THE CHRISTIAN AND THE BIBLE

                                 THE CHRISTIAN AND THE BIBLE

 INDEX:
- THE CHRISTIAN AND THE BIBLE 
- THE OLD TESTAMENT
- THE NEW TESTAMENT
- THE LAW VS GRACE
- THE NEW TESTAMENT - THE 'OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE CHRISTIAN
- THE BIBLE 
- BIBLE READING AND BIBLE STUDY (WITH ADMONITIONS)
- CONCLUSION

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

“Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:11

“But He (Jesus) answered and said, ‘It is WRITTEN, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3

”Neither have I gone back form the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which lives and abides for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23

 

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE BIBLE 

 The Christian and God’s Word are inseparable. It is through His Word that we are born again and by His Word that we gain understanding and knowledge of Him and His ways. It is according to His Word that we walk out our daily life, confront every issue and obstacle, and according to His Word that we make our way to Heaven. The Bible is the student’s text, the soldier’s sword, the carpenter’s tool, the farmer’s seed, the artist’s inspiration, the engineer’s rule, the athlete’s goal, and the traveler’s map. It is the food for our spirit. It strengthens our heart and enlightens our mind! It is, along with God’s Holy Spirit, our travelling companion – our letter from our Heavenly Father!

(PLEASE READ THE INSPIRING ADMONITION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GIDEON’S BIBLE. It is so well laid out and encouraging)

 The Bible consists of 66 books written over a period of 1500 years, by 40 writers. It is divided into two parts, the Old Testament, 39 books, which were written predominately in Hebrew, but a couple of the more recent books like Daniel, were written in Aramaic. The New Testament of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was written in Greek, and consists of the remaining 27 books.

 THE OLD TESTAMENT can be broken down into 5 different parts: the first five books, the Pentateuch, are the books of Moses, or the Law. Then there is the section from Joshua to Job, which is the history section. Following the history are the Psalms (Worship/poetry) and wisdom, which are Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, then the Song of Solomon (poetry). Next are what is termed the Major Prophets, and finally the Minor Prophets. The difference between these two sections are the length of the texts.

 There are those that may tend to disregard the Old Testament since we are no longer under the Law. But all that is in the New Testament was concealed in the Old Testament. Furthermore, the Old Testament lays the foundation for not only all at we know and believe about God, but it also reveals to us our origins beginning with creation, God`s dealings with the human race, with leaders, governments, nations, both with His nation Israel, and all the other nations. The prophetic writings are filled with revelations about the past, present, and the future. Although we can find this throughout the whole Old Testament, but especially in the prophetic writings, God Himself is speaking, not only to the people of that day, but also to us.  The Scriptures of the Old Testament along with the content of the New Testament, are full of knowledge and revelations that serve as indispensable and limitless raw material for teaching and instruction, with examples that will feed and direct His people until Jesus returns, Matthew 13:52. Do not forget that all that the authors of the New Testament wrote, not only based their texts from the foundations of the Old Testament, but confirmed their doctrines using Old Testament Scriptures. For validation of any Biblical teaching, there must be a harmony between the Old Testament and New Testament doctrines and values. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not coming to destroy, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17

 What often confuses people with regards to the Old Testament, is that variance between the Law and Grace. If we do not understand the correlation between the two, we may think they are opposed to each other and contradict each other. With that as a conclusion one might chose the one and invalidate the other. The danger of this lack of understanding is that on the one hand, if a person choses the law over the grace of God in Christ, they will not only forfeit their own salvation, but neither will they ever grasp the heart and full nature of God, nor learn His compassion for sinners. On the other hand, if someone choses to cleave to grace and reject the teachings of the law (which is the better of the two for sure), they can tend to misunderstand the urgency regarding sin, repentance, and judgment. The Old Testament reveals so many things regarding God, His nature, His testimonies, and His will and dealings with  the world. The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul says, “Wherefore, the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ…Nay, I had not known sin but by the law…” Galatians 3:24, Romans 7:7

 Another aspect about the Old Testament is that through His dealings with the people of Israel, we can see how God deals with us as His people, though we be not under the Law (His grace is shown throughout His dealings with Israel), and again, how He deals with all the nations, and uses people who are not ‘Israel’ to serve His purposes, and even to discipline His people.

