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DISCOVERING TOGETHER GOD'S WORD

THE BIBLE IN GENERAL

Aim: To give an overall background of the Bible and to provide an initial experience of group sharing and prayer.

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE CHART

*In the beginning men's relationship with God was harmonious. But men sinned and continued to sin. This resulted to their estrangement from God, from one another and from their own selves.

*To save men from this destructive estrangement, God initiated a long-range plan of salvation by promising a Savior for mankind.

*God did not immediately send this Savior. He prepared his coming by choosing a man to become the father of a nation, where this Savior would be born. This man was Abraham and this nation was Israel. Abraham believed in God and transmitted this belief to his descendants.

God cared so much for Abraham's descendants. He liberated them from the slavery of Egypt. He made a covenant with them and adopted them as His Chosen People. In return He asked them to be faithful to Him by obeying His commands to which they agreed. And He gave them a land they could call their own.

*As time passed His Chosen People became unfaithful. God had to warn and even to punish them at times by allowing other people to oppress them. But when they realized and repented for their infidelities, He delivered them. Through such events and many others, God formed them into a community of faith.

*In the fullness of time, God sent them the Savior who was His son to fulfill His promise. This was the great Good News - the Son of God becoming man to save mankind in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The highpoint of Jesus' saving ministry was his public life spent in creating new society, based on the truth that we are all God's children and, therefore, of equal worth in His eyes. The platform then of his new society was extra-ordinary.

equality - not ambition
sharing - not hoarding
service - not domination.

With that platform, supported with his good works like healing the sick and feeding the people, he became popular especially with the poor. But with the religious elite he was unpopular, because he publicly denounced its misconduct as a group. Consequently, those in authority considered him dangerous.

Just after some three years of public ministry, he was put to death. On the third day, however, he resurrected. He appeared to his apostles; he commanded them to continue his work of preaching the Good News to all men. He also promised them his abiding presence through the Holy Spirit who would come after him. Finally, he returned to his Father. Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, we call the Paschal Mystery or the mystery of our redemption.

*Today, the command of Jesus to preach the Good News to the whole world is continued by the Church. The Church is composed of people who believes in Jesus as their Savior and Leader. She shares her faith in many ways: by evangelizing through the Word, by celebrating the sacraments, by working for social justice and human rights, and by other means.

Focusing on our subject matter, the written Word of God or the Bible, its central figure is Jesus Christ, just as he is the center in God's Plan of salvation. The Bible is divided into Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament, the preparation for Christ's coming, includes all the experiences of the Chosen People before the birth of Christ. The New Testament, the fulfillment of God's promise of a Savior, extends from the birth of Christ to the experiences of the early Church.(Locate the OT and the NT in the Chart.)

Since the Bible's contents concern the religious experiences of an ancient people, we can ask the question: How relevant is it to us, today? Faith tells us that God inspired the writing of the Bible, not only for the benefit of His Chosen People, but also for all peoples of all times. We believe that whatever God communicated to them, He also communicates to us today. His words of love and mercy to them are also words of love and mercy to us today.

Knowing the Bible is knowing God - His wise, patient and compassionate ways with us, as individuals and as a nation. Knowing the Bible is knowing more ourselves - our calling, dignity and weakness. Some examples of these truths -

About GOD About OURSELVES

- His glory and power - Ps. 33:6-22 - our dignity - Ps. 8
- His desire to relate with us - Hes. 11 - our condition with and
without God - Ps. 37
- His care for us in times of - our security - Jn. 15:1-8
fatigue - Mt. 11:28-30 - our wisdom - Prov. 19
guilt - Jn. 8:2-11
despair - Mt. 7:7-11

These truths are relevant in living our own part in God's Plan which is going on right now. To live according to it, we certainly need the light, guidance and support provided by His written Word.

*The Bible further tells us that God's Plan will have reached its final fulfillment in the second coming of Christ. When that will happen, only God knows. What we know of from the Book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible, the second coming of Christ will be marked by "new heavens and a new earth".

To Conclude,
supposing we are convinced of the Bible's relevance in our life, is it practical to read it from cover to cover for the first time over? No, some background is needed first. To provide a basic background about the Bible is the purpose of this manual.

*Comments/ suggestions / questions on our Bible On Line
E-mail the Author:monina@paulines.ph