Understanding His Word...

April 27, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105.

After receiving many questions regarding the Bible, how to read it, and how to understand it, I did some soul searching and spent a lot of time in prayer to be able to answer those questions. First of all, please know any question you ask about God is never “stupid”. If you are taking the time to ask the question then you are showing a hunger for God, and that is not stupid – it is awesome!!

Second, God’s word is living and active. When we go through the storms of life we run to Him and ask for His guidance. When we grow impatient waiting for the answer, we ask Him why He is not listening to us and answering our questions. Know this – He already has. Many people read His word and know that it is Him, and do not question. Many others have a lot of questions.

Questions regarding the Bible are frequent: What version should I read? Who wrote the books in the Bible? Who were they writing to? When was it written? What is the difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament? Why are some words in the Bible written in red? How am I supposed to understand what it is saying? How does back then apply to me today? What are the different religions? What are denominations?

All valid questions. While I am usually a person to say, “If you want to know read it” I do know that some people don’t like to sail without a chart in hand, so I have asked God to provide words for me to give to answer your questions. My answer comes from the wisdom and knowledge He has given to me, from my studies and most importantly from my own personal testimony. Some may not agree with me, and that is perfectly fine. I am just telling you my understanding and experience just in case it may work for you.

I am going to state the basics. There are arguments that develop in differences constantly, but the basics mean that it is the majority belief and put simply enough not to confuse anyone. The arguments are usually reserved to those more advanced in their beliefs and way beyond the scope of this note. And all my explanations on the difference between religion questions come from the Christian Bible, which is the one I practice.

Okay, enough disclaimers. Let us get to work. Let’s talk about myths versus the truth. I am telling you this with the hopes of destroying the image of the Bible that the enemy has created in your mind. Satan does not want you to read the Bible. He will tell you it is confusing, hard to read, contradicts itself, was written by man so it does not matter, it doesn’t apply to you today, and on and on and on.

Know this – NONE and I mean NONE of that is true. We will read Dr. Seuss books with our children that we find hard to read, but we know they like them. Children like them even though some are hard to read. And they understand them. Because they want to. You have to WANT to understand. It does you no good to read the Bible to find something to use against someone else, to prove the world wrong, or to open it with the mindset that it is confusing, hard to read, and contradictory. You need to stop before you open it and tell God you are seeking His word and His answers. He knows why you are opening that book. As I have said in so many notes, He examines your motives.

So get your mind clear. Now where do you start?

QUESTION #1: DENOMINATIONS AND RELIGIONS

Denominations and Religions are different. Denominations are Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist, Anglican, Lutheran, non-denominational, Assembly of God, etc. Religions are Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc. They have different fundamental beliefs. Important note: NO where in the Christian Bible does God tell us what denomination we have to be. Denominations are man made. That is my story and I am sticking to it. Jesus came to unify not divide His people. The end.

DENOMINATIONS: What is similar about the denominations? Jesus Christ. Generally, all are in agreement (with some deviations beyond the scope of this note):

1. Adam and Eve chose to disobey the Will of God and sin. This is the well known story of the apple in the Garden of Eden. God gave us life, and we sinned.

2. Sin separates us from God. God is perfect, and cannot be around sin. The cost of sin? Death. Romans 6:23.

3. God later called Abraham for His Will. "The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:1-3.

4. God gave His law to Moses. Moses was told to lead the Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt to the “promised land”. This is the story of the Pharaoh in Egypt, and a movie called the “Ten Commandments”. You all may not know Moses, but Charlton Hesston plays him in the movie…get it now?

5. The resulting nation, with some border discrepancies, from #3 and #4 was Israel. Israel would go through many years afterwards experiencing periods of turning away from God and turning back to God.

6. Jesus was the Son of the Living God sent to Earth to die for the sins of mankind and to provide a perfect understanding of God’s law: love, salvation, mercy, and forgiveness.

7. Adam’s sin caused death and us to be separate from God. Jesus’ death and resurrection reconciles believers with God and saves them. “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.

RELIGIONS: What is the difference between Jews, Christians and Muslims? Are there any similarities?

There were similarities at one point and time.

--What is the difference between the Jews and Christians? Wasn’t Jesus a Jew?
Yes, Jesus was. Going back to the beginning, the basic understanding is (and again there are deviations that are beyond the scope of this note). Jews believe in the Old Testament. Christians believe in the Old and New Testament. Major dividing line: Jesus Christ.

--What is the difference between the Old and New Testament? Why are some words in the New Testament written in red?
The Old Testament contains the books Genesis through Malachi. The New Testament contains the books Matthew through Revelation. The New Testament is after Jesus Christ came to Earth. The beginning of the Book of Matthew (first book of the New Testament) describes the Birth of Jesus Christ. You know the story – the nativity scene at Christmas, the manger, the wise men, Mary and Joseph? Yes, that one. The words that are red in the New Testament are the verses where Jesus was talking.

Jews and Christians both believe in the Old Testament. We believe there was a Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob on and on down the line. Jews and Christians (for the most part) agree that there was a man on Earth named Jesus of Nazareth. Christians know He is the Son of the Living God.

Prior to Jesus there was no such thing as Christianity (hence the word “Christ” in Christianity). Of those who worshipped God and followed Abraham’s descendant line, they were Jewish. That included Jesus. After Jesus died, many of the Jews at the time became today’s Christians, and others remained Jewish.

