Scripture is the record of God’s self-revelation through which the Holy Spirit speaks to bear witness to Jesus Christ and to give authoritative direction for the life of faith. Personal worship centers upon Scripture as one reads and listens for God’s Spirit to speak.

What is the Bible?

The word “Bible” comes from the Greek biblia meaning “books.”  The Bible is a collection of ancient writings about God.  The Protestant Bible includes 66 books.  The word “Scripture” means “sacred writings.”  The word “testament” means “agreement.” 

The Bible has two parts:

The Old Testament.  This collection of 39 books was written in Hebrew during a period of over 1000 years.  It includes

§   “The Law” – These 5 books are also called the Torah, Pentateuch, orThe 5 Books of Moses

o   Genesis tells how the world began, beliefs about the origins of the human race, the origin of the Hebrew people and their place as the “chosen People”.

o   Exodus tells how the Israelites fled from Egypt and the laws they swore to observe when they made their covenant with God at Mt. Sinai, including the 10 Commandments.

o   Leviticus contains laws, regulations for sacrifices, and information about the Hebrew people observed the Holy Days.

o   Numbers contains a census of the people and stories about the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.

o   Deuteronomy is the story of Moses’ last speeches and a repetition of some laws.

§   “The Prophets”

o   6 Historical Books as called “the Former Prophets”

§  Joshua:  the story of Joshua, the successor of Moses as the leader of the Israelites, and the conquest of Canaan.

§  Judges:  troubles in the Promised Land, fortunes of Israel depended on obedience to God’s law; rule of the chiefs of the 12 tribes of Israel.

§  1 Samuel:  continues the story to the death of Saul, Israel’s first king.

§  2 Samuel:  continues the story to the law year of King David.

§  1 Kings:  the death of King David, the reign of his son Solomon, the history up to Ahaziah, the son of Ahab.

§  2 Kings:  continues the story including the division of Israel into two kingdoms and the events leading up the captivity of both kingdoms.

o   3 Major Prophets

§  Isaiah: Isaiah is divided into two parts. 

·       Proto Isaiah (chapters 1-39) which contain the speeches of the prophet Isaiah on many subjects and occasions; and

·       Deutero Isaiah (chapters 40-66) which contain the prophecies about the Messiah.

§  Jeremiah:  contains prophecies to a nation in crisis during 40 turbulent years as well as foretelling about the new covenant.

§  Ezekiel:  reproaches Israel for its sins, promises salvation through a new covenant, and states the conditions of the new covenant.

o   12 Minor Prophets (called minor because their books are smaller)

§  Hosea:  preached that God was a God of love and world forgive those who repented.

§  Joel:  is a call to repentance through fasting and prayer and the promise of the outpouring of the spirit.

§  Amos:  is the earliest recorded sermons of a prophet preached to the northern Kingdom that God would destroy Israel for its sins.

§  Obadiah:  contains sermons denouncing Edom for joining Judah’s enemies.

§  Jonah:  is a parable of mercy showing that God loves everyone and not just the Jews.

§  Micah:  pronounces judgment of Judah for infidelity and predictions of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.

§  Nahum:  contains sermons against Nineveh (Assyria) soon after Nineveh had terrorized Judah late in the 7^th century B.C.

§  Habakkuk:  a prophet in Judah shortly after Nahum who proclaims God’s use of Babylon to punish Judah.

§  Zephaniah:  sermons against idolatry and foreign ways during the reign of Josiah.

§  Haggai:  preached to the Jews returning to Jerusalem after exile in Babylon with the message to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem.

§  Zechariah:  a partner of Haggai in the effort to rebuild the Temple who proclaimed the vision of the messiah as the Prince of Peace.

§  Malachi:  the name means “My Messenger;” preached against abuse and indifference.

