Why You Need to Read the Whole Bible

By Danny Saavedra

“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”—Luke 24:44–45 (NIV)

Read your Bible . . . I bet you were expecting some other grand revelation or profound piece of advice. It sounds too simple, right? Here’s the thing: It is simple . . . and it should be! It’s simple but significant, and it needs to be said. Read your Bible!

First, let me explain. There’s a difference between reading and studying the Bible. The goal of studying the Bible is to dig in deep, examine the context, mine for deeper revelation, identify what the Lord is specifically saying through His Word, and find distinct personal application. I categorize reading the Bible differently. You see, the goal behind reading is to consume the whole Bible a few times. Why? Because when we do this, we’re allowing God’s work of redemption to pass before our eyes, enter our minds, and permeate our hearts.

Consider Luke 24:27 (NIV), which tells us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” In addition to that, Jesus claimed, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56 NIV). He said Moses “wrote about me” (John 5:46 NIV) and that “everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44–45 NIV).

Did you see that? Jesus showed His disciples—and, in turn, us—how the entirety of the Bible points to Him and speaks of Him. He opened the hearts and minds of His disciples so they could truly understand His Word and, in turn, understand who He was, His work, and their purpose—and He did it through the consumption and revelation of all of Scripture.

Now, here’s the coolest part: At that time, only the Old Testament spoke of Him, pointed to Him, and foreshadowed Him because it’s all they had. Now, we have the New Testament! We can see how all of the Old Testament points forward to the work of Christ, and we can see how the New Testament points back to the work of Christ, all of which is outlined in the very center of the Gospels. By reading the entirety of the Bible a few times in our Christian walk, we can see how ALL OF HISTORY, HUMANITY, AND THE WORLD point to Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and King!

When we consume the fullness of God’s Word, allowing His entire love letter to pass through our hearts, minds, and eyes, then we’ll experience a new level of appreciation, gratitude, devotion, and a deeper, richer love for Him. And do you want to know a secret? Reading the entire Bible is very doable! It only takes the average person around 70 hours to read through the entirety of the Bible. That works out to about 15 minutes per day. Think about that; by dedicating only a quarter of an hour per day, you can read through the entire Bible in less than a year!

Sure, during that time, you can scroll TikTok or watch a few YouTube videos that ultimately do nothing to enrich your life, but I pray you’ll instead choose to immerse yourself in God’s fully revealed work so you can understand His character and nature on a deeper level!

Pause: Why is it important to read the whole Bible at least once in your life as a believer?

Practice: Think through a 15-minute Scripture routine that will allow you to read through the whole Bible over the next year.

Pray: Father, I pray for a daily fire and passion to both study and read the Word, to consume Your whole revealed Word, and to dive deep and mine the depths of Scripture as I seek to be conformed to the image of Your Son. Help me, dear Lord, today and every day as I pursue a relationship with You. Amen.