30 Days to Understanding the Bible, 30th Anniversary - by Max Anders (Paperback)

I am a lover of reading for pleasure and knowledge and I like to read many different genres in both fiction and non-fiction. I was especially excited to see that a new launch team was being formed for Max Anders’s newly revised book of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible and I realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about God's Word. I wasn't wrong and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this 30th anniversary expanded edition! At the beginning the author says "...if you want to understand the Bible, you must first learn how the Bible is put together". In the next 381 pages he shares his extensive knowledge of just how it was put together! He has included seven sections devoted to The Story of the Old Testament--The Story of the New Testament--Ten Great Doctrines of the Bible--NanoSummary of the Bible--How to Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You--Teaching Plan and the added Bonus Chapters. At the end of each section there is a summary and a self-test that allows readers to determine just what they have learned and retained. I was thrilled to learn more about the geography and history of both the Old and New Testaments and I especially liked the NanoSummary of the Bible and the Teaching Plan. Anders has written a book that is both comprehensive and easy to understand and I believe that this will be a wonderful resource for my own personal Bible study and in teaching the teens in our church. I certainly recommend it for anyone wishing to expand their knowledge of the Holy Bible. I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson but a positive review was not required. These are my honest opinions and I was not financially compensated in any way.

A good friend gave me the original edition of this book 30 years ago. I was a new Christian with no church background and very little understanding of the Bible. Though I was only 16 at the time, the book gave me a memorable framework for understanding the storyline of the Bible and the main subjects in Christian theology. This framework has served me well through college, seminary, and 20 years of pastoral ministry. I have never found anything else like it, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this new version to review. I highly recommend it.

30 Days to Understanding the Bible, by Max Anders, is the 30th-anniversary reprint of a wonderful resource for a fairly quick and yet insightful overview of the Bible. The book is laid out into 30 chapters within 3 sections, intending that each chapter, in a workbook-like format, is a daily read, with a self-check quiz at the end to reinforce the given knowledge. I definitely like the self-check quizzes as one learns better using a number of senses so not just reading but writing out answers helps me to learn the information. Embedded in the text are tables, timelines, charts, and maps that help clarify the information. The third section of chapters cover 10 great doctrines of the Bible and speak to things such as the Holy Spirit, Christ, Angels, Sin, and Salvation, to name a few. These are presented from a conservative point of view, are scripture based and with down-to-earth examples. Such as his reference to sin-- Anders comments we humans are a bit like pigs! "The smell of sin doesn't seem so bad to us. We don't even notice it a lot. But to God, it smells like a thousand pigs were kept in His living room for the winter." Or another example of helping to clarify: "Look at the state of Texas on a map and imagine the city of Dallas beginning to move on the map, and you get an idea of the magnitude of the exodus." There are bonus chapters at the end of the book that cover several other related subjects such as the Parables, the Miracles and the Resurrection of Jesus as well as a comparison of the four gospels and the different literary forms in the Bible. Included also is a Teaching Plan for those individuals who would choose to use the book in a Bible study setting or as a resource for mentoring new believers. The book is concise and yet is full of geographical, historical and character related information and puts the Bible into a framework that new believers and even those well-versed in the Bible, can understand the full overview of God's Word and Christian theology. This is a book I will definitely be recommending when people ask me about a resource to learn about the Bible. I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

This book is a must read for those new to the Christian faith, those mature in their faith, and those who are just curious about life. I loved the repetition format and the included fill-in-the-blank segments throughout the entire book. After reading this, I feel more confident in my understanding of the Scriptures and also my ability to share this knowledge. I would highly recommend this book. I was given and advanced readers copy to read and review. All opinions are of my own accord.