5 x 52: A New Testament Bible Reading Plan for 2025
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
— Psalm 119:103 —
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4 —
Did you know that there are 260 chapters in the New Testament? I am sure I had learned this number before, but I forgot about until the other day. Yet, with this numerological epiphany in view, my mind began to race and to consider what a fifty-two week Bible reading plan would look like for those just getting started.
Indeed, if you read five chapters of the New Testament, every week for 52 weeks, you would finish the whole New Testament in a year. Certainly, this feat can be accomplished in a much shorter period of time, and for those who have already adopted a pattern of reading the Bible, there is no reason to skip the Old Testament, or to take a whole year to read twenty-five percent of Scripture. For those with larger appetites for Scripture, this Bible reading plan may be too scant. Or, for reasons I’ll explain below, it might be a portion of your Bible reading to be joined with others.
Indeed, for those who have never read the Bible in a systematic way, I have rarely encourage reading through the whole thing to start. Just as newborn babes have small stomachs and need assistance in their eating, so do newborn babes in Christ. Certainly, there might be counter examples to this counsel, but as Scripture so regularly compares itself to bread (Matt. 4:4) and honey (Ps. 19:10), milk (1 Pet. 2:2) and meat (Heb. 6:12), I do believe it is wise to start out slow and build an appetite over time.
To that end, I’ve encouraged new Christians and newborn Bible readers to make use of the E-100 Scripture Reading Plan. In twenty weeks, this plan leads readers through the whole Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, it picks up some of the most important parts and helps show how the whole Bible fits together. Equally, Christianity Explored is a tremendous resource that introduces Christ through the Gospel of Mark.
To have a full-formed faith, one does need to read the whole Bible. But reading the whole Bible (by oneself) is—if we are honest—a mark of maturity, not a necessary prerequisite to faith or salvation. Even more, giving someone a Bible and the imperative, “Read!” might do more harm than good. Just consider how many people have burned out trying to read the whole Bible. And others, while reading the whole Bible might take up very idiosyncratic views of God and his Word, when they read Scripture without conversation or communion with others. Truly, God has given his church pastors and teachers for a reason (Eph. 4:11–16)—and that reason includes rightly interpreting God’s Word and protecting young Christians from error (Titus 1:9).
So, back to reading the New Testament.
In 2025, I am leading my family (with two teens and two pre-teens) to read five chapters a week for the whole year, with the goal of reading the whole New Testament. And to help them have a greater comprehension of what we are reading, I am putting together a few reading tools—tools that I will catalog here, if anyone else wants to jump in. Additionally, if all goes as planned (=if the Lord allows), I will record a short reflection on each chapter as we read, so that interested readers (my family and others) might have a growing interest and skill in reading God’s Word.
The 5 x 52 New Testament Reading Plan
At its most basic level, this Bible reading plan is simply reading the whole New Testament in 2025, and doing so five chapters at a time, or one chapter a day, for five days out of seven. (It is similar to the Navigator’s 5x5x5 Bible Reading plan, which I discovered after writing this up).
As you can tell, this plan is clearly less than Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s daily Bible reading plan. It is also less than the Via Emmaus Reading Plan, which aims to focus on one book per month and includes multiple tracks. And it is less than most of the plans listed on Crossway’s Bible Reading plan page. If you have read the Bible before or you want more than five chapters a week, then any of these plans would be better. But for those who are just starting out, or wanting to help others begin the habit of Bible reading, then this plan might be perfect.
Even more, if you are looking to read the Bible with others, I have found that less is more. And that is the approach I am taking with our family. By reading less total chapters, it allows our conversations to be more focused. And the same may be true for you. The downfall of large reading selections is the difficulty of comprehension or conversation about so many chapters. The Bible is a rich and deep book, and we need to slow down to fully grasp what it says.
To that end, this plan invites readers to take one chapter a day and to think carefully and prayerfully about it.
Three Helps: Direction, Questions, Conversation
For those who take up this reading plan, the first help is simply the direction and encouragement to read the Word. Better is a simple Bible reading plan than no plan at all. And thus, this 5 x 52 plan gives a clear direction and objective for reading the Bible in 2025.
