WHAT IS THE BIBLE and HOW CAN I MAKE SENSE OF IT?

The Bible is a collection of ancient stories, poems, sermons, and letters. It includes 66 books gathered into two parts: the much longer Old Testament (before Jesus) and the much shorter New Testament (Jesus and after). Christians believe that the Bible was written by imperfect humans who were guided by God’s Holy Spirit.

Depending on where and how you read, the Bible can be:

Amazing and mystifying,

Confusing and clear,

Complicated and simple,

Erotic and holy,

Violent and peaceful,

Disturbing and comforting,

Boring and exciting,

Out-of-date and contemporary,

Depressing and uplifting,

Frustrating and helpful,

Angry and loving.

So, when you read the Bible, how can you know that you got it right?

First, it’s important to know that the Old Testament was pretty much written for the Jewish people before Jesus came. We can learn a great deal from it and also discover its stunning predictions about the future comings of Jesus (one past and one still future) and the end of the world, but it’s mostly not written to us today. The New Testament, however, is very much for us.

Sometimes things in the Old Testament can get kind of testy . . . even seeming to give a confusing message about what God is really like.

That’s why it’s helpful to know two simple and extremely important guidelines Jesus gave for understanding the whole collection of books we call the Scriptures.

First, He said, “The first and greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commands hang all the law and the prophets.”

In other words, everything in the Old Testament was intended to teach us to love God and to love our neighbor. If that’s not how I understand the Old Testament, I didn’t get it right.

Further, Jesus said that the Old Testament “testifies about Me” and the New Testament letters say that “in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form.” So, if how I understand God in the Old Testament isn’t like Jesus in the New Testament, I didn’t get it right.

In conclusion, read the Bible to discover Jesus, and remember that He summed up its message this way, “love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”