Christians that I meet do not all seem to understand their
Christianity very well. To be blunt,
they are ignorant of what they believe. Part of the reason may be that a lot of
books that would help them become more informed are either too technical or too
simplistic. Moody Publishers has just recently released a set of books that
should help. It’s called Bible Savvy.
I like that title. That’s what Christians need. A little savvy!
Written by
James Nicodem, a pastor of Christ Community Church in Bartlett, Illinois, this is
a set of four books designed to help both new and established Christians
understand the Bible. They are designed for both individual and group study.
Helpful study questions at the end of each chapter (also online at www.biblesavvy.com where you will find
videos, a blog, and other useful information), will help guide you through a
thorough understanding of the Bible’s message
and trustworthiness, as well as how to study it and apply it to
your life. Those are the four areas covered by each of the easy-to-read
volumes.
Christians
that I meet do not all seem to understand their Christianity very well. To be
blunt, they are ignorant of what they believe. Part of the reason may be that a
lot of books that would help them become more informed are either too technical
or too simplistic. Moody Publishers has just recently released a set of books
that should help. What a great title! That’s what Christians need. A little
savvy!
This is a set of four books designed to help
both new and established Christians understand the Bible. They are designed for
both individual and group study. Helpful study questions at the end of each
chapter will help guide you through a thorough understanding of the Bible’s
message and trustworthiness, as well as
how to study it and apply it to your life. Those are the four areas covered by
each of the easy-to-read volumes.
Book one covers the Bible's storyline,
showing that the overall theme is redemption. He does a survey of the major
sections of the Bible, showing how that theme is developed from Genesis to
Revelation. This book has six chapters that show redemption prompted (Genesis),
prepared (Genesis-Song of Solomon), prophesied (the Prophets), purchased (the
gospels), proclaimed (Acts – Jude), and perfected (Revelation). This book by
itself will help you understand that the whole Bible is about the gospel, not
just the New Testament.
Book two shows that the Bible is reliable
as the inspired, authoritative Word of God. He also shows how we got the Bible
that we use, as well as covering the doctrine of revelation, showing that God
wants us to know His will. The last chapter of this book provides excellent
tools for learning the Bible through hearing, reading, studying, memorizing,
and meditating on God's Word.
Book three introduces the topic of
studying the Bible by understanding the context. Here he examines four
different settings that need to be considered in order to properly understand
the Word of God: historical, literary, theological, and immediate setting. He
provides excellent rules for the proper interpretation of scripture.
Book four then builds on the study of
scripture to bring the student to application. He uses the COMA approach,
(Context, Observation, Message, Application). I was a little confused with his
distinction between Message and Application. Some of his comments about message
seemed to go more towards application. But he does provide a couple of good
examples on how this approach will work for a person in several different
literary genres which will prove to be valuable.
On the whole, this set of books will prove
valuable in helping Christians use their Bible more effectively. I did not
agree with all his conclusions or interpretations. You will want to compare
some of the author’s statements with your church’s doctrinal position. But the
information given will help anyone become a more savvy student of scripture.
Moody
Publishers provided me with a set of these books to review.
No comments:
Post a Comment