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The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior
Inviting Children to See Jesus from Creation to the Manger
In the beginning God created the whole world. After six days of work, he had created the stars in the sky, the mighty oceans, tall trees, beautiful flowers, mighty sea creatures, and the most prized of all creation--Adam and Eve. Created in God's image, Adam and Eve were friends with him. But one day "the worst of all days came"--the serpent deceived them and they sinned against God. Adam and Eve's relationship with God was broken.
But God gave mankind a promise.
And what a great promise it was!
The promise of salvation! He promised that one would come who would crush the head of the lying serpent, one who would deliver mankind from their sin, one who would restore man and woman's relationship with God.
But who has the power to do that? Does Abraham, a great man of faith? Does Moses, a great prophet? What about Joshua, the great conqueror?
Journey through the pages of the Bible in search of the promised Savior, from the garden of Eden to a manger in Bethlehem.
In the beginning God created the whole world. After six days of work, he had created the stars in the sky, the mighty oceans, tall trees, beautiful flowers, mighty sea creatures, and the most prized of all creation--Adam and Eve. Created in God's image, Adam and Eve were friends with him. But one day "the worst of all days came"--the serpent deceived them and they sinned against God. Adam and Eve's relationship with God was broken.
But God gave mankind a promise.
And what a great promise it was!
The promise of salvation! He promised that one would come who would crush the head of the lying serpent, one who would deliver mankind from their sin, one who would restore man and woman's relationship with God.
But who has the power to do that? Does Abraham, a great man of faith? Does Moses, a great prophet? What about Joshua, the great conqueror?
Journey through the pages of the Bible in search of the promised Savior, from the garden of Eden to a manger in Bethlehem.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published May 18, 2021
103 people want to read
About the author
Jason Helopoulos
9 books34 followersJason was born in the “Land of Lincoln,” central Illinois. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1999. Jason then attended Dallas Theological Seminary and completed a Masters of Theology degree (ThM) with a concentration in Historical Theology and Christian Education in 2003. He served on the staff of Park Cities Presbyterian Church as a pastoral intern for one year and then accepted a call as an Assistant Pastor at Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Lexington, North Carolina. In the fall of 2007, Jason was called by Christ Church PCA in Grand Rapids, Michigan to plant a daughter church in Lansing, Michigan. He accepted the call and moved to the field (and snow) as church planter and pastored Providence PCA in East Lansing until 2012. In the summer of 2012, Jason accepted the call as Assistant Pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan and accepted the call to Senior Pastor in the spring of 2018.
Jason is married to his beautiful bride, Leah. They are blessed with two wonderful children, Gracen and Ethan.
He enjoys spending time with his family, history, reading, laughing, watching a good Chicago Bears’ game (as rare as they are), and feasting upon Chicago-style pizza.
Jason is married to his beautiful bride, Leah. They are blessed with two wonderful children, Gracen and Ethan.
He enjoys spending time with his family, history, reading, laughing, watching a good Chicago Bears’ game (as rare as they are), and feasting upon Chicago-style pizza.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 29, 2021
Everyone loves a good story. For centuries people have gathered to tell stories. Some stories are simply fun. Others are life-changing. The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior by Jason Helopoulos is a story of the latter variety. Indeed, it is a story about God’s plan for the nations. It’s not just any story - it is his story.
This short children’s book is a creative way to teach biblical theology to young minds. Pastor Helopoulos begins in Genesis 1:1 with the creation narrative. He walks readers through the six days of creation and proceeds to show how sin entered the world and ruined everything. The remainder of the book focuses on various ways that people tried to find peace with God.
In the end, the reader is confronted with the reality of the gospel as the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, the one who was promised in Genesis 3:15: The author writes:
In this child, the promise came. He was the one who would crush the head of the serpent, deliver mankind from their sins, grant them his righteousness, work in them his holiness, give them his life.
