Introduction to the Bible

 

The word 'Bible' has its root in the Greek word - Biblio. Biblio means Book. The Bible is a compilation of books (66 of them). The Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.

The Bible is completely inspired by God. The people who wrote the Bible had a relationship with God and what they wrote was borne out of their experiences and encounters with God. It is noteworthy that though the authors were about forty in number, they did not contradict each other in what they penned down. Some even quoted what another person had written a long time ago. There is uniformity in the message of the Bible.

One of the things that make the Bible real and acceptable is that it captures the realities of the characters in it. It does not fail to record the bad deeds of good people when they err.

It is a book that has a wholesome message. In the Bible, you can glean valuable lessons from those who pleased God and learn to abstain from the wrong deeds of those who displeased Him. 

The word of God helps us to stay rooted. Obedience to the word of God can make our roots grow deeper. It is the believer’s source of strength. It is food for the soul. The word of God is life. Studying it and gaining understanding through the help of the Holy Spirit will help us as believers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. 

Study the Bible meditatively and always pray for divine illumination. Take note of promises, instructions and warnings as you study. Also, make sure you apply the word of God in your daily life and to every aspect of your life. 

The uniform subject of the Bible is Christ and His work of redemption. You will see Christ in every book of the Bible. You will also see how God works towards redeeming humanity in every part of scripture you turn to.

The first five books of the Bible are referred to as the Pentateuch. They also pass for historical books. Other historical books run from Joshua to Esther.

The books from Job to the Song of Solomon contain poetry and wisdom. From Isaiah to Malachi, we have prophetic books. These refer to books written by Prophets. The prophets were further classified into major and minor prophets. 

Between the two testaments is a period known as the Intertestamental Period. This period spanned 400 years. This period was broken by the first advent of Jesus Christ. His coming and ministry was preceded by John the Baptist.

The New Testament opens with four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The books were named according to their authors. The book that follows the Gospels is the Acts of the Apostles. These first five books are historical in content. From Romans to Jude, we have letters written either to specific people or a congregation. The last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, is prophetic.

This is an excerpt from the eBook, Getting the Best from the Bible. You can get your copy here.