The Bible
. i) Explain why the Bible is important to Christians
The Bible is made up of two sections - the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament consists of 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. The word 'testament' means promise or special agreement. Christians and Jews believe that God has made a special agreement with mankind. In the Old Testament God promises to guide the Jews and reveal his laws to them. In the New Testament Christians believe that God has shown his love for the world by sending them his only son Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament is very important to Jews and Christians. New Testament writers often referred to pieces of scripture taken from the Old Testament to show to people that all the many things that happened in the Old Testament occurred to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus.
Four of the five history books in the New Testament are the Gospels. The first 3 Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are called the Synoptic Gospels as they use a resembling style and common material. The one prophetic book is named the Book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse. It is full of visions, symbolic meanings and strange events. The recurring issue is that good will eventually overcome all evil. Christians can interpret the book's meaning in different ways.
There are four different approaches to the interpretations of the Bible: The Literal view (they view all Bible statements literally), the Fundamental view (they believe it is wholly inspired by God, and wholly without error), the Conservative view (they believe the Bible to be the Word of God interpreted by the human mind), and the Liberal view (they believe the writers were inspired to write, but were capable of making mistakes).
Some Christians call the Bible the 'word of God', or talk about the Bible being 'inspired by God'. By this they mean that it is God's ...
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There are four different approaches to the interpretations of the Bible: The Literal view (they view all Bible statements literally), the Fundamental view (they believe it is wholly inspired by God, and wholly without error), the Conservative view (they believe the Bible to be the Word of God interpreted by the human mind), and the Liberal view (they believe the writers were inspired to write, but were capable of making mistakes).
Some Christians call the Bible the 'word of God', or talk about the Bible being 'inspired by God'. By this they mean that it is God's teachings passed down to the people who wrote it, and it is God's activity in the world. The Bible describes events that actually took place. Christians believe that God speaks to them through the Bible, and this is why they regard it as being so special.
The Bible teaches us how to live and contains many rules for life, such as the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. The teachings that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount can be found in Matthew 5-7.
The Bible is a guide to worship, belief, practices and values. It carries God's authority in matters of belief and behaviour. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 St. Paul says that "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for...giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." (Good News Bible).
. ii) Explain how the Bible is used in corporate and private worship
Private worship
Many Christians read the Bible as part of their personal devotions, and some may read a passage of scripture on a daily basis. They may also use Bible study notes produced by Christian organisations to help them gain a better understanding of the Bible. These study notes can guide Christians through the readings and give them a clarified explanation. The passages can be read several times to give the reader a clearer comprehension of the meaning.
Christians read the Bible for a number of reasons, such as for inspiration, encouragement, guidance, comfort, or to bring them closer to God. They can use the Bible to look for principles to help them make decisions about certain moral and social concerns, such as abortion, prejudice, poverty, war, etc.
Some Christians find it easier to study in private because it is more personal, and they feel that in the quietness God speaks to them through the passage.
Corporate worship
Liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox). In these churches the Bible plays an important part in the liturgy. During the service there is one reading taken from the Old Testament, and at least one from the New Testament, usually including a reading from one of the Gospels. The readings can sometimes be read by members of the congregation, however the Gospel reading is always done by the priest, and in Catholic and Anglican churches the congregation is required to stand at this point as a sign of respect.
A lectionary is used, which is a set of readings allocating particular passages to each Sunday of the year. This ensures that everyone has a wide selection of readings. In the sermon the priest will talk about one of the Bible passages read out in the service. He or she will develop the meaning of the Bible and try to apply it to modern living.
Non-conformist/pulpit centred churches (Methodist, United Reformed, and Baptist). In these churches the Bible is sometimes brought into the church and placed onto a table on the pulpit to signify the start of the service. The Bible is used as a call to worship. A Bible is usually used as the closing prayer to end a service, and it is common for a passage to be read as an introduction to Communion. The pulpit in these churches is the place where the Bible is read from and where the sermon is preached. We can see how important the Bible is to the worshippers because the pulpit is situated in the most noticeable place in the church. The Bible reading will depend on the theme of the service, especially the sermon.
