3 Reasons to Read Through the Entire Bible

This post was originally published as Bible Study Made Simple podcast episode 19, 3 Reasons to Read Through the Entire Bible. You can listen here.

Have you ever wanted to read through the whole Bible? As I was growing up, I can vividly remember flipping through the pages of a Bible, and wondering if one day I would ever be able to read through all those words. On today’s episode, we will talk through why it is important to prioritize reading through every word of Scripture. 

I am Eva Kubasiak, and this is Bible Study Made Simple. Have you ever felt intimidated or confused by the Bible? Or maybe you have started studying the Bible before but haven’t found a way to incorporate it into your regular routine. The Bible Study Made Simple podcast is here to help you move from intimidated and confused to confident and joyful in your approach to Scripture, and help you find a routine that sticks. The goal isn’t checking off a box perfectly, but instead, our goal is an intimate connection with the God of the Bible - plus having tons of fun along the way! 

Today’s episode is sponsored by the Knowing God Through the Word Journal. This is a journal that walks you through the entire Bible chronologically and helps you look for who God is on the pages of Scripture. Each day has 2 questions to help you think through what you just read, and it is undated, so it doesn’t matter if it takes you a year or 3, you are still getting to know the God of the Bible! You can find more information about the journal at evakubasiak.com/kg, or at the link in the show notes. 

Thinking back to my curiosity as a kid, I think my parents played a huge part in cultivating that in me. Each of my parents prioritized their own time in God’s Word, and that played a huge impact on me having the initial curiosity and desire to read it for myself as well. 

On today’s episode, we will go over 3 reasons that it is important to not only cultivate a habit of reading your Bible but why it is important that you prioritize reading through the whole thing. Reading through the Bible has a major intimidation factor that goes along with it. Let’s be honest, there are parts of the Bible that are difficult and hard to understand. But I think these 3 reasons help you see the importance of even those parts! 

Reason number 1 for reading through the whole Bible is because God commands it. God tells us through Moses in Deuteronomy 32:47 that these words aren’t empty, but that these words are our life. As Christ-followers, we want to honor God through the way that we live our life. And if God tells us to treasure His Words, then we want to do just that. 

In fact, earlier in Deuteronomy, God commands the King to not only read every word but to write every word out on a scroll! That would have been an expensive and time-consuming endeavor in that time period, but it was important for the King to know the Word of God.

In that same way, it is important for us as believers to also cultivate that same hunger and desire for God’s Word. For some more examples of this, take about 15-20 minutes and read through Psalm 119. It is a gorgeous picture of devotion to God’s Word. 

When I was growing up, if I asked my parents something and the answer was “because I said so,” I was never really thrilled with that answer. I wanted more details. I wanted the “why.” So maybe this first reason isn’t up your alley. Maybe “because God says so” isn’t really your jam. So let’s look at reason number 2. 

The next reason to read through your entire Bible is to know God better. Now you might be thinking that you know God well enough through the parts of the Bible that you have read. And I would like to challenge you on that. You say that you are a Bible-believing Christ-follower, but if you have not searched the depths of God’s Word for yourself, you are simply taking someone else at their word at what the Bible says. But that’s not how we deepen our relationship with God.

Will reading through the entire Bible answer all our questions? No. Well, that’s at least not the case for me. But what it does do is introduce us on a personal level to the One who can answer all the questions. We may not get those answers on this side of heaven, but we will know Him more intimately, and we will be able to trust Him as our relationship with Him deepens. 

Okay, so reason number 1 is because God says so, and reason number 2 is to know God better. 

Reason number 3 to read through the entire Bible is to understand God’s redemptive plan. Throughout the Bible, God not only reveals His character, but He also reveals His redemptive plan that starts in the garden of Eden and culminates with the New Heaven and the New Earth. The story of Scripture is one meta-narrative, or story, that traces that redemption story from beginning to end. Each of the books is woven into how God is working in that time period in history to point out the plan that He had in place, and ultimately, that plan points us to Jesus. 

Reading through the Bible isn’t just a head exercise in knowing facts, and it isn’t just a heart exercise in feeling close to God. But just like Bible study, it is a combination of the 3 parts, our head’s knowing, our heart’s feeling, and our hand’s action and genuinely coming away changed from our encounter with the living God through His Word. 

It is my prayer that you don’t simply listen to this podcast about God’s Word, but instead, God plants in you a desire to read it for yourself. Instead of a prayer to borrow today, can I take a second to pray for you? 

Father, thank you for the precious soul who is listening to this podcast right now. They are valued and important, not only to me but deeply valuable to you. Can you give them a desire to be in Your Word for themselves? That they may be changed and come away made new through their relationship with You. Help them to not be intimidated by Your Word, but to see it as a welcoming way of getting to know You better. Thank You for the Bible. We are oh, so grateful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As you take your next steps towards God through studying the Bible, I pray that you remember our goal is connection with God over perfection in our process. Remember, your time with God doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.