Knowing the Bible Series

About the Series

The Knowing the Bible series is a line of Bible studies designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God’s Word.

Each 12-week study covers one book of the Bible over 12 weeks, making practical applications and connections between the passage and the rest of Scripture.

The series is edited by theologian J. I. Packer, and includes contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders. Perfect for both small groups and individuals, these gospel-centered studies will help you see and cherish the message of God’s grace on each and every page of the Bible.

Each study includes:

  • Reflection Questions designed to help you engage the text at a deeper level
  • Gospel Glimpses highlighting the gospel of grace throughout the book
  • Whole-Bible Connections showing how a passage connects to the Bible’s overarching story of redemption culminating in Christ
  • Theological Soundings identifying how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture

Download a free sample of the complete study on the Gospel of Mark today!

Endorsements

“This Knowing the Bible series is a tremendous resource for those wanting to study and teach the Bible with an understanding of how the gospel is woven throughout Scripture. Here are gospel-minded pastors, scholars, and leaders doing gospel business from all the scriptures—this is a biblical and theological feast preparing God’s people to apply the entire Bible to all of life with heart and mind wholly committed to Christ’s priorities.”
Bryan Chapell, Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Peoria, Illinois

“Mark Twain may have smiled when he wrote to a friend, 'I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long letter.' But the truth of Twain’s remark remains serious and universal, because well-reasoned, compact writing requires extra time and extra hard work. And this is what we have in the Crossway Bible study series Knowing the Bible—as the skilled authors and notable editors provide the contours of each book of the Bible as well as the grand theological themes that bind them together as one Book. Here, in a 12-week format, are carefully wrought studies that will ignite the mind and the heart.”
R. Kent Hughes, Author, Disciplines of a Godly Man; John Boyer Chair of Evangelism and Culture and Professor of Practical Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

“Knowing the Bible brings together a gifted team of Bible teachers to produce a high quality series of study guides. The coordinated focus of these materials is unique: biblical content, provocative questions, systematic theology, practical application, and the gospel story of God’s grace presented all the way through Scripture.”
Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

“These Knowing the Bible volumes introduce a significant and very welcome variation on the general run of inductive Bible studies. Such series often provide questions with little guidance, leaving students to their own devices. They thus tend to overlook the role of teaching in the church. By contrast, Knowing the Bible avoids the problem by providing substantial instruction with the questions. Knowing the Bible then goes even further by showing how any given passage connects with the gospel, the whole Bible, and Christian theology. I heartily endorse this orientation of individual books to the whole Bible and the gospel, and I applaud the demonstration that sound theology was not something invented later by Christians, but is right there in the pages of Scripture.”
Graeme Goldsworthy, Visiting lecturer in Hermeneutics, Moore Theological College; author, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture

“What a gift to earnest, Bible-loving, Bible-searching believers! The organization and structure of the Bible study format presented through the Knowing the Bible series is so well conceived. Students of the Word are led to understand the content of passages through perceptive, guided questions, and they are given rich insights and application all along the way in the brief but illuminating sections that conclude each study. What potential growth in depth and breadth of understanding these studies offer. One can only pray that vast numbers of believers will discover more of God and the beauty of his Word through these rich studies.”
Bruce A. Ware, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Books in the Series

Genesis

Mitchell M. Kim

Pastor Mitchell Kim leads readers through the first book of the Bible, uncovering the meaning of the text while exploring important applications for everyday life.

Exodus

Matthew Newkirk

Featuring reflection questions and various other helps, this 12-week study leads readers through the book of Exodus, emphasizing God’s faithfulness and mercy in the midst of human rebellion.

Leviticus

Michael LeFebvre

This accessible 12-week study through the book of Leviticus explores how the rituals of the Old Testament point to Christ’s saving work of atonement at the cross.

