Basic Facts Every Christian Should Know
One of our young people and his friend from another church interviewed a number of pastors in the Kokomo (IN) area. To their surprise, a number of them could not recite the Ten Commandments.
Another one of our young people participated in an after-school Christian ministry where the leader asked if anyone could recite the Ten Commandments. She was the only one who could do so (the leader was surprised, because on other occasions, no one was able to perform that feat). You would think the leader would have changed his lesson plan and taught the kids the commandments then and there (I wonder if he knew them), but his question was merely a jumping point for a lesson about the loss of absolute truth.
We live in a day and age where speakers complain about believers not knowing the basic facts, yet these leaders do nothing to remedy the problem. Complaining about the problem, or revealing it, is not enough: we should, instead, fix the problem. And we should not move on until we have done so.
In the past, I’ve taught the Ten Commandments and Persons of the Trinity during our morning service, conducted a combined Sunday school for grades 1-8 to teach these basics and more, and offered similar material during our Sunday evening service. I have taught much of this material during AWANA or, in recent years, to our summer youth group.
As I was studying 2 Peter (1:12-13) in preparation for one of my sermons, I realized that I had not properly “reinforced” these teachings in recent years. Peter wrote:
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.
All Christians need to know and review the basic “facts.” Most of us agree that, by and large, learning concepts is better than mere memorization of information. But not always. Rote memory has gotten a bum wrap: Learning by rote is an excellent way to lay a foundation—especially if you contemplate what you have learned!
I do not want to place the bar too high; instead, I will list what I consider the bare essentials for every Christian to know by rote—basic Christian facts that correspond to learning multiplication tables in math. You might use this information as a list for your own personal achievement, and for instructing your children at home, teaching Sunday school or other classes for children, teens, and yes—adults!
The temptation is to get too deep in analyzing these very important subjects. A superficial rote memorization, though, lays a foundation that can be expanded upon later. Detail-constrained people and the TMI crowd are not the best at teaching these basics!
1. The order of the books of the Bible
Like learning the alphabet before reading, knowing the order of the books of the Bible is foundational to deep Bible study. If you are fortunate enough to have children who have been taught the New Testament and the Old Testament songs, you have an “easy way” to learn the arrangement. Breaking the task into manageable “chunks” is helpful.
Let’s begin with the New Testament. You want to be able to think through the order, so here is a list you might use.
New Testament
- The Historical Books (Matthew-Acts)
- Paul’s Epistles (Romans-Philemon)
- Hebrews
- General Epistles (James-Jude)
- Revelation (Remember, it is not Revelations.)
The list of Paul’s epistles can be the most difficult. Remember, all the “T’s” are together (1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus); an acrostic for Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians is “Gentiles Eat Pork Chops.”
Learn each section before moving on to the next. Always review from the beginning. (“Matthew, Mark….”)
Old Testament
We again have some useful divisions
- The Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy)
- The Historical Books (Joshua-Esther)
- The Poetical Books (Job-Song of Solomon)
- The Major Prophets (Isaiah-Daniel; note that Lamentations is an appendix to the book of Jeremiah.)
- The Twelve Minor Prophets (Hosea-Malachi)
You can create an acrostic for the twelve Minor Prophets, or you might compromise and look them up in the index if you cannot seem to conquer this challenge. If you know the order of the Old Testament books except for the Minor Prophets, you can get by. Here is an acrostic I use:
Howard Johnson Ate Olives (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah)
January May Need Heat (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk)
Zoos Have Zebra Mammals (Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
The book most people cannot locate is Nahum. Odds are if you can locate Nahum without consulting an index, you know your Bible order!
2. The Ten Commandments
These are found in Exodus 20, but they are not numbered. I reduce them down to bare bones paraphrases for easy memory. I am more concerned that people still know their commandments at age seventy-three than I am about perfection of wording at age twelve. The secret is to think through them in three sections:
Four commands relating to God:
- No other gods
- No images
- Do not misuse God’s name.
- Remember the Sabbath Day.
Then the authority we recognize first in life, our parents:
- Honor your parents
Then we think of five sins, from worst to least:
- Do not murder.
- Do not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Do not lie.
- Do not covet.
