New York Southeast
Religious Training Institute

Learning To Use The Bible
(Lesson by Evangelist Darlene Davis)

One of the greatest books ever written is the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek word "Biblos" which means The book. It is the only complete, comprehensive revelation of God to man. God reveals Himself in nature (Psalms 19:1-6), through conscience (Romans 2:14) and the Bible (Psalms 119:10-15).

Everything in nature glorifies God – The moon glows, the sun shines, the wind knows when and where to blow, waves clap, clouds hover and produce a rain which cleanses the earth and my how the stars twinkle. Psalms 19:1 states that the Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork."

Conscience is an inner awareness that witnesses to our personality concerning the rightness and the wrongs of our actions. God’s word is the very conscience of his people. His word permeates our soul and guides us through life’s Journey. The more we read God’s word, the more we allow God to guide and direct our conscience. Proverbs 3: 5-6, "trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

The Bible reveals the will, plan, and purposes of God for the human family (2 Peter3:9). It is of the utmost importance that we study the Bible, since it relates to our life and destiny (Psalms 119.9).

Learning to use the Bible is essential. First familiarize yourself with the names and order of the Books of the Old Testament in the front of the Bible.

1. The two major divisions of the Bible are:
1. The Old Testament – written before the birth of Christ
2. The New Testament – written after the birth of Christ
2. There are 66 books in the Bible:   39 in the Old Testament

                                                      27 in the New Testament

3. The longest chapter in the Bible is the 119th Psalms. It has 176 verses, and extols the beauties and excellencies of the written word found nowhere else in the Bible. The Psalms is the longest book in the Bible with 150 divisions. It is known as "The Book of Praises."

The Old Testament Books

1. The Pentateuch – The Books of Law, which are composed of the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Pentateuch is a true and logical introduction to the entire Bible and in type. An epitome of the Divine Revelation.                                                     
2. The Twelve Historical Books:

                                    Joshua – Esther

The Historical books relate the rise and the fall of the Theocracy, The captivity of Israel and Judah, the return of the Promised Land, and the Restoration of the Temple and City of Jerusalem.

3. The Poetical and Wisdom Books:

                                    Job – Song of Solomon

Other Poetical passages are found still elsewhere in the Old Testament.

4. The Prophetic Books –

                                        Major Prophets: Isaiah - Daniel

                                        Minor Prophets: Hosea - Malachi

The New Testament Books

    5. The Four Gospels:     Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

The Believing Student finds here the Living Christ. The Four Gospels record the Eternal Being, Human Ancestry, Birth, Life, Ministry, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. Taken together the Gospels set forth a person not a biography.

    6. The Acts of the Apostles:

1. This book is of the highest importance because, it is the only inspired account of the beginning and early work of the Church.
2. Written by Luke, Acts is considered a continuation of the third Gospel (St. Luke) and is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Gospel.
3. Acts is the bridge from the Gospels to the Epistles.

    7. The Epistles or The Letters:

                                            Romans – Philemon

The Pauline Epistles addressed to a specific church or individual.

Hebrew – Author Unknown. This book stresses the Supremacy and Finality of the Revelation of Christ.

The General Epistles –

                                              James – Jude

Written by various authors. These Epistles are not addressed to any particular church or individual.

    8. The Book of Revelation

1. Author – John
2. The concluding book of the Scriptures unfolds the great events bringing history to consummation.
3. The word "Revelation" is from the Latin word "Revelatio", which means disclosure of that which was previously hidden.
4. This book is a record of what the Apostle John saw and heard when he was in exile on the isle of Patmos.

Review Questions :

1. Where does the word Bible come from and what does it mean?
2. Why should one study the Bible?
3. What are the two main divisions of the Bible?
4. Name the longest chapter and book in the Bible.
5. How many books are in the Bible? In the Old Testament? In the New Testament?
6. The first five books of the Bible are called _____________or the ____________
7. What are the major divisions of the Old Testament?
8. What is recorded in the New Testament?
9. Why is the book of Acts of highest importance?
10. .Who is the author of Revelation and what did he write?

Extra Credit

What does the word "Revelation" mean?

New York Southeast
Religious Training Institute

Bishop Norman N. Quick, Founder and Jurisdictional Prelate
Evangelist Darlene Davis, President

Faculty
Evangelist Doreen Burgess
Evangelist Racquel Ingram
Sister Gloria Miller

  The New York Southeast Religious Institute was established under the leadership of it's founder, Bishop Norman N. Quick, for the purpose of promoting the study of the Bible, training Christian Workers and carrying the Gospel to the unsaved. These lessons are made available to you for the primary purpose of sharing God's Word. Our staff is available to answer any questions about these lesson or anything else of a religious nature.

Contact us: cmtcogic@cmtcogic.com

Childs Memorial Temple COGIC
1763 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10031
212-368-0668

Main Page