An Introduction to the Bible and Theology

By John Heywood

The series of studies in this book came about as a result of a concern to see Gods people equipped to implement his purposes in the area in which they live. Not everyone has the opportunity to study full-time, and these studies are flexible enough to be useful either as a study guide or as a reference book. They were originally written to train Christians in the local church situation and have now been revised and reformatted in order to provide an accessible introduction to Christian doctrine and other matters for all who wish to study but cannot attend a bible college.

The various chapters will enable the student to approach the Bible in such a way as to have a proper understanding of the text and the truth that it reveals to us. There is an introduction to the historical situations of the biblical period and their relationship to the world of that time. Space is also given to summarizing the content of each biblical book in order to provide an overview, helping you to see the big picture. In each study of a particular doctrine, the emphasis is on what the Bible teaches and the place of a personal God with whom we can have a living relationship through Jesus Christ his Son.

Each chapter is complete in itself and is written in plain English, with technical terms explained where necessary. They provide a foundation upon which the student can build to whatever level is appropriate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512756418

John Heywood

John Heywood was a professional aircraft engineer for over fifty years. He worked in over forty countries and has managed several different engineering businesses. He was a chartered engineer, fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the British Association of Aviation Consultants, and has written two books on aircraft maintenance. But that has been only part of his busy life. He also studied theology at the Bible Training Institute, Glasgow, and ICI University. He and his wife, Ann, served with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Kenya and Ethiopia and, subsequently, church planted in Scotland. They have four adult daughters and six grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2016 John Heywood.

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THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

[Scripture quotations are] from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5642-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5643-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5641-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915397

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/28/2016

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations for the Books of the Bible

A Note from the Author

1. Studying and Understanding the Bible

2. Bible History and Introduction

3. Old Testament Content - A Summary

4. The Person of Christ

5. The Work of Christ

6. New Testament Content - A Summary

7. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

8. The Doctrine of Scripture

9. The Doctrine of God

10. The Doctrine of Man and Sin

11. The Church

12. The Return of Christ and the Last Things

Appendices

Foreword

The series of studies in this book came about as a result of a concern to see God’s people equipped to implement his purposes in the area in which they live. Not everyone has the opportunity to study full-time and these studies are flexible enough to meet the needs of individuals on a tutorial basis or those of a church on a lecture basis.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesian Christians (Eph 4:7–18) emphasises the need of God’s people to be prepared for service by gifted people given to the church by Christ. The end result is maturity and stability in God’s people who are then able to stand firm (Eph 6:11 and 13). Every Christian has a gift of some kind from God and the church is poorer if that gift is not being exercised. In writing to Timothy (2Tim 2:15) Paul encourages him to work hard to become a qualified craftsman. But becoming qualified as a craftsman is only the first step to practising as one.

So it is with these studies. The teaching given has the aim of bringing God’s people to maturity and equipping them to take their stand against the devil’s schemes. But it must be emphasised that education is only a tool, only a preparation. The essence of Christian life and warfare is a personal relationship as sons and daughters of a heavenly Father (Jn 1:10–13). Nothing can be a substitute for that relationship. For the same reason nothing can be a substitute for ongoing life through the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:3; 5:16–18). All that is taught in these studies is with a view to its practical application in the life of individual Christians and the local churches of which they are part.

For this reason it is not sufficient to just read the text if the maximum benefit is to be realised. It is important to read the Bible in large chunks and become familiar with it. It is important to study for yourself and not just accept what is given in a lecture or tutorial or in notes. It is important to put into practice all that you learn, first in your own life and then in the life of your church. But above everything else ask the Holy Spirit to make things clear to you, to show you what the Scriptures mean and to show you their relevance for you and your church today.

It is my prayer that as you use these studies you will move towards greater maturity and that the body of Christ will be built up. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Ro 8:31).

Let’s work together to see the purposes of God brought into reality.

John Heywood

Acknowledgements

In writing this book I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to those anonymous people who have had an input into my life over the years. There are many from whom I have learnt new insights into, and understanding of, familiar texts and doctrines. There are many who have written books from which I have profited as they have explained those difficult concepts. There are those translators who have given years of their lives to give me the best understanding of the Scriptural text that is possible. To all of them I am indeed indebted.

The material for this book has been drawn from a large number of sources that span many years of teaching and study. Most has come from notes that I have made from time to time. As a result some of the original sources of material and quotations have become lost or blurred.

Wherever possible I have tried to give credit to the original authors and documents for quotations and material that I have used. If any of this is incorrect I should be only too happy to know about it so that I can make the necessary corrections.

There is some material that I have drawn from my notes which I know is not original to me but I no longer have any idea where it came from. If anyone recognises material which should rightly receive credit then again I would like to hear from you so that it can be corrected.

