The Bible is the Word of God. Now that you are a Christian, you will need to learn and grow in your new relationship with God. This is where the Bible comes in. Jesus Himself said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Bible is composed of many different accounts, letters, and writings that are called the books of the Bible. There are sixty-six books in the Bible; which are divided into two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each book is divided into chapters that are composed of verses. This was done so that one can locate specific Scriptures easier.
The men who wrote these books were led by the Spirit of God, each living during different periods of history and in different places. “And so we have the prophetic Word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21). They were holy men who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote God’s commands and eternal plans for man. So, what the Bible contains is God’s truth that came from God Himself.
- Pray for understanding before and while you read the Bible.
- Use the Table of Contents to find the various books of the Bible.
- Locate a specific chapter and verse by looking at the top of the left and right pages in your Bible.
- Think about what you read, especially the thoughts that touched your heart. God will use His Word to speak to you.
- Ask yourself questions. Is there a promise for me, an action I should take, a truth I must learn, an example I should follow, or something I should pray about now?
- Underline and date important places so that you can find them again easily.
- Believe, memorize and obey what God says!
The Bible teaches that it is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God; inerrant in the original writings. Accept no other book as the Word of God but the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21). The Bible teaches that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is called the Trinity (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30). The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23); lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15,7:26); proved by many miracles (John 2:11); died a vicarious and atoning death through His blood (1 Corinthians15:3; Hebrews 2:9); was resurrected bodily (John 11:25,1 Corinthians 15:4); ascended to heaven (Mark 16:19); and will return in power and glory (Acts 1:11). Remember, for Jesus to have done this, He had to be God (John 20:28).
The Bible teaches that lost and sinful man must be saved and that man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only God can save man. Man cannot save himself no matter what he does (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:4, 5). The Bible teaches that the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by His indwelling, enables the Christian to live a Godly life (Romans 6-8).
C. S. Lewis put this question in proper perspective. He observed that it is idle for us to speculate about the origin of evil. The problem we all face is the fact of evil. The only solution to the fact of evil is God’s solution, Jesus Christ [Paul Little, How to Give Away Your Faith (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1966), p. 72]. Once you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you enter into the master plan that God has for you. For that reason, you can be assured of the promise in His Word, that “everything works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLB).
The Bible teaches the resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved; those saved unto the resurrection of life and those unsaved unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28, 29).
The Bible teaches that the spiritual unity of believers is in our Lord Jesus Christ and not any one particular Church (Romans 8;14, 15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28).
- The Bible contains the Old Testament and the New Testament.
- The Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, on three continents.
- It was written over a period of 1,500 years.
- The Old Testament is comprised of 39 books while the New Testament contains 27.
- Each testament can be broken up into subdivisions.
The old testament and the new testament subdivisions are split between “Is Jesus the only way to heaven? -> Is that supposed to be after both the old and new subdivisions?
Historical: Joshua – Esther (12 books)
Poetical: Job – Song of Solomon (5 books)
Prophets: Isaiah – Malachi (17 books)
Are you saying that if a person does not believe in Jesus Christ, they are going to hell? Jesus Christ Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NKJV). If humankind could have reached God any other way, Jesus would not have had to die. His voluntary death on the cross makes this fact even more compelling.
Christians are not superior to any other person. A person who believes Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and proclaims that truth is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
Historical: Acts (1 book)
Epistles (Letters): Romans – Jude (21 books)
Prophetical: Revelation (1 book)
The Old Testament is written from the perspective of the anticipation of the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God, who was to come. The New Testament is written from the perspective of the fulfillment of the Messiah who came. Although there are many different books, on a variety of subjects, a common theme runs throughout the whole Bible. That theme is two-fold; man is a sinner in need of a Savior, and God’s provision of that Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the prophecies of Jesus’ coming are in the Old Testament, the fulfillment of Jesus’ coming is in the New Testament.