Does the Bible seem difficult to understand? Have you switched to a modern translation to make it easier? Literary devices such as hyperbole and apocalyptic language appear frequently and may limit our understanding more than the translation. Most of the Bible is expressed in terms of covenant, an important concept that is also not well understood and which is seldom explained by our churches. If we fail to understand such concepts, we will be unlikely to fully appreciate the entire Bible.
Those who would applaud our difficulty and would like to dismantle our belief system entirely may have attempted to discredit early Genesis more than any other portion of scripture. If Genesis 1:1 is not true, where does that leave the rest of the Bible? Did Jesus actually die for my sins? Is God, himself, a myth? If apparent conflicts go unresolved, it becomes easier to question the relevance of the entire Bible. The resolution of much of the difficulty lies in gaining an understanding of covenant creation.
If you have ever thought that the Bible is full of errors, think again. It was not written to people in the culture of the 21st century western world. It was written to a people who lived 2,000 or more years ago in a culture which had a different way of thinking, of using words, and even numbers. I hope to show that the Bible is highly accurate and relevant for today's reader. To understand it the way the original hearers would have, we must get inside the mind of the ancient near easterner. This book attempts to bring the Bible into focus for today. It is not necessary to change its teaching or to alter doctrine. However, gaining an understanding for today requires a new way of looking at it. I hope to make that possible for you, today's 21st century western reader.