🕰️ Estimated Teaching Time: 45-60 mins
📖 Self-Guided Reading Time: 22-30 minutes
Opening Prayer
“Dear Lord and Father,
Come and be our guest and teacher today.
Graciously bless us with your never ending Love and Divine Wisdom.
Help us further our search for Truth and Understanding in your written word.
Lead us, Guide us, and help us so that we can better understand how to do thy Will.
We have Faith in your Grace and almighty Power.
Thank you Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for your Spiritual light.
In Jesus name, AMEN!”
Introduction You’re about to begin a journey through the most important story ever told—a story written across centuries, spoken through prophets, sung in psalms, and fulfilled in a man named Jesus. In this series, you’ll learn how to read the Bible with confidence and clarity. We won’t just start at the beginning or the end—we’ll move through the whole book as one living story. Sometimes you may find yourself flipping between chapters and testaments, but every step will help build a stronger, clearer foundation.
Christianity is introduced in the New Testament, but it is rooted in the Old. One explains the other. Rather than studying them in isolation, we’ll explore how the whole Bible connects—how promises made long ago are fulfilled in Christ, and how understanding the past brings the present to life.
Christianity is not just a set of rules or rituals—it’s a relationship. At its heart, it’s the story of a God who created us for love, who saw us wander, and who came to bring us home. The Bible is more than an ancient book; it’s a message of redemption woven through history, poetry, law, and prophecy. It tells the truth about who God is, who we are, and how the brokenness between us can be healed. To understand Christianity is to explore this story—not as outsiders peering in, but as people being invited in.
1. Creation: The World God Meant It to Be
Before anything was broken, lost, or complicated—there was beauty, peace, and love. Christianity begins with a vision of wholeness: a good God creating a good world. This isn’t just a story about the past; it’s a window into what God is like, what He wants for the world, and why we matter.
As you read, you’ll see that the Bible doesn't begin with rules or religion—it begins with relationship. God created people not as pawns, but as image-bearers: reflections of His heart, made for joy, for creativity, and for deep connection with Him and each other.
So take a breath. This is where it all begins.
📖 Open Your Bible to Genesis 1–2
You can read directly from your own Bible, or follow along below. We’ll read key sections from Genesis 1 and 2 in the New King James Version (NKJV) and then pause to reflect.
Genesis 1:1–5 (NKJV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Pause and Reflect:
In just a few lines, we meet a powerful and creative God who speaks light into existence. He brings order where there was none, and calls the light good. Notice that God creates by speaking—His Word carries power. And even before humanity enters the scene, we already see beauty, light, and a God who sees and delights in what He has made.
📖 Continue to read Genesis 1:6-31 on your own.
✨ The Days of Creation
As you read Genesis 1, here is a simple list of what God created on each day:
Day 1 – Light
God separated light from darkness and named them Day and Night.
Day 2 – Sky and Waters
God made the expanse (sky) and separated the waters above from the waters below.
Day 3 – Land, Seas, and Plants
God gathered the waters into seas, revealed dry land, and caused vegetation to grow.
Day 4 – Sun, Moon, and Stars
God placed lights in the sky to govern day and night and mark seasons and time.
Day 5 – Sea Creatures and Birds
God filled the oceans and skies with life and blessed them to multiply.
Day 6 – Land Animals and Humans
God made all living creatures on land, and then created humanity in His own image.
Day 7 – Rest
God rested, blessed the seventh day, and made it holy—a rhythm of work and worship.
Genesis 1:26–31 (NKJV)
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Pause and Reflect:This is where humanity’s story begins—not in shame, but in dignity. God made people in His image: thoughtful, creative, relational, and spiritual. He gave them responsibility—to care for creation—and He blessed them. Male and female are both made in His likeness. And He doesn’t just call creation good anymore—He calls it very good.
This means that from the beginning, we were designed not for guilt or confusion, but for purpose, joy, and love. Our identity isn't something we earn—it’s something given. We are image-bearers of God.
Genesis 2:7–9, 15–18, 21–25 (NKJV)
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” …So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones. And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Pause and Reflect:
It's a love story; not about Adam and Eve, but God. The only reason God gave man a mate, is because He didn't want him to be alone. "It's not good for man to be alone. (Gen 2:18)" The helpmeet wasn't enough (Gen 18-19, & 20). God didn’t just create people—He formed them, breathed into them, and placed them in a garden designed for delight and peace. Work existed, but it was joyful. Relationship existed, but it was untainted. There was no shame, no striving—only unity, beauty, and trust. Marriage was born in this setting of peace, as a picture of deep connection and companionship. Every part of this world reflects the goodness of God’s original design.
Key Takeaways
You were created on purpose, not by accident.
You were made in God’s image—with value, creativity, and capacity for love.
God’s original world was free from shame, filled with peace, and built on relationship.
