# How do you read the Bible?



## au5t1n (Dec 11, 2010)

Please explain your Bible-reading plan, method, or system and why you find it beneficial compared to other plans.

N.b. "cover to cover, alternating testaments" means you read Genesis, Matthew, Exodus, Mark, Leviticus, Luke, etc. or something like that.

The genre option means, for instance, you might read from the Gospels on Sunday, the Pentateuch on Monday, Prophets on Tuesday, etc.

The repetitious method is reading some portion repeatedly, e.g. I recently read Philippians almost every day for a few weeks. Now I'm on the genre plan.


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## JM (Dec 11, 2010)

What is the Grant Horner system?


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## au5t1n (Dec 11, 2010)

JM said:


> What is the Grant Horner system?


 
Horner divides the books of the Bible into 10 lists and reads one chapter from each list a day. On the first day, you would read Gen. 1, Matt. 1, Rom. 1, Acts 1, Prov. 1, 1 Thess. 1, Ps. 1, Josh. 1, Isa. 1, and Job 1.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...ksnICQ&usg=AFQjCNFIEhscm5yJ6_aoSJiN6Do8Ihl31A


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## LeeJUk (Dec 11, 2010)

I sort of change from time to time and use my own systems. I usually read about 5 chapters in each testament per day but at times would just read through books in one sitting or 2 sittings. I've been through the full old testament twice this year, new testament say about 6-8 times this year.

Right now since I want to become more familiar with the gospels, acts and the torah and i had a month free after reading the O.T. through I'm just progressively reading my way through each section say 5 chapters a day though at times just again doing a gospel in one or two sittings depending on how I feel. I think I'll be doing this for the next few weeks or months. Right now I'm in my second time through matthew and starting on numbers.


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## au5t1n (Dec 11, 2010)

That's a lot of Bible reading, Lee. Keep doing that and you will be well beyond uncommonly knowledgeable about the Scriptures before long.

---------- Post added at 03:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------

To answer my own question, I finished a cover-to-cover read in August (an average of four chapters per day), read the Pentateuch at 10 chapters per day after that, read Philippians almost every day for three weeks or so, and now I've recently begun trying the method of reading from a different major division of Scripture per day of the week (8 pages per day, which in my Bible comes out to reading the largest sections every six months and the small sections more frequently). I'm trying to find a good long-term niche.

I can testify to the value of reading larger chunks in the same place rather than a small portion of a given book at a time. For instance, I don't believe Genesis was meant to be read 1/50th a day for 50 days. This is why M'Cheyne's plan and Prof. Horner's system would not work for me, though they sound very appealing and work for many people.


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## JM (Dec 11, 2010)

I like this quote from Horner, "Your Bible is the only thing on Earth that, as you wear it out, will actually work better and better."


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## JennyG (Dec 11, 2010)

I moved to the Horner method in the summer after 5 years on the M'Cheyne calendar. I loved the way the Horner method with its unpredictable mix throws up unexpected but very illuminating examples of "scripture interpreting scripture".
the other thing I've found it's done is increase my appetite for the Word! It really is a case of appetite coming with eating.


austinww said:


> I believe in the value of reading larger chunks in the same place


 I'm beginning to agree, and not be so satisfied with less than a whole book at once. There's also a practical advantage - in the same length of time you can read far more if you don't keep stopping to find a different place (well, it's obvious isn't it!). So, in the new year I thought I might start at Genesis 1 and just see how long it takes me to read straight through, which I have done before but not for a while. 
There's an idea - a PB handicap - all start there on Jan 1st and see who makes it to Rev.22 in the shortest time!


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## au5t1n (Dec 11, 2010)

JennyG said:


> There's an idea - a PB handicap - all start there on Jan 1st and see who makes it to Rev.22 in the shortest time!


 
I would be up for that. Since I finished my cover-to-cover read in August, I have tried at least seven or eight different methods, and I can't seem to settle on something I like. More and more I'm realizing that I was never more satisfied in the Word than when I was reading Genesis to Revelation.


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## nasa30 (Dec 11, 2010)

I do Horner for just reading. I also read other chapters based on what I am preaching so it is 10 chapters of Horners plan plus. Last night for instance, I read all of Ephesians for some context.


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## 21st Century Calvinist (Dec 11, 2010)

For devotional reading I modify the M'Cheyne system. Right now I am in Revelation in the morning. I will start on the Prophets in January. Currently in the evening I am doing an Advent series in Micah and Zechariah. 
For seminary I have read through the entire bible this year.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Dec 12, 2010)

I pick a book and read it over and over again, usually for a few weeks (or longer - Romans !!) while studying other related materials. What leads me to a particular book is usually some topic that the book contains _locus classicus_ Scripture on the matter of my interests at the time.

