Bible 101: An Intro to God's Instruction Manual

Why this video

DeWayne had taught this class many times and put off recording it for a year, waiting for better audio and a whiteboard. One morning he decided God cared more about the content and the heart than the production, and filmed it in the shop. His disclaimer: no seminary training, just years of reading, studying, and leading groups. Test everything he says against the Word.

Pick a translation you understand

If the homework is in a language you don't speak, you won't do it. The King James Version was commissioned in the early 1600s to put Scripture into the English of that day. Modern translations do the same for ours. Try a few side by side, such as the NIV, NKJV, Amplified, or The Message, on the YouVersion app or at a local Christian bookstore, and ask God to help you choose.

Write in it

The paper isn't holy. The words are. Highlight, underline, dog-ear, and make notes in the margins.

How it's laid out

The New Testament opens with the four Gospels, then Acts, then Paul's letters to churches and to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, then Hebrews, James, Peter, John, Jude, and Revelation. The Old Testament opens with the five books of the Law, then history (Joshua through Esther), then the wisdom books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs), then the major and minor prophets.

Where to start

Begin with James, which is short and practical. Then read a chapter or two a day in Matthew alongside a chapter or two in Genesis. Proverbs has 31 chapters, one for each day of the month.

Try this

• Download a Bible app or visit a Christian bookstore this week and compare translations.
• Read James this week, one chapter a day.