§   “The Writings”  -- 13 books of history, poetry, and philosophy

o   Psalms:  150 songs of prayer and praise, many of which are traditionally ascribed to King David, but the authorship of most is unknown.

o   Proverbs:  a collection of wise sayings by Solomon and others.

o   Job:  a narrative drama about the troubles that afflict a good man to address the question of why evil things happen to the righteous.

o   Daniel:  the story of a young Jew, taken captive to Babylon, who rose to become governor which interprets history in a way that gives hope for a “new order” on earth.

o   Ezra:  the story of the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon to Judea in 536 B.C. which starts with the proclamation of Cyrus,, King of Persia.

o   Nehemiah:  the story of how a leader left the Persian Court to help returned exiles rebuild Jerusalem and their lives.

o   1 Chronicles:  a history from Adam to Jacob.

o   2 Chronicles:  a history of the Israelites from David through the Babylonian exile.

o   Song of Songs:  also called the “Song of Solomon” is a love lyric which many feel is an metaphor of God’s love for Israel and Christ’s love for the church.

o   Ruth:  a pastoral story about how Moabite become a daughter of Israel and the ancestress of King David and of Jesus Christ.

o   Lamentations:  a book of dirges on the fall of Jerusalem with its consequent chaos and oppression which reflects the spirit and style of Jeremiah.

o   Ecclesiastes:  an account of divine wisdom reflected in nature independent of humankind.

o   Esther:  the story of a Jewish girl who became Queen of Persia and saved her people from destruction; there is no mention of God in the Hebrew text of the entire work.

The New Testament contains stories about a new agreement between God and people based on the teachings and life of Jesus.  It is a collection of 27 books written in colloquial Greek in less than 100 years (51 to 105 A.D.) after Christ as a missionary handbook which proclaims the birth, growth and teaching of the Christian church.

·       “The Gospels” – “gospel” means “good news.”  These 4 books contain the story of Jesus’ birth, infancy, teaching, death and resurrection.

o   Matthew:  includes most of Mark; written about 85 A.D. after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; seems to be written for Jews to prove Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.

o   Mark:  the earliest and shortest story of Jesus’ life; written about 70 A.D. and published after the fall of Jerusalem; seems to be written for Gentiles to present Jesus as Messiah and Son of God; used by Matthew and Mark in writing those gospels.

o   Luke:  written about 75 A.D.; provides a chronological sequence of events; seems to be written for Greeks to show Jesus as a universal savior.

o   John:  written between 90 and 200 A.D. as instruction to the early Christian church; presents Jesus as the eternal Word of god who descended from heaven and became man.

· “The Acts of the Apostles” – the story of a new religion

o   Written about 75 A. D.

o   The only early account of the Christian community and how it spread from Palestine to Rome, the capital of the world.

o   Is a sequel to Luke, the 3^rd Gospel, written by the same author.

o   Covers the first 30 years after Jesus’ death.

·       “The Epistles” – the earliest Christians writings, they are letters supposedly written by Paul to churches and individuals between 20 and 30 years after Jesus’ death, although the authorship of some are in questions.

o   Romans:  written about 57-58 A.D. from Corinth to the church at Rome to prepare them for Paul’s visit; its principal theme is the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

o   1 Corinthians:  written about 57 A.D. to advice the Corinthian church on issues of insubordination, chastity, marriage, and the resurrection.

o   2 Corinthians:  written about 57 A.D., describes Paul’s suffer and consolation, warns that he will admonish evil-doers on his visit, discusses the collection for the poor in Jerusalem.

o   Galatians:  written about 54-55 A.D., it concerns Galatians converts to Christianity who were backsliding to observing strict Jewish laws; communicates the meaning of “justification by faith.”

o   Ephesians:  written about 62 A.D. to the church at Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor, it discusses the mystery of salvation and the mystery of the church.

o   Philippians:  written about 62 A.D. when Paul was a prisoner in Rome; it warns against false teachings and is a plea for unity.

o   Colossians:  written about 62 A.D. to the church at Colossae; contains a highly developed understanding of Christ.

o   1 Thessalonians:  written about 51 A.D. from Corinth on Paul’s first visit; it praises the people and tells of Jesus’ second coming.

o   2 Thessalonians:  written about 52 A.D. as a follow-up to the first letter; Paul is concerned about the church’s attitude of expecting the second coming of Jesus too soon.

o   1 Timothy:  written about 63 A.D. after Paul release from his first imprisonment in Rome; it contains advice to Timothy about handling the wrong ideas of some Ephesians.

o   2 Timothy:  written about 63 A.D. from Rome at the time of Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome; asks Timothy to protect the community of faith against false teaches and expresses great love for Timothy.

o   Titus:  written about 62 A.D. before Paul’s letter to Timothy to advise his young co-workers to help them in Christianizing the social world.

o   Philemon:  written about 62 A.D. to the Christian whose slave Onesimus had run away, been converted and was ready to return; asks Philemon to be merciful and express Christian brotherhood to Onesimus.

