A Family Guide to the Bible

by Christin Ditchfield

Overview

All Christian parents want their children to gain a better understanding of God's Word, but many of them are still searching to completely understand the Bible themselves. How can they confidently share what they believe with their families?

A Family Guide to the Bible takes readers on a fun and exciting tour through all sixty-six books of the Bible and offers parents, grandparents, and teachers a better understanding of the Scriptures so they can help the children in their lives know what is in the Bible, where to find it, and how it all fits together. As Christians become more familiar with God's Word, they will gain greater confidence as they share what they believe with their family and friends, help answer questions concerning the Bible, and encourage others to grow deeper in their walks of faith.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433520198
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	05/08/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Christin Ditchfield (DMin, Northwind Theological Seminary) is the author of more than eighty books, including a number of bestselling literature guides introducing readers to spiritual truths in the works of C.S. Lewis and the world of Narnia. She shares her love of all things Lewis with her husband, Andrew Lazo, who is an Episcopal priest and Lewis scholar.

Christin Ditchfield (DMin, Northwind Theological Seminary) is the author of more than eighty books, including a number of bestselling literature guides introducing readers to spiritual truths in the works of C.S. Lewis and the world of Narnia. She shares her love of all things Lewis with her husband, Andrew Lazo, who is an Episcopal priest and Lewis scholar.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE

Where Did It Come From?

"And we have the word of the prophets ... men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

2 Peter 1:19, 21

The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word biblios, meaning "book." Christians often refer to this book as "the Word of God," because we believe that it is literally God's Word, His message, or as some have said, His love letter to mankind. Every chapter, every verse, every word of Scripture was inspired by God himself.

But how did it come to us? How did we get the book that we hold in our hands today? Did it simply drop down from heaven one day? Was it delivered on somebody's doorstep by an angelic messenger?

The Bible was actually written over a period of more than 1,500 years by as many as forty different authors. God spoke to these men, and they wrote down what He said. He directed them, motivated them, moved them to write-and they responded by picking up their pens. Inspired by the Spirit of God, these men recorded the history of God's people, His commandments and decrees, prayers and poetry and songs of praise, letters of encouragement and instruction, and prophecies of things to come. At first these words were written on tablets of stone and clay, later on scrolls made of papyrus (plant fiber) and vellum (animal skins).

Over time, as new words-new scrolls-were added, they were gathered together and kept in places of honor in temples and synagogues and churches, to be brought out and read during worship services and special ceremonies. Local congregations of believers treasured them. The scrolls were also carefully copied by hand by scribes and scholars, then passed on to other communities, countries, and cultures down through the ages. Eventually scholars came up with systems to organize the scrolls, either into categories or chronological order. They divided the Scriptures into sections-chapters and verses and books-that not only made it simpler to find specific passages and study them, but also made it easier to check and cross-check to avoid errors in copying.

By AD 400, many different documents were circulating among the churches, each purporting to be Scripture. The greatest church leaders, religious historians, and Bible scholars of the day came together for a came together for a determine which of these were the most respected, the most widely-regarded, the ones that could be verified as authentic, the ones that were consistent with established biblical teaching. They considered the external testimony (what others throughout history had thought of these books) and the internal testimony (what the books said about themselves and each other). And these church leaders prayed. They fervently prayed that God himself would guide them and give them wisdom and discernment.

When all was said and done, the church council had established what is known as the biblical "canon" — a collection of books, each of which had been recognized as meeting a certain standard or specific criterion. These same books make up the Bible we read today.

There are sixty-six individual books in the Bible, divided into two sections called "testaments." The word "testament" means "covenant" or "agreement" — as in a legally binding contract. The Old Testament is God's covenant or commitment to mankind from the time of creation to the fall of Israel (when it ceased to be an independent nation and its people were sent into exile), approximately 1500 BC to 400 BC. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament, written mostly in Hebrew and organized into five different categories: the books of the Law (also known as the Law of Moses or "the Torah"), the Histories, Poetry and Wisdom, Major (longer length) Prophets, and Minor (shorter length) Prophets.

The books of the Old Testament are sometimes referred to as "the Jewish Scriptures" because — along with "rabbinic tradition" (commentary and teachings on the Scriptures by religious leaders) — they are the foundation of the Jewish faith. Devout Jews still study and revere these books and observe these laws today.

Four hundred years after the last book of the Old Testament was written, the New Testament picks up the story with the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah or "deliverer," whose coming was foretold by the prophets of old. The New Testament is God's new covenant or commitment to His people — a fulfillment of promises made in the old covenant. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son ..." (Hebrews 1:1–2).

The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek sometime between AD 48 and AD 95. They are arranged into five categories: the Gospels, History, Paul's Letters (letters written by the apostle Paul), General Letters (letters written by other apostles or disciples of Jesus), and Prophecy.

Over the years, some Christians have mistakenly come to the conclusion that there is no need to study the Old Testament because it is "old," and therefore (supposedly) no longer valid. We don't live under the law of Moses or abide by all the rules and regulations established in Leviticus. We're not under the terms of the old covenant, but the new. However, Jesus Himself corrected this misunderstanding or misapplication of truth when He said: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18).