The Promise not only accurately unfolds the precious promise of the Redeemer; it is beautifully bound and includes stunning illustrations on each page by Rommel Ruiz. The blend of art and theology geared to children of all ages makes this book an important part of family discipleship. It is a book that can and should be read multiple times and discussed with children. Such a book can be passed from one generation to the next and introduce children to God’s redemptive plan for the nations.
Highly recommended!
This short children’s book is a creative way to teach biblical theology to young minds. Pastor Helopoulos begins in Genesis 1:1 with the creation narrative. He walks readers through the six days of creation and proceeds to show how sin entered the world and ruined everything. The remainder of the book focuses on various ways that people tried to find peace with God.
In the end, the reader is confronted with the reality of the gospel as the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, the one who was promised in Genesis 3:15: The author writes:
In this child, the promise came. He was the one who would crush the head of the serpent, deliver mankind from their sins, grant them his righteousness, work in them his holiness, give them his life.
The Promise not only accurately unfolds the precious promise of the Redeemer; it is beautifully bound and includes stunning illustrations on each page by Rommel Ruiz. The blend of art and theology geared to children of all ages makes this book an important part of family discipleship. It is a book that can and should be read multiple times and discussed with children. Such a book can be passed from one generation to the next and introduce children to God’s redemptive plan for the nations.
Highly recommended!
January 12, 2023
What a great little book for understanding how the whole Bible is a unified story that centers on Jesus!
November 8, 2021
Fantastic
A clear presentation of the gospel.
Beautiful illustrations.
6/24/21 Read with Julia
11/8/21 Read with Julia
A clear presentation of the gospel.
Beautiful illustrations.
6/24/21 Read with Julia
11/8/21 Read with Julia
May 19, 2021
For beautiful and striking illustrations, and an excellent way to take children through salvation history throughout the Old Testament, this book gets four stars. The story is also told through a suspenseful way that my 5-year-old, even though he actually knows the answer to the question of "who can save us," still kept asking as we kept reading, "so who is it?"
However there are two important missing pieces. First, never once in the book does the author state that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I had to insert this myself while reading it out loud to my child. This would not have been a difficult praise to add, in the end where all His other attributes are mentioned. Secondly, as expected, in this book salvation is through penal substitutionary atonement, a decidedly Protestant theology about salvation. Orthodox Christians do not speak of salvation in this way. Protestant and maybe Catholic readers will enjoy this book, Orthodox Christian readers not so much.
However there are two important missing pieces. First, never once in the book does the author state that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I had to insert this myself while reading it out loud to my child. This would not have been a difficult praise to add, in the end where all His other attributes are mentioned. Secondly, as expected, in this book salvation is through penal substitutionary atonement, a decidedly Protestant theology about salvation. Orthodox Christians do not speak of salvation in this way. Protestant and maybe Catholic readers will enjoy this book, Orthodox Christian readers not so much.
April 22, 2021
Stunning.
July 16, 2022
A beautiful, clear yet thorough, presentation of the Gospel. This could be shared with someone of any age, especially with the gorgeous illustrations. So excited to own this book!
January 14, 2022
Listened to the audiobook from the publishers podcast.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/sha...
https://www.crossway.org/articles/sha...
January 12, 2023
This Christian nonfiction picture book is absolutely gorgeous, and tells the story of redemption with attention to all of the different biblical characters who lived and died without being the promised ones. The text emphasizes that even though people might have looked for salvation through someone like Noah or Moses, or through a great judge or priest, all of these men fell short. They were sinners too, and they also needed a savior. The text builds to a point of suspense, and then it introduces Jesus, telling his story and showing how he was the perfect one who fulfilled all of the roles that previous, flawed heroes of the faith had foreshadowed.
The Promise is a great book for Christian families and churches. Jason Helopoulos writes in language that is simple enough for young children without watering down important concepts, and the illustrations from Rommel Ruiz are incredibly dynamic, with showstopping, colorful representations of biblical scenes. His unique art style and use of colors to indicate mood greatly appealed to me as an adult reader, and I think that children will connect with this as well, especially since it is so different from other books they might have seen before.
