30 Days to Understanding the Bible, 30th Anniversary: Unlock the Scriptures in 15 minutes a day

by Max Anders

Unlock the treasures of God's Word in just fifteen minutes a day with this classic, simple-to-use guide to Scripture.

If you've ever confused the ark of the covenant with the ark of Noah, or Jericho with Jeroboam, Max Anders' classic book, 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, is for you. In just fifteen minutes a day, you'll learn the Bible's key people, events, and doctrines to get more out of God's Word. This simple-to-use, straightforward guide has been recommended by Bible teachers and pastors for thirty years, and now it's available in an expanded thirtieth anniversary edition--with the most requested topics from the original edition restored and updated for today's readers.

Features


The "Arc of Bible History" to help you visualize the Bible's overarching themes
The "Story of the Bible" summarizing Genesis through Revelation in just a few pages
The core beliefs of the Christian faith, focusing on the teachings that have united Christians for the last 2,000 years
13-week plan that provides teacher's every creative and effective tool for teaching the Bible in 30 days
Fan-favorite bonus content, previously removed, now restored from the original edition

Genres: Christian, Religion, Faith, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[Lana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an extremely surface-level overview of the Bible. Perhaps if a person had absolutely no knowledge of the Bible or of Christianity, the first section of the book could be useful. However, it is so light that the vast majority of the Bible is completely ignored.

The second and third parts of the book are complete drivel. The author gets much of his theology wrong according to what the Bible says, particularly as it pertains to sin and salvation. Also, he claims that God has left it in the hands of each individual church to determine the hierarchy and how it will operate, which is patently false. He also makes broad statements of fact without using scripture to back it up.

If an unchurched person read this book and followed the author's prescription on how to become a Christian, he would still be dead in his sins and lost.

I've heard it said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert on a subject. According to the author of this book, if you only read the Bible 5 minutes a day, you will have read 30.4 hours in a year. He seems to believe that that is all you have to do in order to be a good student of the Word. At that rate, it would take over 330 years to become an expert in the Bible. Based on the scriptural errors I found in his book, I question whether he is indeed the scholar of the Bible he thinks he is.

[Olivia Snodgrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

First portion of the book was VERY helpful in mapping out the full narrative of Scripture. Gives tools to memorize identifiers and “eras” of scripture that I know I’ll remember!

Worth getting to read the first portion.

[Ashton Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Wanted to read to see if I could use in discipleship with my 7th graders but think I need to wait a year or two :)

[Matt Seay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading through this book. It shined a light on the historical story of the old testament that I had unfortunately neglected. There were a couple theological principles that I believe are presented in a watered down way, but I understand that the main audience of this book is for those of very little to no experience with the Bible. I would recommend this book to people with little to expansive knowledge of The Word of God, and it helped me have a rejuvenated desire to read and study the word more deeply.

[Mary Tamborello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that provides the timeline and details of the Bible as a whole with such clarity! Super easy read yet am walking away with a better understanding of many details in a more cohesive way that will further my understanding in daily reading of the word! Would recommend to anyone anywhere in their faith!

[Madilyn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal resource!!! Absolutely loved it! Will be sharing with many people in the years to come. I’m just a bit stingy with five stars.

I really enjoyed the second half of the book as it walked through doctrines in the Bible and literary forms, comparison of the Gospels, explanations of miracles and parables of Jesus. All of the information presented was condensed yet memorable. At times the fill in the blanks felt a smidge too repetitive, but I remember all that was taught, so I won’t complain too much.

[Grace Deuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that everyone should read and work through this book.

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this in fact did not take 30 days 🌝 my fault

[Hannah Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! It’s a yes for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of the Bible at a super simple and easy read level!

[Lisa G. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC RESOURCE TOOL!

30 Days to Understanding the Bible (30th Anniversary Expanded Edition) by Max Anders lives up to its promise of unlocking the Scriptures in 15 minutes a day. I’ve been a Christian for 51 years, a graduate of a Theological Seminary and have taught some type of Bible Study or Sunday School for 40+ years and I wish I had been introduced to this marvelous book 30 years ago when it was first written! I’m thankful I was able to discover it now so I can share it with everyone I know! It is the best resource I’ve found to be an easy to use, straightforward guide to understanding the Scripture. As you do the 15 minute readings each day, there is always a review involving a way to make sure you don’t forget what you’ve learned. He also teaches you the locations of where events took place. You learn to plot them as you learn about them. He gives great illustrations such as comparing a map of the Old Testament to a Map of Texas. Some of the features included are The Arc of Bible History which help you visualize the Bible’s overarching themes. That’s one of my personal favorite things of all! Also included is The Story of the Bible which summarizes Genesis through Revelations in just a few pages and covers the core beliefs of the Christian faith. There is a 13 week Teaching Plan included and Bonus Content. If you go to 30DaystoUnderstandingtheBible.com you will find all manner of extra resources to help you even more! I was provided an ARC of this book by Thomas Nelson Publisher. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still working my way through 30 Days to Understanding the Bible. I didn't want to quickly read it, but needed to get my review posted and will review what I have read so far and what I gathered from looking ahead in the book.