My sincere hope and wish is that this book will help others in their spiritual journey through life and help them to grow in their understanding of the great God that we have.

John Heywood

Abbreviations for the Books of the Bible

The following abbreviations are used in this book following the style of the New International Version of the Bible.

Bible references are in the following format:

Mt 3:13–17 refers to Matthew, chapter 3, verses 13 to 17

:13 indicates verse 13

A Note from the Author

I would just like to add a brief word of explanation.

The Bible often uses the word ‘man’ to mean mankind as a whole. In this book I have made an effort to be as inclusive as possible in order to avoid problems of gender where the original intention was to include all the human race.

To this end, unless the context requires otherwise, any use of the male gender includes the female. I have also tried to use words and phrases like ‘humanity’ and ‘the human race’ to indicate that everybody is included.

In Chapter 10, The Doctrine of Man, it has been more complicated. The use of ‘man’ in this context is specialist in that it is a technical term that is used by all theologians. If you buy a book on systematic theology you will find that this is how it is used. Rather than cause confusion I have stayed with the accepted use and phraseology in this context.

Whatever we call ourselves we are all members of the human race and Christ died for us all.

Thank you for your understanding.

Chapter 1

Studying and Understanding the Bible

This chapter is in two sections covering first how to practically study the Bible and then how to understand it.

Section 1

Practical Bible Study

This section is concerned with practically getting to grips with the Bible. It does not cover understanding and interpreting what you read – that will be addressed in the second section.

1. Motivation and Purpose

We are not studying for the sake of education alone, which can lead to pride. Rather we study the Bible:

• To know God better through revelation

• To apply that knowledge in such a way that our lifestyle is pleasing to him

• To use the knowledge gained to accomplish his revealed purposes

2. Studying

• Is hard work - it requires perseverance and dedication

• Should be systematic - we need a plan or we will keep studying our favourite passages

• Should be documented - we need to write down what we have learned

Here are a couple of guidelines to help you:

1. PRAY asking insight from the Holy Spirit. He caused it to be written and he will keep you on the right track. Ask the Author.

2. READ large passages of the Bible in order to become familiar with it. Try it in a paraphrase, eg. The Living Bible, The Message or J.B.Phillip’s translation of the New Testament.

Although more concerned with interpretation (which is another study) you should remember these two things as you read:

• Never use verses in isolation. A text without a context is a pretext.

• Never search for verses to support your theory. Let God speak through his written word.

3. The Tools of Bible Study

As with any exercise certain tools are necessary to enable the job to be done properly.

Reference Bibles

Get a working Bible - the best that you can afford. Bear in mind that some use American English. A reference Bible has a lot of additional information to help you in your study of the text.

The cross reference system will direct you:

• to other uses of a particular word

• to other passages/phrases on a similar subject

• to parallel passages - see also the paragraph headings in the Gospels

• to quoted passages

• to footnotes – also do not be afraid to add your own notes and comments

Concordances

A concordance lists all the words used in a particular translation in alphabetical order. They are usually shown in a brief context to enable you to identify a particular passage. There are two basic types of concordance:

Analytical

This is based on the Authorised Version (King James Version) and contains some 311,000 entries. This is some 61,000 more entries than the NIV Complete Concordance but it does include all the articles, pronouns, etc.

This concordance analyses each word:

- by the meaning of the word in context

- by the original Hebrew or Greek word actually used

- in Biblical order of occurrence

A Lexicon is also provided that enables you to find other translations of the same Hebrew of Greek word.

Non-Analytical

In these concordances words are listed only as they occur in the particular English translation.

Computerised Bibles

These can be simple one version programmes, or complex multi-version ones with additional helps and materials.

All have a search capability, can make lists of verses, can print the results and can display the text of the Bible version used. Typical search time for a commonly used word is 2 seconds. They will also search for variants of the root word if required, eg. call, called, calling, with a single command.

The simplest programs need little space, but software that includes wider functions needs correspondingly greater capability from your computer. A great variety of Bible versions are available on line. For example the following website not only gives access to different versions of the Bible but also accesses other resources.

http://www.biblegateway.com

The following site provides a Bible concordance and dictionary.

http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/bible-study-resources/concordance

Dictionaries

Here are a couple of examples but there are, of course many more.

New Bible Dictionary (Pub: IVP)

This is almost an encyclopaedia with articles on 2300 different subjects. It contains biblical and extra-biblical background information, miniature commentaries on all the books of the Bible, drawings, maps and photographs.

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary - W.E.Vine and others (Pub: Thomas Nelson)

This is based on the Authorised Version. Words are listed as used in the English translation. The various Hebrew and Greek words are translated with their various meanings and usage.

Commentaries

A commentary is the equivalent of a ‘ball-by-ball’ cricket commentary - but more exciting! There are many different commentaries but they tend to either fall into one or two categories.

