The Bible is a LIVING book, that means it's relevant to us, here
and now.
The Bible is the world's best selling
book. It is also the world's oldest book in common use. For those who
call themselves Christians, it's the world's most important book
because we can rely on its truth, wisdom, inspiration and advice on
both the practical affairs of life, as well as the deep concerns of
the soul and our ultimate destiny.
A famous atheist (someone who doesn't believe in
God) called Voltaire living in the 18th century proclaimed that within
25 years the Bible would be forgotten. He was wrong. Today, of the
estimated 6,000 languages in the world, nearly half have translations
of at least one book of the Bible, and the major languages have
complete Bibles.
A library
Although it's bound into one volume, the Bible isn't
a single book. It's more like a library . The word Bible comes from
the Greek word 'BIBLIA' meaning books. There are 66 books in the
Bible.
These books vary in many ways - in length, date of
writing, style or literary genre and authorship. Over a period of
about 1,500 years, approximately 40 authors from all walks of life
including poets, preachers, shepherds, physicians, lovers, lawgivers,
statisticians, biographers, historians and prime ministers, wrote
codes of law, biographical sketches, building specifications, dramas,
lusty war songs, tender love lyrics, sermons, proverbs, allegory and
letters.
Jesus Christ
The main big idea of the Bible is Jesus Christ.
Although God spoke in heaps of ways, like dreams and visions, and
through lots of different prophets and writers, they were all
ultimately pointing to one person - Jesus Christ. Jesus was God's
final word for humanity. Jesus was God in human form. God with skin
on. His life, teachings, ministry, death and resurrection are pivotal
to an understanding of the message of the Bible. Time and eternity
hinge on his death and resurrection.
The Old Testament
The Bible is split into two main parts - the Old
Testament and the New Testament. Testament means covenant or mutual
understanding or agreement.
The Old Testament contains 39 books. It records the
history and religious literature of the Jewish people who believed in
one God who was loving and just. The Old Testament is full of promises
that God would send a deliverer to his people, someone who would bring
freedom and redemption.
The first book of the Old Testament is called
Genesis, which means beginning. Starting with creation, the book of
Genesis includes many of the themes which are developed later in the
Bible. The hope of a great deliverer is first found here, while the
last book of the Old Testament - Malachi - closes the Old Testament
story with a 400 year wait for the arrival of the Great Deliverer -
Jesus Christ.
The New Testament
The New Testament contains 27 books including
gospels, history and letters. Gospel basically means good news.
The four gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -
tell of the birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The book of Acts is like a short history. It tells of the spread of
Christianity.
The letters are from Christian leaders to
individuals and to churches. They deal with things like living as a
Christian, why Jesus had to die and how we are all equal in the eyes
of God. The last book of the New Testament is Revelation. It's also a
letter but it's written in a very different style to the earlier
letters.
There's lots of picture language and imagery. It was written
by a follower of Jesus called John who was in exile. It's a powerful
message of hope for Christians who suffer for their faith.
Christianity says that the Old Testament promises of
a great deliverer and the expectation of a Saviour have found their
fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is excellent news! The one
for whom generations of men and women had waited has come.
The book of John in the New Testament says:
'God loved the people of the world so much that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life
and never die.' (John chapter 3 verse 16)
Jesus Christ the Lord took the penalty of your sins
and mine. He bore this penalty Himself when He died in your place and
mine. He offers us forgiveness and eternal life. We can either accept
or reject His offer.
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Christianity.net.au used with permission