Book Review: The Bible

Reading a book quickly has its purpose, which is very different than the close, careful textual analysis of Bible study and literature course lore. As I read through the Bible this year, several themes stood out for me. Some of the highlights on this read-through included:


From the Old Testament:
Every inclination of man's heart is evil (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 7:24), yet God is patient and persistent in bringing hope, forgiveness, and redemption.

• How many times did Abraham, Jacob, Israel as a nation, Saul, David, and the other kings completely rebel against God, ignore God, or just do stupid things?
• And how many times did God forgive, withhold or delay punishment, and redeem them?
• How many warnings did God give before he did allow punishment to come to Israel?
• In the midst of their punishment, how often did God remind Israel of his promise to redeem and restore them?

Carefully researched and scholarly answers to all of the above: LOTS

Application: Believe God. Trust him for who he is, how he deals with man, and what he has promised. Confess and turn from my sin, but believe that God is for me not against me, meaning that he desires to see me free from sin and will be patient in persistent in that process.

From the New Testament:
The eternal perspective. What followers of Christ know and experience now is nothing compared to their future. This idea is woven through Christ's teachings, Paul's letters, and other authors' exhortations.

Application: Look forward to that future instead of focusing on what's for dinner, the current difficult circumstance, or the next fun trip. Christ has given me great hope; don't substitute something else in its place!