Psalm 8 – Awe in the Creator’s Design (NKJV)
O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants. You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen—Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air,And the fish of the sea. That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Pause and Reflect:
Psalm 8 is a song of wonder. It reminds us that God, who created galaxies and starlight, also cares for you. Even in the vastness of the universe, He chose humanity to wear crowns of glory and walk with purpose. This psalm echoes everything we’ve seen in Genesis: that we were made with intention, that the world was entrusted to our care, and that God’s name is written in creation itself. But something has changed since that beauty. We no longer live in the garden. The world aches. Our hearts wander.
So the next part of the story begins—not with God's failure, but with ours.
The Break in the Story: What Went Wrong
In this part, we turn the page from beauty to brokenness.
In Genesis 3, we encounter one of the most important chapters in the Bible. It tells the story of how sin first entered the world—not as a violent act, but as a quiet turning away from trust in God. Everything that went wrong with the world—pain, fear, shame, death—can be traced back to what happens here. This chapter is not just ancient history. It’s the mirror of the human condition. It helps us understand why the world feels fractured, why our hearts often feel restless, and why we need rescue.
We’ll also read a few verses from Romans 5 to see how this ancient story still affects us today—and how God began writing redemption into the story from the very moment it broke. When you’re ready, open your Bible to Genesis 3, or follow along below in the New King James Version (NKJV).
Genesis 3:1–7 (NKJV)
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Pause and Reflect:
Sin doesn’t begin with violence—it begins with doubt. The serpent plants a question in Eve’s mind: Did God really say...? Then he twists the truth and suggests that God is holding something back. The fruit was beautiful. The desire to “be like God” was appealing. But the moment Adam and Eve chose their own wisdom over God's word, something shattered. Their eyes opened—but instead of becoming powerful, they became ashamed. This is the first break in the story. The trust was severed. And humanity, once unashamed and free, now hides.
Genesis 3:8–13 (NKJV)
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Pause and Reflect:
God comes walking. He doesn’t storm in with fire. He calls with a question: Where are you? This is the heart of God—even in our failure, He seeks us. But now there is fear. Adam hides. Eve blames. Trust is broken not only between people and God, but between each other. Shame has entered the story, and with it, the instinct to cover and run.
But God does not abandon them.
Genesis 3:14–19, 21–24 (NKJV)
So the Lord God said to the serpent:“Because you have done this,You are cursed more than all cattle…And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said…“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.…For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us…Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden…And He placed cherubim… to guard the way to the tree of life.
Pause and Reflect:
There are consequences. Pain enters the world. The ground is cursed. Death becomes a part of the human story. And yet—even in judgment—there is grace. God promises that one day the “Seed” of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. This is the first whisper of the gospel. And though they tried to cover themselves with leaves, God clothes them Himself—showing that even in exile, He cares.
Romans 5:12, 17–19 (NKJV)
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned… For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men…even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Pause and Reflect:
The Fall explains what went wrong with the world—and what goes wrong in us. But it also sets the stage for the greatest act of love: redemption. Adam brought sin, but Christ will bring life. The story isn’t over. God has a plan. The seed has been promised. Hope is already stirring in the soil of sorrow.
Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV)
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Final Reflection:
What began with one choice has become the story of us all. We’ve all taken from that tree in some way. We’ve all doubted God’s goodness, chosen our own path, and felt the ache of separation. Sin isn’t just something that happened—it’s something we live with. The Bible says all have sinned. And it tells us that the human heart, once pure and unashamed, has become tangled and confused—“deceitful above all things.”
But even as the world fell, God whispered a promise. A Rescuer is coming. Someone who will crush the serpent’s head, restore what was lost, and rewrite the story we broke.
This is not the end.
Key Takeaways
Sin began with doubt, not disobedience alone—a break in trust.
The Fall introduced shame, fear, pain, and death—but not without hope.
Even in judgment, God moves with mercy and hints at a coming Savior.
Redemption: God’s Rescue Plan
If the Fall was the breaking point, redemption is the beginning of healing.
God never gave up on humanity. From the moment sin entered the world, He began a rescue plan—not with quick fixes, but with a long, patient pursuit. He chose a people (Israel), gave them His law to reveal what is right, and sent prophets to call them back when they strayed. But all of that was leading somewhere—toward Someone.
Jesus is not a side note in history. He is the center. The whole story points to Him. He came not just to teach or perform miracles, but to take on the sickness of sin itself and carry the weight of the world’s brokenness… including yours.
In this step, we’ll read from Isaiah 53 (a prophetic glimpse of Jesus, written 700 years before His birth), from John 3:16 (His mission in one sentence), and from Romans 5:8 (what that means for you).
Isaiah 53:3–6, 10–11 (NKJV)
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. …Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Pause and Reflect:
These words were written long before Jesus walked the earth—but they describe Him with heartbreaking clarity. He was rejected. He suffered. He took on grief, pain, punishment—not for His own sin, but for ours. Isaiah says “the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” He bore the curse that began in Eden so we could be healed.
