Simply knowing and understanding the basic structure and composition of the Bible will go a long way toward gaining a real working knowledge and appreciation of it. To be sure, the Bible is not simply a formidable book. It is “The Formidable Book” in every way one views it: its content, scope, purpose, authorship, etc. And, by virtue of its very size, it can appear intimidating, even overwhelming. So, if you ever despair of mastering the Bible, welcome aboard. You needn’t entertain fantasies about mastering the Bible. You won’t, and no one ever has. In fact, those who know it best would be the last to claim they have mastered it. Their only concern is that they will have been mastered by the Book. So, at the outset, let’s consider a few simple facts about the Bible that ought to be common knowledge among all who regard the Bible seriously. If you are able to appropriate these important items, they will not only serve you well in your reading of the Bible, but you will also constitute an elite core of believers who know these things.
The Bible’s two main divisions consist of what is commonly, allbeit mistakenly, called the Old and New Testaments. And, while not wanting to quibble over details or split hairs, yet, in striving for accuracy, we need to make a correction. A better term for designating the main divisions of Scripture is the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant is first referred to not as “the Old” but simply as “The Covenant” by Moses in Exodus 24. At that time, there was no Old or New Covenant, only The Covenant. The Old Covenant did not become such until after the New arrived, ushered in by Jesus, the Messiah, as made quite clear in Hebrews 8-10. It was the arrival of the New Covenant that made the original covenant designated as the Old.
Let me illustrate: There have been what we have labeled two world wars: World War I and World War II. But World War I was never designated such until after World War II was under way. Prior to World War II, what we now call World War I was never called that. It was called “The Great War.” Little did we know that World War II would outstrip the so-called Great War in blood, treasure, duration, and every other way. So, it was the arrival of World War II that caused “The Great War” to be renamed as “World War I.”
And, so it was in the Bible. The Old became the Old when Christ died on the Cross in fulfilling what He said the night of His betrayal, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood.”
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