What is the Bible?

The Bible is a book about Jesus. If you look at the contents page of any Bible you will notice there are two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. That word testament simply means promise. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus and the New Testament points back to Jesus. He is at the centre of both. Luke records Jesus saying "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." (Luke 24:44)

For a lot of people this is a puzzle. How can the Old and New testaments both be about Jesus? They sometimes don't seem to be about the same God. Often the O.T. seems like God's plan that failed and the N.T. like plan 'B'. But as we see the bigger picture we see this cannot be right. How could God have a plan that didn't work and that took him several thousand years to realize! To understand the Bible we need to see it as one plan that worked - we can come back to this later.

Going back to the contents page - you will notice a variety of books. The Bible is really a kind of library. 66 books 27 of which are in the New Testament.The books of the Bible were written over a 1500 year period by a variety of writers. And the books were written in different languages. The Old Testament was mainly written in Hebrew and the New Testament was mainly written in Greek - but in a few places there are sentances or sections in Aramaic.

I wasn't any good at French at school. But you don't have to study a language for very long to realize that translating from one language to another is very difficult. If you translate words in the exact order they appear in one language - they become difficult to make sense of in another. Bible translations vary - some go for accuracy and are therefore quite hard to read. Others go for simplicity and therefore begin to loose accuracy. It's a trade off and you need to find what suits you (I tend to use the New International version, The Revised Standard Version or the New King James Version).

So, if you've got a translation you like, you then need to see how its divided up. Each book has a title and is then divided into chapters and verses. Chapters are the big numbers, verses the smaller ones. Some Bibles also put in sub-headings. All of these are extremely useful, but they are things that have been added much later. And sometimes the chapter divisions can be unhelpful in that they come in the wrong place - they divide material which should not really be divided (for example, it would make more sense if Genesis chapter 1 finished after the seventh day of creation which would mean that included the first four verses of chapter 2).

Another problem with chapter divisions is that many of the books are designed to be read in one or two sittings.

If we view the Bible as a library, we begin to see that it is composed of different styles of literature. Some books are historical - they tell us thing that happened. Other books are books of poetry or wisdom which express emotions towards God or insights into how we should live. There are books of law. There are books of prophecy which speak of God's plans for his people and the world he has made. There are the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - books which focus on the life of Jesus. Not biographies - but books which focus on who He is and what he came to do. There are letters written to Christians showing the way they should live and there are books which contain visions of God and Heaven. Recognising these diffent styles of writing helps us to understand the Bible and apply it to our lives. We can come back to some of those points later.

Why is the Bible important?

Quite simply, the Bible is God's voice. Hebrews 1:1-2 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." That verse tells us that God has spoken to us through Jesus. Christianity is a revealed faith. We cannot find out about God unless God makes Himself known to us. How can we know about Jesus and of God's purposes unless we have a record of them? Imagine what a variety of stories we would have without the Bible. It would be chaos. And who could say which story was right? The Bible acts as an anchor. It shows us the truth about God so that we can be secure.

The Bible shows us what God is like. It shows us that God has acted in history - that he has taken the initiative - that he has taken the first move in establishing a relationship with us. If you wanted to get to know the Queen, you could only do so if she wanted to know you i.e. she invites you - not the other way around. In the Bible, God moves towards us in order to show himself and create a relationship with us.

The Bible teaches us what God is like. His 'personality' can be seen in His words and actions. We can get a limited picture of what God is like by looking at the world around us. We can see that He is a powerful and creative God. But creation only gives us a general picture. Creation does not show us how we can know God or have a relationship with Him. But looking at the world around us cannot give us the assurance of knowing God. Sometimes things happen that we can't explain.

In the Bible we see the big picture. We see God acting in history. A bit like that idea about the Queen getting to know us. God, in the Bible, makes the first move. He acts and he explains his actions. And in acting and explaining He shows himself to us.

But the Bible is a unique book not just because it points to Jesus but because, like Jesus it is the word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible doesn't just tell us about God it tells us how to live. It's a manual for life. It tells us what is right and wrong. When it comes to deciding whether a thing is right or not we could take several different avenues. We could as What do most people think or we could ask What do the experts say or we could ask what does tradition dictate. The problem is that each of these are human grounds. For deciding what is right or wrong. A majority view. Letting 'experts decide' or doing what we have always done. They may be right or they may be wrong but we can't be certain. The only grounds for absolute truth is if there is a source of truth outside of our relative thinking.

