Teaching: Introduction to the Bible

We read a few paragraphs from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy. Paul is an apostle. He worked with a team of church planters, planting churches on islands and mainland around the Mediterranean: Cyprus, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece, travelling as far west as Spain.

Timothy is a coworker. He joined the team of Paul, Silas, and Luke in Lystra on their way across Asia Minor before the crossed the Aegean to Macedonia. They planted churches in places that Robin and I visited on our trip to Greece in January: including Philippi and Berea. Paul and Timothy worked together for years: making disciples and teaching. Timothy is listed as a co-author in 6 of Paul’s 13 letters. I’ll show you soon.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy long after the first mission to Greece. Paul wrote from Rome. Judging from context clues, Timothy was in Ephesus. In first letter, Paul mentions how he left Timothy in Ephesus. By comparing names in the 2 letters, we can deduce Timothy was in Ephesus when Paul wrote the second letter too.

II Timothy is probably Paul’s last letter. Paul was in chains awaiting his second hearing when he wrote. In the closing lines of the letter, he urges Timothy, “do your best to come to me quickly.” We don’t know if Timothy got to Rome on time. Paul was beheaded for proclaiming the victory of Jesus Christ over sin, death, and all who rebel against God as Creator and Lord.

I mention the details because this is a genuine letter from Paul, a preacher, scholar, and church planter, to Timothy, his coworker and protégé. This is Holy Scripture, but Paul and Timothy are real people facing the realities of life as disciples of Jesus. I’m always struck by the humanity of Paul’s request:

When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. [likely OT scrolls]

II Timothy 4:13 (NIV)

You could imagine getting a text like that: BTW, bring my coat and books! It’s a reminder that all Scripturewas written by people, like you and me, yet also inspired by God the HS.

Paul’s concern in these verses is that Timothy continues in “what you have learned and become convinced of.” Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were Jewish. When Timothy was “cute little Timmy,” Mom and Grandma introduced him to Scripture. They ensured he learn God’s covenant promises in the OT.

After Paul’s first visit to Lystra, Mom and Grandma also introduced him to faith in Jesus. Paul commended Timothy on his knowledge, and he wrote:

how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.                                            II Timothy 3:15 (NIV)

What are the Holy Scriptures? Paul was talking OT: 39 books.

Diagram of OT divided into Law, History, Wisdom and Prophets

We often look at the OT in 4 parts:

Law of Moses, aka Pentateuch (Penta = 5), Hebrew: Torah

Genesis: Creation, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joseph cycle,

Exodus-Deuteronomy. rescue from Egypt, law, and 40 years in wilderness

History: entering Promised Land, Judges, United Kingdom, divided Kingdom, exile, and return to Judea

Wisdom: songs, prayers, poems for teaching

Major & Minor Prophets: “writing prophets” Assyrian conquest, Babylonian conquest, and return from exile. Malachi, last OT book, 400 years BC

Major = long books;

Minor = shorter books

This is all the Scriptures NT Christians had. All the Scripture the apostles had. Yet the early church believed that the OT pointed towards Jesus’ coming.

On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, Cleopas and his companion were traveling from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. As they sadly trudged along, Jesus appeared but they were kept from recognizing him. They got talking about Jesus’ death and the startling news about the empty tomb. As they walked Jesus scolded them for being foolish and unpacked the OT:

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.                                   Luke 24:25–27 (NIV)

You get a sense, reading some of the sermons recorded in the NT, that the apostles took great pleasure studying the OT, reading the OT in the new light of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They discovered connections between the Scriptures and Jesus’ ministry that reinforced what Jesus taught and did. Every story whispers his name!

Let’s look at the 27 books of the NT.

Diagram of NT Divided into Gospels, Acts, Epistles (Pauline and Other), and Revelation

If you’re curious, let’s highlight the letters that Timothy helped Paul write.

Gospels: Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection; different authors, different audiences

Acts: Luke describes gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth

Epistles: Letters from Apostles to churches and individuals, clarify Christian teaching and how to live as a disciple of Jesus

Revelation: encouragement for Christians, pulls back the curtain to see that Jesus is victorious, even though Rome and earthly powers seem to have the upper hand

NT is old: 2000 years old. We don’t have originals. We have translations of copies made from copies of copies. Have you ever played telephone?

How do we know the Bible reliable? How do we know it hasn’t been changed?

Alpha explains it well. I’ll borrow their material.

Scholars judge ancient manuscripts by 2 things:

1. How long between when the work was first written and the earliest copy we have.

2. How many copies are available? Usually scattered among museums and universities.

For comparison, consider 3 ancient writings still studied at universities. No questions about their reliability.

Herodotus: 1300 years, 8 copies

Tacitus: 1000 years, 20 copies

Caesar’s Gallic War: 950 years, 9-10 copies

New Testament: 40-100 AD—130-350 AD = 30—250 years, 5300 Greek manuscripts, 10 000 Latin translations, 930 other copies

Sometimes you see a footnote about textual differences. Very few textual variants and none of them affect a major teaching of the Christian faith.

Final point: What is the message of the Bible?

The Bible gives history. It’s the story of God’s people and God’s covenant faithfulness. Main goal: describe God’s relationship with his creation and his people.

Diagram of the Narrative Arc of the Bible

Ad lib.: Creation, Fall, Redemption, New Creation