What is the Bible? The word Bible comes from the Greek and Latin words meaning book, an appropriate name, since the Bible is the book for all people of all time. It is not a book like no other, one of a kind. Sixty-six different books form the Bible. These include books on the law, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy; historical, books such as Ezra and Acts; poetry books such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes; books of prophecy, like Isaiah and Revelation; biographies, as Matthew and John; and epistles (formal letters) as Titus and Hebrews. What is the Bible? - The Authors About 40 different human authors contributed to its formation, written within a period of approximately 1,500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, pastors and teachers. All this diversity converges in an amazing unit with common themes interwoven throughout it. The unity of the Bible is due to the fact that, finally, has a folder God Himself. The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6, 2 Peter 1:21). What is the Bible? - Divisions The Bible is divided into two main parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New Testament is the story of a man. The Nation was the way God brought the man to the world. The Old Testament describes the foundation and preservation of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). Once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family from that nation through which the blessings come: the family of David (Psalm 89:3-4). Then, the family of David was promised a Man who would bring the promised blessing (Isaiah 11:1-10). The New Testament details the promised coming of Man. His name was Jesus, and He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, because he lived a perfect life, died to become the Savior, and rose from the dead. What is the Bible? - The Central Character Jesus is the central character in the Bible - in fact the whole book is about Him The Old Testament predicted His coming and set the stage for his entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world. Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God made flesh, and His coming was the most important event in world history. God Himself became man to give us a clear and understandable picture of what He is. What is God? God is like Jesus; Jesus is God in human form (John 1:14, 14:9). What is the Bible? - A Brief Summary God created man and placed him in a perfect environment; however, man rebelled against God and failed to become what God intended it to be. God put the world under a curse because of sin, but immediately put into action a plan to restore man and all creation to its original glory. As part of His plan of redemption, God called Abraham from Babylon to Canaan (in about 2000 BC). God promised Abraham, his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob (also called Israel) that He would bless the world through his descendants. Israels family emigrated from Canaan to Egypt, where they multiplied to become a nation. Approximately in 1400. C., God led the descendants of Israel out of Egypt under Moses and gave them the Promised Land, Canaan, for the possessed. Through Moses, God gave the Law to Israel and made a covenant (agreement) with them if they remained faithful to God and not follow the idolatry of the nations around them, then they would prosper. If they left God and followed idols, then God would destroy their nation. Approximately 400 years later, during the reign of David and his son Solomon, Israel was established as a great and powerful kingdom. God promised David and Solomon, a descendant of them rule as an eternal King. After the reign of Solomon, the nation of Israel was divided. The ten northern tribes were called Israel, and spent nearly 200 years before God the judge for their idolatry: Assyria carried Israel 721 BC The two tribes in the south were called Judah, and they took a little longer, but eventually they, too, became God. Babylon brought captive by 600 B.C. About 70 years later, God graciously brought the remaining captives back to their own land. Jerusalem, the capital, was rebuilt by 444 BC, and Israel once again established their national identity. Here ends the Old Testament. The New Testament begins 400 years later with the birth of Jesus Christ in Judea. Jesus was the descendant promised to Abraham and David, He who carried out Gods plan for the redemption of the human race and restore creation. Jesus faithfully completed His work: He died for sin and rose from the dead. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant (agreement) with the world: anyone who has faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live forever. After His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to proclaim the good news everywhere about His life and His power to save. Jesus disciples went out in all directions proclaiming the good news of Jesus and salvation. They traveled through Asia Minor, Greece and throughout the Roman Empire. The New Testament closes with a prediction of Jesus return to judge the unbelieving world and free creation of the curse.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 11:26:47 +0000
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