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What Does God Want of Us Anyway Lib/E: A Quick Overview of the Whole Bible
This overview of the Bible provides readers with an aerial view of the landscape of Scripture, scouting the major truths of the promises of God.
Originally delivered as sermons by pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, these three studies are now available in one hardcover volume. Dever guides readers to take a step back and look at the Bible from a broader perspective. As we notice new features of an object when viewed from a distance, so too the major themes of Scripture become more apparent when we take in the Bible as a whole. Part of the IXMarks series, this book considers the central messages of the Bible as seen in the promises of God.
Dever examines the general narrative of God's Word to answer the question, "What does God wants of us anyway?" Readers looking for a panoramic view of Scripture will be reminded of the faithful,
persistent love of God and find themselves drawn into a broader,
but deeper, understanding of the maker and keeper of promises.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2010
14 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Mark Dever
119 books321 followersMark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.
In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.
Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.
In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.
Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 15, 2016
Delivers what it promises: easy to follow over view of the whole bible. The context of Old Testament history was the most interesting. Quick read at only over 100 pages.
February 11, 2018
I've heard Mark Dever described as all substance and no style. I don't know how much he might object to that, but I don't think it entirely accurate. His style is clear and straightforward. I can't remember reading him and scratching my head in wonder of his meaning. I may not have agreed with him, but I understood him. I can't always say the same with other authors who would be credited for much style.
This book is a sample of where Dever is at his best. He has a knack for taking big and complex and making it clear and accessible. He undertakes an overview of the entire Bible and then of the Old and New Testaments in this volume. He doesn't take the sweeping story of Scripture and make it small like a Reader's Digest abridgement. Rather, he takes to a high elevation where our eyes can see and appreciate more than from a lower vantage point--just like the panoramic photographs he expresses such appreciation for in the introduction. I think he hit his mark.
The neglect of the Bible is miserably widespread among professing Christians. Among many who do take it up, the neglect of the Old Testament is too common. Dever gives a clear view of the Bible's overarching purpose. Some think the Bible is a discontinuity of random histories and riddled sayings. Some think the Old and New Testaments differ so much that one is about an angry, judging God and the other a loving, accepting Jesus. I challenge you to read this book to get an overview of the continuity of the whole and connectedness of the different books, and then read the whole Bible. You might get a different picture.
When we read the whole Bible and think in terms of the whole Bible, we get a much needed perspective we can't get from the ground--the love and faithfulness of God. We face disappointments and discouragements in life. We deal with failures and intense pain. These trials could cause us to assume God unloving or unfaithful to his promises. Go to his word. The Bible covers time from the creation to thousands of years of human history to the ages to come, including the eternal ages where the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ will be shown. If we climb to to heights above our earthly struggles and disappointments, we see God's covenant faithfulness and have hope when we climb back down and take out the trash or drive to the funeral home.
This book is a sample of where Dever is at his best. He has a knack for taking big and complex and making it clear and accessible. He undertakes an overview of the entire Bible and then of the Old and New Testaments in this volume. He doesn't take the sweeping story of Scripture and make it small like a Reader's Digest abridgement. Rather, he takes to a high elevation where our eyes can see and appreciate more than from a lower vantage point--just like the panoramic photographs he expresses such appreciation for in the introduction. I think he hit his mark.
The neglect of the Bible is miserably widespread among professing Christians. Among many who do take it up, the neglect of the Old Testament is too common. Dever gives a clear view of the Bible's overarching purpose. Some think the Bible is a discontinuity of random histories and riddled sayings. Some think the Old and New Testaments differ so much that one is about an angry, judging God and the other a loving, accepting Jesus. I challenge you to read this book to get an overview of the continuity of the whole and connectedness of the different books, and then read the whole Bible. You might get a different picture.
When we read the whole Bible and think in terms of the whole Bible, we get a much needed perspective we can't get from the ground--the love and faithfulness of God. We face disappointments and discouragements in life. We deal with failures and intense pain. These trials could cause us to assume God unloving or unfaithful to his promises. Go to his word. The Bible covers time from the creation to thousands of years of human history to the ages to come, including the eternal ages where the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ will be shown. If we climb to to heights above our earthly struggles and disappointments, we see God's covenant faithfulness and have hope when we climb back down and take out the trash or drive to the funeral home.
July 9, 2020
Mark Dever has given us a simple, but also an insightful overview of the Bible. The Promises Made to Promises Kept framework serves as an excellent summary of the emphasis of biblical revelation as the Scriptures progress from Old Testament to New Testament. This emphasis is a welcome focus as the fact that Jesus is the Promised Messiah is often a neglected dimension of the gospel.
This book’s only drawback is its repetition, but that does not detract from its usefulness to aid in understanding the big picture and reading the Bible. There are some features that I found particularly helpful:
• An emphasis on the holiness of God – God cannot be indifferent to sin
• The person and work of Christ resolves the tension of Exodus 34:6-7 – The cross shows how God can extend forgiveness and punish sins without degrading his character
• The Old Testament sacrifices looked beyond themselves to a greater sacrifice that would decisively deal with
• The epistles of the New Testament are New Covenant documents for God’s people
• The worth in our present obedience in ascribing ultimate glory to God
• The focus on God’s plan to redeem and renew all of creation
This book finally also encourages the reading of the Old Testament and for this it should be commended. It presses home the importance of being whole-Bible students.
