Bible Blueprint Bible Study

      Would you like to learn more about the Bible? The Bible is not some book beyond the understanding of men. God gave man the Bible for the purpose of guiding mankind. You can understand the Bible and God's plan for man. In order for you to learn about the Bible and all the wonders contained therein, you must first do the following.

      First, you must set aside all pride. When a person approaches a study of God's word and God's will for man, he must say as Jesus said, “. . . not my will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) You must be willing to put God's will above your own will. You must ask yourself, "What is God's will for me?"

      Second, you must remove any prejudicial thoughts in matters of religion. Some people are prejudice when it comes to the teachings of the Bible. These people prefer their own ideas, their family's religion, or the religion of someone they admire over the teachings of the Bible. It is not who is right but what is right. The apostle Paul warned the Christians throughout the region of Galatia not to listen to preachers who did not teach the doctrine of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:6-9)

      Third, you must not allow anyone to pressure you into accepting his or her religious belief. You should study the Bible because you desire to know the Truth. You must believe and act once you are firmly convicted by your study of the word of God. You should accept faith and practice only by conviction, not by pressure. Paul wrote Timothy, saying, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV) You too can study to show yourself approved unto God.

Unity of the Bible

      As you begin this overview of the Bible, you will find that the Bible is a unique collection of books. The Bible is composed of 66 books written by 40 different men over a span of about 1600 years. These 66 books are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 39 books. The New Testament contains 27 books.

      The Bible is perfectly united in doctrine. The Bible’s unity in doctrine (unity in purpose) is seen within the theme of the Bible: The redemption of man. In Ephesians 3:8-12, the apostle Paul referred to the “unsearchable riches of Christ” and the “fellowship of the mystery” which had been hidden in God from the “beginning of the ages.” In verse 11 of the same passage, Paul referred to the “eternal purpose” which God “accomplished in Christ Jesus.”

      The Bible’s unity of doctrine (purpose) can be seen in the single story line that is carried throughout the Bible. This story line is much like a strand of beads. The story begins with Adam and ends with Jesus Christ. The story begins with the fall of man and ends with the redemption of man through Jesus Christ. The first bead is Adam and the last bead is Christ. Consider the illustration.

Validity of the Bible

      A person new to the study of the Bible may ask, “Why should I believe the Bible?” There are several reasons why you should believe the Bible to be the Word of the Almighty God. You have already seen one reason to believe the Bible. The unity of the Bible is a great example of its divine origin. While there have been men who possessed great writing skills, there have never been a group of uninspired men capable of composing a book such as the Bible. Despite the vastness of time over which the Bible was written and the wide variety of writers, the continuity of the Bible remained intact. The Bible’s composition could only have resulted from a divine Being much greater than man.

      Another reason you can believe the Bible is the accuracy of the fulfilled prophecies. Throughout the Old Testament (Genesis through Malachi), there are a number of prophecies regarding future events. Each of these prophesies were fulfilled with the passing of time. Such examples would be the foretelling of the fall of several ancient cities and empires. For example, Isaiah prophesied the fall of the Babylonian Empire (Isaiah 13:19-22) and the Egyptian Empire (Isaiah 19). Nahum prophesied the fall of the city of Nineveh (Nahum 1:1-3:19). The writers of such prophecies could not have predicted the future events without divine help.

      Some of the greatest prophecies pertained to Jesus. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39) Consider the following chart which shows a partial list of fulfilled prophecies regarding Jesus.

      Another support to the validity of the Bible is the pre-scientific proof. That is to say, the Bible is filled with scientific facts, many not realized until hundreds of years after the fact was recorded in the Bible. For instance, around 740 - 680 B.C., Isaiah referred to the fact that the earth is a circle (Isaiah 40:22). Sometime between 2000 - 1800 B.C., Job stated that God had hung the earth on nothing (Job 26:7). Around 1444 B.C., in the Law given by God to the Israelites, He stated that life was in the blood. Our modern discoveries in science and medicine proved what the Bible had already revealed hundreds of years earlier. While other examples could be given, these are sufficient to help further illustrate the validity of the Bible as the Word of God.

History of the Bible

      The history covered in the Bible is vast. The Bible begins with the creation of the universe, the creation of the earth, and the creation of all life on the earth, including mankind. Genesis 1:1 rightly begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” According to the genealogies found in Genesis 5 and 10, approximately 1600 years after the creation of Adam, because of the wickedness of man, God destroyed the world in the great flood. (Genesis 6-8) Standing apart from the rest of the world, only Noah and his family were found to be righteous. As a result, God spared Noah and his family. Approximately five hundred years later, God made a promise to Abraham, a promise that would directly impact the redemption of man. (Genesis 12-25)

      The history found in the Bible covers the beginning of the Israelite nation, their enslavement in Egypt as well as their deliverance by Moses. We see the rise and fall of the Israelites as a unified nation, then as a divided nation. Through the Bible, we see God raising up surrounding nations to punish the Israelites. God tore down nations in order to protect the Israelites. (Such surrounding nations used by God were the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, etc.)

      The Bible also shows us the fulfillment of the promised birth of Jesus in approximately 4 to 5 B.C. The Bible tells of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. By studying the New Testament, you can clearly see the impact Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection had on both the Jews and the rest of the world. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, was written to give Christians hope. It tells Christians that they can overcome sin and live forever with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in Heaven.

      The history of the Bible can be divided up into three distinct dispensations (time periods). The first period of time is known as the Patriarchal Dispensation, which lasted for about 2500 years. The Patriarchal Dispensation began with Adam and ended with God’s covenant with Israel given on Mount Sinai. During this time period the religion was a family based religion. God spoke to the father of the family.

      The second period of time is known as the Mosaical Dispensation, which lasted for about 1500 years. This period of time began when God gave His Law to the Israelites on Mount Sinai and ended at the death of Jesus on the cross. During this time period, the religion was a national religion. God had given Moses the Law for the nation of Israel to follow.

      The third period of time is known as the Christian Dispensation. This time period began after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and continues today. This current dispensation will end with the second coming of Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Peter 3:10-13) During this time period, anyone can believe in God through faith in Jesus and obedience to His commands. It is a religion “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:19-20) It is a religion of one church (body of Christ), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The Promise of Salvation

      The greatest story ever told is found only in the Bible. The Bible tells of man’s separation from God beginning with the disobedience of Adam and Eve. At that time, the Lord promised that the seed of woman (Christ) would bruise the head of the devil (limiting his power). (Genesis 3:15) This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus, who was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), destroyed "the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8) By dying on the cross of Calvary (a minor bruise to the “heel”), Jesus took victory from the Devil (bruising the “head” of the Devil). In Jesus’ death and resurrection, He dealt a terrible blow to the efforts of the Devil by making possible man’s redemption and reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of sins.

      As stated earlier in this lesson, the redemption of man is the unifying theme of the Bible. In the next lesson, we will examine more closely the problem of sin, redemption made possible, and what a sinful person must do to be reconciled unto God. All of this is found only in the Bible, the wonderful Word of God.