THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
Lesson 1
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3). Welcome to the Gospel of Christ. This is the first lesson in our series on an introduction to the Bible. In this lesson we will be presenting an overview of the Bible. In the second lesson we will examine how we got the Old Testament. In the third lesson we will examine how we got the New Testament. In the fourth lesson we will examine how we know that the Bible is from God.
In this overview, we obviously will not be able to look at any one point in too much detail. Rather, we will examine snapshots so that we can see how the Scriptures fit together. The Bible answers some of the most critical and important questions that a person could ever ask. Among those would be such questions as, “Where did I come from?,” “Where did the Universe come from?,” “Why am I here?,” “What is my purpose?,” and “Where am I ultimately going?” I plan to break our discussion into different sections as we look through the Old and New Testaments, in an attempt to help us understand it and remember it better.
I am titling the first section, “pre-history,” which will discuss Genesis 1-11. The events in this chapter bear no date, which is why we are classifying them as pre-history. During this time period, four important events occurred. In Genesis 1-2 we read about God creating the Universe and everything in it. In Genesis 3 we read about the fall of humankind. In Isaiah 59:1-2 the Bible teaches us that it is sin that separates us from God. And that is what we read about in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet they violated that command. And because of that they were separated from God. Thus, we are introduced to how humans disobeyed God. In Genesis 6-9 we then read about the worldwide flood. We learn that human beings had been so corrupt that God decided to send a flood to destroy the world. The only ones saved were Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their three wives (1 Pet. 3:20-21). We see how God delivered Noah because he was in the safe confines of the ark, which God had commanded him to build. Finally, in Genesis 11 we read about the Tower of Babel. Men had decided to try to build a tower to reach high into the heavens. As a result, God confused people’s languages in order to scatter people around the Earth. In pre-history, these were the four important events of which we read.
If I was to summarize these first eleven chapters of Genesis, we could see that they teach us about how humans miss the mark and sin. When we violate God’s law and disobey Him, that is considered to be sin. Sin is “missing the mark.” The Bible teaches that all accountable people sin, just as the people in Genesis 1-11 sinned. Paul said in Romans 1 that Gentiles had sinned. In chapter 2 he talked about how the Jews had sinned. Then, look how he summed up the matter in Romans 3:23—“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” Paul indicated that all accountable individuals have sinned, and then he continued to talk about sin in Romans 6:23 when he said, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When a person sins, Isaiah 59:1-2 says that he is separated from God (just as was the case with Adam and Eve). The wages of sin is spiritual death. This means that we somehow have to reconciled to God. The wages for sin will always be the same thing. And that is why the rest of the Bible tells us how God provides for human beings through their lives, and most important, how He teaches humans through the Bible what they must do in order to get back in fellowship with Him once more. When Adam and Even sinned and their fellowship with God had been broken, Genesis 3:15 shows that God put a plan in place that Jesus Christ would come, and the seed promise would be made so that we could have a Savior. We will see throughout the Old Testament that it points to the Savior and shows how humankind can be one with God again.
Now we move on to our second section—the patriarchs. Abraham was a patriarch, and was the first father of the community. He and his descendants (such as Isaac and Jacob) are known as the patriarchs. “Patriarch” is a term that we do not use very often today. In the Hebrew, it means “first father” or “ruling father.” During this time period, God communicated directly with the first father or the ruling father, which is how He made His will known to families. In Genesis 12 and following, we read about how God has a deep love for those who seek Him and put Him first. In Genesis 37-50 we read about a man by the name of Joseph who went through a lot of trials and tribulations. He was thrown into a pit by his brothers. He was sold into slavery by those brothers, and ended up being put in prison. Why did all these things happen to him? It was because evil men had done him wrong. Yet at the end, Joseph spoke to his brothers and said, “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20). Look at the lesson about providence that we can learn in the Book of Genesis. We see how God takes care of His people, and how He can work out His plans even through evil men. God does not want people to be evil. But He will always accomplish what He wants when it comes to bringing about good and saving many people. This is what Genesis 50:20 teaches us.
The Book of Genesis ends when Jacob (Joseph’s father) and his family end up settling in Egypt. They lived there for around 430 years. During that time, they began to multiply in numbers, and eventually became slaves. This brings us to our next section, which I am titling, “Exodus and the Law.” The Book of Exodus picks up the story 430 years later, at which time Israel is in bondage in Egypt. God sends Moses to tell pharaoh to let the people of Israel go. Moses then ended up leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Ultimately, of course, God was the One Who did that, but He used Moses as Israel’s leader in order to get them out of Egypt. Even at this early stage, we will begin to see parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Under the Old Law, Israel was God’s people. When they were in Egyptian bondage, God delivered them from that bondage. Under the New Law, we learn that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Because of that, we are in bondage not to Egypt, but to sin. God leads us out of that bondage and frees us when we obey Him and “from the heart obey that form of doctrine” (Rom. 6:17). We no longer are to be slaves of sin, but are instead to be slaves of righteousness. When God delivered the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage, He made a covenant with Israel to show them that He would be their God and that they would be His people. We find the beginning of this covenant in Deuteronomy 5:1-5.
