BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
How to Use this Guide
Welcome to our Bible Study Guide.
With the Bible practically outlawed in our schools, it was inevitable
for Bible illiteracy to greatly increase. We believe; however,
that there are many people who would like to study the Bible and other
Christian literature, but just don't know how or where to start.
Others may have tried reading
through the Bible from Genesis (first book) to Revelation (last book)
and gave up after a few weeks. The time period, geography,
language and culture in which the Bible was written is much different
than our own. A certain amount of background is needed in order to
read and understand it. The goal of this guide is to provide the
Bible reader with this background knowledge and manageable reading plans. Please
contact us
with any questions or suggestions that you might have regarding this
guide.
We talk much about Biblical knowledge
in this study guide, so I'd like to define what we mean by this term.
The Bible should not be read for intellectual (head) knowledge alone,
but also for heart knowledge. It should now be read just
for information, but for transformation. It is the very Word
of God, and it will change our lives if we will not rush thru our
studies, but take time to meditate on the Word and let the Scriptures
saturate our minds and penetrate our hearts (Joshua 1:8).
One last important word, the Bible is simple
enough that a child can understand the basics, but complex enough that
the most brilliant scholars, who have studied a lifetime, can still
disagree on some issues. Don't worry that there are some things
you don't understand at first. Be consistent, with much prayer and
patience, and you'll find studying the Bible one of life's most
rewarding and fulfilling endeavors.
Ok, let’s get started. The following gives a
brief description of the pages and suggestions for obtaining maximum
benefit from this guide.
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Guide |
You are here. This page offers
suggestions for using the Study Guide.
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The Basics |
Start with this page first. It provides some basic
background information, a
glossary of key words, information on
various Modern
English Bible translations and study tools, and an
Overview of the Old and New Testaments,
including Intertestamental History. After you finish
this page, you should check out the Bible Overview page.
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Bible Overview |
This page presents the Central message of the Bible, followed by
an Overview of the Old and New Testaments, and Intertestamental
History. After you finish
this page, you should check out the Bible Interpretation page and
start a Bible Reading plan.
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Bible Interpretation |
Visit this page after you've read over
the Basics. It contains general Bible interpretation
principles and tips. We also include a section of
Genre Analysis, how to recognize and
interpret the various types of literature that you will
encounter in the Bible. You should also start a Bible Reading
plan.
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Reading Plans
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The page
contains Bible reading plans for all levels of students. We
have a 3-step study guide for beginners, which provides the reader
with a good overall view of the Scriptures before reading the Bible
in its entirety. We've provided some suggestions on how to
create and customize a "Thru the Bible" reading plan. You can
also follow our First Year Reading Plan, 365 Day Plan or our
Two Year Plan.
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OT at a Glance Guide |
This page
contains a very brief summary of each book of the Old Testament.
This is intended as a brief overview of the entire OT. See the
Book Guide for more detailed information.
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NT at a Glance Guide |
This page
is as described in the above section, except that it contains specific information on each book of the New Testament.
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OT Book Guide
(in progress) |
This page
contains backgrounds, summaries, theological and practical
applications, and additional Biblical interpretation information
specific to each book of the Old Testament. You'll want to use
this page as a reference, referring to the proper section that
pertains to the book that you are reading.
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NT Book Guide
(in progress) |
This page
is as described in the above section, except that it
contains specific information on each book of the New Testament.
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