Twelve Foundational Bible Topics
New to the Bible? Start here. These twelve topics, in four groups, trace the main story from who God is to where history is heading. Read them in order, or jump to the group you need.
God and his word
Everything starts with who God is, how he has spoken, and what he made.
1. God
There is one God, eternal, holy, and loving. He exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Key passages
- Deuteronomy 6:4
- Isaiah 6:1–8
- Matthew 28:19
- 1 John 4:7–12
The Bible presents God as the one Creator, separate from his creation, all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good. The Trinity means one God in three persons, not three gods. Scripture holds together His holiness and His love without letting go of either.
How does knowing God is both holy and loving change the way you come to him?
2. The Bible
Sixty-six books, written by about forty authors over roughly 1,500 years, telling one connected story.
Key passages
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17
- 2 Peter 1:20–21
- Psalm 119:105
- Hebrews 4:12
The Old Testament (39 books) looks forward to a rescuer; the New Testament (27 books) shows him arriving and explains what follows. The books include law, history, poetry, prophecy, Gospels, and letters, and each type is read a little differently. God inspired the writers, so the Bible is both fully human and fully His word.
Which kind of book (story, poetry, letter) do you find easiest to start with?
3. Creation
God made everything out of nothing, and He called it good.
Key passages
- Genesis 1–2
- Psalm 19:1–4
- John 1:1–3
- Colossians 1:16–17
The world was created by the all-powerful, completely sovereign God. It reflects the power, order, and generosity of its Maker, our Lord, and it belongs to Him. Humans are given the job of caring for it.
What in the natural world most makes you think of its Maker?
People, sin, and promise
Who we are, what went wrong, and how God began to set it right.
4. Humanity
Every person is made in God’s image, to know Him and to care for the world.
Key passages
- Genesis 1:26–28
- Genesis 2:7, 18–25
- Psalm 8
- Psalm 139:13–16
Being made in God’s image gives every human being dignity and worth, whatever their age, ability, or background. People were made for relationship with God and with each other, and for meaningful work.
How would it change daily life to treat every person as an image-bearer of God?
5. Sin and the fall
People chose their own way over God’s, and that choice broke our relationship with Him and with each other.
Key passages
- Genesis 3
- Romans 3:23
- Romans 5:12
- Isaiah 59:1–2
Sin is more than a list of bad actions. It is a turning away from God that brings shame, conflict, suffering, and death into the world. Even so, God goes looking for Adam and Eve in the garden and promises that evil will not have the last word (Genesis 3:9, 15).
Why does the Bible treat sin as a broken relationship, not just broken rules?
6. Covenant
God made binding promises to Abraham, Israel, and David that pointed toward a coming rescuer.
Key passages
- Genesis 12:1–3
- Exodus 19:3–6
- 2 Samuel 7:12–16
- Jeremiah 31:31–34
A covenant is a committed relationship with promises attached. These covenants give the Bible its structure: the law shows God’s holiness and how His people should live, and the prophets keep pointing ahead to a new covenant, which the New Testament says Jesus brought.
What does it say about God that he makes promises and keeps them?
Jesus and salvation
The center of the Bible: who Jesus is, what he did, and how people receive new life.
7. Jesus Christ
God the Son became human. He is fully God and fully man, and the promised Messiah.
Key passages
- John 1:1–14
- Luke 24:44–47
- Philippians 2:5–11
- Colossians 1:15–20
“Christ” means “anointed one,” the Greek word for Messiah. The Gospels show Jesus teaching with authority, healing, forgiving sins, and claiming to fulfill what the Old Testament promised. We confess that in him God came to live among us.
What do you notice about Jesus when you read one of the Gospel accounts slowly?
8. The cross and resurrection
Jesus died in the place of sinners and rose again, defeating sin and death.
Key passages
- Isaiah 53
- Mark 10:45
- Romans 5:6–8
- 1 Corinthians 15:3–8
The cross is where God’s justice and love meet: Jesus takes the penalty sin deserves. The resurrection shows that His sacrifice was accepted and that death is not final. Paul calls the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the heart of the gospel message.
Why does the Bible say the resurrection matters as much as the cross?
9. Salvation by grace
Forgiveness and new life are a gift from God, received through faith and not earned by good works.
Key passages
- John 3:16–18
- Romans 3:21–26
- Ephesians 2:8–10
- Titus 3:4–7
Grace means undeserved favor. Faith is trusting Jesus to do for you what you cannot do for yourself, and repentance is turning from sin toward God. The Bible describes the results as being forgiven, declared righteous, and adopted into God’s family. Good works follow as the fruit of this new life.
What is the difference between earning a gift and receiving one?
Life in God’s family
How believers live now, together, and what they hope for.
10. The Holy Spirit
God’s own presence with believers, giving new life, understanding, and power to change.
Key passages
- John 14:15–27
- Acts 2:1–21
- Romans 8:1–17
- Galatians 5:22–25
The Spirit is a person, not a force. He helps believers understand Scripture, pray, and grow in character, which the Bible describes as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, and more. He also gives gifts to serve others.
Which of the fruit of the Spirit would you most like to grow in?
11. The Church
God’s people, gathered to worship, learn, serve, pray, and share the good news.
Key passages
- Acts 2:42–47
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–27
- Ephesians 4:11–16
- Matthew 28:18–20
The Church is a people before it is a building. The New Testament describes believers meeting to teach, pray, share meals, and care for one another, each contributing their part like the parts of a body. The Church practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper as signs of belonging to Christ.
What would it look like to take part in a community of believers near you?
12. Hope and eternity
Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and God will make all things new.
Key passages
- John 14:1–3
- 1 Corinthians 15:50–58
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
- Revelation 21:1–5
The Bible ends where it began: with God living among his people in a restored creation. Christ will return, there will be a resurrection and judgment, and evil, suffering, and death will end.
How does a sure hope for the future change the way you face today?
Where to begin reading
Start with the Gospel of John to meet Jesus, then read Genesis 1–3 for the beginning of the story, then Romans for how the message fits together. Read a few verses at a time and write down what you notice.