BEGINNING TO USE YOUR BIBLE

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 that we need God's Word (the Bible) to really live (Matt. 4:4). However, you might not know anything about the Bible at all and you might be confused about how to use it. This paper has been written to give you a basic knowledge of the Bible as a whole and the New Testament in particular. Read this over carefully and use it to help you understand the Bible.

WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

The Bible is made up of a number of different accounts, letters, and writings that we call the "books" of the Bible. There are sixty six in all, thirty nine in the Old Testament and twenty seven in the New Testament. They were written by different godly men at different times and places. However, the Bible is more than just the words of men. As these men wrote, God was working through them to get the exact words that He wanted written; so what we have is actually the truths that came from God Himself

HOW IS THE BIBLE ARRANGED?

The Old Testament books are accounts of God's first dealings with man, and how God had special dealings with a man (Abraham) and his descendants (the Jews) who were the ancestors of Jesus' life. The New Testament books are the accounts of what happened among His followers after He rose and went back into heaven. Also, it contains letters written by his followers to explain Christ and Christian living.

The books themselves are broken into chapters (the larger numbers on the page) and the verses (the smaller numbers on the page). This was done so that we could find things easier. Special notation is used to indicate exactly where you can find things in the Bible, for example, "John 20:30,31" means "the book of John, Chapter twenty, verses thirty and thirty-one." Sometimes these books are written in short form: Matt. is the same as Matthew; Rom. is the same as Romans; I Tim. is the same as the first letter to Timothy. Lastly don't confuse John (the gospel of John) with I John, 2 John, 3 John (letters or epistles, written by John).

 

The Old Testament books were originally written in the Hebrew language and the New Testament books were written in the Greek language. The writing of the Bible took place over a period of fifteen hundred years. Since we do not speak ancient Hebrew or ancient Greek, educated men have translated the Bible into the different English versions so that we can read and understand God's Word.

TIPS FOR USING THE BIBLE

1. Pray for understanding before and while you read the Bible.

2. Use the Table of Contents to find the various books of the Bible.

3. Use the markings at the top of each page to keep track of which chapter you are at as you look for a passage.

4. Think about what you read, especially the things that strike you. God uses His Word to speak to you this way.

5. Ask yourself questions. Is there: a promise to know, an action to take, a truth to learn, an example to follow, or something I should pray about now?

6. Underline special verses.

7. Believe, memorize and obey what God says!

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES

Don't be mislead; there are many groups who claim to have the truth but they contradict the Bible. They claim to be Christian yet they desire for you to leave the Christian Church. They always error in one or more of the essentials of the Bible. Following are the basics of Christianity as found in the Bible.

 
The Bible teaches that it is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God and inerrant in the original writings. Accept no other book as the Word of God but the Bible. (II Tim. 3:16, II Peter 1:21)

The Bible teaches that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is called the Trinity. (Deut. 6:4, Matt. 28:19, John 10:30)

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:23), lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:15,7:26), proved by many miracles (John 2:11), died a vicarious and atoning death through His blood (I Cor. 15:3, Heb. 2:9), was resurrected bodily (John 11:25,I Cor. 15:4), ascended to heaven (Mark 16:19), and will return in power and glory (Acts 1:11). Remember for Jesus to have accomplished, this He must be God (John 20:28). 5. The Bible teaches that the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by His indwelling, enables the Christian to live a Godly life. (Rom. 6-8)

The Bible teaches the resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved: they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are 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. (Rom. 8;14,15, I Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-28)