Thinking through the commandments really helps. When explaining meanings to children, they will often ask about adultery. A kid-friendly way to explain this is, “If you are married, do not look for anybody else.” With coveting, I’ll explain it is wanting something too much—so much that you make yourself unhappy or you are willing to do something wrong to get it.
3. The Three Points of the Gospel
These are derived from I Corinthians 15:1-6. When memorizing this, I encourage folks to emphasize, “for our sins.” The fact that Christ died is history, but the fact that He died for our sins is theology and salvation!
- Christ died for our sins.
- He was buried.
- He rose again on the third day.
4. The Three Points of the Great Commission
These are derived from Matthew 28:19-20. I summarize “teaching all things” as “discipleship.” The points, then, are these:
- Evangelism
- Baptism
- Discipleship
5. The storyline of the major events in the entire Bible
These include Creation, the Fall, the Flood, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Judges, King David, Solomon, divided kingdom, Babylonian Captivity, return to Jerusalem under Ezra, birth of John the Baptist, life of Jesus, Pentecost, inclusion of the Gentiles. The best way to get this is by reading through the Bible. Attending Sunday school and attentiveness during sermons over the years helps to refresh these, too. Children’s story Bibles help rehearse the main narratives.
6. Persons Who make up the one Triune God
- Father
- Son
- Holy Spirit
Please do not teach “God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit” as the Trinity. This is not quite accurate. By calling only the Father “God,” you are implying that the Son and Spirit are something less than God. By naming Jesus as part of the Trinity, you are including His human nature, which had a beginning (remember, God has been triune eternally). God the Son has always existed, but the human nature of Jesus began in Mary’s womb.
7. The importance of the nation of Israel
This is a topic of controversy. Although all Christians would acknowledge the importance of Israel in the past (the nation producing the Messiah, the Bible, and the Apostles), most of Christendom believes that God is done with Israel forever. We disagree and assert that this is an important issue.
At present the existence of the nation of Israel is an indication of God’s faithfulness and thus an evidence of the truth of the Bible. The only thing that makes sense of Israel’s existence is God’s end-time plans for Israel (her future conversion and exaltation during the Kingdom Age). See Romans 11.
(Note: I recognize that many SI readers do not believe in an exalted Israel in the future. Please feel free to nix this one if your views differ from mine.)
8. The Solas
These are the five Biblical “alones” reclaimed during the Reformation. I prefer to condense them to two statements:
Scripture Alone. We are not saying that the Bible is the only authority, but rather, the Bible is the only infallible and thus the final authority. (Other authorities—like governments, parents, or church leaders—are fallible but to generally be respected; clear Scripture, however, can trump these authorities.)
Salvation by God’s grace alone through Christ alone by faith alone to God’s glory alone.
9. Minimal verses every Christians should understand and have memorized
John 3:16, I John 1:9 and the “Romans Road” verses (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:8, 6:23 and 10:9). It might be good to also include Ephesians 2:8-9.
John 3:16 is a simple salvation verse. I John 1:9 is a verse every Christian needs to know—confessing our sins to God and dealing with guilt is an important part of a godly walk. The Romans Road verses can be used for personal assurance but are especially well suited to lead someone to faith in Christ. The Ephesians verses are, in a sense, a clarification of what Romans 6:23 means—salvation is a gift. A gift really is a gift!
We are never done learning as Christians, so please do not stop with the above! This is meant to be a starting point, not an ending one. Just as we learn our multiplication tables and then move on to division, fractions, and decimals, so the basic Christian “facts” are a foundation upon which to build.
For SI readers, an addendum: Those of us in leadership (whether lay leaders or clergy) must repeatedly re-lay this foundation. We should never assume our folks have this foundation. I would challenge skeptics (optimists who believe their people know all these facts) to give an anonymous test to their Sunday school class, youth group—or attenders at a morning service. But be prepared for disappointment! I believe the overwhelming majority of Christians do not know their basic Christian facts by rote. They might pick up the Ten Commandments if given a multiple-choice quiz, but can they list them? Not many can.
