R.C. Sproul's Starter List for Reading the Bible

In the fall of 2008, Reformation Trust Publishing re-released a revised and expanded version of R.C. Sproul's 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow. In that book, Dr. Sproul recommends a starter list for people who have never read the Bible. It is quite a helpful list that gives a bird's eye overview of the flow of Scripture.

The Old Testament overview includes:

• Genesis (the history of Creation, the fall, and God's covenantal dealings with the patriarchs)
• Exodus (the history of Israel's liberation and formation as a nation)
• Joshua (the history of the military conquest of the Promised Land)
• Judges (Israel's transition from a tribal federation to a monarchy)
• 1 Samuel (Israel's emerging monarchy under Saul and David)
• 2 Samuel (David's reign)
• 1 Kings (Solomon and the divided kingdom)
• 2 Kings (the fall of Israel)
• Ezra (the Israelites' return from exile)
• Nehemiah (the restoration of Jerusalem)
• Amos and Hosea (examples of minor prophets)
• Jeremiah (an example of a major prophet)
• Ecclesiastes (Wisdom Literature)
• Psalms and Proverbs (Hebrew poetry)

The New Testament overview includes:

• The Gospel of Luke (the life of Jesus)
• Acts (the early church)
• Ephesians (an introduction to the teaching of Paul)
• 1 Corinthians (life in the church)
• 1 Peter (an introduction to Peter)
• 1 Timothy (an introduction to the Pastoral Epistles)
• Hebrews (Christology)
• Romans (Paul's theology)

If you are new to the Bible, or if you are eager to get an overview of the Bible, you may like to try reading just those books in order. Tolle lege!