Second, as I read through the New Testament this year, I will write out questions for each chapter. These questions will be uploaded each Sunday. On my website, I will create a page for the year and publish a weekly post. For those who take up this Bible reading plan, these questions will help you think about the Word of the Lord, the Lord of the Word, and how each chapter applies.
You can find a sample half-sheet here. And this will be published again on Sunday, and subsequent chapters will follow each week.
Then third, and most ambitiously, I am also intending to provide a chapter-by-chapter reflection on this Bible reading plan. In other words, as I read the chapter, I plan to provide some “on the go” navigation for those who read each chapter. This is not the same as an in-depth commentary or a comprehensive explanation for every historical, theological, or practical question that may arise. But like a friendly navigator, I hope to offer some assistance to those who do the reading.
If it goes according to plan, I will record these navigations as I drive, so it won’t be a full-fledge explanation. Instead, it will be a walk through the chapter, highlighting some key points. From that lo-fi recording, I’ll put them on my website and also on Apple’s podcast player. For those who are into podcasts, this won’t be highly-produced, but it will offer some help for those reading along.
Long story short, if you take up this 5 x 52 Bible Reading Plan, you’ll find all you need on my blog.
A Few Other Questions
Finally, let me answer a few anticipated questions.
When does this Bible Reading Plan start?
Technically, the 5×52 format could begin this week, or any week, but I will begin publishing questions and chapter-by-chapter reflections next week. But you could start today with the first sheet published here.
What if I want to read more?
For those who want to read more of the Bible, there are lots of ways to do that. You could add a daily psalm and/or a daily proverb. You could also add Bible listening, where you listen to the books of the Old Testament. Additionally, you could read the upcoming Scripture that your pastor is preaching to your weekly reading. Or, you could re-read the chapters of week.
Just today I read Matthew 5 and I saw things in that chapter that I have never seen before. I’ve read that chapter well over 100 times in my life, and I have preached it verse-by-verse. Still, in reading it today I saw new connections between Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments. Just remarkable! All that to say, don’t give up on re-reading the Bible. It is meant to be read repeatedly, and some truths only come to light by repeated readings.
What if I get behind?
This plan comes with more days in a week than chapters, which means you have time to catch up every week. But if you find yourself behind on the week, then find a Sunday afternoon and give yourself to the Lord and his Word. We have largely surrendered the Lord’s Day to the affairs of the world, and we should find ways to do more than simply attend church on the way to something else. Use Sunday as a day to commune with God, read extra, discuss your Bible reading, and prepare for the next week.
Alternatively, if you still find yourself behind, cut your losses, mark the part you missed, and jump back into the reading. Ask a friend to keep you accountable and find a way to discuss what you read with others, and let others ask you about your reading. The aim of this Bible reading plan is to do it together.
Anything else?
Yes, pray.
Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book. While you can pray for help in understanding Moby Dick, MacBeth, or The Count of Monte Cristo, you must pray for help reading God’s Word. Only the Bible is God’s inspired Word; only the Bible is given so that you would know the one, true, and living God. And this means that reading the Bible is both a spiritual feast and a spiritual battle.
There is an enemy who wants to prevent you from reading Scripture. And the whole course of the world will do all it can to distract you and tempt you to think that it’s videos, reels, shorts, and entertainments are more enjoyable than God’s ancient word. But actually, that is only true for those who are spiritually blind and unwilling to pray.
For that reason, pray that God opens your eyes to behold the wonder of his Word. Then trust that as you read Scripture, God will enlarge your heart and your appetite. In fact, if you read all of the New Testament this year with pray, contemplation, and conversation, don’t be surprised if next year, you will want to do more than just read the New Testament.
For now, however, that is our plan. Five chapters a week, fifty-two weeks in 2025, plus one set of questions for the week to help you read and one short mediation on the chapter each day (or throughout the week). Start here if you are wanting to follow along. To that end, may the Lord strengthen our hands and discipline our habits to feed on the faithfulness of God’s word.