One Volume Commentaries

• Cover the whole Bible

• Introduction to each book

• Outline of the contents of each book

• Comment on and explanation of each passage

Two examples are:

New Bible Commentary (Pub: IVP)

Mathew Henry’s Commentary - this is more devotional in style than the New Bible Commentary. It is also available on line. (Pub: Thomas Nelson)

One volume commentaries are good for general use but you probably will not find any comment on that one difficult verse that you don’t understand!!

Single Volume Commentaries

These are specialist commentaries with a single volume dedicated to one book of the Bible. Each volume gives detailed studies of a book on a passage by passage basis.

Some good general ones have been published by Scripture Union (UK) and are easy to understand. However, they lack detail for serious study.

At the other end of the spectrum are those commentaries that are so detailed that you can lose your way completely. Some concentrate on only explaining the text, whereas others are concerned to provide application as well.

4. The Methods of Bible Study

Methods of Researching and Studying a Bible Passage

If the need is to research a specific Bible passage here are some guidelines as to how to study it:

• Pray for revelation - ask the Author. 2Ti 3:16 - All Scripture is God-breathed…

• Read the whole book - to get a feel for what it’s all about.

• Ask questions         -    Who wrote it?

- Who was it written to?

- When was it written?

- Why was it written?

- What is the theme of the passage?

If the answers are not obvious from the text then use a commentary or dictionary to find out.

You can get some idea of the theme of a passage from the sub-headings in the New International Version and other translations. But beware - they are not part of the text! Different versions may have different ideas as to subject headings.

To give an illustration of where the headings could be misleading look at Colossians 3:1–17 in the New International Version.

The heading is Rules for Holy Living. The heading of the previous section is Freedom from Human Regulations through Life in Christ. This sounds like a contradiction. Perhaps ‘Guide Lines’ would be better than ‘Rules’ but, in any case, make sure that you get the Author’s intentions.

• Use cross references to find other passages with a similar theme.

• Use a dictionary or commentary for further understanding - but only after you have prayed and studied it for yourself.

• Summarise the teaching for yourself - make a précis - write it down.

• What is the relevance of what I have learned for me today?

• How can I apply what I have learned in practical terms in my own life and that of the church?

Always go to the Bible first and let God speak.

Methods of Researching and Studying a Bible Theme

Rather than confining our study to a particular passage we want to know what does the Bible teach on a given subject? For example:

Adultery - Apostles - atonement - baptism - Body of Christ - Church - Discipleship - etc. etc.

Starting with a given Scriptural theme here are some guidelines as to how to study it:

• Pray for revelation - go to the Author.

• Find a Bible passage on the theme - from your own knowledge or by using a concordance, computer search, dictionary or other aid.

• Use your Bible cross-references to find other passages on the same theme or related words or phrases.

• List the references with a summary of their basic content on a sheet of paper (or a computer file).

• Draw together the Bible teaching under several headings (where appropriate) for the different aspects of the theme. For example, BAPTISM - John’s baptism – Christian baptism.

• Summarise the main points of the Bible teaching.

Or you could summarise the Bible teaching under headings such as:

Biblical Examples

Biblical Teaching

Biblical Practice

Biblical Application

Always go to the Bible first before you find out what other people have to say on the matter.

Filing

Having put in a lot of hard work don’t lose the fruits of your research! As you research a theme build a file of data sheets, each one listing the Biblical references and a summary of each. In this way you will build a valuable resource of information on different aspects of teaching in the Bible. File the sheets alphabetically. Your filing system can, of course, be on your computer and then it is portable to travel with you. Set it up in such a way as suits you so that you can find what you want when you need it.

Bible Marking

People mark Bibles for many reasons:

• Verses that have meant something special on a particular occasion.

• Verses on a common theme.

• Verses with something that God has done.

• Verses with something that we have to do.

• Adding other cross references.

• Adding your own notes and comments.

Use a fine point black ball point pen for written material. Try to limit comments to those that explain the text or summarise points of teaching. Colour marking of verses should be done using dry marker pencils.

Section 2

Understanding the Bible

If the first section offered some of the tools for Bible study then this section offers some of the rules for Bible study.

1. The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Bible has been defined as the Word of God given in the words of men in history. It is this dual nature of Scripture that makes it so alive and so exciting. The most important thing in understanding the Bible is to ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into what you are reading. He caused it to be written and, therefore, he is the authority as to its interpretation.

2. The Purpose of Interpretation

The Biblical writings are a collection of God’s revelation to humanity expressed in every conceivable form of literature that we have. So we have historical records, chronicles, law codes, drama, poetry, proverbs, prophetic declarations, parables, stories, letters, and highly visual statements about the future.

The Bible is not just a collections of sayings or propositions from God. Rather it is God revealing himself to the human race in a whole variety of real circumstances. It is up to us to learn from these revelations so that we can please God by doing what he wants today. To do that we must be able to understand and apply what we are reading.