My one critique is that this book never explicitly states that Jesus is divine, beyond mentioning that he is Immanuel, “God with us.” The ending focuses on how Jesus lived up to the standards no other human could, fulfilled God’s promises, and restored our relationship to God, but I wish that the text had made it clearer that Jesus is the Son of God, not just a perfect man. I am sure that this was just an oversight, but that is why I am only rating this book four stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Promise is a great book for Christian families and churches. Jason Helopoulos writes in language that is simple enough for young children without watering down important concepts, and the illustrations from Rommel Ruiz are incredibly dynamic, with showstopping, colorful representations of biblical scenes. His unique art style and use of colors to indicate mood greatly appealed to me as an adult reader, and I think that children will connect with this as well, especially since it is so different from other books they might have seen before.
My one critique is that this book never explicitly states that Jesus is divine, beyond mentioning that he is Immanuel, “God with us.” The ending focuses on how Jesus lived up to the standards no other human could, fulfilled God’s promises, and restored our relationship to God, but I wish that the text had made it clearer that Jesus is the Son of God, not just a perfect man. I am sure that this was just an oversight, but that is why I am only rating this book four stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2021
Does God keep his promises? In The Promise, Jason Helopoulos shares the amazing story of our long-awaited savior.
Bold and Dynamic, Spectacularly Epic
With bold and dynamic illustrations by Rommel Ruiz, this book brings the Biblical narrative to life. They are spectacularly epic, unfolding the drama in vivid full-color.
Starting with creation and sin, we see the savior who will crush the serpent’s head. Where men fall short, Jesus is the perfect promise. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Saul, David, and Eli are mentioned.
Know and Trust the Promised One
The book ends with a call for your children to know and trust the promised one so they can be friends with God. Key Bible passages for family reading are listed, providing further opportunities for parents and older children.
This is a modern classic children's book with a story that belongs in every home. Tell your family about the promise God made, and teach them to see it perfectly fulfilled in Jesus.
I received a media copy of The Promise and this is my honest review.
Bold and Dynamic, Spectacularly Epic
With bold and dynamic illustrations by Rommel Ruiz, this book brings the Biblical narrative to life. They are spectacularly epic, unfolding the drama in vivid full-color.
Starting with creation and sin, we see the savior who will crush the serpent’s head. Where men fall short, Jesus is the perfect promise. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Saul, David, and Eli are mentioned.
Know and Trust the Promised One
The book ends with a call for your children to know and trust the promised one so they can be friends with God. Key Bible passages for family reading are listed, providing further opportunities for parents and older children.
This is a modern classic children's book with a story that belongs in every home. Tell your family about the promise God made, and teach them to see it perfectly fulfilled in Jesus.
I received a media copy of The Promise and this is my honest review.
Read
July 4, 2021"I’ve said before on here that I’m no judge of the quality of art, but the art of The Promise looks pretty solid to me. It is creative and matches the themes, mood, and tone of the text well. In other words, the art appears to be excellent to my untrained/inexpert eye.
Likewise The Promise provides an excellent overview of the first three chapters of Genesis, and a solid Biblical theology (in children’s form, of course) of the Old Testament and how it points to Christ.
And as with most of these books, there’s nothing inappropriate or unorthodox in the book. It is fine to read to children and will undoubtedly make an excellent addition to most children’s bookshelves (the problems I’m going to mention momentarily aren’t the sort that will be noticed by or matter to kids).
And yet, there are a couple of big issues here."
Read the rest here:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeff...
Likewise The Promise provides an excellent overview of the first three chapters of Genesis, and a solid Biblical theology (in children’s form, of course) of the Old Testament and how it points to Christ.
And as with most of these books, there’s nothing inappropriate or unorthodox in the book. It is fine to read to children and will undoubtedly make an excellent addition to most children’s bookshelves (the problems I’m going to mention momentarily aren’t the sort that will be noticed by or matter to kids).
And yet, there are a couple of big issues here."
Read the rest here:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeff...
October 21, 2022
A picture book that summarizes the message of the Bible, from Genesis to Jesus' resurrection, showing how Jesus is the Savior promised who answered a need no one else could fill.
