Pick a book
Who wrote it, who it was for, and what was going on in history.
Ruth
God's quiet faithfulness, working through ordinary people in a chaotic age, including a foreigner who became part of the story.
Matthew
Jesus as the king Israel was waiting for, told for readers who knew Israel's Scriptures well.
Mark
The shortest Gospel, told at a run: Jesus as the Son of God who serves and suffers, and the disciples who struggle to follow.
Luke
The most orderly Gospel: Jesus as Savior for everyone, with a special eye on the poor, outsiders, women, and the lost.
John
The Gospel of signs and "I am": Jesus as the Word made flesh, who gives life to those who believe.
Acts
The story of the first Christians: the risen Jesus' good news travels from Jerusalem to Rome, carried by the Spirit and by people like Peter and Paul.
Romans
Paul's most careful letter: how God puts the world right through Jesus, for Jews and Gentiles alike.
1 Corinthians
Paul answers a divided, gifted, and troubled church in a bustling Greek port city.
2 Corinthians
Paul's most personal letter: weakness, comfort, reconciliation, and a ministry questioned.
Galatians
Paul's fiery letter: the gospel is free grace, and Gentiles don't have to become Jews to belong.
Ephesians
God's plan from before the world began: one new people in Christ, and how to live it out.
Philippians
A joyful letter from prison: Christ's humility, shared partnership, and contentment in every circumstance.