3. Various Bases for Interpretation

Over the years various theological groupings have taken different attitudes to the interpretation of the Bible. It is important to remember this when you are buying a Christian book, particularly a commentary or reference book, since every author has their own viewpoint.

The different streams may be summarised as follows:

Allegorical

This group propounds that there are two levels of meaning in a passage. The first is the obvious and simple and the second is the real or profound. A modern example of this is the teaching that majors on typology where, for example, every element in a parable has a separate and specific meaning apart from the main story or theme.

Devotional

The emphasis here is that the edification, or building up, of the reader in their Christian life is more important than the literal meaning of the text. Matthew Henry’s Commentary is an example of this type of interpretation, although the one volume edition has improved the original considerably. Many daily Bible reading notes will also fall into this category.

Liberal

A ‘liberal’ is one who is not bound by authority or traditional orthodoxy. This means that human reason takes precedence over the supernatural and, therefore, the interpreter becomes his own authority. A typical phrase would be de-mythologising the Bible. Several Anglican bishops have been high profile exponents of this position.

Neo-Orthodox

Generally speaking the Neo-Orthodox do not accept that the Bible is the word of God in its own right but rather that it becomes the word of God when God speaks through it. Karl Barth was the main exponent but there are many who would hold to some variant of this position.

Literal

The primary point here is that the Bible is the word of God and is to be interpreted literally, unless the context demands otherwise. It involves interpreting words in their normal, proper, everyday way. It is not literalism since it allows for figurative and symbolic language. It also recognises that the culture and ways of the people to whom it was originally addressed at a specific time in history may be very different from our own in the 21st century.

4. Some Important Technicalities

There are two words that will always appear when Biblical interpretation is mentioned. They are very important words but are often confused or misunderstood. They are not the same, nor are they interchangeable. The two words are:

Exegesis      and      Hermeneutics

A dictionary will give you the following definitions, although you might not feel that you are much further forward!

Exegesis - An explanation, or critical interpretation of a text

Hermeneutics - The study of the methodological principles of interpretation

There is a better way for us to understand these two words with a slightly more specialist meaning.

Exegesis:

What did the text mean? Note that it is in the past tense. Exegesis is always about then and there. What did the author intend in the given historical situation? The true meaning of the text is what the author intended it to mean and what the recipients could have understood it to mean.

Hermeneutics:

What does the text mean now? It is in the present tense. It starts with exegesis but is especially concerned with the here and now. What is God’s word for all times and situations? What is he saying to us now?

The rule here is that the text cannot mean something different for us from what it meant for them.

But why bother? What difference does an understanding of two technical terms make? It makes a difference to the way in which we approach Scripture. For our hermeneutical statements must be based on good exegesis. Most errors in interpretation, and many divisions amongst Christians, are the result of making hermeneutical judgements before doing the exegetical work.

For example the Mormons argue for baptism on behalf of the dead from 1 Corinthians 15:29, but this is a case of deciding what it means today without having found out what it meant originally.

On the same basis there are Christians who argue from 1 Corinthians 13:10 that spiritual gifts ceased when the New Testament was completed. It assumes that ‘the perfect’ is the New Testament but that would have been meaningless to the Corinthians. But you can’t arrive at that conclusion if you do proper exegesis first. For example it ignores the fact that gifts of communication cease when we are ‘face to face’, and only then.

5. Learning to do Exegesis

At its highest level exegesis requires a knowledge of things like the original Greek and Hebrew languages, the Jewish and Greek cultures and a knowledge of what is in the original text. Most of us don’t have those skills or that knowledge, but we can still be accurate in our exegesis as we can draw from the work of others when necessary.

The key to good exegesis is to learn to read the text carefully and to ask the right questions. There are two basic kinds of questions to ask and they deal with context and content.

There are two areas of context for us to consider:

Historical Context and Literary Context

Historical Context

If you are reading one of Paul’s letters, for example, it is helpful to ask the journalistic questions of:

You can, of course, make up your own list of questions but the ones above will give you a starting point and some ideas to guide you as to which direction to follow.

Find out as much as you can about the historical background at the time of writing because this can influence your understanding of the text. Read all you can about the people. What were the characteristics of their culture?

Literary Context

This includes, of course, the content of the text. The division of our text into verses can hinder our understanding and lead us to take them on an individual basis rather than as part of a continuous train of thought. Read the text in a Bible version that has paragraphs. Don’t be tempted into making snap judgements until you have read the whole paragraph! Try reading the text in a version that does not have verse numbers. Follow the argument or theme of the passage. The paragraph is the basic unit of complete thought. When you have done that write down briefly what you think that paragraph is about.

Questions of Content

Content questions have to do with matters of text, meanings of words, points of grammar and the background of ideas. For this you need