Living the Christian Life – Chapter 10: The Pentateuch

Next, read the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch—or the Torah to the Jews. Most scholars believe that the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were written by Moses. These five books contain the creation story, the account of Noah and the ark, the story of God’s special relationship with Abraham, the tale of Joseph in Egypt, the Children of Israel in bondage, the deliverance of the Jews out of Egypt by God through Moses, and the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai—among other important stories and information. You will likely recognize many of the characters in this rich portion of the Bible and will learn many valuable things about God, the people of Israel, and how this history is vital to understanding the rest of Scripture.

The Letters        

• Romans
• First Corinthians
• Second Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• First Thessalonians
• Second Thessalonians
• First Timothy
• Second Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• First Peter
• Second Peter
• First John
• Second John
• Third John
• Jude

Now you can wade into the teaching section of the New Testament, known as the “letters” or “epistles.” These letters were written by the apostles Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude. This is where you get into the nuts and bolts of living the Christian lifestyle. At this point, you may want to look for a Bible study group that can help you wade through the letters to learn what they are all about and how to apply these principles to your daily life.

Old Testament History

• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• First Samuel
• Second Samuel
• First Kings
• Second Kings
• First Chronicles
• Second Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther

The history books of the Old Testament tell of the establishment of the nation of Israel, of the good and evil kings, and of the coming exile as a result of their ongoing sin. This is known as redemptive history, as it looks at this time in Jewish history through the lens of the prophets who likely wrote these books. The prophets compare the acts of the people of Israel at that time with the righteous requirements of the law, giving commentary on those who followed in God’s ways, those who did not, and the consequences of their words and actions.