This book’s only drawback is its repetition, but that does not detract from its usefulness to aid in understanding the big picture and reading the Bible. There are some features that I found particularly helpful:
• An emphasis on the holiness of God – God cannot be indifferent to sin
• The person and work of Christ resolves the tension of Exodus 34:6-7 – The cross shows how God can extend forgiveness and punish sins without degrading his character
• The Old Testament sacrifices looked beyond themselves to a greater sacrifice that would decisively deal with
• The epistles of the New Testament are New Covenant documents for God’s people
• The worth in our present obedience in ascribing ultimate glory to God
• The focus on God’s plan to redeem and renew all of creation
This book finally also encourages the reading of the Old Testament and for this it should be commended. It presses home the importance of being whole-Bible students.
April 5, 2021
Excellent little book. Gives an overview of the entire Bible, with respective portions given to each testament. He also goes through and briefly (1-3 sentences) describes each singular book of the Bible. This will be a go to resource for handing out to Christians wanting a better grasp on how to know and study the Bible, and I intend on working through this with small groups as well. Consider this a primer to then set people up well to know how to use their study Bibles.
March 9, 2020
This simple, concise book is a great general overview of the Bible with chapters specifically detailing why the Old Testament is still relevant, what we see from the Old Testament in the New, and how seeing this promise-keeping God at work gives us hope for the future.
January 13, 2022
A good introduction to the Bible. But the various parts overlap and result in redundancy. I would have given it a higher ranking had it not had this redundancy. The content is good and a helpful introduction to the Bible’s major concerns and overall theology.
August 12, 2023
I think this is especially useful for young christians and nonchristians to answer the question in the title and to get an idea what the Bible is really about. Mark Dever is easy to understand, and the book is quite short.
May 15, 2023
Helpful and concise biblical overview. Would be good to read with a non-believer or a new Christian who wants to learn more about the Bible and its themes.
August 5, 2023
The subtitle says it all here. Short chapters that summarize the whole of Scripture. Very generalized and but not very deep - but that seems like that was the point.
July 28, 2014
For some, the thought of reading the Bible can be quite daunting. Many view the Bible as a collection of books they just cannot seem to relate to due to the strange language, events, and people it describes. In an effort to help those who fall into that category as well as people who may even feel they have a good handle on what Scripture has to say appreciate the overall message God has provide in His word, Dr. Mark Dever has written What Does God Want of Us Anyway?: A Quick Overview of the Whole Bible
This little book is indeed a very quick overview of the entire Bible. Dever’s intent is not to engage every single nuance found throughout Scripture. Conversely, his approach is to provide the reader with a solid background of and insight into God’s message to humanity as revealed in Scripture, namely one of promises made, promises fulfilled, and promises yet to be fulfilled all wrapped up in the great hope we can have in God and His faithfulness to His people.
The three studies provided in this book came about from a series of sermons Dever gave to his church that have been edited into book format. Dever divides this book into “The Message of the Whole Bible”, “The Message of the Old Testament”, and “The Message of the New Testament” with the first two sections further divided into a quick overview, discussions on the particular history being addressed, the passion for holiness exhibited by God, and the promise of hope contained in Scripture. The final section takes a slightly different approach with the focus being the promise of redemption kept through the coming of Christ with additional discussion taking place on the body of Christ, concluding with a notation of the future promise of the final redemption of all things which will take place when Christ returns.
As one who has had the opportunity to read a number of large and small introductions to the message and contents of Scripture, I will submit that despite its somewhat diminutive size in comparison to the larger and more extensive insight of Scripture available on the market today, Dever’s effort is one of my favorite biblical overviews. It is a favorite not due to the number of footnotes (for which there is none), the extensive bibliography (for which there is none), or the interaction with other scholarly works (for which there is very little if any). It is a favorite because of its simplistic profundity, meaning Dever brilliantly captures the overall flow of Scripture in a way that reminds everyone from the most seasoned brilliant theological minds to the newest believer of what exactly God has been up to since the beginning, namely the movement towards redemption. That is the crux of all of Scripture and Dever ably drives home that message at every opportunity.
What is also useful is the overview Dever provides of each book of the Bible. There are many books Christians unfortunately never take time to read and many of those reside in the Minor Prophet section of the Bible. Dever shares a short yet informative overview of every book of Scripture in a way that helps people appreciate how the message of that particular book fits into the greater overarching message of Scripture. If you have never thought about reading Nahum or Habbakuk, after reading Dever’s book I submit you will suddenly find an interest in those oft neglected books.
I highly recommend this book for all believers and I especially recommend that churches keep a large stash of this book available to provide to new believers. This is an excellent tool for new believers to have as they begin their lifelong journey reading God’s Word and appreciating its message of hope.
