Even Better than Eden

Nine Ways the Bible’s Story Changes Everything about Your Story

Nancy Guthrie

wheaton, illinois

Even Better than Eden: Nine Ways the Bible’s Story Changes Everything about Your Story

Copyright © 2018 by Nancy Guthrie

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Cole Londeree

Cover image and artwork: Cole Londeree

First printing 2018

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture references marked NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL, 60189. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6125-2

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6128-3

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6126-9

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6127-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Guthrie, Nancy, author.

Title: Even better than Eden : nine ways the Bible’s story changes everything / Nancy Guthrie.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018000252 (print) | LCCN 2018026076 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433561269 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433561276 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433561283

(epub) | ISBN 9781433561252 (tp)

Subjects: LCSH: Kingdom of God. | Jesus Christ—Kingdom. | Eschatology. | Heaven—Christianity. | Bible—Theology.

Classification: LCC BT94 (ebook) | LCC BT94 .G875 2018 (print) | DDC 231.7—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018000252

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

As a woman who has so much to learn and yet seeks to faithfully teach the Bible, I have been so blessed to be surrounded by the sound teaching, personal encouragement, helpful input, and gentle critique of a number of theologically trained men, and I am so very grateful.

Thank you, Dr. James Walters, for lighting a fire in me at John Brown University with the first paper you assigned in Christian Life class on the glory of God.

Thank you, Ray Ortlund Jr., for introducing ...