The Forest and the Trees

Part of understanding the Bible is the realization that it is a single, unified book. When Christians approach Bible study, many of them view the Bible as an anthology containing sixty-six books from which to choose. Still others rarely if ever take a view as broad as an entire book; instead they focus their study on a particular passage or Bible story, perhaps even on verses in isolation.

Romans 8:28, for example, is a precious verse and could be the topic of Bible study for a particular day. A spiritually-sensitive reader will certainly profit from studying the verse. There is greater profit, however, when studying that verse in its surrounding context. Rather than an isolated nugget, Romans 8:28 is part of a larger passage. That passage, in turn, is part of the book of Romans. Capturing the essence of the book will enhance the appreciation for and understanding of both the verse itself and its surrounding passage. The benefit does not end there. The book of Romans will be best appreciated when one sees it in relation to the message of entire Bible.

I am by nature a “big picture” kind of person. I remember being trained at one of my jobs. My trainer immediately started on the nuts and bolts – the technicalities of my particular position. I was taught how to fill out the forms, the sequence of questions to ask, and the practical skills needed to work within the computer programs. I learned the distinctions between different abbreviations, how to move between fields on the computer screen, and where to save documents. What I didn’t learn was the overall structure of the business, its different divisions, a summary of the services provided, or how my particular division fit into the picture. Even for my particular position, I wasn’t given an overview; instead of having an outline into which to organize my various responsibilities, I was given a jumble of random tasks. I eventually learned some of those things and put the pieces together, but for a while I struggled to understand my job and to answer the questions of the customers. It felt like working a temp job in which I was guessing at answers rather than answering with confidence or understanding. I couldn’t effectively do my part because I did not understand the big picture.

There are certainly times to get a close-up view of a verse or passage. This is what gives depth to our understanding. We cannot achieve that depth, however, without an understanding of the Bible as a whole. Our understanding of the individual book or passage is enhanced when we see how it fits into the big picture. There are often revelations in the New Testament that help an Old Testament passage to make sense. From the opposite perspective, many Old Testament passages were written to lay the foundation for New Testament truth.

In essence, the message of the entire Bible is God’s redemptive plan of salvation. We best understand the parts of the Bible by seeing how they fit into that overall theme. In a nutshell, everything in the Bible works together to reveal who the God of salvation is, why man needs salvation, the process of providing salvation, and the resulting life after salvation. The limitations of this post do not make an exhaustive examination possible, but consider the following thoughts.

The Bible opens with Genesis, a book that starts out by revealing who this God is that we need to be reconciled to (the Creator) and why we need to be reconciled to Him (the fall, the flood). It reveals how God set His redemptive plan in motion (Abraham, beginning of Jewish nation).

Much of the Old Testament follows the story line of the nation of Israel. The Redeemer would come from the Jewish people. The history books show God’s dedication to His promise of redemption, His faithfulness to the people of promise, and His amazing intervention to preserve the mode of fulfilling that promise. In spite of all odds and obstacles (Kings, Chronicles, Esther), God preserved the nation of Israel, returning them as necessary to their land (Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Ezra, Nehemiah) so that His promise could be fulfilled as He had stated.

In those history books, we also see more of man’s need for redemption through his repeated failures. The books of the Law (Leviticus, Numbers) show man’s inability to be pleasing to God even when he knows exactly what God wants. Judges shows more of the same. The books of the Prophets also reveal the great sin of man that requires redemption. They show us man turning his back on the only God who can redeem him.

Certain parts of the Old Testament also reveal to us what the God who offers redemption is like. The Prophets reveal His holiness and hatred of sin. They also reveal His longsuffering and graciousness. Job and the Psalms reveal much about His character and power. These aspects reveal more of why redemption is needed and how it is possible.

When we arrive at the New Testament, the Gospels give us the critical account of the events directly leading to redemption. They tell the story of the Savior – His birth, His sinless life, and His sacrificial death. In the Gospels we find the fulfillment of many of the prophecies from the Old Testament.

In Acts, we see the redemptive plan being carried to the world, including the Gentile nations. We see the amazing change that the gospel makes in lives.

The Epistles give further explanation of various aspects of redemption. They help to explain and apply some of what was revealed in the Old Testament and through the life of Christ. They reveal what the life of a redeemed one should look like. They also give warnings and cautions about maintaining the integrity of the gospel.

The Bible closes with the book of Revelation, which reveals the culmination of the redemptive plan. God’s plan will come to pass in all of its details and exactly as He has ordained it. Evil, sin, and death will be conquered, and the righteousness, joy, and peace achieved through redemption will reign forever.

This is of necessity an abbreviated view of the Bible. It is important for us to recognize, however, that the hundreds of stories in the Bible are all part of one story. Nothing is in the Bible by accident. All of it is beneficial for our understanding of God and His redemptive plan. Like any good author, God has masterfully designed His Book so that all of its parts work together. Background from the Old Testament helps us to understand the New Testament, and insights from the New Testament help us to understand the Old Testament. There are things that we cannot fully grasp without the accumulation of all the parts. We will make errors if we aren’t careful to compare passages and learn from their combined truth. Yes, we need up-close and in-depth study of the Bible, but we can’t forget to step back and see the big picture.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” John 5:39 (NASB)