Lesson 2: INTRODUCING THE BIBLE

Objectives:
Upon completion of this chapter you will be able to:
1. Write the Key Verses from memory.
2. Define the word ‘Bible’.
3. Define the word ‘Scripture’.
4. Explain the origin of the Bible.
5. Identify the major purposes of the Bible.
6. Identify the Old and New Testaments as the two major divisions of the Bible.
7. Name the four divisions of the Old Testament books.
8. Name the four divisions of the New Testament books.
9. Explain what is meant by ‘the unity and diversity’ of the Bible.
10. Identify the person upon whom the revelation of both testaments centers.

Key Verses:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Introduction
This chapter introduces the Bible which is the written Word of the one true God.        The word ‘Bible’ means ‘the books’. The Bible is one volume which consists of 66 separate books.
The word ‘Scripture’ is also used to refer to God’s Word. This word comes from a Latin word which means ‘writing’. When the word ‘scripture’ is used with a capital ‘S’ it means the sacred writings of the one true God.
The word ‘Bible’ is not used in the Bible. It is a word selected by men as a title for all of God’s Words.

Origin Of The Bible
The Bible is the written Word of God. He inspired the words in the Bible and used approximately 40 different men to write down His words.
These men wrote God’s words over a period of 1500 years. The perfect agreement of these writers is one proof that they were all guided by a single author. That author was God.
Some of the writers wrote down exactly what God said:
Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel…(Jeremiah 36:2)
Other writers wrote what they experienced or what God revealed concerning the future:
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. (Revelation 1:19)
All of the writers wrote under God’s inspiration the words of His message for us.

The Purpose Of The Bible
The Bible itself records its main purpose:
1. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2. That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (II Timothy 3:16-17)
3. The Scriptures are to be used to teach doctrine, to reprove and correct from evil, and to teach about righteousness. They will help you live right and equip you to work for God.

Major Divisions
The Bible is divided into two major sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The word ‘testament’ means covenant. A covenant is an agreement. The Old Testament records God’s original covenant or agreement with man. The New Testament records the new covenant made by God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
What was the subject of these two agreements? They both concerned restoring sinful man to right relationship with God.
God made a law that only through the shedding of blood could sin be forgiven:
…without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness). (Hebrews 9:22)
Under God’s agreement in the Old Testament, blood sacrifices of animals were made by man to obtain forgiveness for sin.
This sacrificing of animals was a symbol of the blood sacrifice Jesus Christ would provide under the new agreement with God. The old covenant was in effect until God sent Jesus to establish a new relationship with man.
Through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, a final sacrifice for sin was made:
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building:
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:11-15)
Both testaments are the Word of God and we must study both in order to understand God’s message. The terms ‘old’ and ‘new’ testaments are used to distinguish between God’s agreement with man before and after the death of Jesus Christ. We do not disregard the Old Testament simply because it is called ‘old’.

Further Divisions
The Bible is further divided into 66 books. The Old Testament has 39 books. The New Testament contains 27 books.
Each book is divided into chapters and verses. Although the content of each book is the Word of God, the division into chapters and verses was made by man.
The reason the Bible was divided into chapters and verses was to make it easy to locate specific passages. It would be very difficult to find a passage if the books were all one long paragraph.
Here is a simple diagram that shows the basic divisions of the Bible:

Unity Of The Bible
When we speak of the unity of the Bible, we mean two things:

One: The Bible Is United In Content.
Even though the Bible was written by many writers over many years, there are no contradictions. The writing of one author does not contradict any of the others.
The Bible includes discussion of hundreds of controversial subjects. (A controversial subject is one that creates different opinions when mentioned). Yet the writers of the Bible spoke on such subjects with harmony from the first book of Genesis through the last book of Revelation.
This was possible because there was really only one author: God. The writers only recorded the message under His direction and inspiration. For this reason, the content of the Bible is united.

Two: The Bible Is United In Theme.
Some people think the Bible is a collection of 66 separate books on different subjects. They do not realize that the Bible is united by a major theme.
From Beginning to end, the Bible reveals God’s special plan. This purpose is stated in the book of Ephesians:
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hasth purposed in Himself;
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him;
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. (Ephesians 1:9-11)
In the Bible God reveals ‘the mystery’ of His plan. That plan, is the unifying theme of the Bible. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Savior of sinful mankind.
Jesus explained how the Old Testament centered on Him:
And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
With this introduction, Jesus continued and…
…opened He their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. (Luke 24:45)
What was the key Jesus gave them to understanding the Scriptures? The fact that its major theme focused on Him:
…Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day;
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:46-48)
The Old and New Testament both tell the story of Jesus. The Old Testament prepares us for its happening. The New Testament tells that it did happen. This unites the Bible in one major theme.
The people who looked forward to Jesus under the Old Testament were saved from their sins through faith in God’s promise.
Everyone who looks back to it as having been fulfilled in Jesus Christ is saved in the same way: Through faith that it happened just as God promised.

Diversity Of The Bible
When we speak of the ‘diversity’ of the Bible we mean that the Bible has variety. It records different ways in which God dealt with people and the different ways in which they responded to Him.
The Bible is written in different moods. Some portions express joy while others reflect sorrow.
The Bible includes different types of writing. It contains history, poetry, prophecy, letters, adventure, parables, miracles, and love stories.
Because of its variety, the Bible has been further divided into major groups of books.

