Making Sense of the Bible: A Study of 10 Key Themes Traced Through the Scriptures

Making Sense of the Bible examines the Bible as a literary work of art and reveals the threads that form the thematic tapestry spanning Old and New Testaments. It considers ten main themes, including creation, covenant, idolatry, messianic hope, and salvation. With this book, the Bible will no longer be a jumble of unrelated books, promises, and exhortations, but a collective, cohesive, and more meaningful masterpiece for any reader who wishes to explore its full breadth and depth.

“Most people probably have a copy of the Bible in their homes, some hold one in their hands each week at church—and perhaps even attend a Bible study—but not everyone sees or appreciates the great beauty and intricate composition of the Bible,” writes author Drake Williams. “The Bible, as a great work of art, deserves to be considered in unity.”

Combining first-rate scholarship with easy-to-understand language, Making Sense of the Bible examines the Bible as a literary work of art and reveals ten key threads that form the thematic tapestry spanning Old and New Testaments. With this book, the Bible will no longer be a jumble of unrelated books, promises, and exhortations, but a collective, cohesive, and more meaningful masterpiece to any reader who wishes to explore its full breadth and depth.

“Drake Williams has produced a highly readable and simply presented exposition of some of the major theological themes that run through the Bible. It provides an excellent way for lay Christians to grasp the teaching of the Bible as a whole. People who find the Bible hard to understand will welcome this introductory study.”

—I. Howard Marshall
Emeritus Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Honorary
Research Professor
University of Aberdeen

“A solid primer for the Church’s number one priority as we enter the new millennium: to recover the basic message of the Scriptures as one message from one book. Serious students of the Scriptures inside the church and classroom will find this summary of the basic themes of the Bible to be a reliable guide for beginning to read the Word for themselves.”

—Scott J. Hafemann, Dr.theol.
Mary F. Rockefeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“Drake Williams very readably traces some crucial themes through Scripture, underlining the wonderful continuity of God’s Word through history.”

—Craig S. Keener
Professor of New Testament
Palmer Theological Seminary

H. H. Drake Williams III (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) has served the church in college ministry, as a pastor, and in overseas missions and education. Dr. Williams is Assistant Professor of Greek Studies (First and Second Centuries AD) and Related Topics at Tyndale Theological Seminary near Amsterdam, the Netherlands.