·       Other Letters

o   James:  written before 62 A.D. probably by a relative of Jesus who became head of the church at Jerusalem; teaches the necessity of good works to accompany faith.

o   1 Peter:  written about 64-47 A.D. from Rome to the Christian churches in Asia Minor; teaches the value of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

o   2 Peter:  written about 100 A.D., exhorting the readers to be faithful and blameless, building hope for the second coming, and warning against false teachers.

o   1, 2, 3 John:  written about 100 A.D. to address a collection of theological maters.

o   Jude:  written about 90 A.D., possibly by a brother of Jesus, to Christians who had backtracked to pagan immoralities.

·       “A Vision” – “the Revelation of John”

o   Written about 96 A.D.

o   Recounts the struggle of Jesus and his followers against Satan and his cohorts.

o   Describes the defeat of Satan and the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God.

Who wrote the Bible? 

The Bible was written by many different authors, some of whom are unknown.

When was it written?

The Bible was written at different times over about 1,100 years from about 1000 B.C. to 100 A.D. 

Where was the Bible written?

The Bible was written at different places including Palestine, Babylon, Egypt, Rome, and Corinth.

Why was the Bible written?

The Bible was written for different purposes including to teach the faith, to describe the Messiah, to tell us about the human condition, to inform us about the relationship between people and God, to witness to God’s love for humanity, to reveal to us the truth about Jesus Christ, and to advise us how to live.

Who chose the books of the Bible?

The writing were not chosen but acknowledged to be inspired by God.  The Council of Hippo (393 A.D.) and subsequent councils drew  up a list or “canon” of inspired books.

Why should we read the Bible?

ü  To help you understand God and God’s works

ü  To help you know how to live and act

ü  To share stories of human experience and our relationship to God in many different literary forms

o   Songs and poetry

o   Laws

o   History

o   Prophecies

o   Wise sayings

o   Short stories

o   Letters

What is the best way to read the Bible?

Þ    Set aside time for Bible reading every day of the year; make it a habit.

Þ    Try to read the Bible a “book at a time”.  Many books of the Bible can be read in 20 minutes – some in an hour; others require more time.

Þ    Try to understand the writer’s purposes.  Who was the author?  What was the author’s world?  Why did the writer author this book?

Þ    Try to understand who the message was written for.  Who was the intended audience for this message?  What did this book mean to them?  What does it mean to you?

Þ    Keep a notebook as you read.  Jot down words to look up, questions for which to find answers, thoughts that the passage provokes, etc.

Þ    Look up things you don’t understand.  Use a Bible concordance, dictionary, atlas, and commentary to help you.

How can Scripture be used in personal worship?

·       One may read Scripture for the guidance, support, comfort, encouragement, and challenge which the Word of God presents.

·       One may study the Scriptures to understand them in their literary forms and in their historical and cultural contexts in order to hear the Word of God more clearly and to obey more faithfully.

·       One may meditate upon the Word,

o   committing passages of Scripture to memory,

o   recalling and reflecting upon the revelation of God,

o   analyzing and comparing biblical themes, images, and forms,

o   finding touch points and exploring relationships between Scripture and life,

o   entering imaginatively into the world and events portrayed in the Bible to participate in what God does and promises there,

o   wrestling with the challenges and demands of the gospel,

o   offering one’s self afresh for life in response to God.

What is helpful in responding to God’s Word?

It is often helpful to keep a record of one’s insights and personal responses to reading, studying, and meditating upon the Word, or to share them with others. Writing paraphrases, summaries, and brief reflections, making creative responses, and keeping journals are all disciplines which assist in responding to the Word of God in Scripture. It is especially important in personal worship to read widely in Scripture. Using lectionaries and various translations and paraphrases is helpful in seeking to hear the full message of God’s Word.