This is a companion volume to God’s Big Picture by the same author. In both books Vaughan Roberts shows how the unity of the Bible – its one story of God’s redemption plan through Jesus Christ – helps us to understand the different parts of the Bible. I still remember the first time I read these books; they were like a key which unlocked the Scriptures for me and have permanently changed the way in which I read, understand and apply the Bible.

In this volume Roberts traces six major themes through the Bible: who rules the world, our identity as humans, money and possessions, sex and marriage, mission and the Holy Spirit. His hope is that this will ‘give the reader confidence to begin to apply the same methodology to other themes’. I found the chapter on human identity particularly helpful given that it is such a big issue in our society. Knowing who we are (that we are not just ‘cosmic accidents’) has profound implications for how we view life and its purpose, and how we relate to each other, to God’s world and of course to God Himself.

Vaughan Roberts’ books are always easy to read, full of good understanding of the Bible and biblical theology and he’s always very practical in his application. Again, I highly recommend this book, and the companion book God’s Big Picture.

John Richards