The Bible for Dummies

  I'm one of the dummies.  And I'm certainly no expert or Bible scholar.  But certain truths I've learned have allowed Bible reading to become a delight and not a duty and I think they are worth sharing.  For the next few posts, I want to explain some of the things I've learned as little snippets of information in hopes that you can become an insider in God's conversation with His people.  In the Bible, God uses His words to form and bless us, teach and guide us, and to forgive and save us.  We don't want to miss this.

#1 Truth I've Learned about the Bible (The Old Testament and New Testament Distinctions):

Our ways of thinking are not God's ways of thinking.  It's easy to read the Old Testament and become angry at how unfair it seemed.  But God has an agenda for all of history and I believe that even the deaths of large groups of people was necessary in order to reveal God's overall plan of redemption to His people.  It's also good to remember that the death of His people was not the end of their lives but really the beginning of their afterlives with God.  I could go on and on, but what I'm really trying to get to is the distinction of the Old and New Testaments.  In the Old Testament, God used his judgements and mercy to show He was Lord and to reveal His plan for redemption.  It's meant for us to read but we must understand that we are not bound by the Old Testament Laws today.  We are to live by the New Covenant or the New Testament.  It's really very simple although I haven't always understood this.

Both testaments are ushered in with the shedding of blood.  The Old Testament foreshadows again and again the coming of the Messiah.  But in the Old Testament, God used elaborate plans and rituals with His people and it was necessary that they sacrifice animals in just the proper way to be perfect enough to cleanse their sins for a time.  In the New Testament, that PERFECT sacrifice comes and there is no more need for animal sacrifices and exact rituals and laws.  This particular verse explains it beautifully:

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. ... And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.  For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:4, 11-14

We now have a far superior covenant in the New Testament.  It explains what we must do to be saved and to live as Christians.  But we can still read the Old Testament with wonder at God's elaborate plan for His people.