I had the opportunity to review the 4-book Bible Savvy set by James
L. Nicodem. These books are titled Epic, Foundation, Context, and Walk.Epic: This book is an easy-to-understand synopsis of the Bible and how this is really a "rescue story" of God's people from sin. I loved his explanation of the God-sanctioned violence and how that differs from, for example, jihad; how Jesus' unique qualities made Him the perfect candidate to pay the price for our sin; and the story of the end times in the Book of Revelations.
Foundations: This book dives into why we can trust the Bible's accuracy and authority in our lives, as well as the purpose of the Bible. Pastor Nicodem also gives some helpful tips on memorizing Scripture and gives some great reasons why we should not only read the Bible, but commit it to memory, too.
Context: This book discusses the importance of the context in which the Bible is written and how to interpret it. Key factors the author encourages us to take into consideration are the historical, literary, theological, and immediate (interpreting words how they are used in sentences, paragraphs, etc.) settings.
Walk: This last book discusses how we can apply what we have learned while reading the Bible in our own lives. What good is reading the Bible if it doesn't impact how we live and relate to others? Pastor Nicodem again encourages reading the Bible daily and gives a four-year reading plan on biblesavvy.com. I am excited about that!
The author's writing style made me feel like he was a friend who was sitting down and explaining a few things to me. The personal study/small group questions included along the way were helpful, too, and can also be downloaded at biblesavvy.com. This is a great resource for especially those new to the Christian faith, but as a life-long, totally imperfect follower of Jesus, I learned a lot of great stuff, too.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.
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