Genesis and Exodus are the initial books of the Bible, forming part of the Torah. Genesis covers creation and God's call to Abraham, while Exodus narrates Israel's bondage in Egypt and their liberation through Moses.
This course introduces the Bible as God's inspired word for knowing Him and equipping ministers.
The first four books of the New Testament are called "gospels," which means "good news." They are fundamental to the revelation of God's eternal plan to redeem and save lost humanity. They are often called biographies for they each tell the story of Jesus, his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. The good news of the Gospels is that Jesus has come, that he is both Savior and King, and people can know this is true because God has raised him from the dead. This section specifically focuses on the longest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew.
Judges through Esther continues Israel's history from where Joshua left off. After Joshua's death, Israel was ruled by a series of judges, marking a downward spiral of disobedience towards God. Influenced by Pagan cultures, Israel eventually cries out for a human king, rejecting God as their king. The first king fails, but David and Solomon, the second and third kings, lead Israel to prosperity, including building God's temple in Jerusalem. After Solomon's death, Israel divides into Northern and Southern kingdoms, marked by sin until both are conquered and exiled. However, God's faithfulness endures, and He raises leaders to bring the people back to the promised land.
Leviticus to Joshua: Israel's wilderness journey, God's people through the Law. In the promised land, victories and defeats reflect trust wavering.
Luke is the favorite Gospel of many, because it highlights the humanity of Jesus as God-man. It shows Jesus' compassion and how he identified with us. Many of Jesus' best known parables, such as the stories of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, only appear in Luke. Luke tells us more about the birth of Jesus than any other writer of the Gospels. And Luke presents us with the manifesto of Christ - the clear statement of His mission - the key to the ministry of the Messiah. The Gospel of John is unique in style compared to the other three Gospels. It is unique in that it provides a series of I AM statements that teach us about Jesus. John also focuses on theme of signs, and the gospel author with end the book with this statement: these things were written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).