ezra 40. 1st Maccabees
9. 2nd Kings 25. Nehemiah 41. 2nd Maccabees
10. Amos 26. Haggai 42. Baruch
11. Hosea 27. Zechariah 43. Daniel
12. Isaiah (1-39) 28. Isaiah (56-66) 44. Wisdom
13. Micah 29. Malachi 45. Leviticus
14. Nahum 30. Joel 46. Deuteronomy
15. Zephaniah 31. Jonah
16. Habakkuk 32. Ruth
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Article extracted from the book ‘ by Monsignor Jonas Abib.