This is not a distant myth. This is God's chosen plan of redemption: one Man suffering for many, one life given to bring peace to countless hearts.
John 3:16–17 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Pause and Reflect:
This is the heartbeat of Christianity: “For God so loved…” God gave His Son—not to condemn, but to save. This was always about love. Not a distant, emotionless love, but a costly one. A pursuing one. A love that steps into suffering to bring us out. Jesus did not come to shame you, but to invite you home.
Romans 5:6–8 (NKJV)
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us,in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Pause and Reflect:
God didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up. He loved us while we were still broken. That’s what makes grace so staggering. Jesus didn’t die because we were good. He died because we were lost—and because He loves us too much to leave us that way.
This is redemption: God saw the fall, and instead of turning away, He entered in. He stepped into our mess, wore our shame, and opened the way back to life.
Key Takeaways
Redemption began the moment humanity fell—God never walked away.
The entire Old Testament points to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s rescue plan.
Jesus’ suffering was not an accident, but a willing act of love to restore our hearts.
The cross is where judgment and mercy meet—and love wins.
4. Restoration: The New Heart and New Creation
This is where the story turns full circle—but doesn’t return the same.
God is not just in the business of forgiving sin. He restores what sin damaged. Through Jesus, God offers more than a clean slate—He offers a new heart, a transformed life, and one day, a renewed world.
What was lost in the garden is now being restored through grace. The shame, fear, and separation that entered in Genesis 3 are answered with healing, peace, and belonging. God's Spirit comes to dwell within those who trust Him, and His plan stretches beyond the individual—to the day when all creation will be made new. In this step, we’ll read from Ezekiel 36 (the promise of a new heart), 2 Corinthians 5 (the new creation in Christ), and Revelation 21 (the hope of a restored world).
Ezekiel 36:25–27 (NKJV)
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean;I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes,and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Pause and Reflect:
This is God's promise, not our effort. He doesn’t ask us to fix our hearts—He offers to replace them. Where sin hardened us, His Spirit softens. Where we were numb, He makes us alive. This is the beginning of restoration: not just being forgiven, but being changed—from the inside out.
2 Corinthians 5:17–18 (NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…
Pause and Reflect:
When we come to Jesus, we aren’t just patched up. We’re made new. The past doesn’t define you. Your failures don’t disqualify you. In Christ, the old self dies—and something entirely new begins. Reconciliation means being brought back to the God who made you. You’re no longer far away—you’re home.
Revelation 21:1–5 (NKJV)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,and they shall be His people.God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said,“Behold, I make all things new.”
Pause and Reflect:
This is the ending—and the beginning. Not just the restoration of your heart, but of the whole world. No more tears. No more death. No more separation between God and His people. This is the garden remade. The broken world healed. What we lost in Genesis 3 is fully restored in Revelation 21. And the One who sits on the throne is still speaking: “Behold, I make all things new.”
Key Takeaways
God doesn’t just forgive sin—He transforms the human heart and makes it alive again.
His Spirit lives in believers, guiding and empowering them daily.
One day, the entire world will be renewed, and God will dwell with His people forever.
Conclusion
So, what is the Bible really about? At its core, the Bible tells one great story: the story of God’s love, humanity’s rebellion, and His unstoppable plan to bring us back. It begins with a beautiful world—Creation—where we were made to walk in love, peace, and friendship with God. But that world was broken by sin—The Fall—which introduced pain, shame, and separation from our Creator. Yet the Bible is not a story of defeat. From the very beginning, God promised to redeem us. That promise points to Jesus—our Redemption—who stepped into history to heal what we could not. And it ends with a vision of hope—Restoration—when every wrong will be made right and all things will be made new.
This four-part story—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration—is the lens through which you can read the entire Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, every book fits into this unfolding drama. As you read, you’ll find people who reflect your struggles, prophecies that whisper the name of Jesus, laws that show our need for grace, and letters that teach us how to live as part of God’s restored family. The Bible isn’t a rulebook or a myth—it's a true story that explains the world and invites you into its pages. And now that you know the story’s foundation, soon you will be ready to keep reading—with clarity, wonder, and purpose by the end of this whole course.
In the coming chapters of this workshop, you’ll take one step closer to that clarity and confidence. Each section will build on what you've just learned—introducing you to the people, promises, and patterns that carry this story forward. You’ll begin to see how the Old and New Testaments are not two separate books, but one seamless narrative with Jesus at the center. As the pieces come together, what once felt confusing will begin to shine with meaning. And by the end, you won’t just understand the Bible—you’ll be ready to read it for yourself, from beginning to end, with eyes wide open and a heart eager to hear God speak. This is just the beginning.