VERNA HARGROVE: First Step for Christians

Are you a new Christian? Or do you just want to start studying the Bible for the first time? So often when a person becomes a new believer in Christ, they want to read the Bible. They just do not know where to start. If this describes you, this guide will be the perfect place for you to learn basic facts and general subjects in each of the Books of the Bible. A portion of scripture has been selected from each book to show you the flavor of each author.

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INTRODUCTION

Have you recently accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Have you been a believer a long time, but are just now interested in Bible study? If either of these are true for you, then this study is what you are looking for. It is a study to help you learn a few basic Bible facts. You will then be ready to take the Open Bible Quiz in the Beginner’s Workbook at the end of this book. This gives you a chance to see how much you have learned. This prepares you for some serious Bible study in the future!

PENTATEUCH - THE LAW

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Written by Moses, the first five books in the Bible reveal God to man in some unique ways. Truth is given as a spoken word and revelation knowledge. There are many supernatural interventions. God gives the law that would have to be obeyed in order to please God. Knowing that sinful man could not obey the law, God gave the sacrificial system so that man could restore fellowship with God. Mostly, all five of the Books of the Law point to Christ, the coming Messiah that would take away the sins of the world.

God told Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He was going to make a nation of their descendants. Using Joseph and a plague, God took Israel to Egypt where He began to build that nation, starting with 70 people. Four hundred years later, God led that nation, now about two million people, out of Egypt, and prepared them to go into the Promised Land, which would become the Land of Israel. Moses was their leader.

GENESIS

The Book of the Beginning. Almost everything is found in Genesis, including human beings, sin and God’s promise of a Savior. The stories here are of the lives of Adam, Abel, Seth Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). Obedience is pressed into our minds when we Adam and Cain punished for their sins. We see the faith of Abel honored, and he died for his faith. Seth then became the chosen son of Adam.

It is interesting that Enoch was caught away, and Methuselah lived until just before the flood came and destroyed everything, except for what was on the ark. God having Noah build an ark to protect the righteous family allows us to see into the heart of God. He loves us.

Nemrod and the tower of Babel gives us a picture of how far Satan would go to destroy the human race. Eventually Babel became Babylon, which is now Iraq. Careful look at scripture reveals that Satan corrupted Babylon.

God calls Abraham from his home to a land he did not know. God asks him to sacrifice his son, only to provide a ram at the last minute. This is where Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord before receiving his new name, Israel.

The nation of Israel is introduced here with Jacob’s 12 sons. Joseph is a picture of Christ suffering, and then reigning supreme. We see Jesus in the life of Joseph. The brothers of Joseph hated him because honored him. God used Joseph to take Israel down into Egypt during a famine. He would protect Abraham’s descendant.