Know Your Bible
Correspondence Course
by Gene Tope
LESSON 1
A. Understanding the Bible
Many believe that the Bible cannot be understood. But God has given us the Bible for this very purpose. "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:17 NKJV). Even children can understand something of God's Word: "and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15 NKJV).
The fact that you have enrolled in this course is evidence of your desire to know more about the Bible. We commend you for such a desire and encourage you to complete all six lessons. Your reward will be a greater knowledge of God's will. Since it is God's Word (the Bible) that will judge us in the last day, we need to know as much of it as we can (John 12:48; Romans 2:16).
Becoming Acquainted with the Bible (Old Testament)
Let us begin our study in a simple way by noticing the two major parts of our Bible. They are:
- The Old Testament.
- The New Testament.
A consideration of these divisions and the differences that exist between them will be a primary aim in this first lesson. The Bible consists of 66 books; 39 of these are found in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The books of the Old Testament may be divided into four parts:
- Law (5 books)
- History (12 books)
- Wisdom Literature (5 books)
- Prophets (17 books).
Generally speaking, the books Genesis through Deuteronomy contain God's law to His old covenant people, the Israelites. (The early beginnings of mankind are also recorded in Genesis.) Joshua through Esther tells the history of the Jewish nation. Job through Song of Solomon contain inspired instructions relative to man's daily problems; hence, wisdom literature. Isaiah through Malachi contain prophecies of the future regarding the Jewish people, the Gentile nations, and the coming Messiah. The prophets are a wonderful proof of the Bible's inspiration!