Bob Young Livres

This guide is not intended to take the place of your own Bible reading and study but is intended to provide insights and suggestions as you read the Bible, and to be a resource that will help you check your understanding. You are encouraged to use this guide and your own Bible side by side. Some sections of this guide may be difficult to understand unless one can identify the specific part of the text that is being described or explained. No specific translation of the biblical text is included in this guide. Two goals influenced the decision not to include a translation of the biblical text. First, it is hoped that you will be encouraged to use your own study Bible. Second, these notes are designed to be helpful in biblical study regardless of the version the reader may prefer for personal Bible study. My primary purpose is to make it easier for you the reader and student to analyze and understand the text. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible and you cannot simply follow what a favorite preacher or commentator says. Often the study notes for a chapter or subsection of a chapter are followed by a brief summary of the content, focusing on the message.

I wrote these guides with multiple readers in mind. Preachers and Bible class teachers will find a fresh study of the text helpful; Christians in the pews with an interest in the message of the Bible will be helped by the textual jewels and the textual summaries that are included. These guides are not designed to replace your Bible but to help you read and under-stand your own personal Bible. May God bless you in your de-sire and your efforts to understand and apply his Word!

Hebrews is one of the great literary masterpieces of the New Testament. Some of the problems we encounter in understanding the book may come from our tendency to put New Testament teaching into Pauline "pigeonholes." Hebrews is not a doctrinal statement concerning God's method of justification; it is rather an admonition to faithfulness in the face of difficult, threatening circumstances. It was not written to Christians in general, but was written to a specific group of Christians who were struggling with questions about integrating two religious systems-how, why, is it necessary, why cannot we return to the previous system? A great challenge in the study of Hebrews is to understand what are the contemporary parallels and applications for Christians today.

General Letters is a common description of the seven short letters than immediately follow Hebrews in our English Bibles. These seven letters have only 21 chapters-James has five chapters, 1 Peter has five chapters, 2 Peter has three chapters, 1 John has five chapters, and the books of 2 John, 3 John, and Jude are so brief that they are not divided into chapters. They are usually described as one-chapter books. By volume, the General Letters make up approximately 7% of the New Testament. The designation as General Letters is an apt description in the sense that the letters are not addressed to specific churches or individuals. The exceptions are 2 John and 3 John, both of which appear to be addressed to specific indi-viduals. The book of 1 John does not mention the recipients and does not have the typical characteristics of a first-century letter. Two prominent themes in the General Letters are suffer-ing and heresies.