Mark L. Strauss - CSB Heart of God Teen Study Bible

CSB Heart of God Teen Study Bible 2019 by Baker Publishing Group Textnotes 2019 by Baker Publishing Group Christian Standard Bible copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, introductions, outlines, study notes, articles, definitions, charts, tables, and captions are Baker Publishing Group: No part of these materials may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. The text of the Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1,000) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 50 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234.

When the Christian Standard Bible is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Ebook edition created 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. ISBN 978-1-4934-1622-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Interior design by William Overbeeke Contents Bible Study Helps Navigational Listing of Bible Books () The Books of the Old and New Testaments (Numerical and Alphabetical Order) Italics indicate New Testament books. Introduction to the Heart of God Teen Study Bible T he Bible is an amazing book.

In fact, it is not a single book; it is a library, a remarkable array of different kinds of literature: historical narrative, laws and commandments, prophetic oracles, songs and poetry, wisdom and reflections on life, letters to churches and friends. This is great literature and the best-selling book of all time! Yet the most important thing about the Bible is not that it is great literature. It is that it is Gods Word his message to us as human beings. God speaks to us today through its pages. This, however, raises a difficult question. These stories, laws, prophecies, and so forth, were written long ago to people far removed from us in time and place.

How does the message given to them become a message for us? The answer to this question is that by reading the Bible we come to know the God of the Bible. Every passage in the Bible, no matter its literary form, circumstances, or original audience, tells us something about who God is (his nature and attributes), who we are as those created in his image, and what Gods purpose is for us and for the world. By reading it, we learn to discern his heart. For example, at the beginning of the Bible we learn that God created the heavens and the earth, a perfect world. He created human beings as the pinnacle of his creation to be in relationship with himself. He gave them meaningful work to do in taking care of this world.

But human beings rejected his authority and rebelled against him. They became alienated from their Creator. God therefore set in motion a plan to bring his children back into a right relationship with him. This is the story of the Bible in a nutshell. It is our loving Creators plan to reconcile the world to himself. Although not every passage in the Bible was written to you, every passage reflects the heart of Godhis nature, purpose, and plan to bring us back to him.

By reading this book, we get to know his heart and begin to think in line with his purpose. This is the goal of the Heart of God Teen Study Bible: to provide you with the tools to get to know God through his Word, so that you can learn to discern his heart in the constantly changing circumstances of life. The design of this study Bible is meant to help you reach this goal. Every book in the Bible has an introduction that speaks about the heart of God in that book and gives you information about the author, audience, time, place, purpose, and context in Scripture. This will help to orient you to the many historical circumstances in which the Bible was written. The Bible is then broken down into short reading sections, generally about one chapter long.

With this structure, you can start anywhere and find a reading for that day (though I would encourage you to read the introduction to the book youre reading first). These individual sections each begin with a Setting the Stage summary, which introduces what you will be reading and its function in the larger story of that book or letter. At the end of each reading unit, there is a Seeing the Heart of God section, which draws out the theological implications of the passage and helps you to apply its truths to your life. Several questions (between 1 and 3) are then provided. These questions help you discern the implications of the passage and make personal application. These questions can also be used for a small group Bible study on the passage.

In addition to breaking the Bible up into short reading units, the Heart of God Teen Study Bible also includes these features: Biographical Snapshots profile people in the Bible. Throughout history God has worked through a great variety of peoplepeople like you and me. These individuals often had insecurities, weaknesses, and struggles; at times they failed. Yet God used them to accomplish his purpose. A key principle throughout the Bible is that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. These Biographical Snapshots highlight some of the key characters of the Bible, both those God used as well as those who opposed Gods purposes and suffered the consequences.

Behind the Scenes sidebars provide key background information about Bible times. The Bible was written in a variety of cultures, times, and places. Many customs and social practices are confusing or unknown to us today. These Behind the Scenes sidebars introduce historical, cultural, social, geographical, political, and religious background to help you better understand the text. Big Question sidebars consider some of the hard questions and difficulties found in the Bible. For example, why would God command the killing of men, women, children, and even animals in the conquest of a city? Its hard to understand, and this Bible addresses the big questions.