![A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness by [Piper, John]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Q82%2BbUAKL._SY346_.jpg)
“It is a stupendous claim that any book written by human hands is the infallible word of God. If the claim is true, and if the book claims to teach the only path to eternal life, then that book is more important than any other book” (Piper, p. 39).
What the Christian Scriptures Offer
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (Jesus, John 5:24). “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jesus, John 14:7). In Jesus this is what the Christian Scriptures offer–eternal life.
What Book Are We Talking About?
The Bible. It contains sixty-six books in the Old and New Testaments. “Testament” is an old word of “covenant”–“a biblical word for God’s commitment to keep certain promises to his people in certain terms” (Piper, p. 41).
What Books Are in the Book?
Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude and Revelation.
Various human authors wrote history, prophecy, poetry, proverbs, letters and more over 1500 years in what became one coherent book from the creation of the world to God’s kingdom in the world to come.
These books are called the “canon” of Scripture. The word originally meant “measuring rod”, then “guide” or “test of truth”.
The Canon of the Old Testament
The Christian Old Testament 39 books are the same books that comprise the Jewish Bible. However, the Jewish Bible is organized differently. After the Law books (Genesis through Deuteronomy) come the Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel (1 & 2), Kings (1 & 2), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Minor Prophets (all one book). Then the Writings–Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah (one book), Chronicles(1 & 2).
Why Is the Christian Old Testament Ordered Differently?
Christians organized their Bible according to the widely-used Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called the Septuagint (abbreviated LXX because seventy scholars translated it).
The Septuagint also contains other Jewish books written between the Old and New Testaments: 1 & 2 Esdras, Tob, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Mannasseh, 1 & 2 Maccabees.
These books came to be called the “Apocrypha” from the Greek apokryphos meaning “hidden” or “secret”. Neither in Jesus’ day or ours did the Jews consider the Apocrypha to have the authority of the canonical books. Thus the early Christian church adopted the order of the Septuagint books, but didn’t include the apocryphal books in the Christian New Testament
The New Testament Witness to the Old Testament Canon
” . . . the New Testament quotes various parts of the Old Testament as divinely authoritative more than 295 times, but not once does it cite any statement from the books of the Apocrypha, or any other writings, as having divine authority” (from Revelation and the Bible, Roger Nicole, in Piper, p. 45).
“All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Citing “All Scripture” Paul was referring to the Jewish Scriptures Timothy’s Jewish mother and grandmother had taught him.
What Was Jesus’ Bible?
[Jeus] said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44,45).
“The Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” designated the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Strong evidence, then, that Jesus’ Bible wasn’t the Septuagint but the Hebrew Bible.
Embracing Jesus’ Bible
Piper’s conclusion: the thirty-nine books of our Old Testament comprise the Scriptures Jesus and the apostles considered the authoritative word of God.
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This stuff sure gets the juices flowing, huh? Uh, no! But it’s important, for answering, “Is the Bible completely true? Is it so trustworthy it tests all other claims to truth?” So we have to hang in there.
At the same time, we shouldn’t neglect actually reading the Bible, including the Old Testament. While we’re trying to show how the Bible truly teaches the only path to eternal life, we shouldn’t neglect following that path.
The Old Testament is especially challenging. That’s why I suggest investing in a good study Bible, such as The ESV Study Bible (https://www.amazon.com/ESV-Study-Bible-Crossway-Bibles-ebook/dp/B001CDWFPC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490708451&sr=8-1&keywords=the+esv+study+bible),
Set aside reasonable time daily. Approach reading prayerfully. Focus on one truth to take away. Remember: knowledge and understanding multiplies as we maintain the discipline over years.
Embracing Jesus’ Bible means not only recognizing our Old Testament was Jesus’ Bible. Not only hugging it close to our chest.
It means willingly and enthusiastically feeding our minds on it.
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