| Key Text | KEY TERM | One Sentence Summary | A Principle to Live By | |
| GENESIS | 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. |
BEGINNING | The God who created mankind and punished disobedience with death began His great plan of redemption with His covenant to Abraham, whose descendants arrived in Egypt as God’s cherished people. | Since God reached out to us before we reached out to Him, we should always thank Him for saving us by His sovereign grace. |
| EXODUS | 14:30-31 That day the LORD saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses. | REDEEM | When God redeemed His chose people Israel through His servant Moses, He entered a covenant relationship with them and instituted His dwelling with them, the tabernacle. | To inherit eternal life, we must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and experience the redemption that comes through His shed blood. |
| LEVITICUS | 11:45 For I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy. | HOLINESS | God forgives sin and makes people holy through blood sacrifice; further, He then expects His people to live in fellowship with Him by following His regulations concerning separated living. | We are to reflect God’s holiness in all relationships. |
| NUMBERS | 9:17 Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped. | WILDERNESS | God used Moses to lead Israel from Sinai to Kadesh, but even after they rejected Him there, resulting in the wilderness years, He remained faithful to them and led a new generation to the edge of the Promised Land. | To receive the gift of eternal life, each of us must put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who made atonement for our sins on the cross |
| DEUTERONOMY | 6:4-5 Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. | COMMANDMENTS | Through Moses’ great speeches near the end of his life, God reminded Israel on the verge of entering the Promised Land about His mighty acts, His covenant, and His many commands. | To love God sincerely and fully, we must obey what He commands. |
| JOSHUA | 21:44-45 The LORD gave them rest on every side according to all He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the LORD handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. | CONQUEST | God fulfilled His promises to Israel to give them a land through the conquest of Canaan and through the allocation of the land among the tribes, all under the leadership of Joshua | To follow God fully throughout our time on earth, we must obey the Word of God and keep our eyes focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| JUDGES | 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted. | DELIVERED | Israel experienced the repeated cycle of apostasy, oppression, repentance, and restoration by divinely appointed judges throughout the long period following Joshua’s death. | When we read biblical stories of people’s lives, we should look for the lessons we can learn from both their successes and their failures. |
| RUTH | 4:14 Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Praise the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May His name become well known in Israel. | KINSMAN | Ruth, a Moabite widow, found love and fulfillment through Boaz, a rich Israelite bachelor who redeemed the ancestral land and the name of Ruth’s deceased husband, thereby restoring Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, from emptiness to fullness. | We should use this beautiful love story to remind ourselves that through faith in Jesus Christ, we become spiritual brothers and sisters. |
| 1 SAMUEL | 18:7 As they celebrated, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. | MONARCHY | After Samuel’s leadership as judge, the people of Israel turned to Saul as their first king, whom God later rejected and instead chose David, who had many adventures as a renegade from Saul’s court. | We must be on guard against prideful behavior, which Satan wants to use to lead us into rebellion against God. |
| 2 SAMUEL | 7:16 Your house and kingdom will endure before Me forever, and your throne will be established forever. | DAVID | David’s reign over Israel included times of elation, such as his conquest of Jerusalem and the Lord’s promise of an everlasting dynasty, as well as times of failure, such as his adultery with Bathsheba and the treason of his son Absalom. | Though our journey through life includes many human factors, we must remember that God’s sovereign plan for each one of us continues to unfold. |
| 1 KINGS | 11:35-36 I will take 10 tribes of the kingdom from his son’s hand and give them to you. I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city I chose for Myself to put My name there. | DIVISION | After Solomon’s splendid rule, culminating in the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, the kingdom divided, and to confront idolatry God raised up prophets, notably Elijah, who opposed the evil Ahab. | When seeking advice, we should value the accumulated wisdom of those who are older than we are. |
| 2 KINGS | 17:22-23 The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them. Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence just as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland until today. | DISPERSION | Even after Elisha’s ministry, Israel persisted in idolatry and so went into permanent captivity; yet Judah, despite the prophets and a few righteous kings, continued to be so wicked that God sent Nebuchadnezzar to remove them to Babylon. | No matter how sinful the environment in which we live, we are to trust God to provide the inner resources to walk worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. |