Numbers

Michael LeFebvre

Showing how the book of Numbers displays the steadfast commitment of God, LeFebvre provides readers with rich insights and lessons from this account of the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy

Matthew H. Patton

This study through Deuteronomy recounts as Moses calls Israel to faithful obedience while remembering the past faithfulness of God—pointing to the grace of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Joshua

Trent Hunter

Connecting the story of Joshua to God’s larger promises, pastor Trent Hunter offers readers rich insights into the book’s overarching story of salvation and helps them apply its message to their lives today.

Judges

Miles V. Van Pelt

This accessible study guide reveals how the unfaithfulness of Israel under the leadership of judges pointed to the need for a faithful King who would rule the people in righteousness.

Ruth and Esther

Kathleen Nielson

Exploring two of the most memorable stories in the Bible, this 12-week study highlights the love and faithfulness of God displayed in the books of Ruth and Esther.

1–2 Samuel

Ryan Kelly

This 12-week study guide highlights God’s continued care for his people by providing for them a king, part of God’s enduring covenant with David leading to the King Jesus Christ.

1–2 Kings

Gavin Ortlund

This accessible study guide helps readers see God’s mercy and grace toward his people as he offers blessings instead of curses in response to their disobedience—pointing forward to the faithfulness of the Redeemer who was to come. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

1–2 Chronicles

James Duguid

This accessible study walks readers through the books of 1–2 Chronicles over the course of twelve weeks, helping them see the mercy of God in always bringing his people back to himself. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Ezra and Nehemiah

Kathleen Nielson

In this 12-week study, Kathleen Nielson shows readers God’s mercy and faithfulness demonstrated in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, encouraging Christians toward sincere repentance and persevering hope.

Job

Eric Ortlund

This 12-week study invites us to take an honest look at the agony and pain experienced by Job, which are immediately relevant in many ways to the suffering we all experience while on earth.

Psalms

Douglas Sean O'Donnell

Designed for individuals and small groups alike, this 12-week study through the Psalms explores their ability to transform our emotions and incline our hearts toward worship.

Proverbs

Lydia Brownback

In this 12-week study, author Lydia Brownback leads readers through the book of Proverbs, uncovering its wisdom for godly living that both glorifies God and leads to blessing for his people.

Ecclesiastes

Justin S. Holcomb

This study through Ecclesiastes helps Christians understand the necessity of fearing God in a fallen and frustrating world, pointing us to God’s mission to restore creation from the curse through the power of the gospel.

Song of Solomon

Jay Harvey

This 12-week study highlights the practical wisdom embedded in the Song of Solomon and celebrates the beauty of marriage as a reflection of God’s love for his people. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Isaiah

Drew Hunter

Pastor Drew Hunter helps readers grasp the message of Isaiah, a prophetic book about the God who saves his people from their sins.

Jeremiah

Matthew S. Harmon

This 12-week study walks readers through Jeremiah’s prophecies, showing how the judgment proclaimed in the book of Jeremiah serves as a backdrop for the beauty of God’s promised salvation through Jesus Christ.

Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah

Camden Bucey

This study leads readers through three books of prophecy, pointing to God's mercy and sovereign control that will lead to eternal blessing for those who turn to him in faith.

Ezekiel

Michael Lawrence

This study walks readers through the prophecies of Ezekiel, pointing them to the promises of God to restore his people so they display his glory to the nations.

Daniel

Todd Wilson

This 12-week study leads readers through the book of Daniel, highlighting God’s reign over all the earth as the sovereign Lord of history.

Hosea

Lydia Brownback

Highlighting God’s faithfulness to his people, this 12-week study through the book of Hosea points readers to the symbolic nature of Hosea’s relationship with his unfaithful wife, revealing God’s redemptive purposes in Christ.

Joel, Amos, and Obadiah

Kristofer Holroyd

In 12 weeks, this study will help readers see how the justice and mercy of God seen in 3 prophetic books lead to assurance of a glorious restoration.

