Epic: The Storyline of the Bible

by James L. Nicodem, Phil Vischer (Foreword)

To many people, the Bible is a series of incongruous and confusing stories. It jumps from one person or place to the next leaving the reader scrambling to keep up and make sense of it all. That's a tall task.

Epic provides a big picture view of the Bible to explain how its individual pieces fit together. Is it really possible that the Bible's collection of 66 books actually has a single storyline? Yes! The theme of that storyline is redemption and Epic traces it from Genesis to Revelation.

Discover in the opening chapters of the Bible why redemption became humanity's desperate need. Learn how God set this rescue effort into motion through promises he made to Abraham. Follow the unfolding of these promises through Old Testament history. Note the role of the prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi, in the overall drama. Witness Jesus Christ bringing redemption to a climax. 

Perfect for believers at any stage, small group leaders, and those discipling others, Epic will open your eyes to the way all the different parts of scripture contribute to a single story that can change your life.

Genres: Christian

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2013

Reviews

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More "milk" than meat but even mature believers will appreciate this overview of scripture and the story of redemption. There were a few gems of insight that I highlighted throughout the book that gave me a fresh perspective. One that comes to mind is his 4 potential reasons for the millennial reign. I'd not really ever considered the reasons behind it or how it fits into the unfolding off redemption.

[Steven van Doorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot for what it was. A brief overview tracing the storyline that goes from Genesis through Revelation. Showing how different books and groups of books contribute to that storyline.

I think we often miss the forest for the trees when reading the Bible. Focusing on specific verses, chapters or books and missing how it ties in to the broader context of the Word of God. This book reminds you of the forest, or introduces you to the forest if you haven't seen it before. I recommend it, especially to people who feel like they could use a better grasp of scripture overall.

[Jana Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summary

James Nicodem has beautifully condensed the Bible for new, seeking Christians who desire to get a basic understanding of God's redemptive plan for mankind. After reading this book, one cannot do anything else but desire to go deeper into God's word.

[Adilyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, though there are some controversial topics such as pre-tribulation rapture not occourring. It was perfect for theYA summer book study I was in.

[Jessica (JT) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and discussed this book with my Bible study group. It should be noted that I go to Christ Community Church, the church where the author is the Senior Pastor. My review might be a little biased because of that :)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It takes you through the entire Bible showing the overarching theme of redemption. It's very easy to read and understand. I think it is aimed at the beginner Bible reader. Some of the points seemed oversimplified for me, but as a lifelong Christian, I probably have more background understanding than some.

Sometimes the writing is a little too informal for my taste, but it probably suits more people that way. You feel like you are having a conversation rather than reading a book.

The end of each chapter has a few pages of study questions, Bible reading prompts, and discussion questions. This definitely helped me work through ideas and remember facts and my Bible study group really liked the questions. They prompted great discussions.

I definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get more understanding out of the Bible.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not so much a review as personal notes for a review of this series (Bible Savvy) I am doing elsewhere. In Epic Nicodem gives a simple overview of the biblical story as the story of redemption. He gives a pretty good and accessible bird's-eye-view of how God's redemption is prompted by human sinfulness, prepared for, prophesied of and purchased by Christ. This redemption is then proclaimed by the New Testament church and culminates in the perfection of Revelations 21,22.

Nicodem is a pastor and is able to explain the Biblical story in a way that is accessible to lay people. I disagreed with him on some of the particulars but I liked the general arc of his explanation.

This is a nice overview of the Biblical story for the non-scholar. Might be nice to go through a book like this with church small-group leaders.

[Tanwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, easy-to-read, introductory book on the high view of the Bible. This book views the Bible as the book of redemption and look at the entire bible through this lense.

Nicodem goes through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in a high-view and high-pace manner. Which is a good thing if you are starting to learn about the Bible in details. 

This is a good beginner's guide to the Bible. It gives you a high-level view of the entire Bible seen through the lense of redemption. 

I highly recommend this for anyone who is starting out in studying the Bible. But for seasoned learners, you will find very few new things in here.

I wish I had this book when I started studying the Bible. 

4 out of 5

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a easy-to-read overview of the entire Bible. It intends to pull together all the elements of Scripture into one over-arching meta-narrative, and it does so quite well. It changes your Bible reading, as you are now see the big picture, and can place the individual books and passages into the broader story.

[Sarah Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for anyone who does not quite get how the whole bible fits together. It's very easy to understand, not talking over our heads.
Creation, crisis, rescue and redemption. This will help you understand how it all intertwines. I love this. Everyone who is curious about God should read this book. Included after each chapter, are questions for individual or small group discussion.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

They should give this book out to all new Christians. For anyone who did not attend private Christian school, this is helpful background information. It doesn't go very deep, but it's not intended to. I am looking forward to reading the other three books in the series.

[Jaysi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent for helping to understand and organize the bible.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great bible overview for those not very familiar with the overarching theme of the Word of truth. A very quick, good read.