As someone once observed:

The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.

The authors of the New Testament quote the Old Testament literally hundreds and hundreds of times-some scholars have identified as many as two thousand comparable passages! In His preaching and teaching, Jesus quoted from at least twenty-two different books of the Old Testament.

Everything that the Old Testament teaches us about who God is and what He requires of us is absolutely still valid. His ultimate plan and purpose for mankind is still the same. Furthermore, Christianity was born out of Judaism. Knowing our history is key to understanding our present and our future. So both the Old and the New Testament have tremendous value to followers of Jesus today.

When the church councils first met to establish the biblical canon, there were some writings from both the Old Testament and the New Testament era that they chose not to include-books whose authorship couldn't be verified and whose content couldn't be authenticated, and books that were not historically regarded as Scripture by either Jewish or Christian religious leaders. Centuries later, the Roman Catholic Church decided to include some of these books in the Catholic Bible. They are referred to by Protestant Christians as the Apocrypha ("Apocrypha" originally meant "secret" or "hidden" writings, and many of these books have a mystical tone.) Roman Catholics call them the "deuterocanonical" or "second canon" books.

During the Middle Ages, the Greek and Hebrew Bible was translated into Latin. Monks living in monasteries devoted their lives to making copies of the Bible the only way they could-by hand! It was painstaking work. It took years to create a single copy of the sacred Scriptures from start to finish. Consequently, copies of the Bible were costly and precious and rare. Only the wealthiest individuals-bishops and kings and queens-could own Bibles of their own. A local church would be glad to have even one copy for the congregation to share. It would be kept on display, and only the priest would know enough Latin to be able to read it.

From the 1300s to the 1500s, a handful of courageous and dedicated Bible scholars began the work of translating the Scriptures into "the language of the common man"-English or German or French, depending on their nationality. These scholars believed that everyone, not just a privileged few, should have access to the powerful, life-changing truths of the Bible for themselves. The translators' efforts were greatly assisted by Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, which revolutionized the process of book publishing-no more copying page after page by hand! (The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455.) However, these Bible scholars often found themselves caught up in a political power struggle as corrupt church leaders opposed and outlawed their work. If ordinary people could read the Bible for themselves, they might challenge the authority of the church and question some of its more questionable (and unbiblical) teachings! Many Bible translators were falsely accused of heresy, tortured, and killed for their commitment to the Scriptures, including William Tyndale, "the Father of the English Bible."

In the 1600s, King James commissioned a committee of fifty-four Bible scholars to create an accurate, authoritative, modern English translation of the Bible. It was first published in 1611, and became known as the King James or "Authorized" Version. For over three hundred years, it was considered the English language Bible.

The twentieth century brought advances in technology, new archaeological discoveries and information, and a renewed interest in Bible translation. Today we have dozens of contemporary English language translations and paraphrases. (For more on this, see "Choosing a Translation," on page 259.) The Bible has been translated into two thousand other languages, as well.

Sadly, there are still as many as four thousand people groups that don't have access to the Bible in their own language, and there are still countries and cultures hostile to the Christian faith, in which mere possession of a Bible is a capital offense.

The Reverend Billy Graham once said that perhaps an even greater tragedy is the fact that the Bible remains a "closed book" to millions of people "either because they leave it unread or because they read it without applying its teachings to themselves. ... The Bible needs to be opened, read and believed."

We need to remember what an incredible privilege it is to hold in our hands the Word of God Himself, His message, His love letter to us-to be able to read it for ourselves, learn to understand it, and apply it to our own lives today.

CHAPTER 2

THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

Can We Trust It?

The Bible claims to be the Word of God-His message to mankind. Many books of the Bible begin with the phrase, "And the Word of the Lord came to...." Others state that God said to the author, "Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you" (Jeremiah 30:2). King David claimed, "The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2). Peter, one of Jesus' disciples explained, "You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Bible also says about itself:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

But if the Bible we hold in our hands today is literally thousands of years old, if it's been copied and copied and recopied-translated from old languages we don't read or speak-can we really trust it? Can we rely on it as our authority on life and faith? Maybe the original was inspired, but how do we know the copy we have today hasn't lost something in the translation? That it isn't full of errors and mistakes?

Scholars and skeptics through the ages have asked these same questions. Entire books have been written on the subject. Many of today's most brilliant, educated theologians and apologists ("defenders of the faith") started out to prove that we couldn't trust the Bible, that it wasn't accurate or authoritative or true. Somewhere along the way they became convinced of the exact opposite; they were overwhelmed by the evidence to the contrary. Here are just a few of their "arguments"-their insights and observations on why we can trust in the accuracy and authority of the Scriptures we have today.