Old Testament Divisions
The books of the Old Testament are divided into four major groups: Law, history, poetry and prophecy.

The Books Of Law:
There are five books of law in the Old Testament:

–Genesis

-Exodus

-Leviticus

-Numbers

-Deuteronomy
These books record the creation of man and the world by God and the early history of man. They tell how God raised up the nation of Israel as a people through which He could reveal Himself to the nations of the world.
These books record the laws of God. The best known parts are the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the greatest of all commandments (Deuteronomy 6:5), and the second greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18).
Open your Bible and locate the books of Law in the Old Testament. Locate the three verses mentioned in the preceding paragraph and read them. These are an example of the laws of God recorded in these books.

The Books Of History:
There are twelve books of history in the Old Testament: -Joshua

–Ruth

-I and II Kings

-Ezra

-Esther

-Judges

-I and II Samuel

-I and II Chronicles

-Nehemiah
Locate these books in your Bible. They are found right after the books of law.
The books of history cover a thousand year history of God’s people, Israel. Naturally they do not tell everything that happened, but they record the major events. They show the results of both following and ignoring God’s law.

The Books Of Poetry:
There are five books of poetry in the Old Testament:

-Job

-Psalms

-Proverbs

-Ecclesiastes

-Song of Solomon
These books are the worship books of God’s people, Israel. They still are used in worship by believers today.
Turn to Psalm 23 and read it. This is an example of the beautiful worship poetry contained in these books.

The Books Of Prophecy:
The books of prophecy in the Old Testament are divided into two groups which are called Major and Minor prophetical books.
This does not mean the Major Prophets are more important than books in the Minor Prophets group. The title is used because the Major Prophets are longer than the Minor Prophets.
There are seventeen books of prophecy in the Old Testament:

These books are prophetic messages from God to His people about what would happen in the future. Many of the prophecies have already been fulfilled. Some remain to be fulfilled in the future.
Find these books of prophecy in your Bible. They are the last books in the Old Testament.

New Testament Divisions
The New Testament has also been divided into four groups: Gospels, History, Letters and Prophecy.

The Gospels:
There are four books in the Gospels:
–Matthew

-Mark

-Luke

-John

These books tell about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Their purpose is to lead you to believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God.
John 20:31 states this purpose. Find the Gospels in your Bible. Turn to John 20:31 and read this verse.

The Book Of History:
There is one book of history in the New Testament:
-Acts
This book tells how the church began and fulfilled Christ’s commission to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Locate this book in your Bible.

Letters:
There are twenty-one letters in the New Testament:
-Romans                                       -Titus
-I and II Corinthians                       -Philemon
-Galatians                                      -Hebrews
-Ephesians                                     -James
-Philippians                                     -I and II Peter
-Colossians                                    -I, II, and III John
-I and II Thessalonians                   -Jude
–I and II Timothy
The letters are addressed to all believers. Their purpose is to guide them in living and help them do what Jesus commanded. Romans 12 is a good example of their teaching. Turn to this chapter in your Bible and read it.
The letters are also sometimes called ‘epistles’. The word epistles means letters.

Prophecy:
There is one book of prophecy in the New Testament:
–Revelation
This book of prophecy tells of the final victory of Jesus and His people. Its purpose is to encourage you to keep living as Christians should live until the end of the world. Its message is summarized in Revelation 2:10. Read this verse in your Bible.

Self-Test

1. Write the Key Verses from memory.
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2. What does the word ‘Bible’ mean?
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3. What does the word ‘Scripture’ mean?
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4. What are the two major divisions of the Bible?
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5. How many books are there in the Bible?
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6. Name the four major groups into which Old Testament books are divided:
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7. Name the four major groups into which New Testament books are divided:
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8. What is the meaning of the word ‘testament’?
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9. What are four main purposes of the Bible? Give a Bible reference to support your answer.
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10. What is meant by the ‘unity of the Bible’?
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11. What is meant by the ‘diversity of the Bible’?
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12. Read each statement. If the statement is TRUE put the letter T on the blank in front of it. If the statement is FALSE put the letter F on the blank in front of it:
a. _____ The Bible is the written Word of the one true God.
b. _____ Although God inspired the Bible, He used men to write down His words.
c. _____ Because there were many writers over a period of many years, the Bible contains a lot of contradictions.
d. _____ There is no united theme of the Bible. It is just a collection of books on different subjects.
e. _____ The Major Prophets of the Old Testament are more important than the Minor Prophets.

13. Who is the person on which the revelation of both testaments center? Give a Bible reference to support your answer.
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For Further Study
The bookmarks on the next page will help you learn the major divisions of the Bible.
Cut out the bookmarks on the lines dividing them and place them in your Bible. If you have difficulty in locating the books to insert your bookmarks, use the Table of Contents in the front of your Bible. It lists the books in the order in which they appear in the Bible. It also provides the page number where each book begins.

Old Testament
Place bookmark 1 at the beginning of the book of Genesis.
Place bookmark 2 at the beginning of the book of Joshua.
Place bookmark 3 at the beginning of the book of Job.
Place bookmark 4 at the beginning of the book of Isaiah.

New Testament
Place bookmark 5 at the beginning of the book of Matthew.
Place bookmark 6 at the beginning of the book of Acts.
Place bookmark 7 at the beginning of the book of Romans.
Place bookmark 8 at the beginning of the book of Revelation.

You have now located the major divisions of the Bible. Keep using the bookmarks until you can name and locate these divisions by memory.