AMR


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## PresbyDane (Dec 12, 2010)

I read it cronologically from oldest to newest


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

PresbyDane said:


> I read it cronologically from oldest to newest


that idea always appealed to me a lot,....but don't you run into problems deciding just what the right chronological order is? I always did, and finally decided God put it in the order we have for a reason (even if I don't know what the reason is)!


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

austinww said:


> JennyG said:
> 
> 
> > There's an idea - a PB handicap - all start there on Jan 1st and see who makes it to Rev.22 in the shortest time!
> ...


I suppose we might have to try and set guidelines as to how fast you could read and it still count as reading, rather than just sliding eyes across a page!
But someone showed me this site and I love this guy's idea of reading so fast that you go through several times in a year, and finally have scripture coming out of your ears (in a manner of speaking). he seems to think nothing matters apart from just keeping going, and the faster the better. 
Even if it's a two-horse race, Austin, let's do it!


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## jambo (Dec 12, 2010)

I read 3 concurrent cycles at morning, lunchtime and evening. There is an OT cycle consisting of 2 chapters per day which takes just over 11 months to complete. A NT cycle of mostly one chapter per day which takes aprox 260 days to complete. Then there is one chapter from the wisdom literature (apart from Job which I divide up into complete speeches and Ps 119 which I treat as 22 psalms). Once each cycle is complete I start again. Then on the 1st Jan I would change the order in that if I read the NT in the morning I would then start reading it a say lunchtime. What I like about this is that it is easy to interrupt one cycle should there be something you specifically want to study for a week or two. Also on dated schemes you find yourself reading the same chapters on the same day of the year whereas this scheme is all different.


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## Zimon (Dec 12, 2010)

During the week / schooltime:
2 Chapters OT/NT + 1 Psalm + addiontal passages* 

Holidays
8-20 chapters OT/NT daily 

* By this I mean everything that I read in order to understand exegetical texts or theological tracts of any kind


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

JennyG said:


> austinww said:
> 
> 
> > JennyG said:
> ...


 
Maybe we should set individual goals rather than racing, and then be held accountable for our own goal. I want to try and read it in four months, and I'm starting today. But if you still want to race and you prefer to start on Jan. 1, then whenever I finish, we can shift my days forward by however many days are left in December to be fair. 

---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------




JennyG said:


> PresbyDane said:
> 
> 
> > I read it cronologically from oldest to newest
> ...


 
While it is impossible to put everything in perfect chronological order, there are some schedules out there that do a decent job of this. I also prefer to read in canonical order, though, because it's a combination of semi-chronological and structured by major genre.


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

austinww said:


> Maybe we should set individual goals rather than racing, and then be held accountable for our own goal. I want to try and read it in four months, and I'm starting today. But if you still want to race and you prefer to start on Jan. 1, then whenever I finish, we can shift my days forward by however many days are left in December to be fair.



I'm sure you're right about individual goals and accountability. I suppose competitiveness might not be an especially Godly or helpful element to introduce!
I decided on Jan 1st because I'm so busy over Christmas I didn't think I would have much chance of getting anywhere before that. But just by way of limbering up, I was around chapter 40 of Isaiah and I thought I'd see if I could get to the end in one go. Then I realised that probably no other book would I even doubt it! not counting textbooks or dictionaries perhaps. But I'm going more and more over to your way of thinking, that the only natural way is straight through.
I'll adopt the same goal and see if I can do it in 4 months, which will be the end of April.


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

JennyG said:


> austinww said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe we should set individual goals rather than racing, and then be held accountable for our own goal. I want to try and read it in four months, and I'm starting today. But if you still want to race and you prefer to start on Jan. 1, then whenever I finish, we can shift my days forward by however many days are left in December to be fair.
> ...


 
I'm the opposite as far as time -- I'm off school until January so I have a lot more time than usual. Four months seems like a reasonable goal because it's fast enough not to spend too long away from the New Testament and slow enough to understand what you are reading. In my Bible I'll need to read 8 pages a day and 10 pages on Sunday, which is at most 50 minutes of reading. I think we can do this!

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------

 but the results of this poll so far are some of the most balanced poll results I've ever seen on the PB.


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

austinww said:


> In my Bible I'll need to read 8 pages a day and 10 pages on Sunday, which is at most 50 minutes of reading. I think we can do this!