Ed Vasicek was raised as a Roman Catholic in in Cicero, Illinois. During his senior year in high school (in 1974), Cicero Bible Church reached out to him, and he received Jesus Christ as his Savior by faith alone. Ed later felt a call to ministry and enrolled at Moody Bible Institute (B.A., Pastoral Studies/Greek). After graduating, he served as pastor of Victory Bible Church of Chicago (a branch work of Cicero Bible Church) and married Marylu Troppito. In 1983, the couple moved to Kokomo where Ed began pastoring Highland Park Church, where he still serves. Ed and Marylu have two adult children, Hannah and Luke. Ed loves to write. He has written over 500 weekly columns for the opinion page of the Kokomo Tribune, published articles in Pulpit Helps magazine, and populated his church’s website with an endless barrage of papers. You can access them at www.highlandpc.com.
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On point 3, I think the passage presents two, not three, points in the gospel:
1. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture
and was buried;
2. He rose again the third day, according to the Scripture
and was seen.
The “buried” and “seen” observations are simply confirmations of the “died” and “rose” points, which are highlighted by the phrase you noted, “according to the Scripture.”
Second, on point 5, I use a little chronological trick to help me place everything in order. Key OT actors appear every 500 years: Noah, 2500 BC (this is the most controversial date); Abraham, 2000; Moses, 1500; David, 1000; Ezra, 500.
This pattern makes it fairly easy to place everything else into a confined slot. For example, the Egyptian period is between Abraham and Moses, so it’s around 1750; the judges are between Moses and David, so they’re around 1250; Elijah is between David and Ezra, so he’s around 750. That helps me remember order for pretty much everything in the OT, and order has a lot to do with cause and effect, which has a lot to do with harvesting key principles from history. My students find it helpful as well.
BTW, the AD dates do the same thing with major theologians: Paul, 0; Augustine, 500; Thomas Aquinas, 1000 (or so); Calvin, 1500; Barth, 2000. (Please don’t take Barth’s inclusion as an endorsement; but he is a major theologian.)
Thanks for the thought-provoking piece.
Dan Olinger, PhD Chair, Div of Bible, BJU
Dr. Olinger, I will henceforth refer to church history as the Paul-Augustine-Aquinas-Calvin-Barth continuum. Poor Luther and Schleiermacher!
My Blog: http://dearreaderblog.com
Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin
Dr. Olinger, I will henceforth refer to church history as the Paul-Augustine-Aquinas-Calvin-Barth continuum. Poor Luther and Schleiermacher!Oh well, somebody had to go.
Dr.O, I’ve found the 500 year markers helpful as well. Can’t remember where I saw them first, maybe Talk Thru the Bible by Wilkinson and Boa.
Anyway, thanks, Ed. I think we might have a quiz at our church.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Just one thought however… while I acknowledge that 1 Cor. 15 presents the gospel in somewhat of a “nutshell,” I think that we should be careful not to think (or teach) that this is all that the gospel consists of or entails. Paul was assuming a lot that he fills in elsewhere in his letters. The wages of sin, The deity of Christ, his sinless life, the necessary response of repentance and faith, etc. are all part of the gospel as well. So while I see the value to some degree of using 1 Cor. 15 as a teaching device about some of the basics of the gospel, we must be careful IMO that we don’t reduce the gospel to those three (or two) facts.
I imagine you wouldn’t disagree as most of the other things are more like mental hooks on which much else hangs, I just am a bit cautious (perhaps over-cautious) because I have too often heard 1 Cor. 15 presented as the sum total of the gospel, rather than the center of the gospel, or basics of the gospel, or some such thing.
Of course, many have pointed out that the points Paul lists in 1Cor.15 do presuppose other points like why He died, and who He is. So these ideas are certainly not excluded.
Romans 2:16, for example, includes the judgement.
I know I’ve seen a passage or two where “gospel” seems to include the entire Christian way of life, though I can’t seem to find an example at the moment. Usually, it seems to be the message in 1Cor.15 along with points that are indispensable to it.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Second, on point 5, I use a little chronological trick to help me place everything in order. Key OT actors appear every 500 years: Noah, 2500 BC (this is the most controversial date); Abraham, 2000; Moses, 1500; David, 1000; Ezra, 500.That’s a great device, but I would label that more “intermediate.” I do emphasize that folks learn at least one OT date, 586. That really helps them navigate the prophets.