The writing style is very good. I'm not getting lost in the info as I'm reading and I think it is easy to understand. I like the maps and how things are explained -- it really helps you learn how things in the Bible go together. I also appreciate how each chapter has a "review" and a "self-test" section, so you truly do better remember what you learned.

All in all, I'm enjoying this read so far and do recommend it.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

[Leslie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it really possible to understand the Bible by spending just fifteen minutes a day for thirty days? Yes, it is!

I was a bit skeptical when I started reading this book. Granted, I haven’t memorized everything, but I now know far more about the Bible than I did. I read through things at a quicker pace than thirty days so I could review the book, but I will be going back through it again, one day at a time for a month.

You can read the full review on my blog: https://lmckeeediting.blogspot.com/20...

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and Propeller/FlyBy Promotions, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

[Bryan Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good friend gave me the original edition of this book 30 years ago. I was a new Christian with no church background and very little understanding of the Bible. Though I was only 16 at the time, the book gave me a memorable framework for understanding the storyline of the Bible and the main subjects in Christian theology. This framework has served me well through college, seminary, and 20 years of pastoral ministry. I have never found anything else like it, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this new version to review. I highly recommend it.

[Jacquie Prouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me much longer than 30 days to read (lol, my bad for picking it up & putting it down so often), but that does not discredit how awesome this book is. I will always come back to this book! It is such a fantastic foundational read and is packed with information & knowledge. I loved the emphasis on repetition for memory. It helped so much to pause throughout the book and fill things in. Helped make sure I was really digesting what I read that chapter! I loved it. I highly recommend!

[Abby Deane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in a book club. The readers who had very little exposure to the Bible LOVED it and there is nothing to specifically criticize...but I would say if you would describe your understanding of the Bible as comfortable or above, this is not the read for you.

[Molly Kremer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave a lot of great information and broke the Bible down into digestible pieces. It did not tell or retell the well known Bible stories like Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark etc. Instead, it explained the types of books in the Bible and whether they were historical, poetical, or prophetical. It also explains each era of the Bible and when the books were written. I hadn’t ever really thought about the fact that the books in the Bible didn’t happen in a linear fashion. It also explains the doctrines within the Bible in a concise way. My only complaint is a lot of the book is repetitive and there for you to fill in the blanks. However, I could go back and read this book again as I chose not to fill in the blanks but could in my next read of it.

[Taylor Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done overview of the Bible as a historical book showcasing the narrative structure. It would be a good resource for someone newer in the faith, but what is missing, in my opinion, is the lack of Christ-centeredness. The information is well intended and targeted, but we need to see how all this information points to the redemptive work of Christ throughout the Bible; without this, our reading could be done in vain.

This could be an excellent resource for discipleship and teaching in the local church as you build disciples to know God and make Him known.

[Haley Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great foundation to the structure and context of Scripture! Got to read this before starting at Kanakuk Institute, super interesting and I learned a lot! Excited to dive even deeper into each of the concepts this book goes over!

[GraceLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to understand the Bible. Is perfect for beginners as well as students.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic if you’re wanting a holistic understanding of the Bible. Strongggg recommend.

[Jonah Shiramizu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, digestible.

[Xanthe McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource!! 10/10 recommend. So helpful to learn how the whole Bible fits together. But it take me closer to 60 days 😅

[Maggie Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great refresher and good information that I needed! Loved the first half of the book with historical timelines of old and New Testament

[Katie Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Christian should read this!!! The workbook format makes these really important & foundational truths easily digestible, easy to commit to memory, & easy to know how to teach others!! Knowing the overall story of the Bible as well as the maps by heart is changing the way I read the Word!

First 19 chapters are 🔥🔥

[Ty Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

DO NOT READ THIS IN THE MONTH OF FEBIARY IT WILL TAKE TOO LONG

[Elle Klassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is perfect for understanding the general timeline, themes, characters and stories of the bible! whether you have grown up in the church or are a new believer, this book is perfect for helping you know the basics to understand the rest of scripture as you read through both old testament and new!

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a Christian 5 years ago and I still haven’t read the Bible all the way through which meant I was confused a lot when certain things were mentioned at Church or in books or blog posts. I still fully intend to get through the Bible of course and then read parts of it over again. But in the meantime, I want to have an overview of the Bible and what all of it contains.

How It’s to Be Used
30 Days to Understand the Bible is designed to be used for 15 minutes a day for 30 days. I read it in 2.5 days because I prefer to get through books fast. I feel confident that I can say though that it would work well using as designed. If you don’t have a lot of time to read or prefer the slower pace, 15 minutes a day would work just fine.