I'd better do the same sum for my Bible. I'm looking forward now to getting started. There's nothing like an incentive! Thanks Austin - see you in May


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

JennyG said:


> austinww said:
> 
> 
> > In my Bible I'll need to read 8 pages a day and 10 pages on Sunday, which is at most 50 minutes of reading. I think we can do this!
> ...


 
Looking forward to finishing. My Bible has 974 pages. Don't forget to check for blank pages between testaments that can be subtracted. I reason that (58 pages/week)(17 weeks) = 986 pages, giving me some slack if I miss a day. If I wanted to do this three times in a year I'd have a week left over because 3*17 = 51.


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## PresbyDane (Dec 12, 2010)

JennyG said:


> PresbyDane said:
> 
> 
> > I read it cronologically from oldest to newest
> ...


 
I know it might not be a 100% but close is good enough for me and next year I will read it differently and the the year after that differently again, until I find the best way I have only read the bible through in a year for the past 4 years.


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## jambo (Dec 12, 2010)

Whilst I accept an admirable desire in wanting to read the bible in 4 months or whatever, I sometimes wonder if there is any benefit to this. I may want to read a secular book in a week or take a month to read War and Peace. I may want to race through Dickens' David Copperfield but with the scriptures it is a different thing altogether and to race through them would be the same as gulping ones' dinner down.

You want to read in order to increase knowledge of the bible. You want to read and meditate so that your heart is moved to worship and pray. You want to read for guidance and direction as you meditate on the application of the scripture you have just read to your own life. You want to read to facilitate the sense of union and communion with the Lord. To race through the bible is not the way it should be done. Even just reading the bible in order to achieve the goal of reading it in a year, although commendable in one sense, if that is the only goal then it is in vain. 

Jesus reminds us that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Thus the word should be read and digested slowly rather than hurriedly lest we suffer spiritual indigestion. 

I recall someone saying he hadn't read for a few days and had 6 chapters to catch up on as if God was demanding his pound of flesh. Although I would never advocate skipping reading but if circumstances meant that you could not read for a day or so, I would not even try to catch up but simply continue on where it was left off.

I think Lee's idea of reading whole books in one sitting is very beneficial. Other than Psalms, the longest books in the bible would take about 2.5 hrs to read in one go. The benefit of that is you can spot a verse in one chapter that answers a question posed in a section maybe 8-10 chapters earlier. If you are just reading one chapter a day you may miss the link. We also remind ourselves that when Paul wrote to the Roman or Corinthian Christians he expected the letter to be read in one go and not in one section each day for a fortnight.


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm confused. The last paragraph of your post seems to say almost the opposite of the first few paragraphs. I have found that my ability to understand, chew on, and meditate on a book of the Bible depends on having read it coherently in a reasonable time period. Reading Genesis 1/50th per day for 50 days would never provide the context necessary for understanding Genesis. Reading more at once, as you said in your last paragraph, is generally better for improving understanding and, ultimately, meditation.

When I did my last cover-to-cover read, I read four chapters a day for most of the Bible, but when I got to John, I decided to finish the rest at 10 chapters a day. I immediately noticed that my love for the Word and my meditation on it increased dramatically reading John and Acts in a few days' time. I was in tears by the time I reached John 14. As you noted in your last paragraph, most books of the Bible were meant to be read more than a chapter or two at a time.

I do see your point about racing through; however, that's why I chose four months rather than three or less (as some folks advocate). It takes 40-50 minutes a day at a normal reading pace (not racing) to read it that way. Besides, there is a difference between always reading it at that rate versus just doing it a few times. I am 20 years old. Reading it quickly a few times to get a good grasp on the way it all fits together is a good start to a lifetime of Bible reading (not that I only started reading the Bible this year, but you know what I mean). After that, I can spend inordinate amounts of time in a particular chapter or book if I need to.


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## jambo (Dec 12, 2010)

I think there is benefit in doing it both ways. To read a book in one sitting is good to give the overall thrust of the book and see it in its context, its purpose and can have a better idea of say the prophet Isaiah or Jeremiah. However I think reading a book like Genesis, Isaiah or any other larger book is more an academic (for want of a better word) thing whereas to break it down into smaller segments is more beneficial for devotions.

