The Holy Bible

The Holy Bible is the Holy Book that contains God's salvation plan for mankind. The word Bible comes from the Latin word “biblia” which means book. Hence the Holy Bible simply means the Holy Book. Some people believe the BIBLE stands for B – Basic, I – Instructions, B – Before, L – Leaving, E – Earth. The Bible is divided into two, namely the;

1. Old Testament
2. New Testament

Testament simply means the covenant. So we have the old and the new covenant. The Old Testament primarily focuses on the prophecy about the coming of the Messiah and event that happened before the Messiah came into the world. The New Testament focuses on the coming of the Messiah thus the event leading to his birth, life, death resurrection and ascension of the Messiah. It further tells us the story of the early church; how the church was formed and the activities of the apostles after the ascension of the Messiah (letters and messages they wrote to the church either to encourage the congregation or address issues in the church). The final part of the New Testament is the prophecy about the end times and event that will happen before the world will end and Christ take his throne as king of the universe.

Division of the Holy Bible

Aside the two main division, the Holy Bible is also group according to the nature or purpose of the text. Under this groupings, the Old Testament books are group under four (4) categories namely:

1. The Laws/ Torah / Pentateuch
2. History Books
3. Poetry
4. Books of the Prophets (Major and Minor)

The New Testament just like the Old Testament has four subdivisions. These are:

1. The Gospels
2. Acts of the Apostles
3. Epistles or Letters
4. The Prophesy

The Laws/ Torah / Pentateuch

These books consist of the first five (5) books in the Holy Bible namely:

1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy

These books were written by Moses the first prophet of Israel who led the people of Israel out of slavery. It is this books that tells us how the world came into existence and how human being spread throughout the world. These books also help us to know and understand the laws of God and the punishment one has to face if he or she goes against the laws of God.

History Books

This group of books is a continuation of the first five (5) books of Moses. The books that belong to this group are:

1. Joshua
2. Judges
3. Ruth
4. first and second Samuel
5. first and second Kings
6. first and second Chronicles
7. Ezra
8. Nehemiah
9. Esther.

This group of books tell of the event before the people of Israel enter the Promised Land, how they entered the Promised Land and how the divided the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. One popular story in the book of Joshua is the story of Jericho – the great wall of Jericho. The God of Israel brought down the wall with the shout of the people of Israel. The book of Judges tells us about the leaders or people who led Israel. How the Lord use these people to defend Israel against their enemies. Key characters are Deborah, Gideon, and Samson just to name a few. The book of Samuel and Kings is about the rise and fall of Kings in Israel. It also tells us how and the reason why the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two namely Israel and Judah under the reign of Rehoboam. Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther tell the story of the people of Israel in exile. It also educates us on how the temple and the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt.

Poetry

This group of books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.

Prophets

The book of the prophet are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. These books warn the people of Israel about their sins, the punishment that God will bring upon them if they do not repent. It also tells of the coming of the Messiah, a saviour who will redeem the children of God and set them free.

The Gospels

The Gospels consist of the first four books in the New Testament. They are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The books are named after their authors. The Gospels mainly focus on the birth, life, ministry, death and the ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In addition, these books give hope to the Church of Christ that, our Lord and saviour will come back and take His true followers into eternal joy and glory.

Acts of the Apostles

This consist of a single book named Acts written by Luke (he also wrote the Gospel of Luke). These books tell the story about life of the Apostles after the ascension of Jesus Christ. It key features are the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the beginning of the early Church. It further talks about the power of God and the persecutions that the Apostles of the early church faced in the hands of the Romans, Jews and other groups who were not willing to accept the message of Christ.

The Letters or the Epistles

These are group of books in the New Testament that was written by the Apostle to the Church. They either wrote these books to rebuke, correct, exhort or instruct the people on what to do. Books belonging to this category are Romans, first and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, first and second Thessalonians, first and second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, first and second Peter, first, second and third John and finally Jude.

Prophesy

The last Category in the New Testament is the prophetic book. The only book in this group is the book of Revelation written by the Apostle John – the disciple Jesus Christ loved the most. This book tells the Christian on event that will happen before the world will end. In simple terms, it is about the signs of the end times. This book was also address to the seven Church in Asia Minor. The book congratulated them on the things they are doing right, rebuke the church on their wrong doing and warn them to repent from their evil ways or risk the wrath of the Lord.

Functions or Purpose of the Bible

2 Timothy 3:16 make this clear to us. It reads 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,'. So the first function of the Bible from the text above is to teach us the laws and commandment. The Bible also rebukes us. It is not always that we will receive happy messages from the Bible. Sometimes the Bible will rebuke us for the sins we do. The Bible also corrects us when we go wrong. Its words help us find the right path. Last but not least, the Bible provides training for the children of God. All this functions are to make the children of God become better so that they can make it to heaven and enjoy eternity with Him.

Understanding the Bible

Let discuss three ways or methods that will help you understand the Bible.

1. Personal Reading or Devotion
2. Holy Spirit
3. Studying with other believers

In order to explain the bible very well, you will have to be a person who likes to read the Bible constantly. If you haven't read about 80 percent of the bible you may find some aspect difficult to explain. The best way to explain the Bible is to be a person who loves to read and study the Bible frequently. In addition to studying the scripture or bible, you will also need the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit to assist you (Luke 12:12, John 14:26). So before you start reading the Holy Bible, please consider praying first; asking the Lord to grant you wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the Bible. Finally, joining Bible Study class with other believers can also help you understand the Bible. No person is a repository of all knowledge. It will help if you participate in Bible study class of your Church at least every Sunday it may help you get a better view of the Holy Bible.

Author of the Bible

The main author of the Holy Bible is the LORD GOD MOST HIGH, However God empower the prophet, kings and the apostle to write it down for us. Second Timothy three sixteen state that all scriptures is given by the inspiration of God.

Summary and Conclusion

The Holy Bible is a book that contains the word of God. It was written to serve as a manual for mankind to follow. The Holy Bible helps human beings to find and identify the right path to follow. It is useful for rebuking, correcting, instructing, guiding, inspiring, exhorting, encouraging; all with the aim of making the child of God perfect. Thanks for reading. God Bless you. SHALOM