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UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

INTRODUCTION

The Bible was written to be read and understood.
Question: What are the guidelines one must observe when approaching books of history or poetry? Consider the following areas:
1. Who is speaking?
  1. A historical person? Is God speaking? Is it man who is speaking?
2. To whom is he speaking?
  1. To another historical person?
3. What incident or event caused him to speak?
  1. Society is not static!
  2. World history goes on.
  3. Social concerns emerge every day.
  4. These global concerns touch individual life.
4. What is the historical setting?
  1. When did it occur?
  2. Quite valid within itself, but does it effect me?
  3. Am I bound [regulated] by the strictures of this event?
5. Are there customs to be respected?
  1. Do we speak out of what we are?
  2. Does the sense of the statement depend in any way upon a custom or practice of the age in which it was spoken?

WELL KNOWN GUIDELINES WHICH ARE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING AND USING THE BIBLE.

A reader must understand the organization of the Bible.

The Bible is divided into two major sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The word "testament" means a covenant, pact or will.
The two testaments combine in explaining the history or God's relationship with humanity.

Exercise: Open your Bible and observe each section.

Have you noticed that the Old Testament is much larger than the New Testament?
What is the first book of the Bible? Can you locate it?
What is the first book of the New Testament? Can you locate it?

The Old Testament consists of 39 separate writings or books.

Your phone book has certain classified sections which tell you where businesses, vocations, services, etc. can be located.
One has difficulty until they become familiar with where certain services can be located in the phone book.
The same is true with the Bible. The Bible is divided into sections and one must respect and understand them to acquire greater depth of perception.

Note the classification of the Old Testament books according to subject matter:

History of Beginnings

Genesis

Jewish Law

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Jewish History

Joshua

2 Kings

Judges

1 Chronicles

Ruth

2 Chronicles

1 Samuel

Ezra

2 Samuel

Nehemiah

1 Kings

Esther

Jewish Poetry

Job

Ecclesiastes

Psalms

Song of Solomon

Proverbs

The Prophets

Isaiah

Jonah

Jeremiah

Micah

Lamentations

Nahum

Ezekiel

Habakkuk

Daniel

Zephaniah

Hosea

Haggai

Joel

Zechariah

Amos

Malachi

Obadiah

The New Testament consists of 27 separate writings.
Note their classification according to subject matter:

The Life of Christ

Matthew

Luke

Mark

John

The Establishment and Early Life and Growth of the Church:

Acts of the Apostles

The Letters

Romans

1 Thessalonians

1 Corinthians

2 Thessalonians

2 Corinthians

1 Timothy

Galatians

2 Timothy

Ephesians

Titus

Philippians

Philemon

Colossians

Generic letters (Traditionally called, General Letters)

Hebrews

1 John

James

2 John

1 Peter

3 John

2 Peter

Jude

Prophecy

Revelation

Note that each book in the Bible [39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament] is divided into chapters.

Open to any part of the Bible and observe the main chapter divisions.

Each chapter segment is divided into verses.

The verses are comprised of a complete thought one or two sentences in length.

So, if the student wants to locate something in a section he a)first locates the particular book, b)locates the chapter in the book, and c)pin points the verse under investigation.

A student must understand the historical use of the two major divisions of the Bible.

The Old Testament was written by some 32 writers to keep their people reminded of the existence and activity of their historical God and to urge them to remain faithful to the covenant He made with them.

Read Deuteronomy 5.1-3. [Remember the procedure stated in point A9]

The New Testament was written by about 8 Christian writers to tell the story of Jesus Christ. Also, its design was to show the readers the benefits of believing in Him and His teachings.

Read John 20.30-31

What then can the modern student gain by reading the Old and New Testaments?

The student can understand the long history of God, who worked through ancient Israel, and who still works in today's world.

The modern student must remember:

The Old Testament is a covenant made only with ancient Israel.
Its conditions [such as the Sabbath, circumcision, feast days, animal sacrifices] are NOT binding today.
The New Testament is a covenant made only with Christians, and binding on those today who follow Christ's teaching.
A READER MUST UNDERSTAND THE NORMATIVE USE OF THE BIBLE.
1. A debated topic throughout Russia's religious history.
  1. Topic: the need for one accepted standard or moral and religious conduct.
  2. Russian history shows the 10th century conversion of Russia to Christianity, the Mongo invasions, struggles of Orthodox, Protestant and Atheistic encounters...all to be centered on the question of religious and moral authority.
  3. Questions:
    
    Without one accepted standard how could we know what is morally right or wrong?
    Without one accepted standard how could we know if a religious idea is right or wrong?
    By what method do we ascertain a standard to be trustworthy?
2. In addition to instructing people to know God, many peoples and cultures have been served by the Bible to determine the standard, guide or norm in important religious and moral areas of life.
  1. List the moral and religious standards set by God in Exodus 20.1-17 for ancient Israel.
  2. NOTE: More will be said on this point in the lecture entitled The Moral Paradigm.
3. The Bible is a trustworthy standard in life, or is it?
  1. If it is to be the accepted standard for your life and mine it must be rigorously proven to be so.
  2. NOTE: The next lesson, The Historical Reliability of The Bible, will state and define the reasons believed by Christians which confirm the Bible's trustworthiness to be used as a standard for moral and religious conduct.
THE READER MUST UNDERSTAND THE RELIGIOUS USE OF THE BIBLE.
1. Whenever the Bible encounters an area of history, science, or any of the arts, it is accurate and is often corrective of errors in these fields of study.
2. However, the Bible has but one main objective: to bring people to God!
  1. It has been said: "All religions have one central thrust...man trying to find God. Christianity is the story of God trying to find man."
  2. The summation: Matthew 11.27-28.
  3. Explore Hebrews 1.1-4.
CONCLUSION
1. We have learned several things from this presentation:
  1. The necessity of becoming more familiar with the Bible and its makeup.
  2. Could you illustrate what we meant by a "working" use of the Bible?
  3. In what ways has the Bible become more intelligible, vogue, and practical.
  4. What are some practical guidelines for an understandable approach to Shakespeare?
  5. Explain the guidelines under section I-B in the outline.
  6. How is the Bible divided for easy access to thoughts, words and subjects?
  7. How many books are in the Old Testament and New Testament?

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Last modified: December 07, 2005