Unity. Apart from divine intervention, it's impossible to believe there's any way that forty different authors over 1,500 years could write with the unity of thought and purpose that we find in the Scriptures. The worldview, the doctrines, and the teachings are all completely consistent with each other. There's no true conflict or contradiction, no real disagreement. Wherever it appears at first glance that there might be some sort of conflict or minor discrepancy, it turns out there's usually a fairly simple explanation for it. For instance, each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tells the story of Jesus' earthly ministry. Many times, the Gospel writers provide word-for-word accounts of specific events and incidents. But then there are instances in which they seem to differ in what was said or who was present at the time. That doesn't mean one is right and another is wrong. Guided by the Holy Spirit, each writer chose to include the details that seemed most appropriate and relevant to him-and what he was trying to communicate to his readers. Just like the old story about the seven blind mice describing an elephant, each one's perspective might be different-but still correct! All together, they give us the full picture.

Accuracy. The scribes who first copied the Scriptures and the scholars who translated them did so with great reverence and respect for the original documents. They were meticulous in their attention to detail; they went to elaborate lengths, taking extraordinary care to ensure the accuracy of their work. Today we still have thousands of copies of Scripture made by hand before AD 1500, and they are all the same. In 1947, a shepherd discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in a desert cave. These were copies of Scripture dating back sometime between 100 BC-AD 100, older than any other copies previously known to exist. And they are virtually identical to copies made thousands of years later. There is no variation in the doctrine or teachings.

History. For years, secular historians dismissed certain books of the Bible or certain passages of Scripture on the basis that there was no historical evidence to confirm the existence of such-and-such a city or such-and-such a king. They said there was no proof that these people mentioned in the Bible ever existed. But in the last two hundred years, archaeologists have made some amazing discoveries. They have uncovered records of long-lost cities, previously unknown kings, and entire races of people that history forgot, but the Bible didn't. Time after time, archaeological discoveries have supported and confirmed the biblical account.

Prophecy. There is also the fact that the Bible contains hundreds of prophecies-many of which have already clearly been fulfilled, with events taking place just as the prophets said they would. Long before the events happened, these prophets predicted the rise and fall of nations, empires, rulers, and kings-and their words came true. How else could they possibly know all that they knew, unless God really did speak to them, revealing the future often in specific and minute detail.

Of course it's true that not every contemporary translation of Scripture is as accurate as it could be or should be. There are individuals and organizations that have approached the translation of the Bible with an agenda. By changing certain words and phrases-adding some and omitting others-they have imposed their own views onto the Scripture and inserted their own teachings into the text. So it is important to choose an accurate, reliable translation for Bible reading. Some of the most widely read, reputable English translations are the King James Version, the New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the New American Standard Bible. (For more on choosing a translation, see pages 259-261 of this book.) When exploring a particularly difficult or complex passage of Scripture, it's a good idea to compare multiple translations to get a better feel for the original meaning of the text. (For more on studying the Bible, see chapter 6.)

Ultimately, as Christians we believe that the same God who inspired His servants to pick up their pens and record His words in the first place is still alive and well and at work in the world today. He is fully capable of guarding the transmission of His Word from generation to generation, preserving it and protecting it, so that His children can walk in His truth today just as they have for centuries.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "A Family Guide to the Bible"
by .
Copyright © 2009 Christin Ditchfield.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction,
1. The History of the Bible: Where Did It Come From?,
2. The Authority of the Bible: Can We Trust It?,
3. The Message of the Bible: What Is It All About?,
4. The Old Testament: Book by Book,
5. The New Testament: Book by Book,
6. How to Study the Bible,
7. Where in the Scriptures You'll Find ...,
Stories from the Old Testament That Everyone Should Know,
Stories from the New Testament That Everyone Should Know,
Bible Heroes: Men,
Bible Heroes: Women,
Bible Heroes: Kids and Teens,
The Miracles of Jesus,
The Teachings of Jesus,
Verses to Help You Celebrate Holidays,
Verses to Help You Share Your Faith,
Verses to Help You Guard Your Heart,
Verses to Help You Face Your Fears,
What the Bible Says about Heaven,
8. Maps of Bible Lands,
From Egypt to the Promised Land,
The Kingdom of Israel,
The Divided Kingdom: Israel and Judah,
Palestine in the Time of Jesus,
The Churches of the New Testament,
Bible Lands Today,
9. Find Out More,

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Christin Ditchfield has done it again! She has produced yet another resource that is filled with solid content and fresh insights, plus practical application for daily living. For those who are serious about going deeper in their understanding of the Bible and who want to anchor their families on the rock of God's truth, I enthusiastically recommend A Family Guide to the Bible."
—Alex McFarland, President, Southern Evangelical Seminary and Veritas Graduate School

"This is an incredible resource to help families get more familiar with the life-transforming message of the Bible. A Family Guide to the Bible will be a wonderful help to having people get to know the Bible and fall in love with the beauty of the Word of God."
—Jim Burns, President, HomeWord, author of Confident Parenting

"A Family Guide to the Bible is a helpful tool for parents who are serious about giving their children a comprehensive survey of scripture and a love for their God. Whether it is used for family reading or for individual study, this resource will help parents and children alike in their study of God's Word."
—Steve Murphy, Publisher, Homeschooling Today magazine