David Schrock
— Psalm 119:103 —
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4 —
Did you know that there are 260 chapters in the New Testament? I am sure I had learned this number before, but I forgot about until the other day. Yet, with this numerological epiphany in view, my mind began to race and to consider what a fifty-two week Bible reading plan would look like for those just getting started.
Indeed, if you read five chapters of the New Testament, every week for 52 weeks, you would finish the whole New Testament in a year. Certainly, this feat can be accomplished in a much shorter period of time, and for those who have already adopted a pattern of reading the Bible, there is no reason to skip the Old Testament, or to take a whole year to read twenty-five percent of Scripture. For those with larger appetites for Scripture, this Bible reading plan may be too scant. Or, for reasons I’ll explain below, it might be a portion of your Bible reading to be joined with others.
Indeed, for those who have never read the Bible in a systematic way, I have rarely encourage reading through the whole thing to start. Just as newborn babes have small stomachs and need assistance in their eating, so do newborn babes in Christ. Certainly, there might be counter examples to this counsel, but as Scripture so regularly compares itself to bread (Matt. 4:4) and honey (Ps. 19:10), milk (1 Pet. 2:2) and meat (Heb. 6:12), I do believe it is wise to start out slow and build an appetite over time.
To that end, I’ve encouraged new Christians and newborn Bible readers to make use of the E-100 Scripture Reading Plan. In twenty weeks, this plan leads readers through the whole Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, it picks up some of the most important parts and helps show how the whole Bible fits together. Equally, Christianity Explored is a tremendous resource that introduces Christ through the Gospel of Mark.
To have a full-formed faith, one does need to read the whole Bible. But reading the whole Bible (by oneself) is—if we are honest—a mark of maturity, not a necessary prerequisite to faith or salvation. Even more, giving someone a Bible and the imperative, “Read!” might do more harm than good. Just consider how many people have burned out trying to read the whole Bible. And others, while reading the whole Bible might take up very idiosyncratic views of God and his Word, when they read Scripture without conversation or communion with others. Truly, God has given his church pastors and teachers for a reason (Eph. 4:11–16)—and that reason includes rightly interpreting God’s Word and protecting young Christians from error (Titus 1:9).
So, back to reading the New Testament.
In 2025, I am leading my family (with two teens and two pre-teens) to read five chapters a week for the whole year, with the goal of reading the whole New Testament. And to help them have a greater comprehension of what we are reading, I am putting together a few reading tools—tools that I will catalog here, if anyone else wants to jump in. Additionally, if all goes as planned (=if the Lord allows), I will record a short reflection on each chapter as we read, so that interested readers (my family and others) might have a growing interest and skill in reading God’s Word.
The 5 x 52 New Testament Reading Plan
At its most basic level, this Bible reading plan is simply reading the whole New Testament in 2025, and doing so five chapters at a time, or one chapter a day, for five days out of seven. (It is similar to the Navigator’s 5x5x5 Bible Reading plan, which I discovered after writing this up).
As you can tell, this plan is clearly less than Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s daily Bible reading plan. It is also less than the Via Emmaus Reading Plan, which aims to focus on one book per month and includes multiple tracks. And it is less than most of the plans listed on Crossway’s Bible Reading plan page. If you have read the Bible before or you want more than five chapters a week, then any of these plans would be better. But for those who are just starting out, or wanting to help others begin the habit of Bible reading, then this plan might be perfect.
Even more, if you are looking to read the Bible with others, I have found that less is more. And that is the approach I am taking with our family. By reading less total chapters, it allows our conversations to be more focused. And the same may be true for you. The downfall of large reading selections is the difficulty of comprehension or conversation about so many chapters. The Bible is a rich and deep book, and we need to slow down to fully grasp what it says.
To that end, this plan invites readers to take one chapter a day and to think carefully and prayerfully about it.
Three Helps: Direction, Questions, Conversation
For those who take up this reading plan, the first help is simply the direction and encouragement to read the Word. Better is a simple Bible reading plan than no plan at all. And thus, this 5 x 52 plan gives a clear direction and objective for reading the Bible in 2025.
