Jesus and the Bible
Background of THE BIBLE
Ithas been reported for about 50 years that the Bible has been the largest seller of all books
published in the history of the world. The Bible was written by about 40 men in about 1600
years dating from 1500 B.C. to about 100 A.D. These men wrote as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). They wrote not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by
the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13).
Itcovers the time from creation until the times of the people who were writing it, and
then beyond into the future as writings of prophesy.
Itwas written by many different people. Moses wrote the first five books. Job is the
probably the oldest. John wrote the last book called “Revelations.”
The Bible is divided into the Old Testament (meaning before Jesus was born) and the New
Testament (after Jesus was born and all that happened after that).
There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the O.T. and 27 in the new. The O.T. has 23,214 verses.
The
N.T. has 7,959 verses.
These books can all be described as one of the following: stories of people’s lives, laws
and “proverbs” on how to live as God wants us to, prophesy (God talking as Himself to
someone who writes it down), and letters believers wrote to each other that were inspired
by the Holy Spirit.
The Divisions of the Bible • Jeremiah
• Lamentations
1. The Pentateuch (or Torah or the • Ezekiel
Law) • Daniel
• Genesis • Hosea
• Exodus • Joel
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
2. History
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1st and 2nd Samuel
•
4. The Prophets (Major and Minor)
• Isaiah
• 1st and 2nd Kings
• 1st and 2nd Chronicles
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther
3. Poetry or Wisdom
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs, also called
Song of Solomon
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah • Galatians
• Malachi • Ephesians
• Philippians
400 years of silence from • Colossians
God after this until Jesus’ • 1st and 2nd Thessalonians
birth in the Gospels (meaning • 1st and 2nd Timothy
“Good News”). • Titus
• Philemon
5. The Gospels and Acts of the • Hebrews
Apostles • James
• Matthew • 1st and 2nd Peter
• Mark • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John
• Luke • Jude
• John • Revelation of John, while
• Acts he was exiled to Patmos
6. The Letters (Epistles) 7. Revelation
• Romans
• 1st and 2nd Corinthians
Why Do We Need to Study the Bible?
1. Because of its Author (God, 2 Tim. 3:16)
2. Because of the often repeated command to read it (Joshua 1:8)
3. Because the Bible is God’s chosen way to accomplish his divine will God, ( 2 Tim.
3:16,17, Amos 3:7)
4. Because our enemy has read it (Mat. 4:5)
5. Because of the example of Paul (2 Tim. 4:13)
6. Because the Bible provides answers to life’s most important questions.
a. Where did I come from? (created by God)
b. Why I am here? (to glorify God, reflect His character, to judge right and
wrong, to expose the works of the devil)
c. Where am I going? (live eternally with God)
Why the Apocrypha books were excluded in the Protestant Bible
Originally the Apocryphal (doubtful) books later called deuterocanonical books were not
included in the Cannon of the Bible. In the Council of Trent, 1546 A.D. the Roman Catholic
Church approved the Apocryphal books as additional to the previously canonized books of the
Bible and called it Deuterocanonical or second cannon and become part the Roman Catholic
Dogmas.
The following are some of the reasons why Protestants did not accept
Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books.
1. They were never quoted by Jesus
2. Most of the early father regarded them as uninspired
3. They did not appear in the ancient Hebrew Canon
4. The inferior quality of most of the writings compared with the canonical books
5. Contradicts the plain teachings of the canonical books
Example:
Spiritism/witchcraft is forbidden for God’s people. Deut. 18:10-11.
“But this Deuterocanical books contain this teaching. The book of Tobit for example
have the story of the heart and liver of the fish to drive out evil spirits.”
Deuterocanonical books encourage spiritism and the use of amulets Tobit 8:2, 3
“And as he went, he remembered the words of Raphael, and took the ashes of the
perfumes, and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon, and made a smoke
therewith. The smell when the evil spirit had smelled, he fled into the utmost parts of
Egypt, and the angel bound him.”
Jesus is the most important person in the Bible
He fulfills all of the requirements of the law in the Old Testament and as a result gives to us all
of the promises that God told us about in the first five books (Torah) to Moses. By shedding
His blood while saying “Forgive them, Father. They don’t know what they are doing…”. He
made all law-breaking (sin) redeemable - for a price. The price paid was His blood. This
cancelled our debt upon the condition of repentance and gave us a clean start. Now is when our
lives really begin. (Deuteronomy 28).
We can Find Jesus in the books of the Bible
Jesus is the center of the Bible. Jesus Christ’s life and mission are portrayed in the books of
the Bible. The table below showed the portrait of Jesus in the Bible books from Genesis to
Revelation.