“Moses called all Israel, and said to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain.’”
A covenant was made by God—not with everyone, but only with those who were part of the nation of Israel. This was the giving of God’s law.
The next section is titled “History.” It brings us to the time after Moses’ death. Israel then had a new leader—Joshua. Under his leadership, the Israelites entered the Promised Land. During this time, we read of the Israelites’ general failure to fulfill their covenant obligations to God. Their disobedience ultimately brought God’s judgment as He dispersed Israel and then allowed Judah to be taken into Babylonian captivity for seventy years (around 586 B.C.). From Israel’s history we can learn that we must be faithful to God or else we will pay the consequences. There are those teaching today that once a person is saved, he is always saved, and that he cannot fall from God’s grace. But the Bible does not teach that. Instead, it teaches we can indeed fall from grace. Galatians 5:4 says, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Christians were trying to be justified by the Old Law, which was not proper. We learn from the Israelites’ experiences that they were not following the law they had been given, and were not obeying the commands of God. We need to take this same principle and apply it to our lives today. That is what Paul did in 1 Corinthians 10 when he wrote that we needed to learn from the sinful examples of Israel so that we will not follow them. Paul said,
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted” (vss. 1-6).
Even though the Israelites were God’s people, they fell from God’s grace—just as we can today. Paul went on to say,
“Do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (vss 7-11).
These things were recorded “for our example” so that we can be sure that we do not follow after the Israelites’ sinfulness, but instead remain obedient to God. This completes our section on history.
Then we come to the poetic books, which deal with a variety of life’s issues. For example, the Book of Psalms is a great book of prayer and praise. One of my favorite psalms is found in Psalm 37:5-8, which really summarizes what the psalms are all about.
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.”
Here we find a beautiful passage about the importance of putting our trust in God. The Book of Psalms is a book to which I turn when I’m having a tough day or something bad has come my way. I turn to the psalms, meditate on them, and study them. The Book of Proverbs is another poetic book that deals with how to live life skillfully and how to make wise decisions and choices. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7 could be the theme of the entire Book of Proverbs. If we want to have knowledge and wisdom, then we must fear and revere God. Philippians 2:12 teach us that we are to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling.” The Book of Job is a poetic book that deals with the problem of evil, pain, and suffering. Ecclesiastes is a poetic book that talks about the problems of pleasure and how this world really has nothing “new under the Sun” to offer. If we are not living our lives for God, then we might as well “eat, drink, and be merry—for tomorrow we die.” Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a God. The divinely inspired conclusion that Solomon offered was that we should “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” The Song of Solomon is a poetic book that is a portrayal of married love.
After the poetic books, we then come to the section we title the “Major Prophets.” This includes the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. These books contain prophecies that focus on the sins of God’s people. They talk about God’s judgment and the future promises of the New Covenant and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The reason we call these “major prophets” is not because the books are somehow better, but is instead because the books themselves are quite large and sweeping in their content.
The last section in the Old Testament is titled the “Minor Prophets.” They are not minor because they are of less importance, but because the books themselves are short. Hosea through Malachi are the books of the minor prophets. In these books, we see how the prophets denounced the sins of God’s people. We also see the means of God’s judgment, and the ultimate hope (given through prophecies) that Christ’s coming and redemptive work will provide. These books point toward the work of Jesus Christ’s coming and His kingdom.
One way that I was able to learn the sections of the Old Testament was: 5/12/5/5/12. We have 5 books of law, 12 books of history, 5 books of poetry, 5 major prophets, and 12 minor prophets. This is a good way to remember how the Old Testament fits together.
There we have the Old Testament. Now we come to the New Testament. The purpose of the Old Testament was actually to bring us to the New Testament, as Paul discussed in Galatians 3:19ff. Christians at that time were wondering about the purpose of the Old Testament. Paul said,
“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (vss. 19-24).
We today are under the law of faith (Rom. 3:27) and the law of Christ (Gal. 6:1-2). The point of Jesus’ coming to this Earth was to take away the Old Law and bring us the New Law. Hebrews 10:9 says, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God. He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” We therefore now are under the New Covenant.
