Reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a year is a task that requires determination and discipline. Most people do not completely read the Bible in a year, although this is much beneficial as it gives you the full picture of God’s Word within the compass of a year.

The Bible in A Year reading programme on crosswalk.com's Bible Study Tools is a vital help in achieving this task. Statistics show that most people professing faith in Christ have never completely read their Bible. The Bible has 1189 chapters and 31,102 verses in all, and these can be divided into daily reading portions, equivalent to four chapters a day. If you wish to register for the programme, click here.

By dividing the Bible into 365 daily readings, a goal of reading the Bible in a year can easily be accomplished. Using crosswalk.com's Bible Study Tools you can read the daily portion on a daily basis, and chart your progress over the following 365 days. In other words, you don't have to wait till the New Year, you can start today.

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true centre of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

Exodus 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; Deut. 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; Psalm 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isaiah 34:16; Isaiah 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; Jeremiah 36; Matthew 5:17-18; Matthew 22:29; Luke 21:33; Luke 24:44-46; John 5:39; John 16:13-15; John 17:17; Acts 2:16ff; Acts 17:11; Romans 15:4; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

John 21:25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

2Timothy 4:13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come - and the books, especially the parchments.

Endless books have been written about the Lord God Almighty, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as about our Lord Himself. Some of these books are completely useless, as they contain blasphemy and teach error. Hence, the weariness that the wise author of Ecclesiastes speaks of in the writing and reading of many books.

As a Bible scholar myself, I am aware of books that have damaged my faith, instilled doubts in me, and filled me with scorn for the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Many people who genuinely want to discover the authenticity of the Word of God and the relevance and logic of certain biblical teachings have been led away from the simplicity of faith in Christ Jesus to the wilderness of human reason and logic, and to the barren and idiotic wasteland of rebellion against God by reading and studying fruitless books. Perhaps, you are one of such people, I bring you hope! Go back now to the Bible, confess your stupidity and shame, identify yourself with the mission work of Jesus Christ, and begin to learn directly from Him.

To escape the tenterhooks of filthy books, the bait of blasphemous books, the aridity of atheistic books, the empty and backward theology spawned by several academics who are not born again but are steeped in rebellion against God, books that rely mainly on human wisdom that is fleshly and carnal - to escape from the destructive impact of such books - get on your knees and humble yourself before God. He can save you through Christ Jesus. He can re-plant faith in you and give you a far more discerning attitude to the world of books: you don't have to be a slave of books, you are already a slave of Christ Jesus. Yearn for Him, He will lead you to the right shelves in libraries, the right bookstalls in the city, the right pages in books.

God is not anti-books. Books, in themselves, evidence civilization and learning. There are many books in heaven, and Christ Jesus is described as the Living Word of God. It is a matter of common sense that you read only to grow in Christ, not to diminish in Him. I wish you well.