OLD JESUS CHRIST: NEW JESUS CHRIST:
TESTAMEN TESTAMEN
T T
our Creator Matthew the Anointed King
Genesis
Exodus our Passover Lamb Mark the Servant of God
Leviticus our Consecrated Priest Luke the Son of Man
Numbers our Lifted-Up One John the Son of God
Deuteronomy our True Prophet Acts the Lord of All Nations
Joshua the Captain of our Salvation Romans our Righteousness
Judges our Deliverer Judge 1 Corinthians our Holiness
Ruth our Kinsman Redeemer 2 Corinthians our Comfort & Sufficiency
1 Samuel our Tested King Galatians our Liberty
2 Samuel our Warrior King Ephesians our Reconciliation
1 Kings our Established King Philippians our Joy
2 Kings our Prophetic King Colossians our Life
1 Chronicles our Covenant King 1 Thessalonians our Coming One
2 Chronicles our Renewing Lord 2 Thessalonians our Returning Lord
Ezra our Restorer 1 Timothy our Teacher
Nehemiah our Restoration 2 Timothy our Discipler
Esther our Intercessor – Advocate Titus our Leadership Partner
Job our Redeemer Philemon our Advocate
Psalms Worthy of Worship Hebrews our Indestructible
Intercessor
Proverbs our Wisdom James our Righteous Works
Ecclesiastes our Meaning in Life 1 Peter our Encouragement
Song of Songs our Loving Husband 2 Peter our Strength
Isaiah our Messiah 1 John our Life
Jeremiah our Weeping Prophet/Priest 2 John the Truth
Lamentations our Hope & Portion 3 John the Way
Ezekiel our Resurrection Jude our Keeper
our Revealer of Secrets Revelation our Consummation
Daniel
& Triumphant King
Hosea our Faithful Husband Examples:
Joel our Restoration & Revival
Amos our Serious Shepherd 1. Jesus the Passover lamb
Obadiah our Avenger & Deliverer
Exodus 12:3-13 God commanded the Israelites
Jonah our Missionary of to take a lamb without blemish from the sheep
Resurrection keep it until the 14day of the month kill it, put
Micah our Disciplinarian & some of the blood on the door post and lintels
Deliverer for God will judge Egypt and all those who has
Nahum our Stronghold blood of the lamb on the door post will be
Habakkuk our Answer saved.
Zephaniah our Great Revivalist
John introduce Jesus Christ to the crowd who
Haggai the Desire of the Nations
listen to him (John 1:29) "Behold! The Lamb
Zechariah our Soon Coming King of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Malachi our Message of
Righteousness 2. Jesus the anointed King
Matthew 1:1-17; 2:2; 27:37
Jesus lineage was trace from king David, and
He was called the king of the Jews.
The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ
Many verses describe the existence of Jesus before his birth in Bethlehem. How did Jesus exist
before his human life began? Did he exist as the Son of God before his birth in Bethlehem? Did
he exist apart from the Father? Was Jesus a created being that God made to dwell in? Is Jesus the
Creator as the Son of God? These are some of the many popular teachings about the pre-
existence of Jesus, but none of them are found in scripture. Let’s examine the scriptures and
allow them to tell us how Jesus existed before his incarnation.
Jesus had a dual nature- he was both God and man at the same time. Any time we examine
scripture we must approach it with the dual nature of Jesus in mind. For example, Jesus is the
Creator. He is not the Creator as a man, but as God.
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him ;( word ) and
without him was not anything made that was made.
The pre-existence of Jesus is his Deity. The humanity, the Son of God, only existed in the
plan and mind of God until he was born in Bethlehem.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law. The Divinity of Jesus pre-existed the incarnation, but the
humanity wasn’t born until Bethlehem. The Son doesn’t exist outside of the humanity of Jesus.
Jesus did not pre-exist as the Son. Before the incarnation, Jesus existed as the Word.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word was not a separate being or a second person within the Godhead. The Word is all the
fullness of the Godhead. The Word is the fullness of the one God.
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelled all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The Word didn’t exist
as a Son of God or a part or portion of God. The Word was God in specific presence. The Word
became flesh, which is the presence of the Father dwelling among men. The son-ship was
begotten of the Father, showing the dual nature of Jesus. He was Deity and humanity, God and
man.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Deity pre-existed, but not as a separate God, or personality within the Godhead. The Deity
that pre-existed was the one God of the Old Testament. This is why Jesus claimed to be the I
Am.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I
am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
This is how Jesus was the rock that followed Moses.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all
our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink
the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock
was Christ.
This is how Jesus could say he was in heaven before.
John 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Jesus wasn’t in heaven before as a man. The term “Son of man” refers to God manifest in flesh,
and can refer to his Deity, humanity, or both (Bernard, p. 183). This is also how Jesus came
forth from the Father.
John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the
world, and go to the Father.
The only pre-existence of the Son was in the plan of God as the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
“The foundation of the world” is the beginnings of Creation. As God was laying the
foundations of the world, He already knew He would become a man to make atonement for our
sins. In the same way, we were chosen from the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love.
This doesn’t mean that we pre-existed. This just means that God had us in mind when He laid the
foundation of the world.
This is the glory that Jesus had with the Father before the world was.
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was.
The glory that Jesus had was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Jesus did not pre-exist as “God the Son” because the scriptures tell us there is one God.
Isaiah 43:10-11 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen:
that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God
formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no
saviour.
Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?
Mark 12:28-32 28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and
perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our
God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the
second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said
the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He.
Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus;
Jesus pre-existed as this one God.
The pre-existence of Jesus is as the one God of the Old Testament. The son-ship only existed in
the plan of God until the Son of God was born in Bethlehem. We must always keep in mind the
dual nature of Jesus. He was God and he was man. As God, he was one with the Father- the only
God. As a man, he was the Son of God- our ultimate sacrifice for sins.