The first section is the Gospel accounts, which are designed to tell us about Christ’s earthly ministry, with a special focus on His life, death, and resurrection. In fact, note how much space is devoted in the Gospel accounts to the last week of Christ’s life. Some have questioned why there are four different Gospel accounts. Each writer had a different audience with a different perspective that required a unique emphasis. With all four of the Gospel accounts, we get the full picture. Suppose that someone had been in a car wreck, and someone was able to see it from the front, someone was able to see it from the back side, someone was able to see it from the right side, and someone was able to see it from the left side. If you wanted to know everything possible about that accident, would you go to only one of those individuals if you could have access to all four? No, you would want to go to each witness because you would want to know all the different perspectives. The Gospel accounts provide us with four divinely inspired perspectives in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The next section of the New Testament is the Book of Acts. Jesus had commanded His apostles and disciples to go to all the world to preach the Gospel and to baptize those who were lost in sin. In Mark 16:16 Jesus said, “He who is believed and is baptized shall be saved.” In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commanded His disciples to go out and teach the Gospel and to baptize individuals. In the Book of Acts, we see these things occurring. Acts is a book of missionary history that presents the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem all the way to Rome. It also provides important background information for the principle writers of the letters in the New Testament to various churches and/or individuals. For example, if we wanted to study First and Second Corinthians, we should first to go Acts 18 because that tells when the Lord’s church in Corinth was established. We can read about that background history, which will help us understand First and Second Corinthians. The Book of Acts also teaches us about the establishment of the kingdom (the church). In Acts 2:47 we read about Christians who were “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” The Old Testament prophecies had talked about the coming kingdom. John the Immerser, in Matthew 3:2, said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom and the church are one and the same (Mt. 16:18-19). Jesus taught in Mark 9:1 that there would be some people who were listening to Him speak who still would be alive when the kingdom was established. In Acts 2 we see the kingdom/church being established. The Book of Acts puts great emphasis on conversions, and the importance of how baptism is essential to salvation. Peter had just presented the first Gospel sermon in Acts 2, and the reaction of the Jews to it was, “Men and brethren, what must we do?” (vs. 37). Peter then said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (vs. 38). We see baptisms occurring in Acts 2, 8, 10, and 22. When we look at these different accounts, we see that baptism is essential to salvation, which is exactly what Jesus taught was to happen when people obeyed the Gospel (see 2 Thess. 1:7-9).
The next section of the New Testament is the epistles or letters. These include Paul’s letters, as well as the letters of Peter, John, James, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews. Most of these letters were written to churches, but a few were written to individuals. The epistles are where the great doctrines of the faith are explained in detail, both theologically and practically. These books tell us what we have to do to be faithful Christians and how to remain faithful Christians. In 1 John 1:7-9 we are told that we are to walk in the light as God is in the light. The Bible teaches us how to have good, pure moral lives as Christians (1 Jn. 2: 15-17). It teaches us to do good unto all people (Gal. 6:10). It teaches us about the importance of worship, and what we are expected to do in our worship of God (1 Cor. 11: 16). It also teaches us what we are expected to do as individual Christians, and how we are to grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:16-19). We go to the epistles to see, as Christians, what kinds of lives we are commanded to live.
Finally, the last section of the New Testament is the Book of Revelation. It is not the Book of Revelations (plural), but the Book of Revelation (singular). John received only one revelation, which is what is contained in the book. It is a book of symbols, figures, and strange imagery. In Revelation 1:3 we are told, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” This tells us that this is a book about symbols, many of which are not to be taken literally. It was written to encourage the church at a time of crisis. But its encouragements, warnings, and promises also are of great value to God’s people of every generation. God’s way of truth and right will triumph over all of His foes. In fact, the victory belongs to Christians and those who remain faithful.
You need to make sure that you are right with God. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus Christ and salvation. Now we look back to the cross. We go back to see what Jesus did. We have to make sure that we are following His commandments. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The Bible is a great book. It is a holy book that tells us what we have to do in order to be right with God once again. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We have to go to the right source. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Jn. 8:24; 3:16). We must repent of our past sins. In Luke 13:3 the Bible says, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” We must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:10). And we must be baptized in water for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). If you have yet to obey the truth, we pray that today you will obey the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. According to 2 Peter 1:3, what has God given to us in the Bible?
2. What important event is discussed in Genesis 1-2?
3. What important event is discussed in Genesis 3?
4. What important event is discussed in Genesis 6-9?
5. What statement did the apostle Paul make in Romans 3:23 that ties in with the events of Genesis 3?
6. What does the term “patriarch” mean?
7. During the Patriarch Age of the Old Testament, how did God communicate with human beings?
8. We sometimes see God’s divine providence at work in people’s lives in the Bible. What perfect example of that providence is found in Genesis 50:20?
9. According to the Book of Exodus, where were the Israelites living at the time, what was their specific condition, and whom did God send to help them?
10. According to material presented in this lesson, what do we find in Deuteronomy 5:1-5?
11. Briefly, what does the section titled “History” in the Old Testament discuss?
12. According to Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 10:11, why were the things preserved for us that we find in the Old Testament?
13. The Book of Psalms is one of the poetic books. According to Psalm 37:5-8, what is the basic thrust of the Book of Psalms?
14. What important message is found in Proverbs 1:7?
15. What books compose the section of the Old Testament known as the “Major Prophets”?
16. Why are certain books in the Old Testament known as the “Minor Prophets”?
17. In the New Testament, what four books compose the Gospel accounts?
18. What does the Book of Acts in the New Testament discuss?
19. What is the main purpose of the “epistles” of the New Testament?
20. For what purpose was the Book of Revelation written?
21. What must a person do to become a Christian?
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