The Bible is a collection of 66 books inspired by God that serve as a guide for the life of every believer. Those books were written by more than 40 people over nearly 1,500 years, but they all tell the same story and have the same message. This is so because the true author of the bible is god.
Old Testament
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Genesis – Talks about the creation of the world, sin and its consequences, and God’s covenant with Abram.
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Exodus – Recounts how God freed his people from slavery and led them to the Promised Land.
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Leviticus – Kind of manual with the laws of God for his people.
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Numbers – Contains censuses and laws of God for his people as well as stories about the people’s rebellion.
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Deuteronomy – Reminder of the law and the importance of obeying God.
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Joshua – Tells the story of Joshua as a leader and the people’s entry into the Promised Land.
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Judges – Recounts the life of the town under the leadership of the judges and the effect of the decisions they made.
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Rut – Tells the story of Ruth, a story of love, fidelity and redemption.
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1 Samuel – Tells the life of the prophet Samuel (the last judge) and of Saul and David, the first kings.
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2 Samuel – Focuses on the reign of David and the importance of obeying God.
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1 Kings – Talks about the reign of Solomon and the division of the kingdom.
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2 Kings – Recounts the history of the divided kingdom (Israel and Judah).
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1 Chronicles – Account of the history of the people and the reign of David with emphasis on the genealogies.
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2 Chronicles – Narrates the reign of Solomon and other kings, and the consequences of spiritual decline.
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Ezra – Account of the end of the exile in Babylon and the return of the people of Israel.
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Nehemiah – Talks about Nehemiah’s perseverance in encouraging the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
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Esther – Story of the beautiful Jewish girl, Esther, and how she saved her people from extermination.
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Job – Narrates the sufferings experienced by Job, a righteous and God-fearing man.
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The Psalms – Collection of songs, prayers and poems in praise and worship of God.
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The Proverbs – Book with moral instructions and advice that emphasizes living wisely.
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Ecclesiastes – Talks about vanity and the search for the meaning of life.
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Songs – Book dedicated to the theme of love in all its expression.
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Isaiah – Contains the prophecies of Isaiah and emphasizes that salvation comes only from God.
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Jeremiah – Recounts how God called Jeremiah and God’s call for the people to repent.
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Lamentations – Contains a series of laments over the spiritual decline of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Ezekiel – The book speaks of the calling and ministry of Ezekiel, but above all, it emphasizes the sovereignty of God.
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Daniel – Recounts the life of Daniel and his three friends in exile and highlights the reign of God over all.
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Hosea – Hosea’s relationship with his unfaithful wife serves to show God’s love and faithfulness to his unfaithful people.
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Joel – Warnings about God’s judgment and calls to repentance as a nation.
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Amos – Announces God’s judgment against corruption and sinful life.
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Obadiah – Warns of the punishment that God would bring on Edom.
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Jonah – Account of the missionary call that Jonah received to go to Nineveh and his fight against that call.
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Micah – Speaks of the judgment that God would bring on the rebellious and idolatrous people and the restoration that would follow.
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Nahum – Announces the fall of the Assyrians and the total ruin of Nineveh.
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Habakkuk – Dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God about the mysteries of God and his justice.
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Zephaniah – Announcement of God’s judgment on the nations and of the coming of the day of the Lord.
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Haggai – Exhortation to rebuild the Temple and claims due to disobedience.
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Zechariah – Called the people to awaken spiritually and begin to rebuild the Temple.
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Malachi – Expresses the love and fidelity of God towards Israel, his unfaithful people, and announces the coming of the day of the Lord.
New Testament
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Matthew – Recounts the life of Jesus, the promised Messiah.
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Mark – Account of the life of Jesus, the Servant King, and his sufferings.
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Lucas – Narrates the life of Jesus and presents him as the Savior of all: Jews, Greeks and Gentiles.
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John – Introduces Jesus, the Word made flesh through whom we receive eternal life.
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Acts of the Apostles – Details on the birth and expansion of the Church.
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Romans – Emphasizes salvation and justification for all through faith in Jesus Christ.
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1 Corinthians – Talk about how the Christian’s behavior should be and the importance of holiness.
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2 Corinthians – Paul expresses joy at the outcome of his first letter and urges the Corinthians to remain in the truth.
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Galatians – Emphasizes justification through faith in Christ and the grace of God.
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Ephesians – Talk about the importance of unity in the church and salvation through faith in Jesus.
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Philippians – Emphasizes the importance of gratitude, joy, and presents Jesus as an example of humility.
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Colossians – Exhortation against heresy. It presents Christ as the only one worthy of worship.
