Understanding the Bible

Notes for this audio..

Why do a bible overview?
Helps focus what bible is about and to give us a coherent picture

Why do we have the bible?
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) - 'Finite man is meaningless without an infinite reference point'
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV) The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

The bible is a book of events:

• God sending prophets
• God taking them into exile
• God bringing them back again
• God sending Jesus
• Jesus dying on the cross
• Jesus rising from the dead
• The Holy Spirit coming
• The Gospel spreading

Events + Explanation = Revelation

What is the Bibles structure?
66 books - but how do they fit together?

2 options:

Option 1: Divide the bible into sections

Old Testament - 4 main categories

1. First 5 books - Pentateuch (5 scrolls) - Law

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

There books provide instruction about beginning of the world, the way in which God promises to deal with human problems, how He calls a man and from the man forms the nation and then forms the nation as a coherent force poised to enter a land he is going to give them by the time we get to the end of the fifth book.

We can view the latter four of these books as giving the law:

2. Former Prophets (History) - 2nd division in Jewish thinking

• Joshua
• Judges
• 1 & 2 Samuel
• 1 & 2 Kings

These four books are part of the Narrative and carry the story from conquest of the land, down through period of Judges, up to David and them after David’s death the division of the kingdom and after that the end of the two kingdoms; Israel and Judah

3. Latter prophets;
Major prophets;

• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekiel

12 minor prophets from Hosea to Malachi

Former prophets – show Israel got on with the law; success and failure
Latter prophets take us on to show us God called  people back to the law

They are covenant law enforcement officers!
They do reveal future – but this is a small ingredient (mostly calling back to law)

4. Writings
Wisdom:

• Job
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Psalms (some)

Rest – written after exile: form part of the Narrative

• 1 & Chronicles
• Ester
• Lamentations
• Daniel
• Ezra
• Nehemiah

New Testament - 4 main categories
 

1. Gospels
4 fold form of Gospels in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Passion narratives with a preface
Strong emphasis on passion, death and resurrection and first half showing who suffering like this and why suffering so important
Acts – volume 2 of Luke’s gospel – shows how early church took on teaching of Jesus and developed it.

2. Apostolic writings – letters Paul, Peter and John
Also those in direct contact with them; James and Jude

Revelation – summary of everything

Option 2: Divide the bible thematically

1. Covenant – God enters into a binding commitment to people
Noah, Abraham, Nation at Sinai, New Covenant Jesus inaugurates with his blood, shed on the cross.

2. Kingdom – rule of God over the world
God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule (Graeme Goldsworthy - Gospel and Kingdom: A Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament)
Move from Eden to the land of promise – the land of Canaan – out of the land to the exile – back from the land to the return and onto the gospel of the kingdom – the spiritual kingdom – my kingdom is not of this world says Jesus – and onto the heavenly fulfilment of that ultimate city of Gold.

3. Salvation history theme – Gods reversal of the effects of human sin through his great work of rescue and the establishment of a new creation.
Trace that through – creation – fall – curse that follows the fall – call of Abraham as the representative man – creation of the nation – conquest of the land – decline, division & exile – restoration and return with heightened expectation of the coming Messiah – ministry, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus – creation of church and preparation for new creation

In all 3 three models three things are central:
1. Gods initiative – everything is initiative initiate of creator and redeemer God
2. Christ is central – everything finds fulfilment in Jesus
3. Endpoint of perfection – heavenly perspective to which everything is moving

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Here are some resources which might help you. If you have found other resources useful please send me the details and I will include them here.  Due to time constraints the BT Christian Network cannot guarantee the accuracy or correctness of the information on these sites.

• David Jackman sermons:
• Bible reading plan tool:
• Dramatised audio Bible:
• Robert Murray MCheyne's Bible Reading Calendar on 1 page of A4:
• Robert Murray MCheyne's Bible Reading Calendar as it was originally written:
• A Little Bible Handbook:
• How To Read The Bible For Better Understanding:
• Cover to Cover:
• Bible Reading Schedule:
• One Year Bible Blog:
• One year bible on radio:
• Bible Gateway reading plans:
• The Navigators reading plans:
• BBC page on the Bible:
• The Bible Experience: