52 Weeks through the Bible: A Year-Long Bible Study for Men and Women

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

The Bible is the living word of God. More than 2,000 times in the Old Testament alone, the Bible asserts that God spoke what is recorded in its pages. The phrase "the Word of God" occurs more than forty times in the New Testament. The Bible claims ultimate spiritual authority over our lives for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness because it represents the inspired Word of God.

Every phrase, every verse, every chapter, and every book in the Bible comes from God Himself! It is the only way that we can know God and know His will for our lives. For this reason, it seems reasonable that we should establish a pattern of reading God's Word every day to know what it says and apply its teachings to our lives. After all, how can we know God's will apart from reading His word?

This is the purpose of 52 Weeks Through the Bible—to help you develop a plan for engaging in Scripture each and every day. Drawing on the teachings of John MacArthur, this guide

A daily plan for reading through the Bible in one yearReadings based on John MacArthur's teachings on key portions of ScriptureReflections and questions to help you apply the message to your lifeAs John notes, "My prayer is that the magnificent and overwhelming theme of the redemption of sinners found in Scripture will carry you with captivating interest from the beginning to the end of the story. This is your story. It is from God to you—and about you. It tells what God has planned for you, why He made you, what you once were, what you have now become in Christ, and what is waiting for you in eternal glory."

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2024

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

As stated in this book, the goal is to lead you day by day through the Bible, provide and overview of the content, and give you a few reflections on what you've read as you go, prompt you with study questions – all with the goal of helping you understand the Word of God. My thoughts while reading was, yes it does a good job to achieve what it seeks. For me, it offered many helpful insights and correlations. The contents of MacArthur's book are laid out as the Bible itself is – Genesis through Revelation - which of course makes sense. The Old Testament is broken into sections, which I hadn't always realized as to why when it came to a few of its books. What has been named the Pentateuch (the first five books), attributed to the writing of Moses is the first section. Approximately the first one-third of the Bible follows a progressive historical timeline. My prior question had been, “What's the reason books such as Ruth, Ezra and Job, among others are placed where they are, seemingly out of order?”. Well, Ruth and Ezra are considered part of the historical books, which is followed by the books of wisdom including Job, and finally the major and minor prophets complete the Old Testament. Each chapter of MacArthur's book will guide the reader for each week of the coming year. A specific date won't matter, so you can begin at anytime. (My point is if you thought of reading the Bible, don't wait until January).

Because I borrowed this book from the library, my timeline for reading was restricted to 3 weeks, so I couldn't read the Bible at the same time. By the way, if you seek to read the Bible, 52 weeks is a very doable timeline. I'd read portions of the Bible, or followed along with different sermons before finally following a churches' “read in a year” flyer some years back. Each day's readings were similar to MacArthur's, except you would read 2 to 3 chapters of the Old Testament and 1 chapter of the New Testament. If your a first time reader, I consider this the best plan. Many may have good intentions of reading all the way through by starting with the Old Testament, but never make it to the New Testament. It's a long way.

I no longer try to read it within one year, but I do try to read each day. I prefer following a Chronological timeline now, and these can be found and printed online for no cost. 30 or so minutes each morning, give or take. If you do it, pray some before each reading. By the way, if you've never read portions of the Bible, many suggest first starting with a New Testament gospel, like Matthew or John. I find that's also good advice. Then, come back to the 52-week plan. Above all, don't read it as just another book. This is a reason why a book like MacArthur's can be of help to you.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite parts were the maps and the Bible chapter pacing. The rest like the study questions that asked my opinion or how I would feel if I “put myself in Abraham’s place”. Were meh.

The writing in the book was mostly summary and the Reflections section for each week did not sound like John MacArthur.