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Bible Study -
Bible Study
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Contributed by Phil Spadaro
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Thursday, 01 May 2008 |
 I have read the bible in its entirety this year from January 1st to
April 30th . By accelerating the reading time from one year to four
months, two themes stood out to me. The continuity of the bible is
remarkable and a fresh perspective on reading the New Testament in
light of the Old.
Certainly, with God as the author, the bible should be consistent and congruent. It is. Themes, concepts, revelations and heart alignments with Yahweh are presented early in Genesis are found repeated and deepened in the New Testament. The priest / king character was especially intriguing. There were only three legitimate priest / king combinations in the bible – Melchizedek (Gen 14:18), Jesus (Heb 7:17) and the church (1 Pet 2:9). Others who attempted to combine the royal and the holy without authorization were rejected by God, Saul (1 Sam 13:9). God is serious not only about the symbolism and foreshadowing, but the reality of the effective sign as well.
Perhaps more relevant and impacting on my walk with God was a fresh perspective on the New Testament. My previous view was the New Testament was a new set of laws – the 10 commandments part 2 or a sequel. At best it was fulfillment of the law and a transition into a “heart law”. I now read it very differently. The Gospels tie the old covenant to the Jesus and the need to capture and exceed the substance (heart) of the law, not to replace it. Acts is about the good news making its way from the traditional base of the Jews (Jerusalem) to the Gentiles (Rome). The Pauline epistles are not books with normative rules on how to follow God, but examples of situations designed to teach us how to think. The Lord did not record answers to every situation or problem, only a select few. Why? He is training us to think like He does, not to memorize moral scenarios. This has radically changed my perspective on the New Testament.
As a final note, the bible I used for this exercise was “The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order” with commentary by F. LaGard Smith. His commentary is applied sparingly and does not detract from the reading. However, when there is commentary or historical inserts it enhances the reading. Most of the comments from brother Smith are not perspective or opinion but background and history. I would highly recommend using this bible as a great tool for study.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 May 2008 )
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Bible Study 