I cannot speak for a religion I do not practice, but as to the question “Who do the Jews believe Jesus was?” the research I have found is that they thought He was a prophet. Here is where the definition of what is meant by prophet has me at a loss. In any event, they do not believe He was the Messiah. Christians know He was and is.

--What is the difference between Jews and Christians and Muslims?
Again there was a beginning connection. In the first part of the Old Testament, we learn about Abraham (#3) of the basic denominational agreement above. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all (again for the most part) believe in Abraham. From my research, Abraham is discussed in the “Koran”, the book to Muslims.

From the Old Testament in the Christian Bible, we learn that Abraham was married to Sarah. Sarah then (Sarai) was unable to have a child at the time, so she told Abraham (then Abram) "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Genesis 16:2.

And Abraham did. From sleeping with the maidservant, Hagar, Abraham had a son, Ishmael. Then Sarah became pregnant even though before she could not have a child. She and Abraham had Isaac. Christians believe that Jesus Christ came from the Isaac’s line of descendants. Jesus is the Christian leader. Muslims trace their leader, Mohammed, through Ishmael’s line. Muslims think Jesus was a prophet. Christians know He was the Son of the Living God.

QUESTION #2: THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE

Again I am going along with the basics here, thinking of a person who does not own a Bible and is going to Wal-Mart to get one. I am describing the Bible you would pick up of the shelf. Our Bible contains the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books, starting with Genesis and ending with Malachi. There are four divisions generally in the Old Testament. The New Testament contains 27 books, and there are generally four divisions.

OLD TESTAMENT

1) BOOKS OF LAW:

FIRST FIVE BOOKS: The first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy describe the beginning of the Jewish (Israelite) race. Those of the Jewish faith often refer to these books as the “Torah”.

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

2) BOOKS OF HISTORY:

-- NEXT TWELVE BOOKS: These books contain the history of the Israelites, who moved into the land of Canaan and established a kingdom.

Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther

3) BOOKS OF POETRY:

--NEXT 5 BOOKS: These are poetical books written about the time period of the Old Testament. These books concentrate on questions about God, life, suffering, love, and relationships.

Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs

4) BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS:

--NEXT SEVENTEEN BOOKS: A prophet is someone who speaks for God after He has revealed Himself to them in a vision, dream, or some other manner. Prophets in the Old Testament worked endlessly to bring people back to God, although some did predict future events. These prophets were prophesying during the days of the Old Testament throughout the History books.

Isaiah
Jeremiah
Laminations (also poetry)
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

THE NEW TESTAMENT

1) FIRST FOUR BOOKS:

--GOSPELS: These books contain the accounts of the life of Jesus Christ and His teaching, and include the crucifixion and resurrection:

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

2) NEXT BOOK

--HISTORY: This book is the Acts of the Apostles, and tells the evens of Jesus’ followers after His death and resurrection.

Acts

3) NEXT THIRTEEN BOOKS

--PAUL’S LETTERS: These books were written by the apostle Paul who advanced Christianity after Christ’s death and resurrection.

Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon

4) NEXT NINE BOOKS

--OTHER LETTERS: These include other letters regarding Christ and the problems that Christians were facing, including advice on how to live as a Christian. The last book, Revelation, is a book of prophecy regarding the end times which result in a new Heaven and Earth.

Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation

QUESTION #5: WHAT VERSION AND WHERE TO START

My first four reads of the Bible were the New King James Version (NKJV). I did not understand it that well, but kept reading it anyway because it was a Bible given to me by my grandmother that I still have.

When you are determining what version to read, you need to remember that each of our versions is a translation of the original. The Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew, with some small sections of Aramaic. The New Testament was written mainly in Greek with some Aramaic in it as well.

It is very important to remember that different languages were not developed with the sole purpose of being translated into the English language. Anyone who has studied foreign languages knows this is true. Some languages contain far fewer words than the English language does. For example, some languages have one word has five different meanings as opposed to where the English language has only two meanings for a word.

Because the English language did not exist at the time of the writing, it is a translation. But it is one that the different companies take very seriously. For example, some of the versions put footnotes at the bottom of each page to inform the reader what a certain word means in Greek or Hebrew.

I have just finished my fifth read of the Bible, and my first read of the New International Version (NIV). I found it much easier to follow personally, and found the footnotes regarding the origin of words very educational. However, I still do quote the New King James Version because those were the passages I memorized. I will illustrate a difference between a single scripture in the different versions below. The scripture is the same one written in the different versions. Matthew 6:27:

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:27 (New King James Version) (NKJV)

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27 (New International Version) (NIV)

"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27 (New American Standard Bible) (NASB)

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:27 (New Living Translation) (NLT)

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Matthew 6:27 (English Standard Version) (ESV)

And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life? Matthew 6:27 (Amplified Bible)

Okay now you have picked your Bible, where do you start reading? When I read the Bible I started with the very first book, Genesis. My husband was advised to start with the first book of the New Testament, Matthew. My suggestion, personally, is to start with Matthew. You will see names of many Old Testament people that you will not be familiar with, but you will learn more about them when you finish the New Testament and start to read the Old Testament.

In my opinion, the New Testament is easier to understand. But most importantly, it is the Testament that contains the teachings of Jesus Christ, which as Christians we practice daily. The Old Testament contains many of the same teachings, and the blood line of Jesus; however, I have seen more ease on the reader to start with Matthew. The entire Bible is important and should be read thoroughly, but in a way that you would not want to become discouraged and give up trying. Even if you don’t understand what you are reading keep going. God will strike you with the passage you need, trust me on this one.

Happy reading!!