Understanding the Bible Part A

Again, the Bible is the very foundation for the Christian faith. It is by the Bible that we learn what is true and not, what is right and wrong. Everything starts with the Bible. Before we discuss how to interpret the Bible, let’s first get a good understanding of how it was formed and the basic structure and overview of the Bible.

The whole purpose of the Bible is to reveal God’s redemptive plain to humanity. It was God’s desire to give us a document in which to test all things against (1 John 4:1-3). In order to affirm that the words men were speaking or writing were from God, God did great things through them. Read through the Bible and you will find story after story. You will see people questioning God’s spokesperson and then God doing something miraculous to prove that person is God’s spokesperson.

First it began with Moses. When you read from Exodus through Deuteronomy, you will find that God did so many amazing things through Moses to affirm that the things he was saying were the words of God. Now the events of Genesis and the early events of Exodus did occur before Moses or during his infancy. While using oral history that was passed from generation to generation, perhaps some written history, and God’s divine guidance, Moses wrote those passages. You may be led to doubt these portions of Scripture for that reason. However, you must understand two things. First remember that God was divinely guiding Moses in writing these portions of Scripture. Also, it must be noted that the Jews were very strong in oral history. They would practice strict disciplines to make sure they memorized history accurately. For that reason these portions of Scripture can be trusted. Moses was alive for the rest of Exodus through Deuteronomy, with the exception of the last chapter where he dies. It is believed that a scribe or Joshua wrote that portion. A scribe was a person who wrote down Scripture often that was dictated to them by apostles or prophets. It was more likely Joshua though that wrote that last chapter of Deuteronomy. So the writing of Scripture began with Genesis through Deuteronomy, which is known as the Pentateuch.

The Pentateuch was the foundation for the rest of Scripture. All future writings that would claim to be God’s inspired word would be tested by the Pentateuch and by their proof of fulfillment (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:21-22). Now while Moses does say not to add to the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 4:2), he adds later that God would send more spokesmen to speak His word forth (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). For this reason, it is best to see Moses’ command not to add or remove from the Pentateuch as to not change the Pentateuch itself or to not change the truths of the Pentateuch. For that reason there began the anticipation to see God reveal more of His truth through the written word.

God continued to do great things through Joshua and then through the Judges. These great and amazing things was to confirm that God was still speaking through these men and as Joshua through Ruth is written there is no principle taught that contradicted the Pentateuch. Next God clearly spoke through Samuel and then David in 1 and 2 Samuel. We see God speaking through prophets like Elija and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings. Then 1 and 2 Chronicles is parallel to Kings and affirmed by it. God then began to move through some great leaders like Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Then he showed himself true to Job. Psalms through Song of Solomon are mostly extensions of David and Solomon. Then came all the prophets, Isaiah through Malachi. This completed the Old Testament.

Now the New Testament did not contradict the Old Testament. You see that in Matthew by all the Old Testament passages that are cited as proof texts. Watch your cross-reference and indicators that you are reading a quote from the Old Testament. There is not a contradiction from the Old to the New Testament.

In the Gospels we see Jesus doing so many amazing things, not to mention the resurrection, and fulfilling every single messianic prophecy. He emphatically proved He was the Christ, God’s spokesperson and God Himself. He also affirmed that the Old Testament was God’s Word (Matthew 5:17; Mark 12:36). Then in Acts the apostles did so many miraculous things affirming that they were God’s spokespersons. Also, Jesus affirmed that they were to speak for God (John 14:25-26). For that reason it was the apostles or an associate of an apostle that wrote the remaining portions of the New Testament. God emphatically showed that each writer of the Bible was speaking from God. God has completed the Bible, which is why we don’t see any one person doing so many amazing things on a consistent basis. Not that God doesn’t do miracles, but He is not moving constantly through one individual anymore. Near the end of Revelation it is said, regarding the Bible, “if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).

The Bible is complete. The 66 books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, are the only inspired words of God that all things must be tested by. We did not just except the words of some “old, white men” as some have said. We trusted the words that men spoke through whom God did so many things to prove they were speaking from Him. Trust in the word of God.