INTRODUCTION The Bible is both a book—the world's best-selling book—and a library of sixty-six books. The impact of the Bible on Western Civilization is enough to spark anyone's curiosity about its content. Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, observed, “England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England.” Immanuel Kant, one of the world's most influential philosophers, said, “The Bible is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced.…A single line in the Bible has consoled me more than all the books I ever read besides.” President John Quincy Adams treated the Bible as the key education resource in the lives of his children: “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society.” A number of years ago 1,200 university presidents and 1,000 CEOs were asked to name the book that had most affected their lives. The Bible was by far the most influential book in this survey of leaders. One in four listed the Bible as the most important book in their lives. The second book on the list—Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities—was named as the most influential book by one in twenty-five. In their classic, How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren noted, “It would be true to say that, in the European tradition at least, the Bible is the book in more sense than one. It has been not only the most widely read, but also the most carefully read, book of all.” The Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding the Bible is designed for those just beginning their study of this amazing book. The Bible is daunting just because of its size. More than that, it was written in times and cultures very different from our own. We are all like the Ethiopian treasurer, riding along in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip approached him and asked, “Do you understand what you're reading?” He replied, “How can I… unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:30–31 HCSB). This QuickSource Guide walks with you through the Bible—book by book —and provides a concise overview of each book beginning with Key Bible Text: a verse that gives a clue to the meaning of the book Key Term: summarizes the book in one word One-Sentence Summary: shows how this particular book relates to God's Story. Fuller explanation of this summary is found in the section GOD'S STORY. The QuickSource Guide then looks at how that particular book of the Bible contributes to and shapes a Christian's Worldview. Twelve themes that make up a Christian Worldview are as follows: God; creation; sovereignty and providence; faith and reason; revelation and authority; humanity; rebellion and sin; covenant and redemption; community and church; discipleship; ethics and morality; and time and eternity. • GOD • CREATION • SOVEREIGNTY AND PROVIDENCE • FAITH AND REASON • REVELATION AND AUTHORITY • HUMANITY • REBELLION AND SIN • COVENANT AND REDEMPTION • COMMUNITY AND CHURCH • DISCIPLESHIP • ETHICS AND MORALITY • TIME AND ETERNITY For each book, the QuickSource Guide indicates which of those themes are present in significant ways. It then addresses the questions of Author and Date of Writing, First Audience and Destination, and the Occasion that prompted its being written. The sixty-six books of the Bible are made up of numerous genres. Knowing the type of literature of a particular text is an important step in interpreting the Bible. The QuickSource Guide addresses the Literary Genres of each book. The great reformer, Martin Luther, found Christ in the Scriptures, first in Romans and then in the Psalms. As a result he came to the view that the center of all Scripture is Christ. “The Scriptures begin very gently, and lead us on to Christ as a man, and then to one who is Lord over all creatures, and after that to one who is God. So do I enter delightfully and learn to know God.” Following Luther's cue, each chapter in the QuickSource Guide has a feature called: CHRIST IN… While the Holman QuickSource Guide for Understanding the Bible is designed for those who are just beginning their journey with the Bible, it will serve well those who have considerable experience with this book. Pastors and experienced Bible teachers will be acquainted with much of the material in this book, but the way the material is configured may provide new perspectives as they teach and preach. At the beginning of our journey with the Bible, it's helpful to summarize, to compress a lot of information into some bite-size statements. In fact, we can summarize the entire Bible in the following sentence: The Lord God through his Christ is graciously building a kingdom of redeemed people for their joy and for his own glory. Notice that there is one subject (the Lord God—it's his story) and one agent (Christ—the one actively bringing about God's story). There is one major activity (building a kingdom, the main theme of Scripture) and one object of that activity (redeemed people, the center of God's mighty acts in both Testaments). There are also specific goals for God's story (their joy—the human goal; his own glory—the ultimate divine end for everything). When we keep this central truth before us, everything in Scripture falls into place as a development of this single concept. This is not just a story that you read about and put the book down. It's a story in which you are a participant. That's exciting! Think of the biblical narrative as something like a modern novel. There is a prologue, giving background information that helps make sense of the plot. Then there is the plot development in a number of chapters. In the biblical narrative, the story develops in six chapters