 In the Old Testament we can learn from the multitude of characters by their choices and behavior, and observe the outcome of their lives. We also learn spiritual warfare, worship, prayer and intercession, faithfulness, suffering injustices, patience… and so much more. As I also mentioned, we can learn how the Lord works with people, and most of all we get a glimpse of the layout of His plan for judgment and redemption, not only on a personal level, but on the global scale. It is so rich and full of critical information, mysteries, and wonders.

 In the Old Testament we learn what God calls sin, the Ten Commandments, and what the just consequences are for these sins. In the Old Testament we are introduced to the adversary of the human race, the devil, and we get a glimpse into the spiritual realm.

 THE NEW TESTAMENT also consists of five parts: The 4 Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, the general Epistles, and Revelation. The New Testament brings to full light the CENTRAL FIGURE of the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s ONLY BEGOTTEN Son, the Savior of the World. In the New Testament, God, through the writers, ties together and reveals to the world His plan of redemption for sinful mankind. He clarifies the concept of Heaven, Hell, and Eternal Judgment. He also   clearly reveals His true nature and character in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, “Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express/exact image of His Person…” Hebrews 1: 3, “Jesus said unto him, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known Me, Philip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father; and how do you say then, ‘Show us the Father.’” John 14:9 “…This is the True God, and Eternal Life.” 1 John 5:20

  What is being taught here is, that if our conclusions from anything, including what we see from the Scriptures of the Bible regarding the Character, Nature, and will, of God look anything different from the Character and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are in error somewhere. For instance, Jesus would not be a promoter of hate and murder any more than He would be a promoter of any type of sexual immorality. Both of these sins are addressed in the Old and New Testaments. Even with regards to Jesus, we can tend to imagine Him to be conformed to our bias and prejudices unless we heed the full counsel of the Scriptures.

THE LAW VS GRACE

  It is necessary to further address the topic of the apparent variance between the Old and the New Testament, and what looks like the contradiction between the Law and Grace, as well as the revelation of God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament. The Bible gives us a perfect example of their beautifully blended and complementary harmony in the Gospel according to John 8 with the woman caught in adultery. Now it was obviously a setup, because according to the law, both the man and the woman were to be put to death (since it obviously takes two to commit adultery), which is the divinely recommended punishment for a sin of that nature (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22). Yet they only brought the woman to Jesus. Their goal here was to trap Jesus and accuse Him of being a lawbreaker. They, having followed His ministry and seeing the grace and compassion that He tended to show sinners, were certain that He would not condemn her, but let her go. And if he releases her, yet knowing that according to God’s law she was guilty, would prove in their eyes that He disregarded or even defied the Laws of God, which is a form of blasphemy. They were confident that they had Him cornered.

“…Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned, but what do You say? This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground…So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’  And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, ‘Woman, where are those your accusers? Has no man condemned you?’ She said, ‘No man, Lord.’ And Jesus said unto her, ‘Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more.’” John 8:3-11

  This beautiful illustration, manipulated by man, but engineered by God (Who knows our hearts) reveals His divine purpose and the correlation between the His Law and His Grace, and what is more, it also reveals His understanding, compassionate heart, and His loving intentions toward us. The law exposes our sin and condemns us, but condemnation was not God’s objective, He wants our salvation! That was the primary mission of Jesus Christ. “’Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die,’ says the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live?’” Ezekiel 18:23.

 As we can see in this illustration, that according to the law we are all guilty, and not just those that are caught in a sin, and we all obviously deserve to be condemned. What does God’s Grace in Christ Jesus do (Who paid for those sins – His grace was not cheap, but came at an unimaginable price)? It acknowledges our guilt and what we deserve, but shows mercy and forgives, then releases us with the call to completely turn away from our sin. Grace does not negate the Law, but enables us to escape the judgment we deserve and give us a new start with a clean slate. That is the heart and love of God our Heavenly Father. How wonderful is that! The Law even shows the amazing beauty of God’s Grace!

