#Volume 1 through the bible study book how to
#Volume 1 through the bible study book series

Moving through chapters 11-13 we continue to see mixed responses to Jesus.

Up to this point Matthew has shown us the heart of Jesus’ authoritative teaching (Matthew 5-7) as well as his authoritative ministry and mission (Matthew 8-10). This from Drew Hunter’s volume on Matthew: Proverbs advances this theme uniquely through the offer of God-centered wisdom. Proverbs advances the overarching theme of the Bible, which is God’s calling, preserving, and shaping of a people for himself. This from Lydia Brownback’s volume on Proverbs: Both women played crucial roles in the big story of God’s redeeming a people for himself from all the nations through his Son. God has always been at work in the whole world he made and over which he rules. One was a foreigner who came to the land of Judah the other was a Jew who lived in a foreign land. These women lived approximately five centuries apart, one in the period leading up to the kingdom of Israel, and the other following the kingdom’s decline and fall. Two books in the Bible are named after women: Ruth and Esther. This from Kathleen Nielson’s opening comments on her volume, Ruth & Esther: Glimpses of his mercy are evident amid this macrocosmic picture of the spread of sin with Seth, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and this prepares the way for the microcosmic (zeroed in) focus beginning in chapter 12 on Abraham, who will bring blessing to the nations. Nevertheless, God’s grace abounds even in the face of our sin. The scope of Genesis 4-11 is macro-cosmic (big picture): instead of the earth being filled with representatives of God, the earth is filled with the consequences of sin. In the next major section in Genesis, we see the longer-term consequences – how it just seems to get worse and worse. Adam and Eve realized they were naked, they hid from God, and God punished them for their sins. In the previous chapter, we saw sin’s immediate consequences. Sometimes sin has immediate consequences sometimes it does not. First, this from Mitchell Kim’s volume, Genesis: Here are a few samples of what you will find. This is not a mere “read to find a gem here or there” kind of approach but a deliberate attempt to learn the message of the author as it progressively unfolds. The determination to divide into 12 studies obviously has the quarter Sunday School system in mind, but of course it is not limited to that.Įach of the twelve studies follows the same approach, successively as follows:Ĭontext, whole-Bible themes, exegesis, theological notes of import, personal application and prayer – this is the stuff that ideally marks all profitable Bible study.

#Volume 1 through the bible study book how to

Each volume not only guides the reader through that given portion of Scripture, but along the way it also teaches the reader how to study the Bible.Įach book divides its material into 12 units, each successively guiding the reader progressively through that given book of the Bible.

#Volume 1 through the bible study book series

Simply put, Crossway’s Knowing the Bible series sets a new standard for books in this class.

Of course this is easy to say, but in this case, at least, it is a goal that is superbly accomplished. Knowing the Bible, as the series title indicates, was created to help readers know and understand the meaning, the message, and the God of the Bible.

Dennis state the goal of this series in the preface: These books are both substantive and engaging, and, most significantly, they successfully guide the reader into thoughtful consideration of the biblical text.Īs someone was overheard saying, this is not your grandmother’s study guide. But within minutes of just thumbing through these books my negative attitude was dispelled completely, and then as I read through them more carefully I found myself actually excited about them and thinking of venues in which I could put them to work. Of course there have been improvements along the way, and I have been encouraged to see this approach employed more successfully here and there. The “how would you feel if you were a puppy?” kind of approach that has tended to distinguish them just has not seemed to me to offer much of enduring substance for the soul. I confess, I have never much cared for the Bible “study guide” books that have become so common in the last generation or so. Reading through this series of books has brought about a conversion, of sorts, in my thinking.