What Is the 5x5x5 New Testament Reading Plan?

The 5x5x5 New Testament reading plan is a simple way to read the New Testament in about five minutes a day, five days a week. Each day you read one short passage, roughly five verses, and you keep a short journal note about it. The plan is not a race. It is a steady walk through Matthew to Revelation, built for people who have tried faster plans and quietly stopped.

If that sounds slow, it is meant to be. Five verses a day is small enough to fit into a coffee break, yet over time it carries you through every chapter of the New Testament. The journal is what turns reading into discipleship: you write what you saw, what you wondered, and what you will do. Below you will find how the plan works, how to start, how to keep going, and how couples or small groups can use it together.

How does the 5x5x5 plan actually work?

The name is the method. Five minutes, five days a week, five verses or so a day. You read a short passage, usually four to six verses, then answer two or three simple questions in a notebook or journal.

A normal week looks like this:

Monday: read the next passage and journal.
Tuesday through Thursday: the same.
Friday: read and journal, then look back over the week.
Saturday and Sunday: rest, or catch up if you missed a day.

The journal is not a diary of feelings. It is a place to answer questions like: What does this passage say about God? What does it say about people? Is there a command to obey, a promise to trust, or a sin to turn from? What will I do today because of this?

Because the readings are short, you can read them slowly. You can look up a word. You can read the same verses in a second translation. The plan assumes you will not understand everything at once, and that is fine. Understanding grows with time and obedience.

Why read the New Testament slowly instead of quickly?

Many people finish a one-year Bible plan and remember very little. Others start a ninety-day New Testament plan and quit in Mark. Speed is not the problem by itself; the problem is reading without understanding, and understanding without obedience.

Hebrews 5 speaks to this. The author wants to explain deeper things about Christ as high priest, but he cannot, because his readers have become slow to learn. He writes:

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! — Hebrews 5:12 (BSB)

Then he explains the difference between milk and solid food:

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil. — Hebrews 5:13-14 (BSB)

Notice the phrase “by constant use.” Maturity is not produced by one intense burst of reading. It is produced by steady, repeated use of God’s word over time. A five-verse-a-day plan is exactly that kind of constant use. It is small enough to keep, and long enough to change you.

Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). A slow plan gives each of those uses room to work. You are not skimming for information; you are sitting under the text.

How do I start the 5x5x5 plan this week?

You do not need a special book, app, or course. You need a Bible, a notebook, a pen, and a fixed time. Here is a simple way to begin.

Pick a time. Morning, lunch, or bedtime. A time you will actually keep.
Pick a place. A chair, a kitchen table, a park bench. Same place helps.
Pick a starting point. Matthew 1 is the natural start. If you have read Matthew recently, start in Mark or Luke.
Read five verses. Read them twice. Read them aloud if you can.
Write three lines. One thing you noticed. One question you have. One thing you will do.
Stop. Do not read ahead. Leave something for tomorrow.

If you miss a day, do not double up to catch up. Just read the next passage on the next reading day. The plan is a walk, not a debt. If you miss a week, start again where you left off. The goal is not to finish on a certain date; the goal is to keep meeting Christ in the text.

A simple journal page can look like this:

Date and passage
What this says about God
What this says about me
What I will do
What I will pray

That is enough. You do not need beautiful notes. You need honest ones.

Can couples or small groups use the 5x5x5 plan together?

Yes, and this may be one of the best uses of the plan. Because the daily reading is short, two people can read the same passage on the same day and talk about it in ten minutes.

For couples, try this pattern. Read the passage separately during the day, then talk at dinner or before bed. Each person shares one observation and one question. Do not correct each other’s answers. Pray together in one or two sentences. That is a couples Bible reading plan that does not require a seminary degree or a long evening.

For small groups, use the plan as the week’s reading. When you meet, read the week’s passages aloud, then discuss the journal questions. Because everyone has read the same short texts, the conversation stays on Scripture rather than on opinions. A group leader can prepare by reading the passages in two translations and noting one cross-reference for each day.

For families with children, read the passage aloud and ask the same three questions in simpler words. Children often notice details adults skip.

What if I fall behind or lose motivation?

Every reading plan faces the same enemy: the missed day that turns into a missed month. Here are some honest helps.

Lower the bar. If five verses feel like too much, read three. The plan is a tool, not a law.
Keep the journal open. A page already waiting on the table is easier to fill than a closed book on a shelf.
Read with someone. A weekly check-in with one friend keeps the plan alive.
Change the time, not the plan. If mornings fail, try lunch.
Return without drama. Confess the drift to God, read the next passage, and keep going.

Psalm 119:105 describes God’s word as a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. Deuteronomy 5:1 records Moses calling Israel to hear the statutes and laws, to learn them and be careful to follow them. Hearing, learning, and doing belong together. A slow plan with a journal is one practical way to keep those three together. If you want a deeper look at how to study a passage, this site has guides on observation, interpretation, and application, but the plan itself needs nothing more than a Bible and a pen.

What should I expect over time?

Do not expect a dramatic feeling every day. Expect something quieter and more durable. Over the years you will read every New Testament book, including the ones you usually skip. You will meet Jesus in the Gospels, watch the church begin in Acts, work through Paul’s letters, and hear the hope of Revelation. You will build a journal that records what God taught you in hundreds of ordinary days.

You will also change. Constant use of Scripture trains the senses to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). That training is slow, and it is real. The New Testament itself is the testimony to the new covenant, the covenant sealed in Christ’s blood (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15). Reading it slowly is one way to live inside that covenant rather than merely visit it.

If you are not sure where to begin, begin today. Read Matthew 1:1-5. Write three lines. Pray one sentence. Then do it again tomorrow. Over time, that small habit becomes a life shaped by the word of God.

If you are struggling with despair or thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out for help right away. In the United States and Canada call or text 988. In the United Kingdom and Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123. In Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Anywhere else, visit findahelpline.com or call your local emergency number. Also speak with a pastor or trusted believer in person, and see a doctor or licensed counselor when it is needed. You are not meant to carry this alone.

Common questions

Do I have to use a journal with the 5x5x5 plan?

The journal is what makes the plan a discipleship plan rather than only a reading plan. Writing a few lines forces you to slow down, notice what the text says, and decide how to respond. If writing is hard, start with one sentence a day and let it grow.

What if I miss several days or weeks?

Do not try to catch up by reading many passages at once. Simply pick up where you left off on the next reading day. The plan is a steady walk, not a debt to repay, and God is not impatient with you.

Which Bible translation should I use for the 5x5x5 plan?

Any faithful translation works. Many readers use the Berean Standard Bible or the King James Version because both are public domain and easy to find. Reading the same passage in two translations can help you notice details you would otherwise miss.

Can I use the 5x5x5 plan for the whole Bible instead of just the New Testament?

You can, but the plan was designed for the New Testament. The whole Bible is much longer, so many readers finish the New Testament first and then decide whether to continue into the Old Testament.