| 1 CHRONICLES | 28:4 Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s household to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father’s household, and from my father’s sons, He was please to make me king over all Israel. | DYNASTY | After extensive introductory genealogies, the author tells how David ruled for 40 years under the blessing of God, particularly as he lavished attention on Jerusalem, the priesthood, and preparation for building the temple. | As we live our lives, we should have as a primary goal to build God’s eternal kingdom, not our own. |
| 2 CHRONICLES | 7:1 When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 36:19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s temple. They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned down all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles | TEMPLE | After Solomon’s glorious reign, which culminated in the dedication of the temple, kings of the Davidic dynasty – some righteous and some evil – continued ruling in Jerusalem, ending in the destruction of the temple and the exile. | When Scripture confronts sin in our lives, we should allow God’s Spirit to convict us, humble us, and redirect our lives into His will. |
| EZRA | 6:16 Then the Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. | RESTORATION | The first group of returning exiles restored worship of the Lord, culminating in a rebuilt temple; but Ezra, who led the second group, reestablished Israelite community under Mosaic law, culminating in putting away mixed marriages. | To please God on a consistent basis, we must be committed to living in God’s will as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. |
| NEHEMIAH | 6:15 The wall was completed in 52 days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. | WALLS | Through Nehemiah’s leadership God enabled the Israelites to rebuild and dedicate Jerusalem’s walls as well as to renew their commitment to God as His covenant people. | When we discover specific areas in our lives that are out of harmony with God’s will we should confess our sins and respond with repentant hearts. |
| ESTHER | 4:14B Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? | PROVIDENCE | Ester, a Jewish beauty selected by Persian king Ahasuerus to become his new queen, saved the Jews from Haman’s wicked plot, so her relative Mordecai established the yearly Jewish feast of Purim. | Since we claim Christ as our example, we are to be willing to sacrifice our own needs for the good of others. |
| JOB | 1:21 Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Praise the name of Yahweh. | SUFFERING | After the upright Job suddenly lost family, health, and possessions, he and his friends dialogued at length about the reasons for his sufferings, but God alone had the final word and ultimately restored Job’s losses. | Though we may never know on earth why bad things happen to good people, we should pray for grace and strength to believe that in eternity everything will be clear. |
| PSALMS | 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD, Hallelujah! | HALLELUJAH | God, the true and glorious King, is worthy of all praise, thanksgiving, and confidence – whatever the occasion in personal or community life. | When we worship, we should fulfill a major purpose for which God has called us – to proclaim His praises. |
| PROVERBS | 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. | WISDOM | Those who follow God’s wise design for living – particularly in areas of sexual purity and integrity of speech – avoid the perils that others fall into and enjoy life on earth as God meant it to be lived. | To walk in God’s will, we must allow His Word to penetrate our innermost being. |
| ECCLESIASTES | 1:2 Absolute futility, says the Teacher. ‘Absolute futility. Everything is futile.’ | FUTILITY | Although human beings can accumulate many things, accomplish much, and achieve great wisdom, these are without profit and ultimately pointless unless one has lived in fear and obedience to God. | Even though we are capable of accomplishing may wonderful things in this life, our primary focus should be on eternity |
| SONG OF SONGS | 6:3 I am my love’s and my love is mine; he feeds among the lilies. | LOVE | A bride and groom (or wife and husband) celebrate with exuberant passion God’s wonderful gift of the love they share by describing the intimate dimensions of their love – physical, emotional, and spiritual. | Men and women who are joined in a marital union are to enjoy to the full the sexual dimension of their relationship. |
| ISAIAH | 1:19-20 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. | JUDGMENT | Isaiah prophesied that because of continued idolatry God would send Judah into Babylonian captivity, yet He would graciously restore them (through the work of His Servant, who would bear away their sins by His death), so that His kingdom would be unending in the new heavens and the new earth. | When we present the redemptive message, we should use Old Testament passages to support and clarify New Testament truth. |
| JEREMIAH | 30:15 Why do you cry out about your injury? Your pain has no cure! I have done these things to you because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins.