NOTE – Jesus was not acting independently from the Father, but was being fully directed by the Father. When He stooped down and wrote on the ground He was waiting for the Father’s counsel, because in the end, they were challenging God at His Word. Jesus said, “I can of My own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not My own will, but the will of the Father which has sent Me.” John 5:30

  This story in the Gospel is a pinnacle illustration of where the Old Testament brings us to and ends, and the New Testament takes over, providing us with a new hope, based on better promises, and brings us to a far more intimate relationship with, and understanding of God. We can see through this beautiful illustration how the law shows our guilt, condemns us, Jesus Christ steps in, His grace takes over, saves us, cleanses us, and gives a fresh clean new start, free from the guilt and condemnation of the law.

“The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17.

THE NEW TESTAMENT - THE  ‘OWNERS MANUAL’ FOR THE CHRISTIAN

The New Testament is an indispensable tool for the Christian. It gives all the information needed to walk with Jesus in this life, teaches us not only what we need to do, but shows us how. Here is just one example; “According as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the KNOWLEDGE of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…” 1 Peter 1:3-7

  The New Testament takes us far past this natural realm and shows us eternity, teaches us what are the true values from God’s perspective and reveals Jesus Christ to us so clearly that even a child can grasp and walk with Him.

THE BIBLE

For the past couple hundred years the Word of God, the Bible, has been available to more and more people. Never before in the History of the World has the Word of God been available to so many people of all walks of life. Bible translators have been working diligently to translate the Scriptures into every known tongue. This is conducted with the hopes that no one will miss the opportunity to learn all we can about the Lord and His Salvation in preparation for His eminent return. “The entrance of You words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130

 Ideally, every Christian should be a disciple of the Bible. Read it regularly, and know it completely. There are untold resources and study guides, fantastic teachers and ministers both present days and past, whose works and teaching will bring to light things hard to understand.

 Furthermore, we read the Bible as a means of communicating with the Lord, and growing in relationship with Him. It helps us think like He thinks and cultivate our values to conform to Him and His. Romans 12:2. His Word is a shield and buckler (Psalm 91:4) against the lies of the devil, and a sword to combat the powers of darkness.  Ephesians 6:17.

BIBLE READING AND BIBLE STUDY

There are so many ways that people take in the Word of God, and one of the most common admonitions is that we read it daily at some level.

(Please remember that reading the Bible, praying, going to church… does not make us more righteous, we do this to stay healthy in our walk with the Lord and out of an expression of our faith and love in Him)

 

Another suggestion is that we read in some type of order to keep it in context. Reading the Bible from cover to cover should be at least once in our life to get a good overview of the Word of God. Also when we hear someone teaching or preaching we are more easily able to discern their accuracy if we are familiar with the Scriptures. “These were more noble than  those in Thessalonica, in that they receives the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

 

Bible Study, in the same way, can be done in so many methods such as convenient and workable for the individual. Again there are all kinds of tools and resources available that can help enhance your efforts, like a Strong's Concordance, Bible Dictionary…

I would like to put in here a couple of admonitions. The Bible says, “Knowledge puffs up (makes proud), but charity(love) edifies.” 1Corinthians 8:1.  What we need to be aware of is that the more we feel we know, the more arrogant we tend to become. And that is a reproach against God. “If any man thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” 1Corinthians 8:2 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

NEXT - “Who(God) also has made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 If we take and apply the Scripture to ourselves or anyone outside of faith and love that is in Christ Jesus, we can bring tremendous harm, and even destroy someone as is implied here in this verse. The letter of the Word can quickly become a law if not applied with grace under the direction of the Holy Spirit. That will destroy any life God had designed for it to produce.

Remember, the Word of God can be used like a weapon. We must be ever so careful with it, and walk in humility and the fear of the Lord.

But what does the Scripture admonish is to do? “But GROW in the GRACE and the KNOWLEDGE, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

 2Peter 3:18  “And this is my(Paul’s) prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so  that you may be able to discern what is best, and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.” Philippians 1:9-10  NIV

CONCLUSION – We have available to us this incredible treasure that came with great sacrifice, the Word of God, THE BIBLE, by which we can learn about, and get to know intimately the God Who made us, loves, and sent His Son to die for us. Let us not neglect this tremendous gift and treasure, but absorb it, live it, share it, and take it with us in our heart wherever we go until He calls us home.