Written for our Learning

Romans 15:4 “ For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

 I have always been taught in Bible Study that you can see Jesus Christ throughout the entire 66 books that comprise the entire holy Word of God. This is because the Bible is God’s redemption and reconciliation gospel message to us that began in a perfectly created world and universe, but sin entered this blessed creation through deception, temptation of mankind that led to sin and death. The road to atoning propitiation for forgiveness to restoration and glory began, has been planned and orchestrated throughout history, and is being coordinated and arranged today by our loving Creator God. This is the common string though all the pages of the Holy Bible; the living Word of God, written for our learning. God designed it that way for us to know the whole plan and understand the bigger picture His plan of salvation - justification, salvation and glorification by His grace through our faith.

I read one pastor’s article that said, “Let no modern Christian ever think that he can ignore the Old Testament and base all his faith and practice on just the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, as vital as they are. Even the apostle Paul, who wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else, depended heavily on the Old Testament Scriptures for his exposition of the New Testament doctrines he had received ‘by the revelation of Jesus Christ’. For example, in the longest and most doctrinal of all his epistles (Romans) he actually quoted from the Old Testament no less than sixty times, even though the epistle had been specifically addressed to Gentiles.” The word of God is written for the salvation and “Life’s Instruction Manual” on how to live as God’s children and citizens of the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Pastor Morris explains that in his letter to the Gentiles at Corinth, after an extensive discussion of the Old Testament account of the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness, Peter said: “Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” – 1 Corinthians 10:11. In this passage, the word translated “examples” is the Greek word ‘tupos’, from which we derive our word “types.” Thus the experiences of the Israelites were actually revealed by God to be “types” of Christ and our relation to Him. Therefore, in addition to the many explicit prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament, many other Scriptures can be profitably expounded as “types” of Christ. Indeed, in all the Old Testament Scriptures, as Christ Himself taught, are “things concerning himself”. The holy and living Bible was written ultimately by God, through Holy Spirit inspired men, for you and I. The word of God was written for our learning.

In Christ, Brian