The authors are by no means telling you to use this book in place of the Bible, just to use it to get an understanding of how the Bible is laid out, what the different books are about (some are historical, some poetical, some prophetical) and what the basic story is that is covered in the Bible. I feel like knowing this will make my reading so much more productive. It’s like reading the summary of a book before you read it. I MUST read the summary before reading the book or I feel lost. With a large book such as the Bible that can be confusing at times, I think it’s a must too. I wish I found this book 5 years ago! (It was originally published in 1988, I’m reviewing the reprint.)

What I Thought
This book is awesome. There are blanks and charts to fill out as you go to help you not just read the information but really take it in. Since I read it quickly, I didn’t fill in EVERY blank line but if you do it in 15 minute spurts, you will definitely find the blanks helpful. Repetition is the key to learning.

The book has a couple of different sections. Section 1 is the Story of the Old Testament, Section 2 is the Story of the New Testament, Section 3 covers the Ten Great Doctrines of the Bible, Section 4 is a NanoSummary of the Bible, Section 5 tells you how to master the Bible so that the Bible masters you, Section 6 is a Teaching Plan if you will be teaching from the book and Section 7 is bonus chapters which include a comparison of the four gospels, the parables of Jesus, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and more.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've grown up in the Christian faith. I "know" most of the information in this book. Yet I was very interested in how the same theology I've learned my whole life could be presented in a fresh, new way. Max Anders takes what can be complicated or confusing principles and puts them in understandable phrases. He doesn't get deep into anything, just giving the basic overviews, but it's a nice refresher for "seasoned" Christians and a good intro for new believers.

At the end of the Nanosummary of the Bible section, Anders says, "Get a Bible and begin reading it... There are many good preachers on television and the radio [blogs and social media], but be sure to comapre everything they say with Scripture. There are some who will lead you astray if you are not careful". (brackets mine) I really appreciate him taking the time to emphasize being in the Word and not just relying on teachers. It's something too many Christians do. I've been guilty of it myself.

If you read this more than once a day, the reviews and self-test sections can get a little repetitive, but I think they are really good elements of the book. I didn't write in my sections, so I could loan it out, but I did it mentally (slacking off a bit towards the end of the book) and it was actually kind of fun. (I know, I'm a nerd).

There is a teaching plan included if someone wanted to lead a group in study, as well as some neat bonus chapters on things like Comparison of the Four Gospels and the Distinctiveness of Christianity.

Obviously, you can't be completely neutral theologically, but Anders does a really good job not interpreting the Bible but simply stating what was there. There's a bit that makes me think he might believe in the rapture and he has a different view of communion than me (but most Christians do because I believe the Lutheran view of communion :) but that's just minor things. I think that any Christian, no matter their denomination, can learn from this book.

[Connie Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a lover of reading for pleasure and knowledge and I like to read many different genres in both fiction and non-fiction. I was especially excited to see that a new launch team was being formed for Max Anders’s newly revised book of 30 Days to Understanding the Bible and I realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about God's Word. I wasn't wrong and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this 30th anniversary expanded edition! At the beginning the author says "...if you want to understand the Bible, you must first learn how the Bible is put together". In the next 381 pages he shares his extensive knowledge of just how it was put together! He has included seven sections devoted to The Story of the Old Testament--The Story of the New Testament--Ten Great Doctrines of the Bible--NanoSummary of the Bible--How to Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You--Teaching Plan and the added Bonus Chapters. At the end of each section there is a summary and a self-test that allows readers to determine just what they have learned and retained.

I was thrilled to learn more about the geography and history of both the Old and New Testaments and I especially liked the NanoSummary of the Bible and the Teaching Plan. Anders has written a book that is both comprehensive and easy to understand and I believe that this will be a wonderful resource for my own personal Bible study and in teaching the teens in our church. I certainly recommend it for anyone wishing to expand their knowledge of the Holy Bible.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson but a positive review was not required. These are my honest opinions and I was not financially compensated in any way.

[Kendra Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Christians and even those who have walked the walk for many years, the Bible can also be difficult to understand at times. 30 Days to Understanding the Bible is a GREAT resource for all who want more understanding of the Bible. 30 Days for 15 minutes a day and not only a greater understanding of the Bible, but a greater appreciation for God's Word. The book is meant for individual study, although it most certainly can be done as a small group study also.

The book is divided into multiple sections:
Section 1: The Story of the Old Testament
Section 2: The Story of the New Testament
Section 3: Ten Great Doctrines of the Bible
Section 4: NanoSummary of the Bible
Section 5: How To Master the Bible So Well that the Bible Masters You Section 6: Teaching Plan
Section 7: Bonus Chapters

The many things I really liked about 30 Days to Understanding the Bible are the Self Test at the End of each Chapter, the charts and infographs throughout the book. Although I have been a Christian for over 30yrs, this book gave me a greater understanding of the Bible also. This would make a WONDERFUL gift for a New Christian or for anyone wanting to really understand the Bible!