Chapter 1

The Source: God’s Word in the Scriptures

We will not know God of He does not reveal Himself to us. One of the special ways God reveals Himself to humankind is through the Bible. The Bible is the divinely inspired written record of how God made Himself known to certain people in history. This is why the Bible is also called Scriptures, which means “sacred writings.”

What the Bible is all about?

1.The Bible is about God.

Through the Bible, we can get to know our God—His

identity, His character, and His purpose for creating,

redeeming, and sanctifying us.

2. The Bible is about the people.

A part of the bible consists of narratives about real men and women—heroes and

villains, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, servant girls and queens,

judges, prophets, and kings—who were chosen to play a role in God’s saving

plan. We can learn valuable lessons Gods wants us to learn from their successes

and failures.

3. The bible is about salvation history.

The Bible records almost 2,000 years in the history of a small but significant group of people in the

Middle East—the Israelites.

4. The Bible is about faith.

The Bible is not merely a collection of religious stories or simply one of the many

surviving examples of ancient religious literature from the Middle east. It is, rather, a book of faith that grew form a believing community. It is the living witness to God and the central source of His revelation of

Himself and His gift of salvation to us today.

5. The Bible is about us.

Do not think hat the story of the ancient Israelites has

nothing to do with our lives today.

More than any book in the world, the Bible reaches every age and every nation because salvation, faith, and belief in God are as

universal and present today as love itself. By reading the Bible, we grew

in the knowledge of ourselves, others, and God, which is the most

Important knowledge we can acquire.

What is the HISTORY OF THE BIBLE?

The Bible did not fall from heaven amidst thunder and lightning. Neither did people

discover it in some mysterious place. The formation of the Bible took centuries and many groups and individuals were involved in the long process of its creation.

The Christian Bible has two major parts—the Old Testament and the

New Testament. Testament means “agreement” or

“covenant.”

Part I: The Old Testament. The old testament centers on the covenant God made with the Israelites and the many consequences of this

covenant on their lives not only as individuals but especially as a

nation. This covenant is recorded in the old Testament as part of the

religious history of Israel before the coming of Christ.

To the Jews, the Old Testament is their Hebrew

scriptures divided into three groups of books, namely (1) The Law, (2) The Prophets, and (3) the Writings. These

three indications indicate the gradual self-revelation of

God.

1. The law of Torah contains the Pentateuch, the five books of

Moses, which are genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah is the

most sacred text to the Jews for it contains God’s revelation of

Himself as the one making the covenant with the Israelites.

2. The Prophets contains the writings and speeches

of the prophets who reminded the Israelites to

be faithful to their covenant with God. Below are the books belonging

to this group.

Books of the Former or Nonwriting Prophets

JoshuaJudgesSecond SamuelFirst KingsSecond Kings

Books of the Latter or Writing ProphetsMajor Prophets

IsaiahJeremiahEzekiel

Minor ProphetsHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahum

HabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachi

3. The Writings contains the remaining book of the Old Testament, which are the

Historical and Wisdom Books. These books

elaborate in one way or another (mostly in poetry

form) what a covenant with God means .

PsalmsProvebsJobSong of SongsRuthLamentationsEcclesiastesEstherDanielEzra

NehemiahFirst ChroniclesSecond ChroniclesWisdomSirachTobitJudithBaruchFirst maccabeesSecond Maccabees

Part II: The New Testament. The New Testament deals with the New Covenant of God’s people with Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son who became man to save humankind from sin. Jesus’ death and Resurrection fulfilled God’s promises in the Old Testament of a Savior and brought universal deliverance for all humanity.

The books of the New

Testament are grouped into

four.

1.The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)-are four different accounts on Jesus’ redeeming life, teachings, and work. The climax in each group gospels is Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

2. The Acts of the Apostles-is the sequel to the

gospel of Luke. It records the events in the early Church from Christ’s ascension to Paul’s missionary journey to Rome.

3. The Apostolic Letters or Epistles-are the letters of Paul and

three other apostles, namely Peter, John, and James, to the early Christian communities. These letters provide teachings and instructions in Christian faith and practices.

4. The Book of Revelation-is the last book of the Bible. It is

the only apocalyptic book (apocalyptic means concerning the end of the world) in the sacred Scriptures. It contains John’s vision of Christ’s Second Coming and of the completion of God’s Kingdom.

1. READING THE BIBLE WITH FAITHCan a person without faith understand the contents of the Bible? Perhaps. But it is only when we read the bible with faith can we experience God’s Word in a life-giving way. When we read the Bible with faith, we accept completely that God Himself is speaking to us through the passages in the Bible.

3. Studying the BibleGod’s message in the Bible is

meant for all He often repeats His message in various ways. His language can be so concrete sometimes. When studying the Bible, we must always make a constant effort to focus on its faith message.

4. Living the BibleTo live by the Word of God

is the ultimate goal of our reading, praying, and studying the Bible. The more we apply the Bible’s message in our daily lives, the more we understand and appreciate.