Chapter One - The Bible
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is made up of sixty-six separate books, beginning with the book of Genesis and ending with the book of Revelation. The sixty-six books of the Bible are divided into two groups. The first part is call the Old Testament and there are thirty-nine books in it. The second part is called the New Testament and there are twenty-seven books in it.
WHO WROTE THE BIBLE?
At least thirty-six men had a part in writing the Bible. It was about sixteen hundred years from the time the first man wrote until the last man finished. The Bible is inspired by God. We mean that men wrote under the direct control of God to write the very words that He wanted them to write. The following verses from the Bible clearly teach us that the writers of the Bible were inspired by God.
"No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21).
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
So we see that the Bible is the Word of God. Some people say that the Bible only contains the word of God. This could mean that some parts of the Bible are inspired and other parts are not. But every part of the Bible is inspired. "All Scripture is inspired by God."
God has not given any other message to men. The Bible is the only written communication or revelation that God has given to us. In the last chapter of the Bible God warns us that we should not add anything to the prophecy of the book and we should not take anything away from it (Revelation 22:18,19).
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US ABOUT?
The Bible has one main subject, even though it is made up of sixty-six books. The Bible tells us about Christ. The Old Testament told of many things that would happen when Christ would come. It told ahead of time something about His birth, life and death. The New Testament tells us about what did happen when Christ came into the world.
WHAT IS IN THE BIBLE?
The Bible tells us about the world from the beginning of time until the future when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
The book of Genesis tells about the creation of the world, about how sin entered the world, about the flood, and about the beginning of the nation of Israel. The books from Exodus to Esther give us the history of the nation of Israel, up to about 400 years before Christ was born. The books from Job to Song of Solomon are full of wonderful poetry and wise sayings. The other books of the Old Testament, from Isaiah to Malachi, contain many prophecies, telling of things that would happen in the future. These books have messages from God to the people of Israel. God told them about their condition at that time and about what would happen to them in the future.
At the beginning of the New Testament there are four books which are called the Gospels. Each one of these books tells about the life that the Lord Jesus Christ lived when He was in the world. The book of Acts tells the story about the first Christians and about the life of the great Apostle Paul. The books from Romans to Jude are letters that were written to church groups or to individual men. These letters explain the great truths about the Christian faith and give us clear teaching about how we should live as Christians. The book of Revelation shows us the future. It tells us about the events that will take place in heaven, on earth, and in hell.
CONCLUSION
The Bible contains the mind of God, the condition of man, the way of salvation, the judgment of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its teachings are holy, its laws are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are unchangeable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved and practice it to be holy. Christ is its grand subject. It is the way God makes Himself known to man.