The Bible is this 'absolute' source of truth. It is God-breathed. Of course God used human beings. It is 100% the work of people and 100% the work of God. We can see the authority of scripture by looking at the ministry of Jesus. On many occassions Jesus uses the Old Testament and points people to its authority above the church leaders of his time and the opinions of others. If Jesus, as God's supreme revelation did that - then we too must acknowledge its authority.

All this does not mean that there are no difficulties in the Bible. There are always things we will struggle with - how can a God of love allow suffering? There are also issues to do with the differences between today's culture and the different cultures of the Bible. But the Bible is full of human life, it is about real people who face the same problems as us. The context may have changed but the things we do wrong have not - we've just become more sophisticated sinners. Although the cultural setting is different, people have not changed - more importantly still - the Bible shows us that God has revealed Himself in a person - Jesus - in a human life we can all understand. Culture may change - but God is unchanging.

Even though parts of the Bible are difficult, it is important to recognise that all Scripture is God-breathed. It is useful for teaching and rebuking. Showing us what is right or wrong. It is also useful for correcting and training - so it shows us how we are to act.

Some people respond by saying I don't want a rule book. I don't want to be told how to live. I want to be free. But true freedom is actually when we live life the way its meant to be lived - when we are free from the things that trap us. Freedom needs direction because left to ourselves we make a mess. I love playing football - although I'm starting to feel stiff after I play. It's great having a kick around - but to enjoy the game you need rules. It's no good if one goal is bigger than the other or if you can't decide if the ball has gone out of play or not. And it stops being football altogether if one side decide to stop kicking the ball and start throwing it to each other.We need to know where the boundaries are. We need to know what the rules are. We need to know where the goal is. The Bible shows us each of these things.

But the Bible is more than just a rule book - it is a love letter from God.

How should I read the Bible?

I said earlier that the Bible is one plan. One storyline.The basic storyline of the Bible is not hard to understand. God creates people to live in relationship with him. People rebel from God and try to live their own way. This rejection of God breaks their relationship with Him - and though they constantly reject him, he keeps sending helpers. Finally God enters the world himself. Unlike us Jesus lives a life of total obedience. Yet Jesus experiences separation so that those who trust him can enter once more into relationship. The New Testament looks back to what God has done but it also looks forward to a time when all the excess baggage all the consequences of our rebellion will be taken away and Jesus followers will live in perfect relationship with God. If you like, Heaven is a return to Eden.

But the Bible, as a love letter, is not given just so that we can gain knowledge. It is given so that we can build a relationship. This means that the Bible is to be read in a way like no other book:

Reading the Bible involves the response of the whole person - Through the mind to the heart to activate the will.

(a) mind - The Bible has to be listened to, studied and considered. It is not impossible to understand - but neither is it a lucky dip. We do need to think.

(b) heart - our hearts are important. God is the author - His words have to be spiritually worked out. The Holy Spirit teaches us. Understanding is not just dependent on our brains but on our spiritual appetite.

(c) will - The things we learn are words to be obeyed - Bible study is not just an intellectual or spiritual exercise that we do as an end in itself. Pray for understanding but also pray for change. Matthew 7:24 "Whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock."

Reading is a response of the whole person. This is important because the purpose of reading is to develop our relationship with God.

How in practice do we hear God speak through the Bible?

1. Time. We live busy lives and we need to set time aside.

(a) Be realistic - a few minutes each day is better than an hour and a half the first day and then giving up.

(b) Find a suitable time - many people study the Bible first thing in a morning but find what works best for you. Try to keep a regular time.

2. Place. Find a suitable place. Somewhere quiet and free from distraction. Somewhere you can concentrate and not fall asleep.

3. Use a notepad and pen to write down things you've learnt, things for prayer or distracting thoughts. Using Bible study notes might be useful - e-mail for more information.

4. Pray. Ask God to help you to understand and apply what you read.

If you're a beginner you might want to start in the Gospels. If you have been looking at the Bible for years then don't get stuck in a rut. Try something new from time to time.

Here are 3 helpful questions to ask as you read a passage.

1. What does the Bible say? - read the passage and think about it. It is possible to buy Bible Study notes - but some are better than others. Make sure that you concentrate on what the Bible says and not what the notes say.

2. What does it mean? - what is the context (the setting). What did it mean when it was first written. Some research might be helpful.

3. How does it apply to me - my family - society.

The temptation is to miss out stage 2 and immediately apply a passage to my situation - this leads to a poor understanding of the Bible.

Remember: Put what you learn into practice