I like the way this is presented in that it helps kids realize how the stories of the Old Testament are pointing out the need and longing for a Savior, a need no one could fill until Jesus came along. The art style is very unique for a picture book and sets a good tone to the picture book. Highly recommended to Christian families and schools.
I like the way this is presented in that it helps kids realize how the stories of the Old Testament are pointing out the need and longing for a Savior, a need no one could fill until Jesus came along. The art style is very unique for a picture book and sets a good tone to the picture book. Highly recommended to Christian families and schools.
November 11, 2022
Beginning with creation, this book recounts the perfect creation, the fall of man and the need of a savior. It goes further to review how even the greatest heroes of the Old Testament were not great enough to save man. Neither could obedience to laws nor any amount of sacrifice was enough to save. There is only One Who is perfect and can save, and that is Jesus.
Beautiful illustrations and I really liked how the Bible heroes were acknowledged in their greatness, but how even that isn't enough to save.
Beautiful illustrations and I really liked how the Bible heroes were acknowledged in their greatness, but how even that isn't enough to save.
January 12, 2022
I'm a Crossway superfan and so it pains me to say this, but the book is WAY too repetitive. It was awkward to read and we listened to the audio today at lunch and it was awkward to listen to. The illustrations are top notch and my kids love looking at them. But I can't see myself reading this one repeatedly. The gospel message is important...but so is writing quality children's books which is the aim here 😬 I wouldn't buy for a friend 😫
August 23, 2024
The Promise is a well illustrated and written short story of the need for Jesus. He is the perfect law giver, king, conquerer, priest, etc. Jesus fulfills God’s promise made in the beginning of the Bible! Great simplified story of the Gospel the encompasses the whole Bible! Great book! Great for kids of all ages!
December 31, 2023
A book that teaches the wonderful truth that Christ is a yes to all the promises. One reservation I have is it also focuses to much on the negative of OT shortcomings and needs to show more clearly how Christ brings the promises to proper goal what they pointed to along anyways.
May 29, 2021
High Christology, beautifully illustrated. A great gift for young families.
June 16, 2021
This book is a good summary of the Bible story for someone who has never heard the story of the gospel before. It is well written and helps give a good base for a gospel discussion.
August 5, 2021
Great kids book for children ages 4-8, the message is clear & easily understandable. Highly recommended.
December 1, 2021
Excellent.
December 30, 2021
This is a masterpiece. So clear. So good. And the artwork is spectacular. Buy it for every child. Buy it for yourself!
January 7, 2022
Great illustrations and clear presentation of the gospel.
March 3, 2022
FANTASTIC. An absolutely gorgeous children's book that shows clearly how all Bible stories, from the very beginning to the very end, are Christ's story. Can't recommend highly enough.
May 18, 2022
What a lovely tracing of the universal need for redemption from creation to the cross.
September 30, 2023
Lovely artwork and message!
January 2, 2025
Me gustó el audio libro. Buena voz e intencionalidad a un buen contenido. Hermosas promesas a las cuales aferrarnos... Él es bueno para sostenernos. Amén.
June 23, 2025
The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and inspiring. The author assumes a Protestant canon of scripture, and a Protestant soteriology. From a Catholic Mama.
August 23, 2021
Awesome. It took me until my 20’s to understand the Bible did not just have stories about Jesus, but was about Jesus. Biblical Theology has changed the way I read Scripture, and thus altered my life. I am so glad my son can grow up reading books like this.
July 24, 2021
Listened to the audiobook. Loved it. Can’t wait to share with my son when he gets old enough to read.
September 6, 2023
I wish this book existed when I was learning the Old Testament stories as a child. It clearly shows (through the example of Old Testament “heroes”) that no one can fulfill God’s promise to save us from sin and death except Jesus. Amazing articulation of the Biblical metanarrative that will be helpful for adults and children alike.
June 30, 2025
It gives me great pleasure to say I know the author of this masterpiece
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews