Should I read the Bible in chronological order?

Chronological Bible reading plans, which rearrange the text to follow the approximate order events occurred rather than the order books appear in your Bible, have grown popular in recent years. Some readers assume this must be the 'correct' way to read Scripture, and feel guilty when they prefer a different approach. But nowhere does the Bible instruct us to read it in strict historical sequence; this is a matter of method and personal benefit, not obedience.

There is real value in this approach. Seeing the prophets placed alongside the kings and events they were addressing can illuminate passages that otherwise feel disconnected from their historical moment. Understanding that Amos was preaching during a particular king's prosperous but corrupt reign, for instance, sharpens the force of his warnings considerably. For readers who enjoy history and want to trace the biblical storyline as a continuous narrative, a chronological plan can be genuinely rewarding.

At the same time, the Bible's traditional arrangement is also intentional and instructive in its own right. Wisdom literature is grouped together for a reason, and the Gospels are ordered theologically rather than strictly by composition date, each highlighting different aspects of who Jesus is. Some chronological plans interweave books like Job or the Psalms into a historical timeline in ways that can fragment their literary unity, making them harder, not easier, to follow as complete works.

Besides chronological plans, readers can follow the Bible's canonical order, start with the New Testament before moving to the Old, or follow a topical plan built around themes like prayer or the character of God. Each approach has strengths, and switching methods across different seasons of life is completely reasonable.

Some readers also enjoy a lectionary approach, reading a set of passages tied to the church calendar and shared by congregations around the world on any given week. This method connects personal reading to the wider rhythm of the church year, from Advent through Easter to Ordinary Time, and can deepen a sense of shared worship even during private reading, since you know countless other believers are reflecting on the very same passages that same week.

Chronological plans themselves are not all identical. Some interleave every book strictly by estimated writing or event date, while others take a lighter touch, keeping most books intact but reordering only the clearest historical sequences, such as placing the prophets alongside the kings they addressed. A well-known devotional plan developed by the Scottish pastor Robert Murray M'Cheyne instead reads through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year alongside a single pass through the rest of the Old Testament, favoring repetition of the most doctrinally central material over strict historical order.

Whichever structure you choose, it helps to read the plan's introduction so you understand its underlying logic. Knowing why a plan is organized the way it is makes it far easier to stick with when you hit an unfamiliar stretch of readings.

Many chronological plans front-load large sections of Leviticus, Numbers, and detailed law codes early on, which discourages some new readers before they ever reach the New Testament. If a chronological plan is causing you to quit reading altogether, it is not serving its purpose. The point of any plan is simply to keep you regularly engaging with 'God-breathed' Scripture that is 'useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness' (2 Timothy 3:16-17), not to complete a particular sequence.

If you are new to Scripture, consider starting with a canonical or Gospel-first plan to build familiarity and confidence, then try a chronological read later once you already know the major stories and characters. At that point, seeing the timeline connected can deepen understanding you have already begun to build, rather than overwhelming you with unfamiliar history all at once.

Whatever you choose, hold the plan loosely. Ecclesiastes reminds us that 'there is a time for everything' (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and different seasons of life may call for different rhythms of reading Scripture. A season of grief might call for slow, repeated meditation on a handful of psalms rather than any structured plan at all. What matters across every season is the same: staying in conversation with God through his word, in whatever order best keeps that conversation alive.