Introduction: The Best Piece of Advice I Can Give You
Part 1. Let the Bible Be What It Is
1. Let the Bible Be What It Is
2. Don’t Second-Guess God’s Decisions in Inspiration
3. Inspiration Was a Process, Not an Event
4. Inspiration Wasn’t a Paranormal Experience
5. Editing Was Part of the Process of Biblical Inspiration
6. The Bible Is Not an Exhaustive Repository of All Truth
7. Most of the Authors of Biblical Books Are Unknown
8. The Bible Is a Product of Its Time
9. The Setting of a Biblical Story Wasn’t Necessarily the Time at Which It Was Written
10. Everything in the Bible Isn’t about Jesus
Part 2. Let the Ancient Israelites Be Who They Were
11. The World Known to the Biblical Writers Was a Lot Smaller than Ours
12. Biblical Writers Believed That God Made the World They Knew, Not the World They Didn’t Know
13. Ancient Israelite Culture Didn’t Drop from Heaven
14. Biblical People Embraced the Idea of an Active Supernatural World
15. Most People in the Biblical World Had Never Read the Bible
Part 3. Let the Biblical Writers Do What They Did
16. The Biblical Writers Were Not Semiliterate Amateurs
17. The Writers of the Bible Structured What They Wrote to Convey Meaning
18. The Biblical Writers Did Their Homework
19. The Biblical Writers Were Literary Artists
20. The Biblical Writers Didn’t Always Intend to Be Taken Literally
21. The Biblical Writers Used Translations of the Bible
Part 4. Let the First Five Books of the Bible Be What They Are
22. The Creation Stories Target the Beliefs of Other Ancient Religions
23. Old Testament Genealogies Were Not Intended to Be Precise Indicators of the Age of the Earth
24. The Covenant Sign of Circumcision Was a Theological Statement for Israelite Men and Women
25. The Rebellion at the Tower of Babel Frames the Rest of Biblical History
26. Neither God nor the Israelites Looked at Old Testament Laws as Equal in Character and Importance
27. The Biblical Concept of Holiness Includes, but Is Not Limited To, Moral Behavior
28. Some of the Strangest Ideas in Biblical Law Teach Important Points of Biblical Theology
29. Biblical Writers Took the Concept of Holy Ground Seriously
30. Old Testament Sacrifices Weren’t Primarily about Individual Forgiveness for Sin
31. Deuteronomy Is One Long Sermon by Moses to the Israelites
32. Ancient Israelites Believed the Gods of the Nations Were Real
33. God Was Present in Human Form in the Old Testament
Part 5. Let the Historical Books Be What They Are
34. Archaeology Can Validate but Not Prove the Bible
35. “Israel” Doesn’t Always Mean “Israel” in the Old Testament
36. Chronicles Contains Propaganda by Design
37. Most of the Cities and Towns Mentioned in the Bible Have Not Been Excavated
38. The Books of Joshua through 2 Kings Were Likely Written by the Same Person(s) at the Same Time
40. God Intended All Along for Israel to Have a King
41. The Book of Ruth Takes Place during the Days of the Judges
42. In the Historical Books, a Person’s Tribe and Home Town Are Often Crucial Parts of the Storyline
Part 6. Let the Prophetic Books Be What They Are
43. Most of the Material in the Prophetic Books Isn’t About Predicting the Future
44. Prophets Weren’t Crazy Men . . . Mostly
45. Old Testament Prophets Preached at Different Times and Places
46. Most of the Material in the Prophets Has Already Been Fulfilled
47. The “Servant” of Isaiah Is Both an Individual and the Collective Nation of Israel
48. Messianic Prophecy Was Deliberately Cryptic
Part 7. Let the Wisdom Books Be What They Are
49. Proverbs Are Neither Prophecies nor Promises
50. The Books of Psalms and Proverbs Were Edited and Assembled in Stages
51. Understanding Hebrew Poetry Is Essential for Interpreting Psalms and Proverbs
52. The Book of Job Is Not Primarily about Suffering
Part 8. Let the Gospels Be What They Are
54. The Words “Messiah” and “Christ” Mean the Same Thing
55. Biblical Genealogies Are at Times Artificial
56. The Vast Majority of John’s Gospel Is Different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke
57. Each Gospel Writer Had His Own Agenda
58. The New Testament Writers Used a Bible Translation for Their Work
59. Gospel Writers Connect Jesus to the Old Testament in Both Transparent and Roundabout Ways
60. Parables Are Puzzling but Surprisingly Consistent
Part 9. Let the Book of Acts Be What It Is
61. The Book of Acts Provides the Contexts for Many of Paul’s Letters
62. The Events of Acts 2 Launched the Reversal of What Happened at the Tower of Babel
63. The Book of Acts Is Both Prescriptive and Descriptive
65. Gentile Inclusion in the People of God Didn’t Mean Hostility toward Jews and Jewish Customs
66. The Early Church Did Not Practice Communism
Part 10. Let the Epistles Be What They Are
68. Paul’s Descriptions of the Powers of Darkness Presume a Cosmic Geography
69. In the New Testament “Israel” Doesn’t Always Refer to the Nation or Its People
70. The People of God Are the Temple of God
71. The New Testament Writers Expected Jesus to Return in Their Lifetime
72. Paul Had a High View of the Law, but a Higher View of Jesus
73. The Epistles Are the Antidote to the Idea That the Righteous Invariably Prosper
75. The Apostles Didn’t Tolerate Aberrant Teaching about the Gospel
Part 11. Let the Book of Revelation Be What It Is
76. Revelation Is Hard to Interpret Because Apocalyptic Prophecy Isn’t Designed to Be Clear
77. The Date of the Writing of Revelation Is Important for Its Interpretation
78. The Book of Revelation Makes Extensive Use of the Old Testament
79. Figurative Interpretation Takes the Book of Revelation as Seriously as Literal Interpretation