There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus changed the world. Even those who are not Christians cannot deny that the life of Jesus continues to change the world as His followers go about doing His good work and sharing His message. As Christians we share Jesus by speaking to people about His life, death and resurrection and by pointing people to the Bible, mostly the New Testament (in evangelistic conversations at least). But the New Testament can seem strange to non-Christians. The way it’s put together with chapters and verses, with subheadings and footnotes, doesn’t make it feel like any other book and so it can seem strange. In comes the Scottish Bible Society.
The Scottish Bible Society (SBC) have put together in partnership with some other people a fascinating New Testament that can help people see the New Testament in a different light. The Bible text hasn’t changed, the SBC are all about getting God’s Word into people’s hands in an accessible way. The Bible text is the NIV (2011) but the order of the books isn’t like a ‘normal’ New Testament would be.
This decision was made because the order of the New Testament, as we would have it in other Bibles, doesn’t necessarily help us understand when those books were written, why they were written and the kind of literature that they are.
In Love, Death & Resurrection the New Testament is split into four sections, each beginning with a Gospel (apart from Revelation which stand alone). This structure is designed to help you see the progression of thought of some Bible authors and to see how different books of the New Testament relate to the different Gospels and how they all point to Jesus with slightly different perspectives.
I think that this book would be great for a non-Christian or a new Christian to read, due to it’s lay out it reads like a normal book which I find helpful. I think it would also be helpful for Christians who are trying to read through the New Testament in an uninterrupted way. When Christian read the Bible we might stick to reading a chapter a day, or even preachers might preach one chapter on a Sunday. But the chapters and verses numbers are not Divinely inspired and aren’t always int he most helpful place, this book can get around that and help you read the New Testament uninterruptedly and without being ‘stopped’ by the end of a chapter.
I’d love for you to heads here and buy two copies of the book, one for yourself in your own daily Bible reading and the second fro a non-Christian friend or family member. Ask someone to read it together with you as you journey through the story that is all about Jesus and see how his life, death and resurrection is the message that will transform their lives.
Chalmers' Blog 