This year I've finally done it: read my Bible all of the way through.
Well, I'm almost done... just a few days away, but you get the point. After failing to make it much past about the Book of Genesis in previous years, 2016 will be the year that I actually get from cover to cover.
This accomplishment of sorts has made me look back over the year and reflect on what I've read and also made me think about why I decided to embark on this journey. In doing so, I've uncovered a few opinions that suggest that reading through the Bible in one year is potential legalism, or "works-based" do-gooding that's intended to show God that we are good enough to earn his Grace.
Of course, that's not how it works and that's not why I read through the Word this year. But it's compelled me to be ready to offer a case for why reading through the Bible in one year can be so beneficial.
(Keep in mind that I am a layman and do not intend to provide substantial theological content here. Also, I didn't know what order to put this list in, so there's that.)
Why Read Through the Bible in One Year?
1. You can say that you've read every word in the Bible. Sounds like bragging, right? For me, it's been quite the contrary. I have found that reading through the Bible has shown me just how much I have to learn and how I can go on learning and applying His Truths to my life for as long as I live. It has also given me a thirst to read the Word next year, but this time more deeply, focusing on study.
2. You begin to see the big themes of the Bible appear over and over again. Plenty of ink has been spilled over the large and not-so-large themes that run through the Bible, so I won't try to do that here. But I will say that one major theme I have seen over and over this year is repentance and forgiveness. While this often looks different within its particular context, seeing it everywhere was a strong reminder that I must repent and seek forgiveness.
3. You see how all Scripture points to Christ. I've always heard this, but reading through the Bible in one year helped me to see the need for a Savior permeating every book. I will admit that this was easier to see in some places more than others, but finally I could see it for myself.
4. It's like doing the border of a puzzle first. Reading through such a large work in one year is quite the challenge. The biggest and maybe best argument against reading through the Bible in that short time frame is that you don't have enough time to dwell on and comprehend what you've read. That certainly may be true for some people on some days, but reading everything allowed me to see the big picture and has caused a craving in me to move deeper into the Scripture. I may never finish the puzzle, but at least now I've seen the "boundaries."
5. It's a spiritual discipline. Since when did having spiritual disciplines become a bad thing? I know, I know... It can be seen as legalism, but if that's not where your heart is, I don't think it's a bad thing to have discipline. Reading through the Bible in one year was an act of goal-setting and having the finish line in mind helped me to stay motivated even when I'd miss entire days and weeks at a time.
6. It helps you become more familiar with the books you wouldn't normally sit down to read. Let's face it, I cringed a little when I started Lamentations and Nahum and Haggai. Why? Because I always thought they were dry and not that important. While I still have a lot to learn about these books (and plenty others), I had a good reason to be sure I read what they said, and that allowed me to see point #2 and #3 in those places, too -- where I wouldn't have normally looked.
7. It challenges you to read parts of the Word you know you won't understand. How else are you supposed to grow without being challenged? Yes, Balaam's donkey talks to him. And, Noah gets drunk, then naked. And Jesus gets mad at a tree, then the tree dies. Yep, that stuff is weird and hard to understand. But instead of ignoring it, you read it "head-on" and look for the larger contextual meaning.
8. Reading in the morning starts your day off right: focused on God and His Promises. The benefit I noticed every day when I read was that starting my day in the Word of God meant that I was already focused on Him, His Promises, His love for me and what His Son did for humanity through the cross and his Resurrection. That meditation was often the thing I needed first to think about truly applying what I read into my actions that day.
So, now that I've (almost) read through the Bible in one year, will I do it again? Yes I will, but not this next year. I want to dive into the Word more deeply now. I had great advice once: there are two ways to read the Bible: for depth and for breadth. There is benefit in both of those and I'm glad to have explored reading for breadth.
Interested in reading the Bible in one year? I used an app on my iPhone that allowed me to read that day's scripture within it. There was a daily commentary/devotional included, but I never read them. I wanted my reading to be solely scriptural. (Search for the Bible in One Year by the organization Alpha in the app store and you'll find the one I used.)
