Get Ready
The overarching theme of the Bible is God is Love. He created the universe, including us, as the expression of his love. He has redeemed his creation through Jesus Christ and will bring it to fulfillment through the Holy Spirit: In the beginning God . . . Amen, come Lord Jesus.
[Genesis 1:1 . . . Revelation 22:20].
Old Testament
Genesis
God created the universe and all that is in it, but Humans chose to ignore God’s commands. God chose Abram to be the first of his people, and a blessing to all people.
Exodus
God chose Moses to lead the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. God gave the Israelites the 10 Commandments to guide their relationship with him and each other.
Leviticus
God gave the Israelites a set of laws to guide their spiritual life.
Numbers
God led the Israelites through the wilderness to the promised land.
Deuteronomy
Moses reviews the law and the exodus journey to the promised land.
Joshua
Joshua leads the Israelites to conquer and take over the promised land.
Judges
The Israelites have periods of obedience and success alternating with disobedience and struggle.
Ruth
A Moabite woman follows her mother-in-law to Israel and finds love and the Lord.
Samuel
Samuel anoints Saul as the first Jewish king, but he disobeys God and David becomes king and unites the tribes into the nation of Israel.
Kings
Solomon becomes king after David and builds the temple in Jerusalem, but he disobeys God and the kingdom divides into Judah and Israel.
Chronicles
The Jews are God’s chosen people, but their disobedience causes them to be conquered.
Ezra
The Jews return from captivity in Babylon and begin rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple.
Nehemiah
Nehemiah leads the Jews to finish the temple and reforms religious practice.
Esther
A young Jewish woman becomes queen in Babylon and saves her people from persecution.
Job
God is just and merciful and we cannot fully understand his decisions; we need to trust him.
Psalms
A series of “songs” that reflect our response to God: praise, confession, petition and worship.
Proverbs
Wisdom is based on our knowledge of God.
Ecclesiastes
Without God, everything is worthless.
Song of Solomon
God created us to enjoy all aspects of love.
Isaiah
God is holy and expects his people to be holy; and God will redeem and restore his people.
Jeremiah
God will replace his covenant with Israel with one “written on people’s hearts” not on stone.
Lamentations
God’s love will endure regardless of what happens to this world, or in this world.
Ezekiel
God is righteous, patient and loving; he will restore his people if they repent of their sin.
Daniel
God is in charge throughout all history.
Hosea
God will judge his people for their sin; but he will forgive them when they repent.
Joel
God will judge Israel for its disobedience.
Amos
Righteous actions are the mark of those who truly follow God.
Obadiah
God will keep his promises to Israel even though the people do not keep their promises to God.
Jonah
God is God for all humans, and he will use even people who deny him for his purposes.
Micah
God does not overlook sin; he judges it.
Nahum
God’s judgment of sin is inevitable, it will come.
Habakkuk
God will punish Israel for its disobedience, even using a pagan kingdom as his instrument.
Zephaniah
God’s judgment is based on his righteousness.
Haggai
We should follow God’s priorities, not our own.
Zechariah
People need to repent and follow God’s commandments, and God will restore them.
Malachi
Even “religious” people disobey God.
New Testament
Matthew
The story of Jesus’ life and ministry: Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish hope, history and prophecy.
Mark
The story of Jesus’ life and ministry: Jesus is the son of God and he saved his people on the cross.
Luke
The story of Jesus’ life and ministry: Jesus is the culmination of all history for all people.
John
Jesus is God’s son and believing in him restores our relationship with God and gives us life.
Acts
The Holy Spirit guided the beginning and development of the Christian faith and church.
Romans
The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all people.
Corinthians
The Gospel is God’s way of dealing with sin.
Galatians
Believing in Christ is sufficient for salvation, Gentiles do not need to become Jews to be Christian.
Philippians
Love is the mark of Christ-followers and leads to righteousness.
Colossians
Christ is both Lord and Savior; we should follow him in all aspects of our lives.
Thessalonians
Christ is our rescuer and he will return.
Timothy
Church leaders have a special responsibility.
Titus
The Holy Sprit is our strength and wisdom.
Philemon
Paul’s request on behalf of a runaway slave.
Hebrews
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all Jewish rituals and prophecies.
James
Our actions are the evidence of our faith.
Peter’s Letters
The Gospel is true and Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection assure our salvation.
John’s Letters
Love for one another is the mark of our faith.
Jude
We must avoid false teachers and false teaching.
Revelation
God will triumph over evil and create a new heaven and new earth for his people.
If you have been with us for the entire twenty months, you have already read a significant portion of the Bible. I encourage you to pick a book and begin working your way through it. The New Testament is probably more comfortable and familiar to contemporary readers. The key is to read through a chapter and then let it soak in — don’t worry if you need to have Google or Wikipedia nearby (I use a number of commentaries and handbooks to aid my understanding).
We’re going to rest for a week or so, and then dive into John’s Gospel. He wrote it so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name, [20:31].
Rich
