30-Day New Testament Reading Plan
This reading plan will take you through the New Testament in thirty days. Its purpose is to become more familiar with God’s Word through reading it a lot – basically, through repetition. Here’s the plan:
1. Matthew 1-9
2. Matthew 10-15
3. Matthew 16-22
4. Matthew 23-28
5. Mark 1-8
6. Mark 9-16
7. Luke 1-6
8. Luke 7-11
9. Luke 12-18
10. Luke 19-24
11. John 1-7
12. John 8-13
13. John 14-21
14. Acts 1-7
15. Acts 8-14
16. Acts 15-21
17. Acts 22-28
18. Romans 1-8
19. Romans 9-16
20. 1 Corinthians 1-9
21. 1 Corinthians 10-16
22. 2 Corinthians 1-13
23. Galatians – Ephesians
24. Philippians – 2 Thessalonians
25. 1 Timothy – Philemon
26. Hebrews
27. James – 2 Peter
28. 1 John – Jude
29. Revelation 1-11
30. Revelation 12-22
Thanks to Matt Henslee for the find.
For Whom Did CHRIST Die? – John Owen
The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son underwent punishment for, either:
I. All the sins of all men.
II. All the sins of some men, or
III. Some of the sins of all men.
In which case it may be said:
I. If the last be true, some of the sins of all men, then have all men some sins to answer for, and so shall no man be saved; for if God entered into judgment with us, though it were with all mankind for one sin, no flesh should be justified in his sight: “If the LORD should mark iniquities, who should stand?” Ps. cxxx. 2. We might all go to cast all that we have “to the moles and to the bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty,” Isa. ii. 20, 21.
II. That if the second be true, then Christ, in their stead suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world, and this is the truth.
III. But if the first be the case, why are not all men free from the punishment due unto all their sins?
You answer, “Because of unbelief.”
I ask, Is this unbelief a sin, or is it not?
If it be, then Christ suffered the punishment due unto it, or He did not.
If He did, why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which He died?
If He did not, He did not die for all their sins!”
The Bible in 30 Days : Sabbath
I taking a day of rest from reading so furiously.
Turns out I made a booboo in planning… Since I didn’t take into account that Matt’s plan was being modified from ehow’s plan as he went along, I had to scratch my head when I hit this:
- Day 10 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 36
- Day 11 Ezra 1 Esther 10
- Day 12 2 Chronicles 35:16 Job 7:21
So today, I’m just finishing 2 Chronicles and fleshing out the rest of the plan.
Last night Gary (a new brother in Christ!) and I were looking at the 10 Commandments to show our own sinfulness. Most of the time the examples used are stealing, murdering, and adultery, but we went through all of them.
Keeping the Sabbath holy, taking a day of rest, really stuck out to me. God rested, and he wants us to. So I will be meditating on that today as well.
As for Gary, if you get a chance say a quick prayer for him and his discipleship process. We’re picking out a bible Saturday and we’ve started going through Romans! He’s hungry for the Word, and although I didn’t get to be there when he accepted Christ, I’m honored to help him learn more about Jesus.
Justice vs. Fairness
Our God is a God of justice. (Psalms 98:9, Psalm 37:6, Psalm 9:7-8)
But sometimes we apply this standard of “fairness” to God, that I’m not sure is there.
In reading through 2 Kings, I saw much idolatry over the course of many kings. Apparently it got so bad that they didn’t even know about YHWH any longer, just that there was a temple for Him.
When Josiah was king, Hilkiah, a high priest, found the Book of the Law and it was read to the king. He tore his clothes and had the priest immediately seek council with God. His answer is “Because they have made offerings to other gods…my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.” (2 Kings 22:8, 2 Kings 22:11-13, 2 Kings 22:17)
Was that fair? They didn’t know, right?
Even though Josiah destroys the idols and alters, God’s wrath is eventually poured out. Why? Because He is God and He is just. It was their responsibility to pass God’s commandment from generation to generation and keep it close to their hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
So was it fair? Did they, like older generations see Moses talking with God, or have kings who walked with the Lord. Did they walk across the dry bed of the Red sea or even the Jordan? Did they sun stand still over them, or a city wall fall without attack? No, but they had the Book of the Law, which clearly outlines disobedience and its consequences.
Now, why is this important? Because God is also a God of grace and mercy. Two things that seemingly contrast, but in God’s perfect will work together through Jesus. We are just like Israel. We turn our hearts to idols and sacrifice our time, health, energy, money etc… God would be fully justified in imparting His wrath on us, but Jesus came and took the righteous wrath on our behalf.
Jesus takes the punishment. That doesn’t sound too fair either. But it does sound like grace, and it is perfectly just, thereby fulfilling both parts of God’s nature.(Not to say that completely explains God and his nature.)
So is God fair? Yes and no. In the sense of grace saving you from punishment? No. In the sense of Justice as the standard of fairness? Yes. These two don’t really have to fight, if one defines the other, just like the law being fulfilled in conjunction with grace.
Do I make sense, or have I completely missed it? If you comment, please, be fair.