Second, as I read through the New Testament this year, I will write out questions for each chapter. These questions will be uploaded each Sunday. On my website, I will create a page for the year and publish a weekly post. For those who take up this Bible reading plan, these questions will help you think about the Word of the Lord, the Lord of the Word, and how each chapter applies.
You can find a sample half-sheet here. And this will be published again on Sunday, and subsequent chapters will follow each week.
Then third, and most ambitiously, I am also intending to provide a chapter-by-chapter reflection on this Bible reading plan. In other words, as I read the chapter, I plan to provide some “on the go” navigation for those who read each chapter. This is not the same as an in-depth commentary or a comprehensive explanation for every historical, theological, or practical question that may arise. But like a friendly navigator, I hope to offer some assistance to those who do the reading.
If it goes according to plan, I will record these navigations as I drive, so it won’t be a full-fledge explanation. Instead, it will be a walk through the chapter, highlighting some key points. From that lo-fi recording, I’ll put them on my website and also on Apple’s podcast player. For those who are into podcasts, this won’t be highly-produced, but it will offer some help for those reading along.
Long story short, if you take up this 5 x 52 Bible Reading Plan, you’ll find all you need on my blog.
A Few Other Questions
Finally, let me answer a few anticipated questions.
When does this Bible Reading Plan start?
Technically, the 5×52 format could begin this week, or any week, but I will begin publishing questions and chapter-by-chapter reflections next week. But you could start today with the first sheet published here.
What if I want to read more?
For those who want to read more of the Bible, there are lots of ways to do that. You could add a daily psalm and/or a daily proverb. You could also add Bible listening, where you listen to the books of the Old Testament. Additionally, you could read the upcoming Scripture that your pastor is preaching to your weekly reading. Or, you could re-read the chapters of week.
Just today I read Matthew 5 and I saw things in that chapter that I have never seen before. I’ve read that chapter well over 100 times in my life, and I have preached it verse-by-verse. Still, in reading it today I saw new connections between Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments. Just remarkable! All that to say, don’t give up on re-reading the Bible. It is meant to be read repeatedly, and some truths only come to light by repeated readings.
What if I get behind?
This plan comes with more days in a week than chapters, which means you have time to catch up every week. But if you find yourself behind on the week, then find a Sunday afternoon and give yourself to the Lord and his Word. We have largely surrendered the Lord’s Day to the affairs of the world, and we should find ways to do more than simply attend church on the way to something else. Use Sunday as a day to commune with God, read extra, discuss your Bible reading, and prepare for the next week.
Alternatively, if you still find yourself behind, cut your losses, mark the part you missed, and jump back into the reading. Ask a friend to keep you accountable and find a way to discuss what you read with others, and let others ask you about your reading. The aim of this Bible reading plan is to do it together.
Anything else?
Yes, pray.
Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book. While you can pray for help in understanding Moby Dick, MacBeth, or The Count of Monte Cristo, you must pray for help reading God’s Word. Only the Bible is God’s inspired Word; only the Bible is given so that you would know the one, true, and living God. And this means that reading the Bible is both a spiritual feast and a spiritual battle.
There is an enemy who wants to prevent you from reading Scripture. And the whole course of the world will do all it can to distract you and tempt you to think that it’s videos, reels, shorts, and entertainments are more enjoyable than God’s ancient word. But actually, that is only true for those who are spiritually blind and unwilling to pray.
For that reason, pray that God opens your eyes to behold the wonder of his Word. Then trust that as you read Scripture, God will enlarge your heart and your appetite. In fact, if you read all of the New Testament this year with pray, contemplation, and conversation, don’t be surprised if next year, you will want to do more than just read the New Testament.
For now, however, that is our plan. Five chapters a week, fifty-two weeks in 2025, plus one set of questions for the week to help you read and one short mediation on the chapter each day (or throughout the week). Start here if you are wanting to follow along. To that end, may the Lord strengthen our hands and discipline our habits to feed on the faithfulness of God’s word.
David Schrock
Posted in Spiritual Disciplines
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