31:31 Look, the days are coming – this is the LORD’s declaration – ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. |
CURSE | Anguished by the burden of his prophetic call and the rejection of his message, Jeremiah witnessed what he warned about, the Babylonian captivity, yet he prophesied God’s gracious restoration through the new covenant. | Though age and experience are normally priorities in God’s requirements for spiritual leadership, we are all to be available for God’s use to achieve His divine purposes in the world. |
| LAMENTATIONS | 1:1 How she sits alone, the city once crowded with people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow. The princess among the provinces has been put to forced labor. | LAMENT | A skillful and emotional poet described the devastation of the city of Jerusalem – brought by the Babylonians but ultimately cause by the Lord’s anger against His people – and poured out his own personal expressions of sorrow. | Because of our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be confident that we have an eternal inheritance guaranteed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. |
| EZEKIEL | 38:23 I will display My greatness and holiness, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh. | VISIONS | From exile in Babylon, Ezekiel’s stunning visions and startling symbolic acts were prophecies for the Israelites to teach God’s sovereign plan over them in the history of His kingdom, so that “they will know that I am Yahweh.” | We are to avoid any form of idolatry, acknowledging that there is only one God. |
| DANIEL | 4:3 How great are His miracles, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. | KINGDOMS | Daniel demonstrated remarkable trust in God and revealed God’s plans for the future, not only for his own day but also for the Maccabean period and on through the time that God’s kingdom is fully established by the Son of Man | We must understand that the Holy Spirit at times inspired prophets to record prophetic history that has been fulfilled before our time so that we will take seriously future events that are still to be fulfilled. |
| HOSEA | 1:10 Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not My people, they will be called: Sons of the living God. | UNFAITHFULNESS | Hosea’s marriage to an adulterous wife and the children she bore graphically demonstrated God’s marriage to His spiritually adulterous people Israel, who must respond to His covenant love and repent or face severe judgment. | As believers who have been chosen by God, we’re to become more and more like Christ until we are presented to Him at the marriage of the Lamb. |
| JOEL | 1:4 What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. | LOCUSTS | Joel proclaimed that the people of Judah should interpret a sever locust plague as a forerunner of ‘the Day of the LORD’ that is ‘terrible and dreadful’ (2:11) and that would consume the pagan nations – but also unfaithful Judah unless the people repented. | When each of us receives the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior, we are to claim the promise that we are all baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s spiritual body, the church. |
| AMOS | 5:24 But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream | JUSTICE | Although AMOS prophesied against the nations surrounding Israel including Judah, his main message was against Israel, who must repent of injustice and idolatry or else go into exile – but then be restored to divine favor. | We must never conclude that material prosperity and political power are indications that god approves of our lifestyle. |
| OBADIAH | 15 For the Day of the LORD is near, against all the nations. As you have done, so it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head. | EDOM | Obadiah prophesied that God would destroy the nation of Edom because of its pride and violence – particularly in looking down on Judah’s misfortune – and ultimately “the kingdom will be the LORD’s.” | We are to evaluate our relationship with God by the extent we demonstrate true humility and compassion in all our endeavors and relationships. |
| JONAH | 4:11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals? | FISH | After Jonah’s disobedience to God’s command for him to preach in Nineveh resulted in his being swallowed by a fish, he they obeyed God and preached in Nineveh, with the result that the entire city repented and turned to God. | When we deliberately disobey God and suffer the consequences, we should be open and honest about our sins. |
| MICAH | 3:8 As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin. | IDOLATRY | Although Micah also prophesied against Israel, his main message was against Judah, who must repent of idolatry and injustice or else go into exile but then be restored to divine blessing under the Ruler from Bethlehem. | We are to allow the Holy Spirit to develop inner qualities that reflect the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| NAHUM | 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is fierce in wrath. The LORD takes vengeance against His foes; He is furious with His enemies. | NINEVEH | Nahum prophesied that God would destroy Nineveh because of its wickedness and violence, and it would never rise again. | When tempted to believe God is cruel and lacking in compassion, we should review His extraordinary patience and continual communication, both with His people Israel and with the Gentile nations. |
| HABAKKUK | 2:4 Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. | DIALOGUE | When Habakkuk asked God questions about the nature of evil and its punishment, God answered by revealing His righteousness and sovereignty, and the prophet then responded with worship and faith. | Though we do not know the answers to all of life’s questions, we are to make sure we have by faith received God’s gift of eternal life. |
| ZEPHANIAH | 3:17 Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy. | DAY OF THE LORD | Although Zephaniah prophesied coming judgment against the nations, his main message was against Judah, whose sins were so serious that would go into exile on “the Day of the LORD,” but later they would be restored to righteousness. | When we speak of God’s coming judgment, our primary purpose should always be to encourage unrepentant people to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. |
| HAGGAI | 1:8 Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and built the house. Then I will be please with it and be glorified, says the LORD. | REBUILDING | When Haggai proclaimed God’s command to rebuild the temple, giving God’s promises that the glory of the second temple would exceed that of the first temple, the people obeyed with a willing heart. | Spiritual leaders in the church are to both model and teach the will of God. |
| ZECHARIAH | 8:3 The LORD says this: ‘I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, the mountain of the LORD of Hosts, and the Holy Mountain.” | JERUSALEM | Through night visions and prophetic oracles, Zachariah predicted the welfare of Jerusalem as God’s beloved holy city into which the King – also called God’s Servant and Branch – would enter riding a donkey. | Though a day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will rule and reign as King of kings, we are to imitate His life as a humble servant when He came the first time. |
| MALACHI | 1:11 For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations, says Yahweh of Hosts. | MESSENGER | Malachi rebuked God’s people for specific violations of the covenant, such as laws concerning sacrifices, divorce, and tithes, but he also prophesied the coming of the Messenger who will set all things right. | We are always to be prepared for the Lord’s second coming. |
| MATTHEW | 16:16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!’
