About the Bible

The Bible is made up of two books called The Old Testament and The New Testament. This word, testament means a declaration or contract, or in some cases, a will. As used here, it means the contract or promise to which God has bound himself in his dealings with mankind. The contract of salvation that God has given us is based upon the death of Jesus Christ on the cross; it is a promise that God has saved us through Jesus and made us heirs of his Kingdom of Heaven. Believers in Christ are confident that the sins of mankind have been taken away forever through the death of Jesus on the cross—that Jesus, the Son of God, who was born on this earth about 2,000 years ago, took upon himself, in man’s place and as his substitute, the punishment deserved by sinful men. This means that our sins can be forgiven, and that we can believe in the promise of God, the wonderful news that we can receive eternal life that God offers to us. It is the good news of this promise that is the heart of the Bible message. The contract written before Christ is called The Old Testament and the contract written after Christ is called The New Testament. The Old Testament, centered around the Jewish nation, was authored by many writers between 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C., and consists of 39 books containing their history, laws, prophesies, poetry and songs. The message of God’s new kingdom and of the coming Christ are repeated in many prophesies. The New Testament explains the facts, how these prophesies of Christ were fulfilled in Jesus, and teaches about his salvation. It was written by Jesus’ disciples between 30 A.D. and 90 A.D., and begins with the four gospels—short histories of the life of Jesus—including also 21 letters to Christians, etc., for a total of 27 books. The Jewish people accept only the Old Testament as the Bible, the Word of God, which they call the Law and the Prophets. Christians, however, believe that both the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God. First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21