Is it necessary to read the Bible cover to cover?

mark kennedy said:

I wasn't saying it was a bad idea, I remember a new Christian I was friends with did the same thing. He was always asking me questions and coming up with the craziest insights, like what if I committed ten sins a day, do I have to make that many sacrifices? I thought it was comical. My take is it's a personal thing and I know spending more time on the New Testament was important to me early on. I'm glad you have spent so much time in the Word, nothing wrong with that. But sitting down and reading right through it one time and walking away with no special insight hardly seems worth it to me. I've always found I got more out of digging deeper into certain passages but to each his own I guess

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I think that commentaries are great (I have Calvin's complete commentaries on the Bible and read most of them, 17th century language and all. I have many Puritan works which have greatly enhanced my foundations in faith.

I think that for a new Christian, reading the Living Bible through would be a good start, beginning at the book of John to get the basics of the Gospel, and then 1 John. Then the historical narrative books of the OT, leaving out Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus because the "telephone directories" and complicated instructions might bog him down.

It's probably because I'm an old buzzard in the faith that I can read the whole Bible through once in a while to have a rest from the other theological books that I read. Then to have a complete rest from all of it, I might just turn on Youtube and watch Hopalong Cassidy movies just for the enjoyment of seeing the good guy beat the bad guys and bring back distant memories of Saturday afternoon matinees in the old bug house (His Majesty's Theatre) in my home town!

myst33 said:

Before the letterpress invention, such hand-made copies were so expensive that there was one for a city or one for a chuch. Personal ownership was unthinkable for an average man.

Even after the the letterpress invention, bibles were expensive in the beginning.

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That's why the Puritan preachers of the 17th Century were the greatest Bible teachers ever. It was the golden age of Bible teaching. They were the ones who presented the Bible to their congregations to increase and maintain their faith.

Oscarr said:

I think that commentaries are great (I have Calvin's complete commentaries on the Bible and read most of them, 17th century language and all. I have many Puritan works which have greatly enhanced my foundations in faith.

I think that for a new Christian, reading the Living Bible through would be a good start, beginning at the book of John to get the basics of the Gospel, and then 1 John. Then the historical narrative books of the OT, leaving out Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus because the "telephone directories" and complicated instructions might bog him down.

It's probably because I'm an old buzzard in the faith that I can read the whole Bible through once in a while to have a rest from the other theological books that I read. Then to have a complete rest from all of it, I might just turn on Youtube and watch Hopalong Cassidy movies just for the enjoyment of seeing the good guy beat the bad guys and bring back distant memories of Saturday afternoon matinees in the old bug house (His Majesty's Theatre) in my home town!

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I used to get a lot out of the poetic literature, especially the Psalms and Job, later it was books like John, Hebrews and Romans. It took me years to get the prophets but over time they became more comprehensive. I think a person should pursue whatever God is dealing with them on, I think that works best.

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dms1972 said:

I mean people can read it from cover if they want and it could be valuable. But I don't think I could. And I think some sort of guided study (with questions) is better. I think there are key parts one should read in both the old and new, but I have never seen the value of reading it cover to cover.

I'd include: (From the Old) The Creation, Fall of Man, Noah, The Call of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, The Ten Commandments, Ruth, Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal. David and Goliath, Samson, some of the Psalms.

From the New (a couple of the Gospel's), Some of Acts, like the day of Pentecost, Saul's conversion, some of Paul's and Peters sermons, Romans and James.

Some of these I have been through in Sunday School as a child but could no doubt take a refresher in.

I am sure I have missed something. Any other parts that could be included in a comprehensive but not exhaustive study through the Bible?

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I would suggest you read John and Romans then take your time and read the rest of the Bible. The O.T. is the N.T. concealed, the N.T. is the O.T. revealed. it is most important that you understand what you are reading. The amount you read is not important. Use a good study Bible and use the online commentaries to help you truly understand what you are reading. Blessings

Is it necessary to read the Bible cover to cover?

Necessary -- no
but -- a good idea
watching and listening to solid
preachings and teachings
if straight from the Bible
are also good.

It is important not to miss some of the stories in the Bible. They may be of much help for us in the dealing with our lives and worshiping a holy God.

M-Bob

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I would highly suggest you read a book called "The Story" if you really want to know what is in the Bible without actually wading through the real book, itself.
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Continuing-Selections-International-Version/dp/031095097X
You can also find it FREE online,

Yes you should read the entire bible cover to cover multiple times. I try to read through the bible entirely at least once a year. I would suggest a reading system perhaps along with a devotional and the singing of Psalms. The format is an OT reading, followed by a Psalm or Psalms, NT reading followed by a biblical canticle like the Magnificat or the Nunc Dimittis and then prayer all done twice a day. I read the OT once a year, the NT twice a year and the Psalms every 30 days. It takes about 20 minutes each session but it is good habit to get in and keep. It is basically the reading plan from the old Book of Common Prayer (1928 or 1662) with a tweaked lectionary.

