Welcome to the Bible Orientation Guide
Welcome to Solomon Christian Academy.
You may be here as a new Christian who wants to understand the Bible better. You may have believed in God for many years but never had anyone show you how the Bible is organized or how to study it for yourself. Or you may not yet consider yourself a Christian at all.
Perhaps you are simply looking for answers to questions about God, purpose, truth, and what your life ultimately means.
A person can have a good job, a family, friends, possessions, plans for the future, and a life that appears perfectly successful from the outside—and still have the persistent sense that something important is missing. There may be questions beneath the surface that success, entertainment, money, or ordinary daily life have never quite answered.
Why am I here?
Does my life have a purpose beyond simply living it?
Is there really a God?
If there is, can He be known?
And what does Jesus Christ have to do with any of this?
Solomon Christian Academy was created for people willing to take questions like these seriously.
The Academy is not intended to imitate a seminary, Bible college, or university. It is something much more basic: a beginning.
Our hope is that this course will give you a strong foundation for what can become a lifetime of learning, questioning, understanding, and growing in your knowledge of Jesus Christ.
And that journey begins with the Bible.
Why This Orientation Exists
If you have not spent much time with the Bible, opening one for the first time can be confusing.
It is a large book. You will see unfamiliar names, different kinds of writing, numbers beside nearly every sentence, and references such as John 3:16 or Romans 5:8 that may not mean very much to you yet.
That is normal.
No one is born knowing how to navigate the Bible.
This short orientation is designed to give you the basic tools you will need before beginning the Academy lessons.
You will learn:
- how the Bible is organized;
- what we mean by a book, chapter, and verse;
- how to find a Scripture reference;
- the basic difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament;
- where some of the major parts of the Bible are located;
- and how to begin reading a passage with enough context to understand what you are actually reading.
This is not intended to make you a Bible scholar in a few pages. It is simply meant to make the Bible less unfamiliar.
By the time you finish this guide, a reference such as John 3:16 should no longer look like a strange code. You should know what each part means, where to begin looking for it, and how to find the passage for yourself.
The Bible Will Be Our Foundation
Throughout Solomon Christian Academy, you will encounter explanations, examples, questions, stories, and teaching.
But none of those things are meant to replace the Bible.
The Bible is the foundation of this course and the governing authority for what we teach.
That means we do not want you merely to accept a statement because Solomon Christian Academy says it is true. Whenever possible, we will direct you back to Scripture so that you can read the passage yourself, consider its context, and understand why it matters.
You do not need to arrive here already knowing the Bible.
You only need to be willing to open it.
This orientation will help you begin.
How the Bible Is Organized
At first glance, the Bible can seem like one very large book.
It is actually a collection of 66 individual books, written by many different human authors over a long period of history. Together, these books form one Bible.
The Bible is divided into two major parts:
- the Old Testament, which contains 39 books;
- the New Testament, which contains 27 books.
The word testament can be understood here as referring to a covenant—an established relationship and promise between God and His people.
For now, you do not need to memorize all 66 books or understand how every part fits together. The important first step is simply to become familiar with the Bible's basic structure.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament begins with the creation of the world and follows God's dealings with humanity, especially His relationship with the people of Israel.
It contains history, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, and accounts of real people and events.
The first book of the Old Testament—and therefore the first book of the entire Bible—is Genesis.
The Old Testament prepares the way for much of what happens in the New Testament. Throughout its pages, we see God's character, humanity's repeated failure, His promises, and the growing expectation of the One God would send.
That promised Savior is revealed in the New Testament as Jesus Christ.
The New Testament
The New Testament begins with four books called the Gospels:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
These books tell us about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
After the Gospels comes the book of Acts, which records the early growth of the Christian church.
The New Testament then contains a number of letters written to churches and individual Christians. These letters teach about Christian belief, Christian living, the church, salvation, and many other subjects.
The final book of the Bible is Revelation.
You do not need to understand all of these categories yet. As you continue through Solomon Christian Academy, you will become increasingly familiar with them.
New Testament — Jesus Christ, the early church, and the teaching that follows His coming.
That description is intentionally simple. There is much more to understand, but it gives you a useful starting point for finding your way around the Bible.
Books, Chapters, and Verses
Each of the 66 books has a name.
Genesis. Psalms. Isaiah. Matthew. John. Romans.
Most books of the Bible are then divided into chapters, and those chapters are divided into verses.
These chapter and verse numbers were added long after the biblical books were originally written. They are not part of the original text. They are simply a system that allows people to locate the same passage quickly.
This is why you will often see a Bible reference written like this:
John 3:16
That reference contains three pieces of information.
John is the name of the book.
3 is the chapter.
16 is the verse.
So when someone asks you to read John 3:16, you first find the book of John, then find chapter 3, and finally look for verse 16.
