The Books of the Bible are Organically Related
May 8, 2024•217 words
The Word of God is an organic production, and consequently the separate books that constitute it are organically related to one another. The Holy Spirit so directed the human authors in writing the books of the Bible that their productions are mutually complementary. They are one in recording the work which God, in the execution of his divine plan, wrought in Christ for the redemption of a people that would glorify him eternally.
The Old Testament reveals this work, first of all,
❇️ historically in the formation and guidance of Israel as a nation.
❇️ The poetical books and the wisdom literature disclose its fruit in the spiritual experiences and the practical life of God's people.
❇️ And the prophets view it in the light of God's eternal council, emphasizing the failure of the people to live up to the divine requirements, and directing the hopes of the pious to the future.
A similar line of development runs through the New Testament.
❇️ The Gospels and Acts contain the history of the work of redemption in Christ.
❇️ The Epistles reveal the effect of this work in the life and experience of the churches.
❇️ And the Apocalypse discloses its final issue in rays of heavenly light.
—Louis Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation SACRED HERMENEUTICS, loc. 1756