OK, it’s a big book, so where do I start? Perhaps, you have asked yourself this question at one time or another. I hope that this and the following articles in this series will help you to answer that question. In this article we consider the various books of the Bible.
For the purposes of discussion the Bible may be divided into three sections: the Old Testament, the Gospels and the New Testament. The Old Testament refers to the 39 books from Genesis to Malachi. The Gospels comprise the four familiar books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The New Testament is made up of the 23 books from Acts to Revelation.
Many people tend to open the Bible, start reading in Genesis and by the time they get through the first couple of books, become frustrated and put it away. Allow me to explain the following. The Old Testament is addressed to the believers of the nation of Israel – it is not addressed to the Christian believer. Yes, this also includes the ten commandments as recorded in the Book of Exodus.
The Gospels really close out the Old Testament in that It Is Written that Jesus Christ fulfilled the law of the Old Testament. Though it might come as a surprise to some, the Gospels also are not addressed directly to the Christian believer (more on this in future articles). The Book of Acts that follows the Gospels is a book of transition that details the growth of the Christian Church.
The next seven books, commonly referred to as the Church Epistles are the books of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. These books are addressed to the Christian Church and are to be applied directly by the Christian believer. It is these seven books that I highly recommend as the starting point for anyone who desires to understand the Word of God. Read, read and re-read the seven Church Epistles.
The Church Epistles are followed by the pastoral Epistles of Timothy, Titus and Philemon and are addressed to leadership in the 1st Century Church. These are followed by some personal Epistles and the Book of Revelation.
So, if you are a little overwhelmed by the size of the Bible, may I suggest the seven little books known as the Church Epistles from Romans to Thessalonians as an excellent place to start. We will consider other sections of the Bible in later articles in this series.