that take the account from beginning to culmination. Then finally at the end is an epilogue, telling what happens after the main story has ended. • PROLOGUE: THE NEED FOR REDEMPTION (Genesis 1–11) It all begins by explaining why the story must be told. God is building a kingdom of redeemed people because human beings are rebels who cannot save themselves. Other religions begin by assuming that people can do enough good works or perform enough religious deeds to earn a place in heaven. The Bible starts by telling the opposite story. Genesis 1–11 belongs to real human history, but the events are almost impossible to date. The main thing about the prologue is that it describes events involving the entire human race and shows that mankind has rebelled against God since the beginning. • CHAPTER 1: GOD BUILDS HIS NATION Israel Chosen as the People of Promise, c. 2000–931 B.C. (Genesis 12–1, Kings 11) The first chapter in God's plan to build an everlasting kingdom was to build an earthly nation in a particular time and place. This chapter carries the plot from the first family he called to his covenant (Abraham and Sarah) to the full splendor of the Israelite nation at its grandest expression (under David and Solomon). • CHAPTER 2: GOD EDUCATES HIS NATION Disobedient Israel Disciplined, c. 931–586 B.C. (1 Kings 12–2 Kings 25; Some Prophets) The second chapter in God's plan was to educate Israel about the consequences of sin. The Israelites compromised by worshiping other gods during the entire time they were in the land. God raised his spokesmen the prophets to urge people to repent of idolatry and injustice, to warn of the coming “day of the LORD” in judgment. They also predicted the coming of the Messiah. Their message was largely ignored. This chapter carries the plot from the division of the nation (because of sin) to its destruction (because of sin). • CHAPTER 3: GOD KEEPS A FAITHFUL REMNANT Messiah's Space and Time Prepared, c. 586–6 B.C. (Ezra through Esther; Some Prophets) Chapter three in God's story is the “quiet chapter.” Outwardly, it appeared that God was doing nothing for more than five centuries. For those who read the story carefully, however, he was doing two important things. On one hand, God was keeping the Jews together as a nation. They had their own land, laws, and temple, even though the kingship and national independence had disappeared. God was preparing to send his Son “in the fullness of time.” On the other hand, God scattered most Jews throughout the nations to be testimonies to his name. By building synagogues to preserve their religious and ethnic identity, these Jews were often the starting point for proclaiming the message that the promised Messiah had come. This chapter carries the plot from the Babylonian captivity until the birth of the Messiah. • CHAPTER 4: GOD PURCHASES REDEMPTION AND BEGINS THE KINGDOM Jesus the Messiah, 6 B.C.-A.D. 30 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) The fourth chapter in God's plan to build an everlasting kingdom of redeemed people is the most important one of all—the four Gospels. It shows how God's unconditional covenant promises—first to Abraham, then to David— were fulfilled by the new covenant of Jesus. This chapter carries the plot from the birth of the Messiah to his resurrection and exaltation. • CHAPTER 5: GOD SPREADS THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE CHURCH The Current Age, A.D. 30–? (Acts and the Epistles) With chapter five in God's story, we come to our own part of the story. We belong here. This is the period of the Great Commission, when God's plan no longer focuses on persons of one ethnic group in one place (Israel). He is now redeeming persons out of every ethnic group in every place. Wherever and whenever God's people are, they meet as churches, worshiping communities of the new covenant. From Pentecost until the end-time scenario unfolds, God is about the business of spreading the message of the kingdom through the church. • CHAPTER 6: GOD CONSUMMATES REDEMPTION AND CONFIRMS HIS ETERNAL KINGDOM (Revelation 1–20; Other Scriptures) In chapter six God's plan to build an everlasting kingdom of redeemed people through his Christ for their joy and for his own glory is fully realized. Although students often disagree in interpreting the details of this chapter, the main points are clear. There will be violent hostility against God's people in the end times. Yet God will prevail through the personal, bodily, glorious return of Jesus. When he returns, the world's kingdoms will become the kingdom of Christ forever under his visible rule. This chapter carries the plot from the opening of “the day of the LORD” to the final judgment. • EPILOGUE: NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH (Revelation 21–22) The kingdom of God will last forever. God's people will be filled with everlasting joy. God's glory will be magnified as his redeemed people fully enjoy him forever, without any taint of evil. This is visualized in the last two chapters of Revelation that describe a new heaven and new earth. The people of God are compared to a great and glorious city, as well as to a wonderful bride. God's servants will reign with him forever and ever, and they will serve him gladly, fully beholding his face. The epilogue to God's story shows a brief glimpse of the glory that will be. The end of the story in time is only the beginning of the story in eternity, for the Lord God through his Christ has graciously built a kingdom of redeemed people for their joy and for his own glory. May this book provide a growing understanding of the Bible and help you experience the abundant Life it reveals.