Scripture's Grand Story
By Bryan E. Beyer and Bill Jones
The Bible contains the greatest story ever told. It reveals the God of history, who is writing his story through history’s events. It tells us about life, and it itself is life. It tells us about Jesus, God’s Son, who secured salvation for a lost world two thousand years ago.
Maybe you’ve tried to read the Bible all the way through before and didn’t finish. Maybe you need a tool to guide you in your journey.That’s what we hope this book will be for you.
The Bible is sixty-six books, yet it is one book with one story. It was written over 1,500 years ago, but with one theme—Jesus! The Bible has forty human authors, but one divine author and one central story. It invites us into that story to embrace the life God designed for us.
Scripture’s Grand Story can help people with little Bible knowledge achieve a basic framework for grasping the Bible’s main story. Those with a basic understanding of Scripture will benefit by seeing how each story plays a part in the one central story—Jesus.
About the Author
Dr. Bryan Beyer grew up in a Christian home and gave his life to Christ at an early age. Around age 16, he sensed God’s call to church-related ministry. He graduated from Colorado State University (BA in Humanities), Denver Seminary (MDiv in Biblical Studies), and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Hebraic and Cognate Studies). From 1985-2021 he served at Columbia International University (SC) in a variety of roles (undergrad Bible faculty, dean of the college, dean of students, seminary Old Testament faculty, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences). In 2021 he ceased full-time employment at CIU to focus more on teaching, writing, and taking groups to Israel.
Dr. Beyer has written extensively for LifeWay Christian Resources (www.lifeway.com) since 1991, writing Sunday School curriculum but also assisting both in the translation of the Christian Standard Bible (Jeremiah 29-49) and the CSB Study Bible (notes on 1-2 Samuel). Four of his more significant publications include:
• Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (co-authored with Bill T. Arnold; Baker Academic, 3rd edition, 2015)
• Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study (co-edited with Bill T. Arnold; Baker Academic, 2002)
• Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey (Baker Academic, 2007)
• Scripture’s Grand Story Through the Old Testament (co-authored with Bill Jones; Wipf and Stock, 2022)
Dr. Beyer and his wife Yvonne have three adult children and five granddaughters. The Beyers enjoy time with family and in the outdoors.
For over three decades Dr. Bill Jones has enjoyed the opportunity to serve simultaneously in two distinct yet complementary arenas, the university campus and world missions. At Columbia International University, known for its strong Bible teaching and emphasis on missionary service, Jones served first as a professor and then president. Currently he serves as the university’s chancellor. At Crossover Global, a church planting organization he co-founded to provide gospel access among unreached people groups, he served first as president until becoming chairman of the global board.
After ten years of teaching weekly Bible studies in Columbia, South Carolina to marketplace leaders, Jones suspected that other marketplace leaders living in much larger cities might not have the opportunity to conveniently drive to and from a strong Bible study. What began as an experiment in 2011 via email with five marketplace leaders around the country has grown into the Ezra Journey with a variety of Bible study offerings.
A passionate communicator, Jones has spoken to thousands around the world. He has also authored several books including Putting Together the Puzzle of the Old Testament, Putting Together the Puzzle of the New Testament and The Ministry Multiplication Cycle. Along with Dr. Bryan Beyer, he has co-authored Scripture’s Grand Story through the Old Testament. Jones graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Tech and holds doctorates from both Columbia Biblical Seminary and Gordon Conwell Seminary.
Jones married Debby Jones, coauthor of Lady in Waiting, a book on ten character qualities of a godly woman based on the Bible book of Ruth. Bill and Debby have four married children and eleven grandchildren.
