The Beginner’s Introduction to the Bible (Part 3)
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Now this might be a good place to state another fact. The whole Bible is for, us, but it is not all To us. You may have surmised this from the above rules and example, but it is worth stating so it makes an impression all by itself. We need to study and read the whole Bible, and learn from it all, and there are many principles that can be applied to our lives today, and it is essential to know about both the earthly and the heavenly program to be able to see the difference between the two, but true Biblical Christianity comes exclusively from the Epistles of Paul (the books of Romans through Philemon). This is the only section of the Bible where we all, Jew and Gentile alike, are being talked to TODAY, by God’s Word – TO, FOR and ABOUT us all!! This is an extremely important concept, and one you should learn well. If you don’t get this basic principle firmly in your thinking, you will be confused from this point on until that concept finally sinks into your mind!! I cannot stress this enough. The first verse in the Bible holds the key that you MUST seize hold of to unlock the secrets of the whole Bible (the heavenly and earthly programs), and without this important key you will be locked out of the many riches of God’s Word that you could be understanding and profiting from, simply by using the first major key, given you right off the bat, in God’s Word.
The rules I have given you are keys, which unlock many of the other secrets, but don’t lose sight of the first key or you will have considerable trouble and confusion thereafter.
A lot of what I have just said may sound new to you, particularly if you have had some background in the Bible, but contrary to popular belief, it is not new at all. In fact these concepts are found in the preface to the Coverdale Bible, the first English translation, back in 1535, about 500 years ago quoted below:
“It shall greatly help thee to understand Scripture, if thou mark, not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goeth before and what followeth after.”
– Miles Coverdale.
The problem is that the church today has gotten away from these basic concepts, and because of this, confusion abounds in Christendom today like never before, so that there are literally hundreds of denominations, all taking their little belief system and making a whole new “religion” out of it. (Religion=to bind back). The last I heard there were about 1800 different denominations, along with about three thousand cults, and growing.
The reason for all the confusion is failure, as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15, to “rightly divide the Word of truth,” i.e. God’s Word. What he is actually talking about is the key to understanding the two different programs which God has created, the earthly and the heavenly. This one concept alone will solve most of the mysteries, problems, delusions and confusions of studying God’s Word if you can really get it under your belt and keep it in the forefront of your mind as you study and learn.
I know it sounds like I am belaboring this point, but I can’t tell you how important this one little key is, lose it, fail to use it, etc., and end up with a total misconception about a certain passage when it would be crystal clear to them if they only applied this one key.
Now before I go any further, it might be good to understand that, once we are born physically we will never die, but will live forever. The reason is that we were created in God’s image (Genesis1:27) and like God, who will never die,we are a triune (3-part) being. We are body, soul and spirit. Our spirit will actually live forever and the Bible teaches that we will be given a new body after the physical death of the one you now possess. I know that many people teach different, but sooner or later, possibly after death, you will find that this is a fact. Since we are created beings, God loves us all and wants us to spend our forever existence (eternity) with Him under His care.