Introduction: So Then Faith Cometh by Hearing
This treatise has been a result of many years of prayer, learning, and passion. First, prayer, because I have sought God on how I can have a small role in service to Him in my lifetime. No matter how small, I was convinced that God could open a door to serve Him in some way, regardless of my weaknesses. Second, learning was central in my development since the first day I picked up a Bible and started reading. Having read the Bible many times through, the way I think and see the world now is vastly different from how I did 20 years ago.
Lastly, the passion I have for the Scriptures to be opened to people is not from myself, but from God. It has to be, because I have tried many times to shake off this passion. I have tried to forget the years I spent preparing for professional ministry, and pretend that they never existed. However, the passion never died. I am fairly convinced that it never will.
Hence, this book. It is free because, whenever possible, people should not have to pay to hear the Scriptures. I am convinced that there are people out there that will never in a thousand years come to a church, pick up a Bible, or hear the Word of God from anyone. This book is especially for them.
So what is the big deal about hearing the Word of God? I will let you decide for yourself as you read the rest of this book. But I will share with you one sentence of the Bible that has had major impact on my life within the last year:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).
People are changed by hearing, and by implication, understanding, the Word of God. They are not superficially changed, but rather there is a change that takes root that is beyond words. The Word of God is life-giving in every sense of the idea. This treatise will encourage that understanding.
To understand the Bible, the Word of God, there are certain fundamentals that must be known. When I was in missionary training a number of years ago, we learned about how to reach people groups by teaching through the Bible chronologically. In other books, the main characters are introduced at the beginning, and the Bible is no different: God is the main character of the Bible. You must start at the beginning of the Bible when teaching because your audience does not know what god you are talking about. Just like those people groups that this missionary agency works with, the people of western society have lost this notion. Teaching through the Bible chronologically bridges that gap, because a book should always be read starting at the beginning.
This book is not a true chronological teaching. I have tried to make this as lean as possible so that I do not lose my audience. This book will focus on Genesis 1-9, Isaiah 53, excerpts from the Gospel of John, and a few other Scriptures, which are all portions of the Bible.
While not a true chronological teaching, I consider this book to be Bible-driven. In the spirit of the verse I shared above (Romans 10:17), there are many Scripture quotations. I have tried to put away my own opinions on the matter: I simply quote the Scriptures, and then enumerate some of the major themes below each Scripture quotation.
Having given you this brief introduction, I would like to offer you some basic instructions to make this book worthwhile.
- Read this book when you do not have other distractions around.
- Do not skip the Bible quotations. They are the most important part of this book.
- Be prepared for repetition of themes. If something is repeated, it is significant.
- Coming into this book, you probably have preconceptions about the Bible, religion, and Christianity. Try to check those preconceptions at the door, and give fresh audience to this treatise.
Lastly, though I say that the Bible is the Word of God, you may be skeptical and want to dismiss me right now. At this point I will not try to defend the Bible; another aim of this treatise is to show you the power of the Bible rather than to tell you about it. You will see it holistically rather than as disparate thoughts sown together by an editor. The Bible is one book, and its author is God.
Let us take the journey together.
Next: Chapter 1: In the Beginning