Bible reading plans

The New Testament in a Season

About 3 chapters a day for roughly 90 days

The New Testament in a season is a focused way to read the whole second half of the Bible, from Matthew to Revelation, in about three months. It comes to roughly three chapters a day, ten to fifteen minutes of reading. It is a wonderful plan for a new believer, for anyone returning to faith, or for a season when you want to immerse yourself in the life of Jesus and the birth of the church without committing to the whole Bible at once.

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.John 20:31 (KJV)

Why the New Testament in a season

The New Testament is where the story of the whole Bible arrives at its center: the coming of Jesus, His death and resurrection, and the good news carried out into the world. If the Old Testament is the long promise, the New Testament is the fulfillment, and for many people it is the most natural place to fall in love with Scripture.

Reading it in a single season, about three months, keeps the story connected and the momentum alive. You move from the four Gospels, through the founding of the church in Acts, into the letters that shaped Christian faith and life, and finally to Revelation and its vision of the end. Read this way, the New Testament feels like the unified, unfolding story it is.

How the plan works

The New Testament has 260 chapters. Read about three a day and you finish in roughly ninety days; read two a day and it stretches to a gentle four months or so. Either pace is light, ten to twenty minutes, and easy to keep.

The simplest shape is straight through in order: the four Gospels first (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), then Acts, then Paul's letters from Romans onward, then the general letters, and finally Revelation. This follows the New Testament as it is arranged and needs nothing but a bookmark.

A slightly richer variation is to read a Gospel, then a related stretch of the story, alternating so you are always near the life of Jesus. But you do not need anything fancy. Three chapters a day, in order, will carry you beautifully from Bethlehem to the new creation. As always, we describe the shape rather than reprint a particular published schedule.

The daily rhythm

Three chapters is a comfortable sitting, long enough to get somewhere, short enough not to rush. Read slowly, especially in the Gospels, where every scene is meant to be pictured. In the letters, notice who is writing, to whom, and about what; a single verse can open up when you remember it was written to real people in a real situation.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.Acts 17:11 (KJV)

The believers in that verse checked the Scriptures daily to see if what they heard was true, and received the word eagerly. That is the posture to bring: eager and attentive, ready to be met. Ask God before you read to show you Jesus in the pages.

Grace for the pace

Ninety days is short enough that a missed day or two barely matters. If you fall behind, pick up with today's reading or let your finish line drift by a week; both are fine. Do not let a plan meant to bring you joy in Christ turn into a burden you carry with guilt.

If three chapters a day proves too much in a hard season, slow to two, or one. Reading the New Testament in four months, or five, still means you read the New Testament. The pace serves you, not the other way around.

Reading to meet the risen Christ

The New Testament exists for one reason above all: so that you would believe in Jesus and, believing, have life in His name. It is not a collection of ancient documents to be catalogued but a door held open to the living, risen Christ.

So read your season looking for Him. Watch Him in the Gospels, follow His Spirit at work in Acts, hear the letters explain what His cross and resurrection mean for you, and let Revelation lift your eyes to where it is all going. Come to the end of three months not merely having read the New Testament, but knowing the One it was written to reveal.

A reading plan is a servant, not a master. If you miss days, there is no guilt here and no scorecard in heaven. Simply begin again. The goal was never to finish a book but to meet the One the book is about, Jesus, who is glad to be found by you today.

More reading plans: The Life of Jesus in 40 Days · The Bible in 90 Days · A Reading Plan for Beginners · All Bible reading plans