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. |
MESSIAH | In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Jewish Messiah and created the church. | Since the Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again to bring salvation to all who believe, we are to do what we can to deliver this message to the whole world. |
| MARK | 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many | SERVANT | In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus did the deeds of the (suffering) Servant of the Lord, notably through His death as ‘a ransom for many.’ | In a world that is permeated with many religious and philosophical messages, we must discern truth from error by listening carefully to the words of Jesus Christ. |
| LUKE | 19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. | SAVIOR | Jesus not only lived and ministered as the perfect human, but He also died and rose to new life as the Savior for sinners. | We must never forget Jesus’ primary mission: to provide salvation for all people |
| JOHN | 3:16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. | LORD | Jesus is the sign-working Son of God who gives eternal life on the basis of His death and resurrection to all who believe in Him. | We should not be surprised when the message of Christ’s deity leads either to saving faith or to total rejection of the salvation story. |
| ACTS | 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. | SPIRIT | Christianity spread from Jerusalem to Rome and from Jews to Gentiles by the power of the Holy Spirit, working especially through Peter and Paul. | Though we always should be prepared for Christ’s return, we are to focus on being His witnesses in this world. |
| ROMANS | 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. | RIGHTEOUSNESS | Righteousness with God is given freely (imputed) to all those who have faith in Jesus Christ for salvation according to God’s eternal plan. | Since we all fall short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness, in order to be saved we must put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 1 CORINTHIANS | 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. | LOVE | The many problems a congregation may have, whether doctrinal or practical, will be resolved as that church submits properly to the lordship of Christ and learns to love one another genuinely. | To build up one another, we must demonstrate Christ’s love in all of our relationships. |
| 2 CORINTHIANS | 12:9 But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. | DEFENSE | True Christian ministry, although it may have to be defended against false attacks, is commissioned by Christ and empowered by His Spirit. | When we are falsely accused, it is not wrong to defend ourselves, but when we do, we should always reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit. |
| GALATIANS | 2:16 [We] know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. | FAITH | Sinners are justified (and live out a godly life) by trusting in Jesus Christ alone, not by keeping the law or by counting on good works. | When explaining that salvation is a free gift, we must also clarify that this gift can only be received by faith in Jesus Christ. |
| EPHESIANS | 3:10-11 This is so God’s multifaceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. This is according to His eternal purpose accomplished in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. | UNITY | In God’s eternal plan God’s great masterpiece, the church has now been manifested, in which Christ is united with all the redeemed whether Jew or Gentile, transforming relationships in this life and leading to a glorious future. | Regardless of our ethnic backgrounds, social status, gender, or race, when we become believers we are to function as members of one family. |
| PHILIPPIANS | 3:10 My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. | JOY | Knowing Jesus Christ is much more joyful and important than anything else because God has exalted Jesus, the crucified Servant, with the name above every name. | Spiritual leaders should express sincere appreciation to those who partner with them in the ministry. |
| COLOSSIANS | 1:18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. | FIRST PLACE | Jesus Christ is supreme Lord of the universe and head of the church, and therefore He is the only One through whom forgiveness is possible, making legal obligations or philosophical studies irrelevant in matters of salvation. | To walk in God’s will, Jesus Christ must always be the central focus in our personal and corporate lives. |
| 1 THESSALONIANS | 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a should, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. | COMING | Whatever difficulties and sufferings believers experience in this life, the coming of Christ is the true hope of the Christian. | To help new converts to have a clear understanding of the Scriptures, we should develop a plan to teach basic doctrinal truths. |
| 2 THESSALONIANS | 2:15 Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, either by our message or by our letter. | STAND | Whatever difficulties believers face, they should stand firm and continue living useful lives since Christ’s return may be in the distant future. | No matter what happens in the future, we are to encourage believers to stand firm in their faith, hope, and love, always being ready for Christ’s return. |