You may also see a reference such as John 3:16–17. The dash means that you should read from verse 16 through verse 17.
Another reference might look like Romans 3:23; 6:23. The semicolon tells you that these are two separate passages in the same book: Romans chapter 3, verse 23, and Romans chapter 6, verse 23.
You will quickly become comfortable with this system through use. There is no need to memorize it all at once.
Finding a Passage
Suppose an Academy lesson asks you to read:
Psalm 23:1
Begin by finding the book of Psalms.
If you are using a printed Bible and do not know where Psalms is located, use the table of contents near the front of your Bible. There is nothing wrong with doing this. Even experienced Bible readers occasionally use the table of contents when looking for a less familiar book.
Once you find Psalms, locate chapter 23.
Then find verse 1.
As you read the Bible more often, you will gradually begin to remember where many of its books are located. Until then, use the table of contents freely.
The purpose is not to prove that you already know your way around the Bible.
The purpose is to learn.
Reading a Bible Passage in Context
Finding a Bible verse is only the beginning.
The next step is learning how to understand what you are reading.
One of the simplest and most important habits you can develop is this:
Words have meaning within sentences. Sentences have meaning within paragraphs. Bible passages are no different.
Read What Comes Before and After
Suppose you are reading a verse that sounds difficult, surprising, or especially important.
Before deciding what it means, read the verses around it.
Ask a few simple questions:
- Who is speaking?
- Who is being spoken to?
- What is happening in the passage?
- What was said just before this?
- What comes immediately afterward?
Sometimes a verse becomes much clearer simply by reading the paragraph around it.
For example, if you open a letter from a friend and read only one sentence from the middle, you might misunderstand what the writer meant. The same problem can happen when Scripture is removed from its surroundings.
This is what people mean when they talk about context.
Context is the information surrounding a passage that helps us understand its meaning.
Pay Attention to the Kind of Book You Are Reading
Not every book of the Bible is written in the same way.
Some books tell history.
Some contain poetry and songs.
Some contain prophecy.
Some are letters written to churches or individuals.
The Gospels tell us about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Because the Bible contains different kinds of writing, we should pay attention to what kind of passage we are reading.
Poetry may use vivid images. Historical writing may describe events. A letter may contain teaching directed toward a particular church or situation.
Recognizing these differences helps us read more carefully.
You do not need to master all of these categories now. The Academy will help you become familiar with them as you continue.
Ask What the Passage Actually Says
It is easy to approach the Bible asking only:
What does this mean to me?
That question can matter, but it should not be the first question.
A better place to begin is:
What does this passage actually say?
Then ask:
What did the writer mean in this setting?
Only after that should we consider how the truth of the passage applies to our own lives.
This helps prevent us from forcing our own ideas into the Bible.
The goal is not to make Scripture say what we would like it to say.
The goal is to understand what it says.
Do Not Be Afraid of Difficult Passages
You will eventually encounter passages you do not understand.
That is normal.
Some parts of the Bible are immediately clear. Others require more thought, background, comparison with other passages, or careful study.
Do not assume that difficulty means failure.
When you encounter something you do not understand: read it again; read the surrounding passage; notice who is speaking and what is happening; and continue learning.
Understanding grows with time.
You are not expected to know everything when you begin.
A Simple Habit to Remember
Read around it.
Ask what it says.
Consider what it means.
That simple habit will serve you well throughout Solomon Christian Academy and long after you have completed the course.
A Final Word Before You Begin
Thank you for taking the time to complete this Bible Orientation Guide.
You do not need to know everything before beginning Solomon Christian Academy. In fact, you should expect to encounter questions, unfamiliar passages, and ideas that require time and thought.
That is part of learning.
Our hope is that this orientation has made the Bible feel a little less difficult to approach and a little easier to navigate. You now have the basic tools to find passages, understand how the Bible is organized, and begin reading with greater attention to context.
From here, the real work begins.
Solomon Christian Academy is intended to give you a strong foundation, but it is not meant to be the end of your learning. Christian growth is not something completed in 64 lessons. It is a lifelong process of learning, asking, studying, understanding, and growing in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Wherever you are beginning from, you are welcome here.
If you are a new Christian, we are glad you have chosen to begin building a stronger foundation.
If you have known Christ for some time but want to understand Scripture more deeply, we are glad you are here.
And if you are still asking whether Christianity is true, whether God can be known, or whether Jesus Christ is really who the Bible says He is, you are welcome here too.
We only ask that you come willing to learn, willing to think carefully, and willing to consider honestly what the Bible teaches.
Thank you for allowing Solomon Christian Academy to be part of that journey.
We hope this course becomes not simply something you complete, but the beginning of a lifetime of growth in the knowledge of Scripture and in your personal walk with Jesus Christ.
Welcome to Solomon Christian Academy.
We are glad you are here.