That includes Leviticus and Deuteronomy and all the genealogies which most people find boring. I find a lot of christians are familiar with the NT but are almost wholly ignorant of the OT with the exception of Genesis and Exodus. Try and read Hebrews without a knowledge of Leviticus or the Sacrificial system. You won't be able to make sense of what is being said or at the least the depth of the message contained in that Book. Ignorance of the OT means ignorance of the NT.

Considering that the literacy rate up until 200 years ago was about 10% or less, I'd say that there is no need to read the bible at all cover to cover.

dms1972 said:

I mean people can read it from cover if they want and it could be valuable. But I don't think I could. And I think some sort of guided study (with questions) is better. I think there are key parts one should read in both the old and new, but I have never seen the value of reading it cover to cover.

I'd include: (From the Old) The Creation, Fall of Man, Noah, The Call of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, The Ten Commandments, Ruth, Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal. David and Goliath, Samson, some of the Psalms.

From the New (a couple of the Gospel's), Some of Acts, like the day of Pentecost, Saul's conversion, some of Paul's and Peters sermons, Romans and James.

Some of these I have been through in Sunday School as a child but could no doubt take a refresher in.

I am sure I have missed something. Any other parts that could be included in a comprehensive but not exhaustive study through the Bible?

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I think it best to study topically on what is being brought to your mind. Sometimes one needs to be encouraged, sometimes one needs to be loved, sometimes one need guidance on what is sin, what is not sin, works, law, grace, salvation, lots of different things a person may be curious about. I also think this is the leading of the Holy Spirit... bringing things to your mind. I like running word and phrase searches that encompasses the entire bible to get a broad over view of things ... also using a concordance and Greek and Hebrew Lexicons helps a lot too.

God Word ...... amazing .... simply amazing.

May the Lord bless all through His Holy Word. Amen.

Oscarr said:

I must be different, because I can see what it says, and I can follow God's plan of salvation right through from Genesis to Revelation just by reading through it. But then, I know the God of the Bible on a personal level and He talks to me on a regular basis, so I guess knowing what the Bible says is fairly natural to me. I thought everyone had that, but maybe I am wrong.

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You are wrong.

There is a LOT of biblical illiteracy, even among long-term churchgoers.

bekkilyn said:

You are wrong.

There is a LOT of biblical illiteracy, even among long-term churchgoers.

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As a retired high school teacher I found that 13 and 14 year olds had to be taught to read so they could understand the learning material at that level. So, one could say that there is a lack of general literacy in our society. If many people can't read ordinary books, how can we expect them to comprehend the Bible unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to them?

dms1972 said:

I mean people can read it from cover if they want and it could be valuable. But I don't think I could. And I think some sort of guided study (with questions) is better. I think there are key parts one should read in both the old and new, but I have never seen the value of reading it cover to cover.

I'd include: (From the Old) The Creation, Fall of Man, Noah, The Call of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, The Ten Commandments, Ruth, Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal. David and Goliath, Samson, some of the Psalms.

From the New (a couple of the Gospel's), Some of Acts, like the day of Pentecost, Saul's conversion, some of Paul's and Peters sermons, Romans and James.

Some of these I have been through in Sunday School as a child but could no doubt take a refresher in.

I am sure I have missed something. Any other parts that could be included in a comprehensive but not exhaustive study through the Bible?

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Necessary for salvation? No.

To live and be sanctified by the truth of God? Yes.

And if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, why would you not read all of the Bible, every single bit of it? At the very least to have a desire to do so?

If a young person was saved by Jesus Christ at an early age, and they studied the Bible throughout the 70 to 80 years of life, they would never exhaust the knowledge of God that is present in the Bible. The knowledge of God is inexhaustible. If you study the Bible for 10 million years in eternal Heaven, you will still barely have begun to know God and His word.

It is impossible to do an exhaustive study of the Bible because it is the living word of God.

Does the Bible say it is necessary to read it in order to be saved?

Oscarr said:

As a retired high school teacher I found that 13 and 14 year olds had to be taught to read so they could understand the learning material at that level. So, one could say that there is a lack of general literacy in our society. If many people can't read ordinary books, how can we expect them to comprehend the Bible unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to them?

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Also true!

I do remember someone talking about how they as an adult didn't understand anything they were reading in scripture, so ended up going out and buying a children's bible and read that to get a basic understanding of the stories, and then worked their way up from there. It sounds like a pretty good strategy.