02.03. THE BIBLE - 03 - The Divisions of the Bible

THE BIBLE – 03 - The Divisions of the Bible

Our Bible is divided into two great parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, the former consisting of thirty-nine books, and relating especially to the Old Covenant or Jewish dispensation, and the latter of twenty-seven, relating more particularly to the New Covenant in Christ, or Christian dispensation. These both came from God. The relation of the two is well described in the oft-quoted passage: "The Old Testament Scriptures are essentially one with the New; both are so compacted that the latter may be said to rest upon the former, since the former are pregnant with types and shadows which find their realisation in the latter. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed." The Jews divided their Scriptures into three classes--the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (cf. Luke 24:44). The law consisted of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. The prophets were subdivided into (a) Former: Joshua, Judges 1:1-36 and 2 Samuel 1:1-27 and 2 Kings; (b) Latter: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi. The Writings (sometimes called the Psalms, from the first and most important division) included Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah 1:1-11 and 2 Chronicles. The New Testament Scriptures may be sub-divided into: 1. Testimonies to Christ or The Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. These tell the story of Jesus, and were written to induce faith in him (see John 20:31). 2. History of conversions: Acts of Apostles. This is a book of conversions. It tens of the preaching of the gospel, the establishment of the church, the growth of the cause of Christ. He who wants to answer the question, "What shall I do to be saved?" must go to this book. We have there seekers Of salvation instructed by inspired men as to the way of life. If we follow these models, we cannot go wrong. 3. Instructions to Christians in twenty-one letters, from Romans to Jude. These tell us how the man who has believed in the Christ of whom the Gospels bear witness, and has accepted him as Savior and Lord in the manner revealed in the book of Acts of Apostles, should live a godly life in Christ. They are full of teaching, profitable for the individual Christian and for the church. 4. Prophecy. Revelation, or the Apocalypse (a Greek word meaning "uncovering"), consists largely of "prophecy couched in the language of symbolism." It "gives in prophetic symbols a vision of the fortunes and destinies of the church and her enemies." It has much to say of the second coming of Christ, and of the great struggles and events which are to precede it. The foregoing paragraphs suggest the importance of using the Bible aright. In reading a book we should always seek to know to which division is belongs, the persons addressed, the occasion upon which and the purpose for which it was written for instance, if a man wishes to know the testimony concerning Jesus, he should not be referred to Chronicles or to Habakkuk, but to the Gospels designed by God to bring to belief in Christ. If a man wants to know the way of salvation, we should refer him to Acts, not to Psalms, or Isaiah, which were written long before the Lord Jesus sent out men to preach the gospel. The young Christian should feed on the Epistles of the New Testament. We do not mean that any book should be ignored; but it is true that the purposes of the various books should be regarded. Particularly, the distinction between the two great covenants should be noted. A vast amount of mischief has been done on the one hand by those who seek in the Old Testament for details concerning the New, and on the other of those who would bring over into the New Covenant rites and priestly notions which were only given by God in the Old. The letter to the Hebrews is the best book to read on these covenants. Hebrews 8:7-13 refers to the Old and the New. The abrogation of the Old Covenant is also declared in Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 2:14. Jeremiah had foretold the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and had said that it would not be according to the first covenant. John 1:17 states the great distinction between the two: "The law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." That verse does not mean that there was no truth in the Old, or no favor of God; but its prevailing character was one of law, only the man who perfectly obeyed could stand uncondemned, while he who did not continue in all things written was cursed (Galatians 3:10). As opposed to that Jesus revealed the grace of God, the fullest truth; there were mercy and pardon provided for the sinner; God in Christ did what the law could not do (Romans 8:3). Of course there is not license because there is freedom from "the law"; Christians are under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21), the law of love (Romans 13:10; James 2:8). We repeatedly read in the New Testament of "the law" and "the faith" (see e.g., Galatians 3:23). In addition to the passages cited above, the following Scriptures clearly reveal the contrast between the two covenants: Galatians 4:21-31; 2 Corinthians 3:6-14; Hebrews 12:18-25. M. P. Hayden thus sums up the characteristics of the two covenants as given in the passages referred to:-- "The First or Old Covenant.

The Second or New Covenant.

Hence, of these two covenants, one was carnal, based on flesh; the other was spiritual, based on faith. Israelites were included in the Old Covenant, Christians in the New Covenant Moses was the mediator of the one, Christ of the other, one was typical, the other anti-typical; one national, the other personal and ecumenical. The first covenant was established to educate and prepare the world for the second; and when the first had served its purpose and Christ had come and fulfilled the types of the Old Covenant, it was ’finished,’ ’nailed to the cross, or done away.’ "

      Let us not close this study without a recognition of the fact that the Scriptures are given for our guidance in life. We need not knowledge alone, hut doing. We must receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save our soul (James 1:21; James 1:23). We must lay the word up in our hearts, so that we may not sin against God (Psalms 119:11). As we study or teach this lesson our appropriate prayer will be, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalms 119:18). Or we may express our heart’s longing in the words of the noble collect: "Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, land ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which thou has given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."

QUESTIONS.

1. What is meant by "The Bible"? 2. How does our Old Testament reading witness to the Bible’s claim to be God’s book? 3. Quote the Savior’s testimony to the Old Testament as the Word of God. 4. (a) What is meant by the authority of the Bible? (b) To what passages would you refer in proof of the Bible’s claim to authority? 5. Give three of the strongest reasons for accepting the Bible’s claim to be God’s book. 6. (a) What are the two greatest divisions of the Bible? (b) Why are they so called? 7. In what relation do these two great divisions stand to each other? 8. (a) Give a three-fold classification of the Old Testament Scriptures, and (b) assign the books to their proper classes. 9. (a) Classify the New Testament books and (b) state the function of each division. 10. Show the importance of a right division of the Word of God. 11. Give some practical rules for Bible study. 12. What are the chief differences between the two great covenants?