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1 Thessalonians – Talks about the hope of the second coming of Christ and the persecution.
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2 Thessalonians – Expresses the importance of standing firm in the faith in the midst of persecution and talks about the second coming of Christ.
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1 Timothy – Advice from Paul to Timothy, warnings against legalism and false teachers.
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2 Timothy – Talk about the importance of persevering in faith in the midst of persecution.
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Titus – Paul’s instructions to Titus on the conduct of leaders in the church and the qualities of a good leader.
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Philemon – Paul’s request to Philemon about Onesimus. Paul emphasizes equality among brothers in the faith.
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Hebrews – Talk about the preeminence of Christ and the importance of faith in Jesus.
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Santiago – Emphasizes that faith must be shown. He talks about the power of the tongue and wisdom.
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1 Peter – Letter on encouragement and strength in faith in the midst of persecution.
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2 Peter – Warning about false teachers in the church and a call to persevere in the faith.
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1 John – Warns against false teachers and emphasizes the importance of obeying God.
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2 John – Exposes heresy and false teachers in the church and encourages growth in discernment.
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3 John – Talk about hospitality and Christian service.
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Judas – Warns against immorality, false teachers and debauchery.
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Apocalypse – Contains the revelation of the end times.
The order of the books
The books of the Bible are grouped according to their gender (historical books, apostolic letters, etc.). The two main sections into which the Bible is divided are the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The reality is that the two Testaments are related to each other. The Old Testament, which contains 39 books and is known among the Jews as the tanakh, narrates the origin of humanity and its history before Jesus was born. In the Old Testament we find specific prophecies regarding the people of Israel and Jesus.
The books of the Old Testament are classified into 4 groups: the Pentateuch (from Genesis to Deuteronomy), the historical books (from Joshua to Esther), the books of wisdom and poetry (from Job to Song of Songs) and the prophetic books (from Isaiah to Malachi).
The New Will (27 books) begins with the birth of Jesus. It talks about the fulfillment of some of the Old Testament prophecies, the birth of the Church and ends with prophecies about the end times.
The New Testament is divided into four sections: the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the historical book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostolic Letters (from Romans to Judas) and a prophetic book about the end times, Revelation.
Genesis
1st book of the Pentateuch
Main topic: The word “genesis” means beginning or beginning, and that is the subject of the first book of the Old Testament. It narrates the beginning of all creation and of humanity, of God’s relationship with everything created and that of man’s separation from God due to sin.
Other relevant topics:
- The eternity of God and his infinite power.
- Sin and its consequences: the separation it causes between man and God, and the steps God took to restore his friendship with humanity and redeem it. In the book you can see the way in which sin also affected the relationship of human beings with each other.
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The story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- The great love of God for all humanity, and specifically, for his chosen people.
- God’s covenant with the Israelites and the history of that people.
Exodus
2nd book of the Pentateuch
Main topic: The oppression of the people of Israel in Egypt, their liberation and their departure or exodus to the promised Land.
Other relevant topics:
- The great power of God over nature, over rulers, over history and over all humanity.
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The ten commandments, other laws and legislation. The importance of discipline and obedience to God.
- The contrast between God’s faithful and constant provision to the people of Israel and the human inclination to complain and murmur.
- The holiness and zeal of God.
Levitical
3rd book of the Pentateuch
Main topic: The laws and regulations for worship and praise in the tabernacle as well as other laws for daily living that the Israelites were required to obey.
Other relevant topics:
- The holiness of God and the need for holiness or cleanliness of man to be able to approach him.
- Annual festivals to be celebrated: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
- Blessings for those who obey God’s commandments and curses for those who ignore them.
Numbers
4th book of the Pentateuch
Main topic: The censuses of the people as they prepared for the journey to Canaan. The censuses would facilitate the assignment of tasks and the organization of defense against enemies.
Other relevant topics:
- The serious consequences of rebellion and lack of faith. In the case of the people of Israel, these affected an entire generation that wandered in the desert for forty years and failed to enter the Promised Land.
- The intense spiritual warfare in the heart of man that leads him to forget or ignore the blessings received from God.
- The great power of God, his provision and care for those who obey him and act faithfully.
Deuteronomy
5th book of the Pentateuch
Main topic: In this book the Law is repeated. A copy of it is presented as a reminder for the new generation, the people who finally entered the Promised Land.
Other relevant topics:
- The importance of to remember the law, the covenant, the history of the people, all the wonders that God had done for them and the consequences of their sins.
- The freedom of choice that God gives us along with the blessings for obedience and the consequences of disobedience.
- The book presents a collection of sermons or exhortations of Moses to the people and an account of the final moments of the life of…