We do not know for certain how the Old Testament was compiled; it has been suggested that the prophet Ezra and other people during his lifetime collected them together.
Christians value the Old Testament because it contains many prophecies, about the coming of a Messiah, which they interpret as being about Jesus. The New Testament is to Christians the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
The New Testament was written after the death of Jesus and contains the writings of the early Christians. We do not know how exactly the New Testament was compiled. It was certainly gradual and it was not until the fourth Century that an official list of the book in the Bible was formed. The New Testament as we have it today was accepted at the Council of Carthage in AD 397. There were many writings that for various reasons did not make it into the ‘canon’.
The New Testament contains the four ‘Gospels’, meaning good news, which are about the good news of the coming of Jesus to save humanity. They do not go into much detail about the childhood of Jesus and are more concerned with his later life. The Gospels are named after their authors. The Acts of the Apostles is about the beginnings of the Church. Most of the New Testament is composed of the letters or epistles, these were written to Christian Communities and Churches giving them advice and encouragement.
The Bible is used in many different ways in Christian life and Worship. Christians will study the Bible to try and find out about God and how we should live. The Bible is often read in Church services and a sermon is performed that is usually based on the passage and is designed to clarify and explain it and apply it to modern day life. The Bible is also studied in small groups and then discussed, this gives people the opportunity to ask questions that they would not be able to in a Service. The Bible is also used for personal study and meditation. Christians may set aside a few minutes each day for pray and reading the Bible. Besides finding out information about their faith they hope to sense the inner guidance of God through reading the words of scripture
The Bible contains many teachings on sex and marriage
Marriage;
According to the Bible marriage is ordained by God (Gen2: 24), it is a covenant between the two people and God (Hos2) which is binding (1Cor7: 10-11). Marriage should be Christian (1Cor7: 39 and 2Cor6: 14). It is a spiritual bond between two people (1Cor7: 2), but it is also recognised as a sexual relationship (1Cor7: 3-5) which is meant to be exclusive (1Cor7: 2 and Ex20: 14 - “ Thou shall not commit adultery”). Christianity also recognises the problematic nature of marriage (1Cor7: 28).
Jesus has little to say on the subject of marriage, but he did attend a wedding in Cana where he performed his first miracle, turning water into wine, allowing the marriage to continue and be joyous, thus he is clearly in support of marriage. He did say that there would be no marriage in heaven (Matt22: 30).
Sex;
God created sex and therefore the first sexual though in the world was his (Gen1: 27), god commanded man to have sex (Gen1: 28 “Be fruitful and multiply”). God explained that the result of sex was that man and woman became one flesh (Gen2: 24). God also intended sex to be enjoyed (Song of Solomon). Clearly God is in favour of sex, but he is not in favour of ‘freelove’ he imposes limits on sex, he forbids adultery (Ex20: 14), incest (Lev18), homosexuality (Lev20: 13), and bestiality (Lev18: 23). God underlines that sexual immorality is wrong Mk7: 21 - sexual immorality comes from within and defiles a man, Acts15: 20 - abstain from sexual immorality, 1Cor6: 9 - neither the sexually immoral or homosexuals will inherit the kingdom of God, 1Cor6: 13 - the body is for the Lord not sexual immorality, 1Cor6: 18-19 - avoid sexual immorality it is to sin against your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also claimed that immoral thoughts were as bad as actions (Mat5: 28). Homosexual sex is forbidden in the Bible 1Tim1: 10 – The law is laid down for Homosexuals.
A Roman Catholic Christian may refer to the teachings of the Pope when addressing the issue of sex and marriage. The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the direct successor of Peter who Jesus named as the leader of the Apostles (Mat16: 18-20) thus, as the power given to Peter by Jesus is transferred to his successors by ‘the laying on of the hands’, the authority of the Pope comes directly from Jesus. Since the First Vatican Council in 1870 the Pope has been able to issue infallible statements and teachings known as ex-cathedra statements. In practice this authority is very rarely used. It is more common for the Pope to issue an encyclical (papal letter) that is a statement addressed to all Catholics, it is not infallible but it does have special authority.
Veritatis Splendor is an encyclical that was written by Pope John Paul the Second that aims to respond to the modern tendencies towards lax morals, especially concerning the issues of pre-marital sex, contraception, masturbation, and homosexual sex. It is based on Thomas Aquinas’s doctrine of ‘Natural Law’ which uses the argument that everything has a purpose that is ordained by God and that to use on object for anything other than its God given purpose is wrong. The purpose of the erect penis is procreation and therefore sex where procreation is not a purpose is morally wrong; thus masturbation, homosexual sex, and pre marital sex are morally wrong.
The Book of Common Prayer is the official service book of the Church of England. It contains the standard patterns for all Church of England services. It is largely the work of Thomas Cranmer and was first issued in 1549 and was revised for the last time in 1662. It remains authorised today, but an alternative was issued in 2000 called ‘Common Worship’ which is in modern English. Christians may read them when considering the issue of sex and marriage because they contain the Marriage service, which is important as a source of authority as it contains the commitment that couples are making to each other. The service reinforces the fact that marriage is ordained by God;
‘Marriage is intended by God to be a creative relationship, as his blessing enables husband and wife to support each other’
‘Marriage is a gift of God’
It states that marriage is a spiritual and physical bond;
‘They shall be united with each other in heart, body and mind.’
It recognises the sexual nature of marriage;
‘In the delight and tenderness of sexual union’
It emphasises that marriage is exclusive;
‘Forsaking all others, be faithful as long as you both shall live’
Christians may also take on board the advice of Church leaders and other Christians when referring to the issue of sex and marriage, because they are able to relate to one another on the grounds of mutual beliefs. Quotes from famous Christians such as Martyn Luther or Lewis Carol may help Christians reach their understanding of whether it is justifiable for a Christian to have sex outside marriage. The teachings offered by these sources will depend on the views of person drawn upon.