Jonah, Micah, and Nahum

Kristofer Holroyd

In 12 weeks, this study guides readers through 3 prophetic books to see the goodness, mercy, and faithfulness of the Lord, the deliverer and protector of all who trust in him.

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

Stephen M. Coleman

Through this 12-week study, readers will see the centrality of the temple as a picture of God restoring his presence with his people—and as a foretaste of the promised Messiah who would come to bring God's presence to his people forever.

Matthew

Drew Hunter

In this 12-week study, pastor Drew Hunter leads readers through the Gospel of Matthew, helping them come face to face with Jesus Christ, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

Mark

Dane Ortlund

This study of the Gospel of Mark helps readers understand what vibrant faith and authentic discipleship looks like for those who follow a rejected king.

Luke

C. D. "Jimmy" Agan III

This 12-week study walks readers through the Gospel of Luke, showing how the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are just as relevant and important today as they were two thousand years ago.

John

Justin Buzzard

In this study of John’s Gospel, pastor and author Justin Buzzard helps readers understand the most theologically and philosophically profound account of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection in the New Testament.

Acts

Justin S. Holcomb

Designed for individuals and small groups alike, this 12-week study through the book of Acts explores the history of the early church after Christ’s ascension.

Romans

Jared C. Wilson

Plumbing the depths of the book of Romans, Wilson explains the biblical text with clarity and passion, helping readers see the history of salvation and the glories of the cross of Christ.

1 Corinthians

Jay S. Thomas

This 12-week study leads readers through the book of 1 Corinthians, highlighting how the gospel of Jesus Christ replaces pride with love and unites Christians to God and to each other.

2 Corinthians

Dane Ortlund

In this 12-week study, Dane C. Ortlund guides readers through Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, showing readers the glory of a gospel that humbles the powerful while strengthening the weak.

Galatians

Geoff Ziegler

This 12-week study leads readers through the book of Galatians, highlighting how the gospel gives Christians a new identity as adopted sons and daughters of God.

Ephesians

Eric C. Redmond

In this 12-week study through the book of Ephesians, Eric Redmond opens our eyes to Paul’s teaching about the astonishing grace of God that enables us to walk in love, holiness, and wisdom.

Philippians

Ryan Kelly

In this 12-week study, pastor Ryan Kelly helps readers embrace and apply Paul’s message in his letter to the Philippians, encouraging them to endure hardships as faithful citizens of Christ’s kingdom.

Colossians and Philemon

Christopher A. Beetham

This 12-week study walks readers through two Pauline letters that highlight the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it informs Christians’ relationships with one another.

1–2 Thessalonians

Matt Smethurst

Connecting Paul's letters to the Thessalonians to Christians today, this study encourages readers with reassurance and hope as they pursue lives of holiness and love in anticipation of Christ's return.

1–2 Timothy and Titus

Brian J. Tabb

This study shows how the books of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus exhort all Christians to pass on the true gospel of Jesus Christ, which has the power to save sinners.

Hebrews

Matthew Z. Capps

This 12-week study will help readers understand and appreciate how the book of Hebrews testifies to Christ’s supremacy through imagery, metaphor, and Old Testament analogy.

James

Greg Gilbert

Through clear exposition and application questions, Gilbert helps us rightly understand the book of James, which was written to fortify the connection between genuine faith and heartfelt obedience.

1–2 Peter and Jude

Jonathan K. Dodson

This study looks at the letters written by Peter and Jude to churches, encouraging them to persevere in the midst of trials and look ahead to the return of Christ.

1–3 John

Michael LeFebvre

Over the course of 12 weeks, this study will help readers understand the practical wisdom found in 1–3 John regarding what it looks like to follow Jesus and walk according to his commandments.

Revelation

Stephen Witmer

Written for those who want to understand the book of Revelation, this 12-week study helps Christians see that Jesus has already defeated his enemies and freed Christians from their bondage to Satan, sin, and death.


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