Day 4

Now that we have established that the Bible is the Word of God and is primarily about Him. We want to take today to share the basic layout of the Bible.

The Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. Testament is another word for covenant. Thus, the Old Testament deals with the Covenant given to Israel during the days of Moses that they lived with until Jesus came on the earth. Therefore, the Old Testament is before the physical arrival of Jesus on the earth. The New Testament starts with the life of Jesus, which is a fulfillment of what God promised Israel in the Old Testament. After Jesus' life on earth, the New Testament documents some of the life of the early church and then is instruction on how Christians are to live now as we wait for Jesus to come back. Both the Old and the New Testaments have other categories that they can be broken down into.

Within the Old and New Testament, the Bible is divided into books. Most of the books in the Bible are titled after the author of the book or a major event that is being written about in the book. There are 66 books in the Bible. Every book of the Bible is broken down into chapters and verses. The big bold numbers signify the start of a new chapter. The small numbers throughout the chapters signify what verse it is. It is important to note that when it was written, these were not there. They were added later on as a reference system to help us find and talk about things easier.

For more info on how the Old and New Testament can be further broken down, click on the pdf at the bottom of the page.

Method #4 for Bible Reading

1- Just like yesterday, before you read, pause and pray. Ask God to speak to you, to increase your love for Him and your knowledge of Him.

2- Read the Bible with a pen and a journal. Read a whole chapter. Once you are done with the chapter, meditate on these three questions with either a specific verse or the whole chapter:

- What does this chapter or verse show me about who God is?

- What does this chapter or verse show me about what God thinks and feels about me?

- What does this chapter or verse show me about how I can love/pray for my neighbor?

3- Thank God for what He showed you for each question and pray it back to Him.

Read John 4

Understanding the Layout of the Bible (1

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