How does the bible fit together?

(Taken from Bob Evely's blogsite, 6/22/09)
Most churches preach from the Bible, and believe the Bible is God’s Word. But if this is the case, why are there so many different opinions as to what the Bible actually means? Why are there so many drastically different interpretations, often leading to church divisions?

Just because the entire Bible is God’s Word, this does not mean we can simply reach in … grab a passage … and make it apply to our present situation. God is always the same; but this does not mean He always works in the same way in all eras. He once worked thru the Law of the Old Testament. In Galatians Paul announces freedom from the Law.God works progressively.

To properly understand what the Bible is revealing to us for our present day, we must take great care when reading it. We must always ask, “Who specifically is this being written to? Is it the Jew, or the present-day church? Or all mankind? And does this situation being described apply in the same way today?”

As we read the Bible from beginning to end we can see God working systematically through the ages, and we see Him revealing to mankind His plan in bits and pieces. Some information He revealed to the patriarchs in the Old Testament. Some things He revealed through His prophets. Some things He revealed through Christ Jesus. But some things were concealed until God was ready to reveal them through His servant Paul, after the Jews had been set aside so that the complement of Gentiles could be incorporated into the fold.

Studying individual portions of God’s Word is like analyzing a tree, and we can learn many marvelous things about the tree in this way. But sometimes we must step back to look at the entire forest, to see how all of the trees fit together to comprise the forest.

The Garden of Eden
Genesis describes the beginning of mankind in the Garden of Eden. It is interesting that despite this being a Paradise where Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God, and where there would be no death, evil existed even in this place. The serpent lived in their midst, and had access to Adam and Eve so as to tempt them. This was not a neutral setting, where Adam and Eve would simply live in obedience to God. The evil one lived among them, and tempted them.

What an interesting parallel to Jesus who was led by God to the wilderness to be tempted by the Adversary. (Matthew 4:1) Adam and Eve are “led” by God to the Garden of Eden to be tempted by the serpent. The difference is the outcome. Adam and Eve succumb to the temptation, and death enters the world. Jesus overcomes the temptation, and defeats death. Paul later makes the same comparison, and reveals to us the impact of these events. As in Adam all are dying, thus also in Christ will all live. (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Mankind Deteriorates
Once expelled from the Garden, mankind follows a steady course of self-destruction. Cain kills Abel. Evil runs rampant. In Genesis 6 we start over, with the wicked being destroyed and only the righteous Noah and his family surviving. But we read on, and mankind continues to show no promise. At Babel (Genesis 11) God finds it necessary to confuse the tongues of mankind, and scatter them.

God Chooses One Man, to Bless ALL People
From all of mankind God chooses one man, Abram (later Abraham), promising to bless all people on the earth through him. (Genesis 12:3) We see here God’s purpose or intent: To bless all people upon the earth. His method at this point is to choose one man, Abram, as His instrument (or channel) to bless all people. Later God chooses a descendant of Abraham, Jacob. He repeats His promise to bless all people through Jacob. (Genesis 28:14) God later re-names Jacob “Israel.” (Genesis 32)

To be continued...
Grace, MB