Charlie said:
I think Christianity a few centuries back used to be much more insistent on accomplishing this in both children and adults.You are right, Charlie. We are seeing the same problem in the education field, too. We can no longer expect people to memorize at home: we have to teach ‘em when we have ‘em.
Aaron said:
Dr.O, I’ve found the 500 year markers helpful as well. Can’t remember where I saw them first, maybe Talk Thru the Bible by Wilkinson and Boa.The problem in this area is TMI, Too much information. Walk Thru the Bible seminars can be great reinforcers for those who have read through the Bible at least a few times, but I wonder how many people really retain all that info?
DOlinger wrote:
On point 3, I think the passage presents two, not three, points in the gospel:I admit there is a parallelism there, so you could do it that way. But more is not always better, especially when getting the basic facts down. Still for memory, I think the 3 points are easier and briefer. Kind of the same philosophy I expressed about the commandments:
1. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture
and was buried;
2. He rose again the third day, according to the Scripture
and was seen.
I am more concerned that people still know their commandments at age seventy-three than I am about perfection of wording at age twelve.Ryan said:
Just one thought however… while I acknowledge that 1 Cor. 15 presents the gospel in somewhat of a “nutshell,” I think that we should be careful not to think (or teach) that this is all that the gospel consists of or entails.Well, this is about getting down the Basic Facts. I believe Paul himself makes it clear that the I Cor. 15 passage are the BASIC foundation, but not all there is. Note I Cor. 15:3
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importanceAaron said:
I think it’s fair to say that the term “gospel” is used in the NT in a narrow sense and a broad sense. The narrow one would be what Ed has described, based on 1 Cor.15 where Paul uses the term and enumerates the contents.I think we can all probably agree with Aaron’s summary on this idea.
Of course, many have pointed out that the points Paul lists in 1Cor.15 do presuppose other points like why He died, and who He is. So these ideas are certainly not excluded.
Thanks for the great discussion, everyone! And if any of you take quizzes in your Sunday School classes, church services, or fellowship/study groups, please share the results!
"The Midrash Detective"
Like learning the alphabet before reading, knowing the order of the books of the Bible is foundational to deep Bible study.While it might be true that understanding one portion of a book is contingent upon understanding another portion of another book(s) and in that way it might have the similarity to the elementary learning of the ABC’s before progressing, nevertheless I find it difficult to grasp that one need learn the order of the books as they are published before greater illumination is effected.
I do realize it is handy and helpful, maybe, to not have to use a table of context but simply memorizing it as an essential instrument for further enlightenment is something I would like explained. It occurs to me that as a matter of practical consequence the student of the Scriptures, due to their familiarity, would eventually have the locations down rather rapidly as it is.
But don’t misunderstand me, I am not dissuading anyone’s memorization of the order of the books, certainly not, I am merely interested in reconciling how such a memorization of a table of contents is “foundational to deep Bible study”. And if there is some response my hope is additional inquiries are welcomed.
“I do realize it is handy and helpful, maybe, to not have to use a table of context”Alex, this was one of those typos that spurred me to think… what if there was such a thing as a table of context in our Bibles, what a helpful tool that would be. How much bad preaching would be eliminated if such a thing existed.
Thanks,
Ryan
BTW, Edd, I appreciate your emphasis on rote facts, our education system seems to have downplayed memorization in favor of “discussion.” While discussion and critical thinking are necessary, how can one think critically if there is nothing to think about. Facts are important.
I do realize it is handy and helpful, maybe, to not have to use a table of context but simply memorizing it as an essential instrument for further enlightenment is something I would like explained.For a very practical reason. Bible studies are an important tool for growth, IMO, as are sermons. If you can’t find the texts under study, you will miss out a lot. People who do not readily know the order of the books of the Bible are less prone to actually turn to passages, or, by the time they get there, the speaker/teacher has moved on to another passage or is done discussing it.
Being “quick on the draw” is an important skill because most people learn better if they both see AND hear. This would fall under the category of “practical skills.”
It can be hard for the theologically minded and the detail-oriented to get down to basic skills. We are talking about starting points, not ending ones. We are talking about primer readers, not Shakespeare.