This little book is indeed a very quick overview of the entire Bible. Dever’s intent is not to engage every single nuance found throughout Scripture. Conversely, his approach is to provide the reader with a solid background of and insight into God’s message to humanity as revealed in Scripture, namely one of promises made, promises fulfilled, and promises yet to be fulfilled all wrapped up in the great hope we can have in God and His faithfulness to His people.
The three studies provided in this book came about from a series of sermons Dever gave to his church that have been edited into book format. Dever divides this book into “The Message of the Whole Bible”, “The Message of the Old Testament”, and “The Message of the New Testament” with the first two sections further divided into a quick overview, discussions on the particular history being addressed, the passion for holiness exhibited by God, and the promise of hope contained in Scripture. The final section takes a slightly different approach with the focus being the promise of redemption kept through the coming of Christ with additional discussion taking place on the body of Christ, concluding with a notation of the future promise of the final redemption of all things which will take place when Christ returns.
As one who has had the opportunity to read a number of large and small introductions to the message and contents of Scripture, I will submit that despite its somewhat diminutive size in comparison to the larger and more extensive insight of Scripture available on the market today, Dever’s effort is one of my favorite biblical overviews. It is a favorite not due to the number of footnotes (for which there is none), the extensive bibliography (for which there is none), or the interaction with other scholarly works (for which there is very little if any). It is a favorite because of its simplistic profundity, meaning Dever brilliantly captures the overall flow of Scripture in a way that reminds everyone from the most seasoned brilliant theological minds to the newest believer of what exactly God has been up to since the beginning, namely the movement towards redemption. That is the crux of all of Scripture and Dever ably drives home that message at every opportunity.
What is also useful is the overview Dever provides of each book of the Bible. There are many books Christians unfortunately never take time to read and many of those reside in the Minor Prophet section of the Bible. Dever shares a short yet informative overview of every book of Scripture in a way that helps people appreciate how the message of that particular book fits into the greater overarching message of Scripture. If you have never thought about reading Nahum or Habbakuk, after reading Dever’s book I submit you will suddenly find an interest in those oft neglected books.
I highly recommend this book for all believers and I especially recommend that churches keep a large stash of this book available to provide to new believers. This is an excellent tool for new believers to have as they begin their lifelong journey reading God’s Word and appreciating its message of hope.
June 18, 2013
"A brief overview of the whole bible". A great idea, but this book hasn't quite nailed it. The repetition is the obvious weakness -- the book begins with an overview of the whole bible, and then moves to an overview of the Old Testament and an overview of the New Testament, with a great deal of repetition. Dever's content is great -- he gives a clear explanation of the structure and main message of the Bible, touching on the crucial gospel centred issues along the way. But if the book is worth releasing, then rather than simply republishing a few sermons why not invest the time to rewrite the content in a form that is actually suited to a single short book? None the less, the audio book will be a good ministry tool to help people get a grasp of the big picture of the Bible.
February 13, 2011
A high level overview of the Bible and its significance to the Christian. It's a good introductory work that serves as a stepping stone to deeper discussion. For those who've already read Dever's The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made and The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept, this book is drawn from those and repeats what they covered on a simpler scale.
January 8, 2016
This book acts as a thorough review of all of scripture. As such, it must speak in great generalizations, and basically divides the Bible into promises made in the OT and promises kept in the NT. Through all the generalizations, one fact is specific, the Bible is about Christ, the promises were made about Christ and in Christ they are kept.
I recommend this book for Christians who are relatively new in the faith and watch to catch up on what the Bible is about, how it's structured, and who it's about. It could also serve as a great study for seekers.
I recommend this book for Christians who are relatively new in the faith and watch to catch up on what the Bible is about, how it's structured, and who it's about. It could also serve as a great study for seekers.
September 15, 2010
The book is exactly what it says it is...a quick overview of the entire Bible.
A simple and accessible overview of Biblical theology written from a theologically conservative viewpoint. Great resource!
A simple and accessible overview of Biblical theology written from a theologically conservative viewpoint. Great resource!
May 25, 2013
Main problem with this book is the overlap, but for a basic overview of Scripture, I know of none better. Dr. Dever expounds carefully and engagingly the key themes of the Old and New Testaments. Very short and very readable.
November 7, 2019
This is a helpful, little book that gives a summary of the overall story of the Bible and how the individual parts fit into the whole. Dever does a good job in narrowing down the themes to: Promises Made and Promises Kept.
April 13, 2012
A concise book on the Gospel that can be read in one sitting. Great for its purpose.
Read
September 5, 2012Quick, intelligent, and to the point. A good read for anyone
July 14, 2013
A good overview of the whole Bible taken from some of Dr. Dever's sermons (and the larger books from Crossway on his overview of the Bible)
January 6, 2014
A helpful little book summarizing the entire Bible and addressing God's ultimate purpose for us here on earth. A good reference tool for summaries of each book.
February 18, 2014
Read through it with my kids as part of a Bible overview study. Good starter book, repetitive in places though.
October 28, 2014
A quick overview of the whole Bible, and then a quick over view of the main themes in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Listened to this on my iPod.
November 27, 2012
Simple but helpful introduction to the big story of the Bible.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews