Bible Basics
You wouldn’t think a book written thousands of years ago would be able to help you deal with today’s problems, but that’s exactly what the Bible does. It can help you be a better person, discover the blessings of obedience to God’s commandments, and be true to your beliefs even in the face of resistance. Most of all, you can learn about our Savior Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself for all of us.
The Old Testament
The Bible consists of two main sections, each of which are made up of many smaller books. The first section, the Old Testament, tells of people who lived many years before Jesus’s birth. God gave them laws and procedures to prepare them for the coming of the Savior.
Key Figures in the Old Testament
Adam and Eve
God created Adam and Eve as the first man and woman. Thanks to them, we all get to be born on earth, where we can learn and grow.
Noah
This good man was warned by God of a coming flood. He saved his family aboard a large boat called an ark.
Abraham
In a test of obedience, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham was willing, and his son was spared.
Jacob
Jacob, also known as Israel, had twelve sons, whose descendants became a mighty nation.
Moses
After Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites, were enslaved in Egypt, Moses helped set them free and led them to a promised land.
David
After defeating a gigantic warrior named Goliath, David grew up to become king of the Israelites.
Esther
This brave queen helped save her people, the Jews, from the scheming of the Persian king’s wicked advisor.
Daniel
Daniel remained true to his beliefs even at the cost of being thrown into a den of lions. God rewarded him by miraculously keeping him safe.
The New Testament
The New Testament begins with Jesus’s birth and continues with His ministry, death, and Resurrection. It concludes with the writings of people whom Jesus sent out to teach His gospel to the world. During His life, Jesus fulfilled the laws God had given in Old Testament times and taught a higher law based on love. He taught us how to find happiness by serving others, obeying God’s commandments, and leaving our mistakes behind.
Key Figures in the New Testament
Jesus Christ
The Son of God came to earth to pay the price for all our sins so we could be forgiven. He died and rose from the tomb so all of us could live with God again someday.
Mary and Joseph
Mary was a faithful woman who was chosen by God to give birth to Jesus Christ. Mary’s husband faithfully accepted her calling and helped raise Jesus.
Peter
Jesus called Apostles to help him preach the gospel. The foremost Apostle, Peter, became a brave missionary after Jesus’s death and Resurrection.
John the Baptist
Jesus’s cousin, a holy man in his own right, helped prepare the way for Jesus and later baptized him.
Mary Magdalene
This devoted disciple of Jesus Christ became the first person to see Him after His Resurrection.
John the Beloved
This “beloved” Apostle (different from John the Baptist) was among Jesus’s closest friends and later wrote the book called Revelation.
Paul
After persecuting many Christians, Paul turned his life around and endured many hardships while preaching the gospel.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke
These followers of Jesus, along with John, wrote down what would later become the four Gospels, the books that tell of Jesus’s life.