| 1 TIMOTHY | 6:11 But you, man of God, run from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. | GODLINESS | Whatever challenges Christian leaders face in life and ministry, they are to make progress in godliness and help maintain order in congregational life. | Leaders who are appointed to serve in shepherding roles in the church are to be selected based on comprehensive biblical criteria for measuring Christian maturity. |
| 2 TIMOTHY | 2:2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also | COMMITTED | Christian leaders are to be unashamed of the gospel and to carry on faithfully with the message about Christ entrusted to them. | Spiritual leaders should develop a core of faithful men and women who can multiply their efforts. |
| TITUS | 2:1 But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. | TEACHING | Whatever challenges they face in life and ministry, Christian leaders are to maintain order in the congregation, but only according to sound teaching. | We must not assume that teaching believers biblical truths about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and the second coming of Christ will cause them to live in God’s will. |
| PHILEMON | 16 No longer as a slave, but more than a slave – as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but even more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. | BROTHER | Everyone who has repented of sin and come to Christ should be welcomed as a brother or sister, treated gently, and forgiven by other believers. | To carry out Christ’s mission to the world, we must demonstrate wisdom toward all people. |
| HEBREWS | 1:1-3 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. | BETTER | Jesus Christ, who is better than the angels, Moses, Joshua, and the Hebrew high priests, made a better sacrifice and established a better covenant, ensuring that the old way is obsolete and that faith is the better way to live. | To be truly Christian, we must believe in Jesus Christ – who He is and what He has done for us through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. |
| JAMES | 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. | WORKS | True faith must be lived out in everyday life by good deeds, especially in the face of trials or persecution, and such good works demonstrate the presence of faith and justification before God. | If our profession of faith does not eventuate in good works, we should evaluate the validity of our salvation experience. |
| 1 PETER | 4:13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. | HOPE | As Christians grow in understanding their privileges in salvation, their blessings of election, and the theology of suffering, they will live in holiness and humility, waiting for their great future hope of sharing Christ’s glory. | When we suffer because of our Christian faith, we should draw strength from Christ’s suffering. |
| 2 PETER | 1:12 Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you have. | RETURN | As Christians grow in understanding, they will be safeguarded from false teachers, especially those who deny the return of Christ and the end of the world as it now exists. | Drawing on God’s power, we are to do all we can to become mature followers of Jesus Christ. |
| 1 JOHN | 1:3 What we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. | FELLOWSHIP | Christians have fellowship with Christ, who is God incarnate, through walking in the light and through living in love, and as a result they are secure in the eternal life that Christ has given them. | To sincerely anticipate seeing Jesus Christ face to face, we must live in daily fellowship with God and with one another. |
| 2 JOHN | 8 Watch yourselves so you don’t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward. | FAITHFUL | Those who are faithful to ‘Christi’s teaching’ know the Father and the Son and will one day be fully rewarded. | As communities of faith, we must not allow anyone to preach and teach if they deny that Jesus Christ is God who became flesh. |
| 3 JOHN | 8 Therefore, we ought to support such men so that we can be coworkers with the truth. | TRUTH | Christians are to recognize and to work for the truth of the gospel, and one way they do this is to show hospitality to Christian ministers that are hard at work. | Those qualified believers who devote large amounts of time to ministry and have personal financial needs should be cared for by the church body. |
| JUDE | 3 Dear Friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. | CONTEND | Christians must defend the faith against false teaching and false teachers, and at the same time they must build up their own faith in Christ. | Though it is easier and more enjoyable to give positive feedback to our fellow Christians, there are times when we must address difficult and painful situations very directly. |
| REVELATION | 1:7 Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen. | PROPHECY | Jesus, the Lord of history, will return to earth, destroy all evil and all opposition to Him, and bring the kingdom of God to its glorious culmination. | Since Jesus Christ will return, we are always to be ready for that great event. |