Short description
A compact companion to the Bible in plain English: Biblio-file
sets the Bible story from the past to the future into context for today's
Christian. It summarises each Bible book, outlines major Christian teachings and
opens up the Bible's plan for the future. The much revised Second Edition
retains the original's loose-leaf standard 6-ring binding.
Long description
It is not enough just to stay in the shallow waters of favourite
texts and shortened versions of the Gospel story, valuable though such may be.
All Christians will benefit greatly from a whole-Bible study.
The canvas before us is immense. The story starts before the
beginning, because when there was no time, God was there; and it goes on beyond
the end. In all this huge story, where do we stand? Are we in the middle, at the
end or what? And if the story is not yet finished, what are we meant to be
doing? What's our part in all this?
Read through the various sections of Biblio-file, keeping your
Bible by you, and you will gain a sense of perspective.
This was Gordon Spratt's project. The bulk of the work on
prophecy and the "dispensational" view of scripture was his; and the Doctrine
Section developed from an earlier work. As Bos Menzies worked with him on the
rest of the book, their concern was that Christians should be helped to
understand the message of Scripture. Then they could be excited by it, and
challenged. And all this without becoming so fascinated by past events, and so
enthralled by future wonders that you fail to see what your own focus should be.
The prime focus we need is upon what God is saying to us, now. The second is: Am
I responding to Him as He wants me to?
In all writing about the last times, there is inevitably a call
for judgement and the expression of opinion. The Lord Himself told His disciples
that precise knowledge of God's timing in such matters was under God's own
authority and not for us to know. But we do know of God's intention that the
whole universe will be filled with praise and delight in Him. His Son will be
honoured - acknowledged as the Messiah, the anointed One, the King of kings and
Lord of lords.
This second, considerably revised, edition of Biblio-file is
dedicated to the Lord in the hope that it will encourage God's people -
everywhere. The Lord will bless those who study His word.
Publisher's comments
Other Books by
Gordon Spratt are available from STP.
Additional information is available at
the Biblio-file's own web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Second Edition
THE BIBLE SECTION
Reading and Understanding the Bible
A Book by Book Outline of the Old Testament
A Book by Book Outline of the New Testament
The Inspiration and Preservation of the Bible
DOCTRINE SECTION
An Introduction to Christian Doctrine: Foundation Stones
PROPHECY SECTION
An Understanding of Biblical Prophecy
NOTES SECTION
Author biography
Gordon Spratt (d.1993) was for many years engaged in Bible
teaching throughout Britain, increasingly so following his retirement from a
responsible role within Unilever. He had a particular interest in encouraging
the young. This was reflected in the straightforward style of his speaking and
writing.
Bos Menzies has been Senior Teacher (Curriculum) in a large
comprehensive school, Head of School of Communications in a tertiary college,
Managing Director of a Christian Charity involved in supporting adults with
learning disability - and all that time he has been a passionate Bible teacher.
Now he does this full-time!
An Extract from the First Chapter of the Bible Section...
Reading and Understanding the Bible
At first glance, the Bible seems a daunting book to read and to understand.
Even a modern translation has whole sets of names of people and places which are
not exactly familiar. On the other hand there are places and people who are very
familiar because over the centuries their stories and their relationship with
God have been told and retold.
The Bible contains stories, poetry and proverbs. In abundance there are:
family trees; letters of instruction; records of warfare and disaster, famine
and plenty. We can read tales of hair-raising exploits, which bring their
characters fame or dishonour and provide either good examples to follow, or bad
examples to shun. There are accounts of travels and settlements, along with
instructions for healthy living and honest dealing. Through it all, the book is
dominated by God's loving faithfulness to individuals, to families, to a nation
and ultimately to all nations. And, crucially, there are details of God's
awesome majesty and His commandments and requirements.
The Bible tells that God created a perfect world. But mankind's waywardness
and self-centredness has polluted the world, alienated us from God and wreaked
havoc within personal and national life. Through it all, God's character doesn't
change; He remains holy, pure and just. God's holiness means that impure humans
cannot live in a peaceful relationship with Him. This frustrates the human race
because we were created to be dependent upon God. We need Him just as thirsty
desert travellers need water.
Some readers regard the Bible as an account of human endeavours to discover
God. This is not what the Bible claims for itself. Rather it is the revelation
of God's merciful and gracious actions to bring us back to Himself. All the way
through, the message is clear: if we discover or create gods for ourselves we
will worship created things rather than the Creator Himself. In essence our
attempts to find our way back to God are doomed, but God's amazing grace has led
Him to invite us right into His family circle. He has reconciled us to Himself.
Through Christ, He has made peace.
Understanding the Bible
So how do we make sense of this complex book? The Christian cannot grow and
develop without constant feeding upon the Bible. Probably we all need some help
in understanding the Bible, and there is plenty of help available. But this book
is much more than an academic quarry for painstaking stone-breakers. Anyone who
approaches it with a prayerful attitude will hear God speak to their heart. The
question then is: how will they respond? Mark Twain is reputed to have said:
"I'm not troubled by the parts of the Bible I don't understand; I'm troubled by
the parts I do understand."
Even in the Bible itself, we find people making heavy weather of God's Word;
things become clearer when someone explains. When exiles returned to rebuild
Jerusalem, Ezra and some Levites read and explained the Book of the Law of God
(Nehemiah 8:8). In a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah
the prophet, heralding that God's anointed one would bring Good News to the
poor. "Today," He said, "this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke
4:21).
After the crucifixion and resurrection, as the two depressed disciples made
their way to Emmaus, the village some short distance from Jerusalem, Jesus
Himself drew near and went with them. On the way He asked about their sadness.
After they told Him of the crucifixion of the one they had thought was surely
the Christ, the Messiah, Luke 24:27 tells us that "beginning with Moses and all
the prophets, Jesus expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself". The Ethiopian Official returning from Jerusalem was
struggling to understand Isaiah 53. Again Luke tells us how help was on hand to
understand the Scriptures. Philip, the evangelist, joined the Official and
explained the passage relating it to the Christ - Jesus (Acts 8:30-35).
In both of his letters (1 Peter 1:10-12 and 2 Peter 1:19-21), Peter impressed
upon his readers the fact that the prophets in past generations were speaking a
message they hardly understood. It was powerful and full of promise. It was a
message of rescue from despair - a message of salvation. The Holy Spirit
inspired the prophets, says Peter, and they strained every sinew to try to
understand when the Christ would come, but they realised that what they had seen
would come to fruition in a later age. Peter showed his readers that Jesus, the
Christ, is the focus of the Old Testament, as we call the scriptures Peter read.
This, of course, completely matches the teaching of Jesus en route to Emmaus and
Philip on the road to Ethiopia. So, if you want to understand the Bible, you
must recognise that the key is Christ Himself.
Similarly, God, the Holy Spirit will guide the prayerful Bible student.
Discovering the heart of Scripture entails seeking the heart of God. This is no
mere academic exercise. It's not just an interesting hobby to pursue on quiet
evenings. Reading Scripture should be a matter of asking God to speak with us.
We must listen, and we must respond. However, as Paul was keen to pray with the
Spirit and with the understanding, it seems appropriate for us to read with the
guidance of the Spirit and to make use of our capacity to understand.
