Let There Be No Divisions Among Us

[ 3 minutes to read ]

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
~ Psalm 119:18
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[I] have previously written about reading the whole Bible in a year by using a plan. I can’t recommend it highly enough, though every time I do, some complain about it. I’m not your mother. I can’t force you to read your Bible. All I can do is encourage you to do so and that is my goal.

Enter: The Reader’s Bible

I’ve started my 2018 reading and this year I will be reading daily from the KJV Reader’s Bible. Bible layout design has improved in recent years to improve readability and such. The reader’s layout is an excellent treatment for not only reading, but also for studying.

What is a reader’s layout? If you’re not familiar with it, a reader’s layout is the text of Scripture presented without the chapter or verse divisions. It does not have any marginal notes, footnotes, or cross-references. It is a single column, paragraphed layout of each book of the Bible. Some say it helps the Bible read more like a novel, but I don’t love that description. What the reader’s layout does do, is let you read the Bible as it was given, except for the paragraphing and punctuation, but we shouldn’t complain about that. The early manuscripts were written with all capital letters, no spaces between words, no punctuation, and no paragraphs.

If you haven’t read the Bible this way before, I highly recommend it. It will be a different experience. The reader’s layout will help you read each book of the Bible with a better sense of the whole book. You will see the divisions between narratives, units of teaching, arguments, etc. It will help you get a better grasp of the big picture of Scripture.

Help for Preaching

If you are a preacher, or a Bible teacher and are planning on teaching a whole book of the Bible, the reader’s layout provides an excellent place to start. Read the whole book without the headings, chapter or verse divisions. Read it again and start noting divisions in the text. You’re looking for sections that naturally divide the text, e.g., changes in narrative in historical books, changes in narrative or teaching blocks in the Gospels or Acts, a complete thought or argument in the epistles, etc. Start noting these and you’re making an outline of the book, which is crucial to grasp the big picture and not lose sight of it while dealing with individual passages.

A Final Word

I hope these brief words help you see the benefits of the Reader’s Bible for regular Bible reading and for study. Obviously, much more could be said, but I hope you will read the whole Bible this coming year and this is a great way to do it. If you would prefer to read the Bible in a reader’s layout for Kindle, options are available. I’m using the following Kindle books: Genesis to Esther, Job to Malachi, and the New Testament.

A Simple Plan to Read The Reader’s Bible in a Year

  1. January: Read Genesis and Exodus
  2. February: Read Leviticus and Numbers
  3. March: Read Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
  4. April: Read 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings
  5. May: Read 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther
  6. June: Read Job and Psalm 1 to 89
  7. July: Read Psalm 90 to 150, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon
  8. August: Read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations
  9. September: Read Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zechariah
  10. October: Read Malachi, Matthew, Mark, and Luke
  11. November: Read John, Acts, and Romans
  12. December: Read 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation

Of course, you can always divide the number of pages by the number of days and get a daily page count to read. I pray God blesses you this year as you read and meditate in his word.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
– 3 John 2

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1 Comment

  1. David Green December 29, 2017 at 11:56 am

    I have not heard of this one yet but I have used the Cambridge Paragraph Bible of 1873. KJV of course. I do enjoy that but it still has the chapter and verse divisions. Thanks for the recommendation. I will add the KJV Readers Bible to my wish list for 2018! Lord bless you brother!

    Reply

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