My point however was not whether one reads big or small sections of the bible but rather questioning the value of racing through the bible bearing in mind it is as easy to race through 2nd John as it is to race through John's gospel


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

jambo said:


> I think there is benefit in doing it both ways. To read a book in one sitting is good to give the overall thrust of the book and see it in its context, its purpose and can have a better idea of say the prophet Isaiah or Jeremiah. However I think reading a book like Genesis, Isaiah or any other larger book is more an academic (for want of a better word) thing whereas to break it down into smaller segments is more beneficial for devotions.
> 
> My point however was not whether one reads big or small sections of the bible but rather questioning the value of racing through the bible bearing in mind it is as easy to race through 2nd John as it is to race through John's gospel


 
That makes sense. I do like to jump to places that are not in my scheduled reading and meditate on a small part. With a cover-to-cover reading plan you have to do that or you'll go long periods of time without reading the New Testament. When I was reading cover to cover, I did regularly flip to the NT just for "fun." Sometimes you just need to read a bit of Romans or some words of Christ (not that the whole Bible isn't the Word of Christ, but you know what I mean).


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

austinww said:


> I immediately noticed that my love for the Word and my meditation on it increased dramatically reading John and Acts in a few days' time.



Yes, I've found that too. Since I've begun imbibing larger draughts at a time, it takes over all my thoughts in a way it didn't before and I find myself wanting more and more still. I always wished to "have the mind that was in Jesus" but I believe in the sense of thinking Biblically, taking every thought captive, it's within everyone's grasp! As Austin says, the great value of reading fast to get the overall feel is that once you have a good grasp of the whole, you're much better equipped to get down to details. It's not as if going through fast precludes *also* taking time to study or dwell on some passages. 
I started another thread because I was wondering if anyone knew what the practice would have been in Jesus' day. I should think it must have been mainly "straight through", if only because bookmarking a scroll must be tricky


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## au5t1n (Dec 12, 2010)

JennyG said:


> I should think it must have been mainly "straight through", if only because bookmarking a scroll must be tricky


 
Wait -- You mean they didn't use "Rabbi Gamaliel's Tanakh-Reading System"?


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## JennyG (Dec 12, 2010)

austinww said:


> JennyG said:
> 
> 
> > I should think it must have been mainly "straight through", if only because bookmarking a scroll must be tricky
> ...


hahaha


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## John Knox (Dec 13, 2010)

I read a couple of chapters at night, just pick books/epistles based on what I feel like reading, doing 1 Corinthians now. During the day I memorise verses, got 21 chapters of Matthew done so far.


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## Zenas (Dec 13, 2010)

Other-With my eyes.


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## JP Wallace (Dec 13, 2010)

I start off with a psalm, sing the psalm from a psalter, pray through the psalm. Then an Old Testament chapter to two, then a New Testament chapter or two. I tend to take notes and especially note down the most important verses, and also try and link through verses in the OT cited/quoted in the NT, and think about how they are interpreted/applied.

I try to mix genres' throughout the year, so if I've just read Exodus I'll probably read a prophet, if I've read a Gospel I'll move to an epistle or something like that. I keep a note of what I've read so I cover as much as possible in a year. Sometimes I go really slow, with Greek New Testament and commentary on more than likely the New Testament passage. 

The most helpful thing for me is start with the psalm and pray through it. Also very important NOT to read in my own worship what I am preaching on or even thinking of preaching on, otherwise I start thinking about sermons and not my own spiritual growth and God's glory.


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## dudley (Dec 18, 2010)

I am currently reading Book of Ecclesiastes form the Old Testament and the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. I also attend a bible class every Thursday night at the Presbyterian church I belong to where we are also studying in-depth right now the gospel of Luke. 

As a former Catholic we did not read the bible to any great extent the way we Protestants do. I now read each Gospel completely from beginning to end and learning for the first time the Gospel in its entirety and not just in selected segments read a Catholic mass on Sunday mornings. 

I am now beginning to understand the authority of the scriptures in a way I could never see them as a Catholic. Of course the Catholic church does not accept the scriptures as the final authority, so while they say the reading of the bible is now encouraged and they offer bible classes in the catholic church, it is still not really not emphasized. They have conceded to reading the bible because so many Catholics were starting to attend bible classes at Protestant churches as I did and in the process they were becoming Protestants as I also did.


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## Augusta (Dec 18, 2010)

I did M'Cheyne for the last 4-5 yrs, but this year I read chronologically. It really helped me to see the major events during the two-kingdom era more clearly and then track those events through the major and minor prophets. I used to get confused trying to understand which events were repeats and who the major players were, especially when they interchange the names of certain kings etc. Along side that I did a NT epistle plan that takes you through the epistles 4 times a year. Those two together were great reading.


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