New Testament Reading Plan

By Andrew Kalitka

I have found it interesting to reread the New Testament one author at a time, or at least in segments split according to authors who worked closely together. This way, the four gospels are not read consecutively, and the transition from the gospel accounts to the Christian living themes of the early church is repeated and emphasized. I recommend first reading the “John Block,” then the “Luke-Paul Block,” then the “Mark-Peter Block,” and finally the remaining three books, written by the apostle Matthew and Jesus’ half brothers, Jude and James. I include the epistle written to the Hebrews in the “Luke-Paul Block” because I am among the many who believe Paul is the “unknown” author of Hebrews. I also believe Hebrews reads well for devotional purposes immediately following Acts. Titus is listed between Galatians and Ephesians to insert a minor change of pace from the order in which Bible readers typically read Paul’s letters.

Here is my suggested New Testament reading plan:

• The John Block: John, I John, II John, III John, and Revelation

• The Luke-Paul Block: Luke, Acts, Hebrews, Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Titus, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, and II Timothy

• The Mark-Peter Block: Mark, I Peter, and II Peter

• The Remaining Block: Matthew, Jude, and James