Dear friends:

Below is Part 4 of my series, "The Authority of the Bible," taken from my recent book, "The Top Ten Mysteries of the Bible (PublishAmerica, 2006).

Jim
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Understanding the Bible

 
The Bible is a collection of history, biography, poetry, prophecy, spiritual and practical principles, and actual commandments from God to the human race. 
 
Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Son of God, is at the heart and center of the Bible.  The Old Testament points to Him and sets the stage for His arrival, and the New Testament describes His coming.  The Old Testament predicts and the New Testament fulfills those predictions. 
 
Christ’s appearance on the earth is the central event in the Bible and all history, divided into four major sub-events: His birth, His earthly ministry, His crucifixion, and His resurrection.
 
The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.  God gave us both for the full picture of His plan of redemption from creation in the first book of the Bible, to the last chapter in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, which ends with the description of the eternal holy city.
 
There are many things in the Bible that are difficult to understand.  That is because the Bible is revelation from the infinite Mind.  It is the Word of the living God. 
 
Also, the Bible reveals that God desires “seekers.”  He wants us to seek Him and His truth.  And when we read it, we are plumbing the depths of the infinite.  We should not despair if we do not understand everything.  No one does.
 
Here are some principles that will help you to understand the deeper messages of the Bible. 
 
1.      Approach it prayerfully, and know that only God can unlock its mysteries for you. 
 
2.      Avoid interpreting passages out of context.  (However, God may speak to us personally out of context, which I have experienced.)
 
3.      Compare difficult passages with passages that are clear and look for consistent truths or themes. 
 
4.      Consider the historical context. 
 
5.      Use a good modern translation, and a lexicon or commentary to clarify unfamiliar words and concepts.
 

Words of power
 

There is great power of the Holy Spirit latent in the words of the Bible, sometimes transmitted by just making a decision to believe it, which was demonstrated early in Billy Graham’s ministry.  At that time back in the 1940s, Graham was struggling with questions he had about the Bible for which he did not have answers.  But one day he got on his knees and prayed, “Father, I am going to accept this as thy Word­by faith!”  This simple act of sincere faith released a power in Graham’s ministry he had not before known and soon catapulted him and his ministry to proclaim the gospel to worldwide audiences for decades.  His life is a testimony of that power.
 
As you may make a similar, willful decision, and pray a similar prayer, a new power will be released in your life, and you and the world around you will never be the same. 
 
God’s power is limitless, and even more power will be released in your life as you continue to read, believe, and act upon God’s promises.  For a full discussion of God’s power­what it is, how to get it, and how to release it­see my powerful book, The Power! (Xulon Press, 2003), available through bookstores or online book sellers, or from the publisher at http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore.

Words of wisdom
 

It has been said that all great leaders, who are wise, regularly depend upon the Bible.
 
General George Washington, our first President and father of our country, said, “It is impossible to rightly govern... without God and the Bible.”
 
John Adams, second President of the United States, said, “Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited.  Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God… What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be!”
 
Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, said, “The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty… students’ perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens.”

Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, referring to the Bible: “That book, Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests.”
 
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, said: “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow...and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
 
Schuyler Colfax, who later became Vice President of the United States, said that Lincoln would often get up as early as 4 a.m. in order that he might have time to read his Bible and pray before visitors would begin to arrive at the White House.  On one occasion, Lincoln said:
 
That the Almighty does make use of human agencies, and directly intervenes in human affairs, is one of the plainest statements of the Bible.  I have had so many evidences of His direction, so many instances when I have been controlled by some other power than my own, that I cannot doubt that this power comes from above.
 
On April 14, 1865, just five days after the Civil War had ended, Abraham Lincoln went to Ford’s Theatre with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. She recalled his last words as they sat there:
 
He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footprints of the Saviour.  He was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as Jerusalem.  And with the words half spoken on his tongue, the bullet of the assassin entered the brain, and the soul of the great and good President was carried by the angels to the New Jerusalem above.
 
General Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President: “I believe in the Holy Scriptures, and whoso lives by them will be benefited thereby....”
 
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President: “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”
 
Herbert Hoover, 31st President: “The whole inspiration of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the prophets.  To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a necessity of American life.”
 
Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President: “The purpose of a devout and united people was set forth in the pages of the Bible... (1) to live in freedom, (2) to work in a prosperous land....and (3) to obey the commandments of God....The biblical story of the Promised Land inspired the founders of America.  It continues to inspire us.”
 
General Douglas MacArthur, feeling uneasy one evening before a major battle in the Pacific during World War II, turned to his Bible, which was his regular practice, and read until he felt at peace.  Then the general went to bed and slept soundly, even though the battle the next day would play a significant role in the course in the war.

Why the Bible?  Why did these and thousands of other leaders, and also scholars and vast numbers of lay people, choose the Bible? Why not Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, or one of the many great novels?

The answer is clear: The Bible is God’s Word to man.  It can bring pardon, peace, purpose, power, comfort, insights, and guidance as no other book in the world can do. The leaders named above knew this, as have many other great leaders and others down throughout history.

If the Bible is so vital that even great leaders turn to it in times of crisis, all of us should no less turn to it in our everyday lives.

 
Words of life

In the Bible you will find words of the Spirit, for your spirit. God says:

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.  Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.

 You will find who you are, where you came from, where you are going, and how to get there.  No other book or source anywhere in the world has that information. 
 
You will find yourself and the meaning of life. 
 
You will also discover the most mysterious Person ever to visit the planet, whom we describe in the next two chapters.