"The Midrash Detective"
[Ryan]LOL Yeah…rather ironic we might need it more than a “table of contents”!“I do realize it is handy and helpful, maybe, to not have to use a table of context”Alex, this was one of those typos that spurred me to think… what if there was such a thing as a table of context in our Bibles, what a helpful tool that would be. How much bad preaching would be eliminated if such a thing existed.
Thanks,
Ryan
[Ed Vasicek]Thanks for the response but I do not see how, again, simply having a quicker reference aids in the actual comprehension. Even if it is a matter of speed, simply being able to turn somewhere faster does not actually amplify comprehension. As to teachers, I am confidence most good teachers who are theologically minded also understand the learning process from start to end so I would resist the temptation to dismiss objections based on the “you just don’t understand, you’re too theologically minded” case. Further, most good teachers I know of take the time to inform the students which passages they want them to view and give them time to turn there and if they don’t intend on the student viewing the passage but are just referencing it, their teaching will reflect this. But this really is not an argument I want to take because we enter into the “whoever is the fastest understands the Bible best” conclusion which does not survive long.I do realize it is handy and helpful, maybe, to not have to use a table of context but simply memorizing it as an essential instrument for further enlightenment is something I would like explained.For a very practical reason. Bible studies are an important tool for growth, IMO, as are sermons. If you can’t find the texts under study, you will miss out a lot. People who do not readily know the order of the books of the Bible are less prone to actually turn to passages, or, by the time they get there, the speaker/teacher has moved on to another passage or is done discussing it.
Being “quick on the draw” is an important skill because most people learn better if they both see AND hear. This would fall under the category of “practical skills.”
It can be hard for the theologically minded and the detail-oriented to get down to basic skills. We are talking about starting points, not ending ones. We are talking about primer readers, not Shakespeare.
I find the unusual assertion that memorizing the table of contents “foundational to deep Bible study” very untenable here. I do agree that the friendliness of such a memorization to the matter of our convenience is real but unlike learning history, languages, or elementary doctrines which enhance our capacity to grasp content, simply being able to turn somewhere about 20 seconds before another person who uses a table of contents seems to render dubious the proposition that it is a foundational necessity for deep Bible study.
And I do agree that anyone suggesting that learning the table of contents is not valuable, is wrong. I just would not assign its value as a foundational necessity to deep Bible study. I believe one can have deep Bible study and not have the table of contents memorized. However, I do not wish to detract from the contribution of the rest of the article and have made my point which seems obvious enough to my own satisfaction so I don’t feel the need to further it unless you have other questions or someone has a further challenge to my observation. Thanks.
Thorough students of the Bible do know the books of the Bible in order, whether one wants to argue that it is essential for study or not. Based on what I acknowledge is merely anecdotal evidence, I would say that those who do not know where to find a certain book in their Bibles usually are not studying the Bible for themselves. Helping someone to learn the books of the Bible gives them a tool to become better Bible students; at the very least, they will not be hindered (or frustrated) by the difficulty of finding the right passage at the right time. Granted, a newly saved believer may rely entirely on his table of contents; but if he is serious about growing and learning (and studying the Bible), he will soon have their order memorized.
Given our experience with discipleship and ministry, I agree with Ed. Thanks for a great article and some good ideas, Ed!
- The Books of the Bible
- The Romans Road
- The 12 Apostles (52 MAB ST)
- The 12 Tribes of Israel
- The 10 Commandments
In addition, we learned to draw a free hand map of Palestine to the tune of O Tannebaum. (first the line of coast we make, then Merom, a marshy lake, then the Sea of Galilee, directly east of Mount Carmel …..) and locate major cities.
We also learned a hymn each week (partly because they weren’t enough hymn books for everyone).
The Sunday School curriculum drawn up by the pastor took us through the Bible in about 5 years.
While I can’t remember where I put my car keys, I still remember these things.
And thanks to Dan Olinger, the “500 year” list has been added.
"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan
I’m often amazed that people who’ve faithfully attended church for 10-20-30+ years don’t have many of the basics Bro. Ed lists available for recall. But we do have to be careful not to mistake recitation for understanding- some of the kids who can win all the sword drills and Bible quiz games can’t tell you the meaning of the Lord’s Supper or believer’s baptism.
Discussion