THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Lesson 2
THE BIBLE
Now That I am a child of God - a Christian and
a member of Christ's church - I have a Father in heaven, who speaks to me
through His Word, called the Bible. Reading the Bible is like reading a letter
from home. Now that I am a child of God, heaven is my home-that is where my
Father lives. I am living in this world now, away from home. But, through my
Lord Jesus Christ, I am on my way to that home of the soul. Jesus said:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except
through me" (John 14:6).
The Bible is divided into the Old and the New Testaments, two major divisions.
Both Old and New Testaments are the Word of God; they were inspired by the Holy
Spirit of God. The Bible is intended by God to give us a complete, perfect guide
by which we are to live.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
THE OLD TESTAMENT
For better understanding we may divide the 39 books of the Old Testament into
five different parts. There are:
5 books of Law
12 books of History
5 books of Poetry
5 books of Major Prophecy
12 books of Minor Prophecy (when applied to Prophecy the terms Major and Minor
refer only to the length of the books of prophecy, not their importance: books
called major prophecy are longer; books called minor prophecy are shorter).
THE BOOKS OF THE LAW: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They
are called books of law because they state the Law of Moses. They also contain a
lot of the history of Israel. Moses, that great man of God, wrote these books.
These five books are also called the Pentateuch (a Greek word that literally
means "five books:").
THE BOOKS OF HISTORY: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2
Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These books tell
us about the things that happened to the people of Israel. This nation is
important to us because Israel was God's people in the Old Testament. Our Lord
Jesus Christ came from this nation: Jesus was born a Jew. Of course, Jesus came
to save the whole world.
THE BOOKS OF POETRY: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of
Solomon. These are books showing devotion to God, dependence on God, and the
true meaning of life.
THE FIVE BOOKS OF THE MAJOR PROPHETS: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel,
and Daniel. These books were written by the men whose names they carry, with the
exception of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah. These books were written during
the Old Testament history of Israel and they can be better understood by seeing
what time in the history of Israel they were written. These books throw light on
the history of Israel and also tell us something about the coming of Jesus
Christ, His mission in the world, and His kingdom which is now the church of
Christ.
THE TWELVE BOOKS OF THE MINOR PROPHETS: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These books,
like the books of the Major Prophets, may be understood better by reading them
with the background of the Israelite nation in mind. These books contain things
about the coming of Christ our Lord (the Messiah). They also tell us some things
about Christ's spiritual kingdom, which is the church.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
The second major part of the Bible is the New Testament which tells us about
Jesus Christ our Lord who died for us on the cross and who was resurrected from
the dead by God's power. The New Testament which tells us about Jesus Christ our
Lord who died for us on the cross and who was resurrected from the dead by God's
power. The New Testament also tells us about the beginning of Christ's church,
and shows us how the church is to worship, work, and live. The New Testament is
also divided into parts. These parts are the Gospel Accounts; a book of History;
Letters of Paul the apostle to churches and individuals; some General Letters;
and a book of Prophecy.
THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four books tell us
about Jesus Christ our Lord-His birth, His life, His teachings, His death for
our sins, and His resurrection from the grave. All that we truly now about
Christ and His life on this earth is found in these books, along with some other
things mentioned in the rest of the New Testament. From these books, we learn
how Jesus told His people to carry His message of salvation to the entire world.
THE BOOK OF HISTORY: Acts of the Apostles. It tells about the beginning of
Christ's church and gives us a brief history of the church. Acts reports the
spread of the gospel of Christ under the preaching of the apostles and the first
Christians. Acts shows us what to do to be saved and how to enter the church,
which is God's family.
THE LETTERS OF PAUL: These are the letters that this apostle wrote to churches
and to individuals teaching them how to live their lives in Christ. They also
contain some instructions for the organization and the work and the worship of
churches of Christ. Paul's letters are the books of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. We may also include Hebrews with Paul's writings:
although the writer of Hebrews is unknown, many people think that Paul wrote it.
THE GENERAL LETTERS: James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, 3 John, and Jude. It is
believed that these letters were written by those whose names they bear. They
are addressed to Christians, with the same sort of material as the letters of
Paul. The one Book of Prophecy (Revelation) was written by the apostle John and
contains visions granted to John about the present and future conflict of the
Church with Satan and his followers and agents. It is written in symbolic words,
and much care should be used in reading Revelation. It should be given meaning
that agrees with other plain teachings in the rest of the Word of God. God's
children today are not under the law of Moses. Paul wrote:
"But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that
what is promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to
those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law,
locked up until faith should be reveals. So the law was put in charge to lead us
to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are
no longer under the supervision of the law." (Galatians 3:22-25)
Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is certainly ours now, so the law of
Moses is not our rule or guide to heaven. Christ is the Way. The will of Christ
contained in the New Testament is complete and final. In the New Testament, we
learn how to be saved, how to live and think as Christians, how to worship God,
how to work for the Lord Jesus Christ. No other guide is needed. The gospel
system of faith has been given to us in the New Testament, and we are not to add
to it, or take away from it. John wrote:
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone
adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away
from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described
in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)
The gospel of salvation through faith in Christ is complete as contained in the
New Testament. Jude wrote:
"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we
share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once
for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude verse 3).
As God's child, I should study the Bible, obeying Paul's command:
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not
need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy
2:15).