A guide to the Bible
Understanding the Bible:
- It is God’s spoken word (2 Timothy 3:16), written by human authors (2 Peter 1:20-21)
- It was written between 1,500BC and 100AD
- It is 1 whole book made up of 66 individual books
- It has 2 main sections - the Old & New Testament
Old Testament (OT):
- The Old Testament has 39 books, written originally in Hebrew
- It tells us God’s plan for humans, from Adam the first one (Genesis 1)
- It explains human rebellion against God’s plan, called 'sin', and God’s judgment upon human sin (Genesis 3)
- It tells us God’s plan to save people from that judgment and bless humans through Abraham & his descendants 'Israel' (Genesis 12)
- Most of the OT describes the history of Israel, and looks forward to a King from Israel who will save people and rule the world
New Testament (NT):
- This has 27 books, written originally in Greek
- It tells us that Jesus is God’s promised world King to save people, called the 'Christ'
- It begins with Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection to new life (Matthew-John)
- Jesus now rules our world as King from heaven (Acts 2)
- Jesus will return to judge us and bring the new creation
Purpose of the Bible
To bring people back into to a right relationship with God through trusting Jesus as their King and Saviour (2 Timothy 3:15)
Is the Bible true? Does God exist? What about other religions?
Find answers at: Christianity.net.au
Can I read the Bible online?
Yes! Go to BibleGateway, which allows you to look up any passage in various languages and translations.
