23 Oct How Well Do You Know the Bible?
LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR A LIFETIME OF FUTURE LEARNING
Over 30 years ago, I led a young lady to Christ. Several weeks later, she came back to me and said, “I need help. I don’t know anything about the Bible. I didn’t know there was an Old and New Testament. What can you give me that will get me up to speed in a hurry?”
There wasn’t anything!
I felt a deep conviction that a book to fill this gap was extremely important. I had completed my formal education, had taught in a Bible college and had other ministry experience that had prepared me well, so I committed to writing 30 Days to Understanding the Bible. It has gone on to sell over half a million copies since then, yet I am persuaded that the book is more needed now than it was when I first wrote it.
A knowledge of the Bible that one used to be able to absorb from American culture in earlier, more Christian days, has completely evaporated. And in its place are not only ignorance, but distorted, corrupted, and even perverted “knowledge” that undermines any accurate grasp of Scripture.
For that reason, I am deeply gratified that Thomas Nelson is releasing and enthusiastically promoting a 30th anniversary edition of the book. It releases today nationwide.
You can read the reviews of the previous edition on Amazon to get a feel for the book and the impact it has made over the years.
The Bible is a hard book to master
Every Christian needs a good understanding of the Bible. Our entire experience as a believer depends on it. But if you wanted a good understanding of the Bible, where would you start?
One day, early in my Christian life, I determined that I was going to master the Bible. I was going to start with Genesis, read to Revelation, and I was not going to give up until I understood the whole thing.
I soon became hopelessly entangled in a jungle of fantastic stories, unpronounceable names, broken plots, unanswered questions, endless genealogies, and an avalanche of tedious verbiage that defied my comprehension.
I stubbed my toe on Leviticus, sprained my ankle on Job, hit my head on Ecclesiastes, and fell headlong into the mud on Habakkuk.
I was defeated. I threw my Bible down, concluding that it was a series of unrelated stories put together in random order.
Any chance you have experienced something similar in your spiritual journey?
In the providence of God, I went on to school for 12 1/2 years straight after I graduated from high school, studying the Bible most of the time, and was eventually able to get my mind around the broad strokes of the Bible. It has been life changing!
Because gaining an understanding of the basics of the Bible was such a difficult challenge for me, I have a passion for helping others. 30 Days to Understanding the Bible can save you years of time and untold headache compared to gaining the same information in other ways.
There is some information that is essential
There is some information so vital to the Christian life that if you do not know it you cannot become a complete Christian. If you rely only on Sunday sermons and occasional additional input from blog posts… if there is no overall game plan to hit all the vital subject areas, it will be very difficult for you to gain the foundation for an advanced knowledge of Scripture.
With how the brain works, what you can learn today depends on what you learned yesterday. And what you can learn tomorrow depends on what you learned today.
It’s like going up stair steps. If you don’t take steps 2, 3 and 4, you can’t get to 7, 8 and 9. That’s the way it is with the Bible. If you want an advanced knowledge of Scripture, you must first have a complete, basic knowledge of Scripture.
You don’t need a master’s degree in theology, but you do need a foundational understanding of all the essential information. I don’t know of an easier way to gain a foundational knowledge of the story of the Bible and other basic information about the Bible than in this book.
Cooperating with how the brain works
A 1982 study at Carnegie-Mellon University, demonstrated that the brain retains more from a concise summarization of a subject than it does from a full presentation. It’s proof that the brain can get all of a little, but often gets none of a lot.
This supports the value of learning a tight overview of a given subject first. Then, as you learn additional information, you can hang it on the memory pegs created by the tight overview.
I have gone on to write more books since the original edition of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, with more in depth study of the Scripture, but gaining a basic knowledge of the story and other basic teachings of the Bible is one of the most powerful things a Christian can do to lay a foundation for gaining an advanced knowledge of Scripture.
As you cooperate with how the brain works, you will find yourself getting all of a little rather than none of a lot.
Conclusion
How well do you know the Bible? Do you know the story of the Bible, with all the major people, places and events in their proper chronological order? Do you know the 10 Great Subjects of Scripture? Do you know why Jesus spoke in parables, why there are four gospels, or what the importance of the resurrection is?
If not, this is a great place to end the confusion and lay the foundation for deeper learning in your spiritual journey. Pick up a copy of the 30th anniversary edition of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible and nail down the basics.
Look for it in your favorite Christian bookstore, Barnes & Noble, or online at Faithgateway or Amazon. Don’t let the title fool you. You’ll be amazed at all the knowledge that awaits you in 30 Days to Understanding the Bible!
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