The Bible Has A Framework That is simple and easy to understand
Let me try and explain: I was reading my Bible the other day, I have no idea what it was I was reading, and it suddenly hit me: the Bible has a framework. I’m sure this is not profound to anyone else but it was to me. I also have no doubt that the Bible embraces many frameworks but this is one I have never realised before.
I know I know so many people down through the years have come up with frameworks of the Bible. Anything from the simplistic to the most complex of systems. With the exception of those that are put in place to try to make sense of prophecy or in their worst manifestations to try and pinpoint the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (no matter how hard they try they are always going to be wrong and they usually end up being very destructive), they can sometimes be very useful.
Often too much weight is put on any man-made frameworks of the Bible. They end up being overly complex or restrictive on what there is to be learned in scripture. This being the case in time I have discarded almost all that I have come across. Now keeping this in mind you can possibly see why I was taken completely by surprise to discover that there is a natural framework to the Bible.
Simple and Easy To Follow
Of course, the books of the Bible themselves are put in a particular order. But personally, it is not a framework I’ve always found helpful. Chronologically this order can be very confusing at times. Yes, I also know that the Hebrew Bible was intentionally put into a framework by those who compiled it. Understanding these frameworks can be mind-blowing to our understanding of scripture and spiritual growth. However, they are not easy to follow and have to be taught by someone who has a solid understanding of them in order to benefit to the average Christian.
This framework is simple and easy to follow and I have found it quite helpful.
So what is this framework?
1. The Law is the foundation:
The basis of all the Law is Love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…. and your neighbour as yourself….” (verse) De 6:5, Le 19:18, Mk 12:28-24
2. The New Testament is the Explanation:
Now we have heard many times that the New Testament is the fulfilment of the Old and this is very true (Matt 5:17ff). But it is only fulfilment in so far as the first coming of the Lord Jesus. The complete fulfilment can only come at his second coming. There is much more to the New Testament than the fulfilment of prophecy.
So it occurs to me that saying the New Testament is the explanation of the laws is much more concise. For it is only in the New Testament that we begin to understand the law’s true nature. We begin to understand that the law was not intended to be a list of rules to restrict us. It was supposed to be a way of loving our neighbour. Something that in the end was quite impossible without Jesus (Matt 5 & 6 -verse 17 is the key).
3. Bible History, Both Old and New Testament is The Expression:
It is only in the history, Men and Women heroes of God in both the Old and New Testament that we can begin, through seeing both the good and the bad of real people, to come to grips with what it means to love the Lord.
Prophesy
So where you say does prophesy fit in? Well to be perfectly honest I don’t really care but that is a bit of cope out statement so let me put it differently.
Prophesy is that it is all of the above.
Beyond Words, a Framework for Spiritual Growth
The Bible was never intended to be a book like any other book with a beginning and end and a list of chapters each following on from each other in a logical order. It is unique. The only way to truly read the Bible is to read the Bible and let it work on you. Because there is much more to loving God than any novel can expect to contain.
The Bible presents itself as an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of human experience, divine revelation, and timeless wisdom. Its framework, as revealed through the foundational Law, the enlightening New Testament, and the expressive tapestry of history, offers us a path toward understanding and embracing a higher love. It invites us to move beyond the limits of mere words on a page and encourages us to let the teachings and narratives work upon our hearts and minds. Indeed, the Bible’s framework reflects the profound reality that true spiritual growth and love for the Divine are not contained within the boundaries of a narrative or neatly ordered chapters. Instead, they unfold organically.
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