The Apostle Paul is a major figure in the New Testament. He is the author of 13 of the 29 books found in the New Testament. His importance cannot be overstated. His life and activities make up a major portion
One of the most contentious, hotly-debated, and notoriously difficult theological issues there is has to do with the relationship of the Old Testament law to New Testament believers. It is part of the even bigger discussion about law and grace
These two books complete the narrative portion of the New Testament. The rest of the NT is composed of various epistles and writings. While I might properly have grouped Luke and Acts together (as they share the same author), I
The first three gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke – are known as the synoptic gospels, and they share a number of similarities. However, the three also differ in major ways from John’s gospel. Indeed, much of what is found
There would be tens of thousands of books on the New Testament. There is far too much to choose from, so here I offer just 66 titles (40 general titles and 26 on Jesus and the Gospels). They are admittedly
The importance of the Old Testament for believers today cannot be overstated. But neither can it be overstated how often and how much the OT is ignored by contemporary Christians. This is a tragedy, and a long-standing one. Back in
In this series on study tools on the entire Bible we now come to the final twelve Old Testament books – the Minor Prophets. These prophetic books are certainly not minor in terms of importance, but only in terms of
The last two of the four so-called major prophets are quite important books, and both deserve careful study. While Daniel may get a lot of attention, especially from prophecy buffs and eschatology fans, Ezekiel may not get as much attention
Jeremiah is one of the most well-known and most-read prophets, and for good reason. His persistence in proclaiming the whole counsel of God, even in the face of dogged and determined opposition is amazing to behold. For over forty years
Isaiah is the first of the major prophets and one of the most important. His ministry took place before the Babylonian exile of 587 B.C. We are told he started his ministry when King Uzziah died around 740 B.C. His
The last 16 books in the English Old Testament are made up of the prophetic writings: 4 major and 12 minor – so called because of their size, not their importance. Four major prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel), and
These are the last two poetic books, or wisdom literature books, in the Old Testament. It next moves on to the prophetic books, the last main section of the OT in our English Bibles. These two brief books may be
The book of Proverbs contains 31 chapters, the first nine of which clearly make up a self-contained unit, serving as an introduction to the rest of the book, which is mainly a collection of various sayings, proverbs and maxims. In
The 150 psalms found in the book of Psalms may be among the more well-known parts of the Old Testament by most Christians today. While many believers, sadly, have never read all of the OT, many have read many or
The first of five books which make up the poetic books, or the wisdom literature portion of the Old Testament, is the book of Job. Before discussing it, let me say a few words about this type of literature. While
Those faithfully reading through the Old Testament should be in the final three historical books, which appear just before the Wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, etc). Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the return from exile, the restoration of Jerusalem,
In the Hebrew Bible 1 & 2 Samuel are one book, 1 & 2 Kings are one book, and 1 & 2 Chronicles are one book. Together they cover the period of the life of Samuel to the destruction of
Those who are reading through the Bible in a year will soon find themselves in the books of Kings. These are a continuation of the historical narrative of Israel which began in the books of Samuel. The four-hundred-year period covered
In these historical books we learn about how the monarchy in Israel was established. Samuel first anointed Saul as king, and then David. Four main characters are featured in these two books, and a rough outline of the book, at
The events of these books take place between the death of Joshua and the rise of Samuel and Saul and covers a period of some several hundred years. Ruth seems to take place at the same time as the book