Description of the Holy Bible – Part 19
Bible
Just as the 10 Commandments (Exod. 20) followed the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Exod. 1-9), so the ethical teaching and commands of the Bible are addressed to people who are the recipients of God’s grace and salvation.
The commands of Scripture are part of a covenant entered into purely on the basis of grace alone.
We are saved by grace through faith for good works (Eph 2:8-10). We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
The ethical teachings of the Bible are guides to those who have already experienced God’s gift of salvation. They are not a means to achieve that salvation.
Additional Areas of Information
There are too many other subjects to give each of them subheading.
The Bible can be studied with respect to its geography; languages (the characteristics of biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greeks; the grammar, style, and vocabulary of biblical writers); temples (tabernacle, Solomonic, second, and Herodian); the specific regulations associated with marriage, sacrifice, diseases, circumcision, Jewish festivals, clean and unclean foods; teachings concerning hospitality; the plants and animals of the Bible; figures of speech used in the Bible (puns, parables, hyperbole, poetry); dates of various biblical events; when the books of the Bible were written; military weapons and strategy; musical instruments referred to in the Psalms; and others.
The amount of information contained in the Bible is enormous. No one could study all the subjects and information found in it, even with several lifetimes to do so.
Importance of Genre
Within the Bible we encounter numerous literary genres such as poetry, narrative, prophecy, proverbs, parables, letters, idioms, hyperbole, and others.
Because the goal in studying each genre is the same—to understand the meaning of the biblical author—we need to know how these genres function. One does not interpret a love poem in the same way one interprets a medical report.
The biblical writers expected their readers to understand how various genres function and the rules governing them. A typical example of genre is:
Proverbs: A proverb is a shot, pithy saying usually in poetic form, expressing a wise observation concerning life.
The book of Proverbs involves wise observations of life seen through the lens of the revelation of God.
What makes biblical proverbs different from other proverbs is that they have been formulated and shaped through the filter of divine revelation.
Writers of proverbs expect their readers to understand that proverbs teach general truths. They are not universal laws but allow for exceptions.
Such exceptions do not, however, negate the general rule (cp. Prov. 1:33; 3:9-10; 10:3-4; 13:21; 22:6; Matt. 26:52; Luke 16:10).
God Is The Author Of The Bible
The Bible is God’s One and Only Published Work
A man once admitted, if I could be sure that I was reading the unadulterated Word of God, I think it would make a world of difference to the way I come to my Bible; this is an important point.
So, how can we be certain that when we read God’s Word we are not taking in a mixture of the human and the divine? Our appreciation of the Bible is affected by whether we view it as an ordinary book or a divine book.
If we believe that God did inspire priests and prophets, evangelists and apostles, and that the Bible conveys the voice and message of God, our hearts can become teachable.
We will come to the Book, not thinking first of personal gain, but of understanding how we may best translate its message into life.
Email:mercyolumide2004@yahoo.co.uk www.thebiblicalwomanhood.com Mobile: +234 803 344 6614; +234 808 123 7987
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