WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

A love letter always captures human attention. The Bible is a love letter from God to us. As with any love letter readers are not only interested in what is stated in the letter but the manner and tone by which things are stated. In others words, how does the letter reflect the heart of the sender. While people may just read a newspaper or textbook, they eagerly anticipate and examines all that the love letter intents to communicate.

The Bible is unique. For instance, it has dual authorship. While a human person physically wrote the words, God inspired and directed the words that were recorded. It is also a timeless book. People throughout history and across the world tell how they heard God through the reading of Bible in one life situation after another. Because of that experience we can expect to hear God speak through the Bible for us also. Further, the Bible tells the story of God's great love and provision for us through salvation found in his son Jesus Christ.

The Bible is not just one book but a collection of books. Some of the books are history, some are poetry some are symbolic writings, and some are collections of stories. There is great variety among these books and great continuity. The Books of the Bible are divided into two sections: the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. The Old Testament is largely an account of the acts of God in choosing and working with a special people - the descendants of Abraham, the Jews. The New Testament tells the story of the life and mission of Jesus Christ and how the Christian Church began. All in all the Bible is an impressive library showing the infinite variety of ways in which God's people have understood their relationship to Him.

The Gospel of John (4th book in the New Testament) is the most common place that Christians start to read the Bible. John focuses on the deity of Christ and has a very theological style of writing. Meaning that John wrote his gospel with the main intent of showing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

From there, reading the other three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) will fill in the person of Jesus with different perspectives. Matthew has written his gospel with the Jewish people in mind, so he ties his perspective of Jesus very closely with the Old Testament - showing even more than the other gospels how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Mark wrote his with a Roman audience in mind, and so his gospel is more action packed. Jesus is constantly doing this and healing that. Again, Mark focus on Jesus practicing what he preaches. Luke writes his gospel with a universal audience - making the person of Jesus and what he did more relevant to the non Jewish person. Luke also writes the book of Acts (5th book of the New Testament), which is a continuation of his gospel. Acts describes the accounts of Jesus' followers after he ascended into heaven. Acts tells a lot about the early church and how it started to grow by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Because the Bible is a collection a variety of literature, it is always important to begin reading the Bible by understanding the kind of literature you are reading (i.e. history, letters, stories, drama, poetry, memoirs, and prophecies). It is also important to understand something of the background and purpose of each book within the Bible and how it relates to the whole.

Here are some helpful suggestions of things to do and to look for when reading the Bible. One good suggestion is to have a pad of paper and write down questions and thoughts you have as you read to remember in the future. This will help you to ask the questions you have or research them on your own. As you read, remember the ___________, S.P.E.C.S:

      Sins to stay away from
      Promises God gave us to lay hold of
      Examples to follow
      Commands to obey
      Stumbling blocks to avoid

These five objectives are helpful to apply to our lives as we grow with Jesus. Another helpful way to study the Bible is to pick up some Bible commentary books. These books are put together to help teach you how to read the Bible more closely to the original intent of the authors of the various books within the Bible. Here are a few suggestions:

• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.
  • This book gives an overall direction to how to read the different styles of writing found within the Bible
• How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.
  • This book goes book by book, giving some contextual background to each one (to help answer why the author wrote what they wrote)
• Search the Scripture by Alan M. Stibbs.
  • This book is an interactive book with its own questions to help you study and think about S.P.E.C.S.

One of the most important ways to study the Bible is to dialogue about it with others. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 gives this command. If you don't have anyone to talk with, Vineyard Church of Columbus offers quite a few small groups that get together to talk about the Bible. We have a wall of cards on the back wall of the lobby that you can stop by after the services and someone can help you find one that would fit you. Or you can call the church at 614.890.0000 to find out more about our small groups that way.