We can never gain an adequate knowledge of the Bible from going to church or just listening to sermons. We must study the Bible on our own. The Bible reveals the will of God so as to lead man into it. Each book has a direct teaching. Find out what it is and conform to it.

The Bible is a library, but it is also “The Book.” It is a story, a grand story, that moves on from beginning to end. Here is something that is phenomenal in literature. Suppose you were to cover the great fields of knowledge; law, history, philosophy, ethics, and prophecy. If you brought them all together and bound them into one book, what would you call it? What unity would you expect to find in such a jumble of subjects? An infinite number and variety of themes and styles are found in the Bible.

The Bible was brought together across centuries. The likelihood of unity in such a work is so small, yet this is the story of the Bible. It has numerous authors and themes but is unified under one great theme: God’s relationship to man and His plan for our lives and the world.

There is no royal road to a knowledge of the  Bible. To be sure, the Spirit of God will lead us into all truth, but God’s command is that we study to be approved, workmen unashamed.  (II Timothy 2:15)  We must give the Bible attention with intention.  Intention will stimulate attention.  Perhaps there is so little attention in Bible reading today because there is so little intention.

We must come to the Bible with a purpose. Many say, “The Bible is so great I don’t know how to begin.”  People say this correctly and sincerely. And it is true that we must have a method, or we will get little result.

The Bible can be read from Genesis to Revelation at pulpit rate in about 72 hours.  Do you want to read the Bible through?  Leave 80 hours for it. Plot out that time. How much time can you give each day?  How many days a week? Everybody is busy, but we must make time for God’s word. If we are going to get to know the Bible, we must arrange time for it. We must adjust our lives to make room for Bible study.

In the Bible the foundation for Christianity is laid in the revelation of the one and only true God. God chose a people, the children of Israel to show forth this truth and to preserve a record for himself. The Bible tells us of the origin of sin, and how the curse separated man from God. It tells how utterly impossible it is for the law to bring man to the salvation he needs.

That by the law shall no man be justified in His sight.   Romans 3:20

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23
Then it gives us a promise of a Savior, One who came to seek and to save that which was lost, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Luke 19:10;  Matt. 20:28)  Through the ages one purpose is evident, to prepare a way for the coming of the Redeemer into the world.

The Divisions of the Old Testament are Law, (5)  History (12), Poetry (5), Prophecy (17, 5 major and 12 minor).

The Divisions of the New Testament are Gospel, (4) History, (1), Prophecy (1), Epistles (21, Pauline 14 and General 7).

The Old Testament begins with God; Genisis 1:1. The New Testament begins with Christ; Matthew 1:1. Adam to Abraham is the history of the human race. Abraham to Christ is the history of the chosen race. From Christ on we have the history of the House of God, commonly but mistakenly called “The Church.”

The New Testament was written to show us the character and teachings of Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant. The New Testament was written by at least 8 men. Four of them (Matthew, John, Peter and Paul) were apostles. Two, (Mark and Luke) were companions of apostles. Two (James and Jude) were brothers of Jesus.  The New Testament was written at various times inthe second half of the first century.

Old Testament Versus the New Testament

The old commences what the New completes. The Old gathers around Sinai, the New around calvary. The Old is associated with Moses, the New with Christ. (John 1:17)

Bible Authors

The authors of the Bible were kings and princes, poets and philosophers, prophets and statesmen. Some were learned in the arts of the times, while others were unschooled fishermen. Other books are soon out of date. But this book, the Bible, spans the centuries. Most books must be adapted to age, but old and young alike love the Bible. Most books are provincial and interest only those in whose language they were written. But not the Bible. It was written in what are now called “dead languages.”

This post is the beginning of a series from one of Grandaddy Godsoe’s Sunday School lessons.

The Bible Shows Us Jesus Christ, the World’s Savior

Behind and beneath the Bible,  above and beyond the Bible, is the God of the Bible. The Bible is God’s written revelation of His will to men. Its central theme is salvation through Christ. 66 books, 40 authors, over about 1600 years.

The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, with a few short passages in Aramaic. Some 100 years before Christ all of the Old Testament was translated into Greek. The New Testament was written entirely in Greek. Our Bible is a translation from these original languages. The word “Bible” is from the Greek “Biblios.” “Testament” means “covenant” or “agreement.”

The Covenants of Law and Grace

The Old Testament is the covenant God made with man about his salvation before Christ came. The New Testament is the agreement God made with man about his salvation after Christ came. The Old Testament is the covenant of law. The New Testament is the Covenant of grace which came through Jesus Christ. One led into the other.

17And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

18For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Dr. Frank A. Godsoe was my great granddaddy. I remember his snow white hair, funny stories, and how he used to rock the grandbabies singing and old fashined tune we called “Bum de Bum.” One day I stopped by his daughter’s house, “Granny” to me, and they were cleaning. I hate to admit this, but they had thrown away a huge box of his sermons and other files. I rescued these from the curb and took them home. In this garbage bag I found jokes and newspaper clippings, and all of the files that he used in crafting his sermons. There was also a box of logbooks where he faithfully logged each hospital visit, evangelistic visit, and church meeting. There were also thousands of sermons written on every imaginable type of paper. Tiny scraps, envelopes and scratch pads. Dr. Godsoe was a walking sermon machine!

The crown jewels of my visit to Granny’s that day, however, were a set of twenty five or so hand-typed looseleaf notebooks. These books were written by Grandaddy while he was teaching a Sunday School class in his later years. As I read through these books, I realized what a magnificent contribution these books are to the body of Christ. This site is my gift to you that God may be glorified. I hope you will be encouraged by the sermons of Dr. Frank A. Godsoe.