Unity Of The Scriptures

When I was a teenager, in the late 1980s, there was a science fiction television series that was being produced. And right about the time that they began to bring that series together and to film it, there was a writer's strike in Hollywood. And so as a result, the writers of that series walked off the set. Well, as they say in show business, the show must go on. And so during the course of that first season, they would bring in outside writers. I guess outside of the writers' union. I don't know exactly how that works, but they would bring in outside writers to come in and write for that television series. And basically, it was a problem of turnover during that first season. They would have a writing team come in and write maybe one to three episodes, and then they would leave, and they would have to bring in another writing team that would write one to three episodes, and they would leave. And as a result, the quality of the first season of that series was quite disastrous, if you can imagine. If you ever watched a TV series from the beginning, you know that the first season is when a number of the plot lines are developed that will go forward through the series. It's when the personality attributes of the different characters are being explored and set, and you come to learn who these characters are, what was their background, and what makes them tick. And then you see that expanded as you go forward through the series. It's where the series brings basically its whole identity to fruition. The first season, again, is critical in terms of laying the groundwork for those things in so many ways. Well, this particular show had a first season that, frankly, I can hardly go back and watch today. It was pretty lame, in my opinion. It did go on to have eight seasons in this series, and it was a relatively successful science fiction show. But again, that first season was cheesy, it was disjointed, and really had very little plot development. Again, the continual turnover of the writers created a condition where the unity of thought and the direction of flow for the show couldn't be maintained. Because as they brought each writing team in, they sort of developed their own vision for the show. So one would come in and start maybe a little bit of a plot in one direction, and then they would leave, and another would come in with their ideas and concepts, and it would go in a different direction. Again, disjointed and not unified.

Because of all the different writers, again, that flow was inconsistent. The first season was essentially a flop. Eventually, the strike ended. They were able to recall the original writers. They came and sat down and actually stayed, and eventually the show pulled out of the slump and, as I said, had about eight seasons of a successful television series.

Rather than when you think about it, the Bible really is an incredible book. The story I just shared with you covered the span of maybe three to six months and a handful of writers, and yet even at that, they couldn't seem to get it right. The Bible is a series of 66 books that was written across the span of roughly 1,500 years. Some estimates, depending which you look at, even push it towards 2,000 years. It really depends when you put the writing of Job. There's a little bit of an unknown there, but some graphs put the writing of Job a few hundred years before the writings of Moses, even. But again, that's somewhat speculative, but generally it's agreed that you had about a 1,500-year span in which the Bible was written.

The writings of Moses are estimated to have taken place around 1,400 BC with the last of the Old Testament writings concluding at about 400 BC. So you had a 1,000-year span there from the writings of Moses through the conclusion of writings for the Old Testament. After the Old Testament writing period, you had a gap of about 450 years where no new scripture was written. Now, during that time, in between the Testaments, there was the Septuagint which was produced, the Septuagint being the Greek Bible, basically the translation from the Hebrew writings into Greek so that it could be spread through the world at that time.

But the Septuagint wasn't new scripture in any way. It was simply a translation, again, from the Hebrew to the Greek. Now, the New Testament writings are believed to have ranged from about the late 40s AD to the mid to late 90s AD, a span of about 50 years in writing of these books that we call the New Testament. The book of Revelation, of course, being the last book that was written and counted as scripture. So again, going from the writings of Moses concluding with the writings of John with Revelation 1,500 years spanned that period of time.

Now, over that time, portions of scripture were pinned on three continents. It was written in Africa, Asia, and Europe. And there were 40 writers involved with scripture, 40 different writers from many different backgrounds, different education levels, different society types in which they came out of. A good portion of the Bible was pinned by individuals we would consider to be simple in terms of their education and their knowledge and understanding in many ways.

Among some of the unique biblical writers, their backgrounds, some of them were shepherds. Of course, David, before he was king, was a shepherd. Amos, as well, was a shepherd before God used him in his service in the way in which he did. There were fishermen. Of course, a number of the 12 apostles had their roots in fishing. Peter, James, and John were fishermen, certainly. We won't turn there, but Acts 4.13 says this about Peter and John.

They'd been called in before the council to give an account on the teachings of Jesus Christ. John 4.13 says, Now when they, the council, saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus. They said, there's something different about these guys. These are just a bunch of fishermen, and yet look at what they're expressing, and look what they're able to understand, even about the Scriptures, as untrained and uneducated men.

Now on the flip side of the coin, you also had people like kings who pinned Scripture. Again, King David, you had Solomon, his son, who obviously grew up in the king's household, would have had a very advanced education, probably the best you could have gotten there in Judah, in Israel. You had others as well, scholars. Ezra was a scribe. Ezekiel was a priest. Joshua was a military general. I'm just going to throw these out to you to just consider, again, all the authors, the time frame, the span of time, and what it is, and that has been put together in terms of Scripture.

Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king of Persia. Matthew was a tax collector. Luke was a doctor. Again, many of these biblical authors, they didn't live at the exact same time. The New Testament writings in that span of 50 years, those individuals were grouped much more closely together and had overlap and interaction in a much more direct way. But in terms of the entire 1500-year span, many of the authors of the Bible didn't have overlap and interaction with one another and coming and sitting down in meetings together to plan what was going to be penned as Scripture. On top of all of that, sections of the original texts were written in three different languages. You had Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

Different literary forms were used through the writings of the Scripture, ranging from poetry to psalms to parables and prophetic writings and warnings. Different writing styles, different types of messages that were given. Brother, when you consider all these factors, the Bible is a pretty incredible book. And it's pretty incredible because it is unified. Scripture is unified in purpose and intent, and it's unified in message. And it's unified in such a way that makes it unique in regards to anything else in terms of literature that can be pointed to in that way.

What are the odds that these 40 men of diverse backgrounds, diverse educational opportunities spread across 1500 years in three continents and three languages would sit down and be joined together in time. And would write a portion of this book as it was then added to the rest that it would flow, that it would be joined together, and that it would be one in intent and message. What are the odds of that? I think we would say, humanly, none. According to the physical ability of mankind, it's an impossibility. I mean, writers in Hollywood couldn't even get it right. A handful of writers across the three to six month period. Again, the Bible is an incredible piece of literature. In one sense, we could call it literature, but again, it's an incredible piece of wisdom and inspiration that's been recorded for us. Over the last year and a half, there's been a number of classes online that have been available to the ministry in the United Church of God. It's basically a year-long, ministerial training program available online. It's called Labor in the Word. And the Labor in the Word series covers a number of different topics, a number of different fronts that ministry should be up on if they're going to be teaching the people of God. And I have to say that one of my favorite threads that has run through the Labor in the Word series has been the doctrinal classes that Dr. Ward has taught, and specifically his teachings on the unity of the Bible. There's a whole series of classes on that topic, and I'm still actually making my way through that series. But what I'd like to do today is take some of the material that's been covered in terms of the unity of the Bible and share some of it with you today. Again, I've only been personally through a portion of it, but if you got writer's cramp while you were trying to write down those statistics at the first of my message, you should sit through one of Dr. Ward's classes. I'm writing so fast that my hand cramps every time. But it's wonderful material that's been assembled based on the Word of God. So today I want to cover some of those elements of the unity of the Bible. And in doing so, it's my hope that you'll see and appreciate the manner in which this book with all its threads of thought and context have been weaved together to form a beautiful tapestry by which we can see, as Mr. Allwine was pointing out, God's plan and catch the vision of salvation which God has planned for all of mankind.

Today I want to look at the Bible and the unity from two perspectives. First, I want to answer the question as to why the Bible is a unified and cohesive book. Why is the Bible a unified and cohesive book? What makes it so? How could you have this literature and these writings come together in such a way that it is unified and effective? So we'll look at that first. And secondly, I want us to look at how the Bible is unified. How it's unified. What specific elements in these writings bind this book together? Because I believe if we have a good understanding of these two points, it will help us to recognize the validity of the Scripture as the true Word of God. And certainly it is. So first, brethren, why is the Bible unified? Why is it unified? What makes it so? When you consider all the authors and the circumstances and the times in which it was written, why isn't the Bible just the jumble of disorganized thoughts? Why isn't it just thrown together in such a way that we look at it and say, well, I really don't understand what is happening here? Why does it come together in a way that makes sense? Again, why is there unity in the Scripture? Well, you're probably way ahead of me on this, but the answer can be found in Scripture. Let's go to 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. There's actually a Scripture we turn to relatively often, but it's important in a number of applications. 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16.

Here's the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, and he says, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So, all Scripture, brethren, is given by inspiration of God.

The Scripture we have before us, the Bible in our lap, is God-inspired. The word translated inspiration of God from the Greek is theonustos. Theonustos. And it's spelled T-H-E-O-P-N-E-U-S-T-O-S. Theonustos. And it literally means God breathed, or, breeds out. So, in that sense, the Bible is literally the God-breathed Word of God. God breathed Word of God. Now, oftentimes, when you look at the Scripture, you look at the translation of theonustos from the Greek, the question often comes up, did God dictate the Bible word for word? You know, if his God breathed, did God speak out each of these words, word for word? And then the author who penned the book wrote down, word for word, that which God expressed. Is that how this was done? The question often comes up. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 1, as we begin to answer this. Hebrews 1, beginning in verse 1. Hebrews 1, 1 will begin to see the inspiration behind which the Scripture was assembled. Hebrews 1, verse 1 says, God, who at various times and in various ways, spoken times pass to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

And so, clearly, God used human instruments to declare his words to the fathers and to us as well. And so this is where the unity of the Bible comes from. It comes from the mind of God. It's the same mind behind all the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. The same mind inspired it. It's not that these individuals, under their own brilliant thinking, came up with these words themselves. Again, if that were the case, this would be a wildly disjointed book, but it is the same mind, the same inspiration behind the writing as it came through each and every one of these men. But again, does that mean that all the words of Scripture have been dictated by God?

The answer is no. Scripture was not dictated word for word by God, but it was inspired by God. Notice Paul's words in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. I think these are insightful words for us. 1 Corinthians chapter 7, beginning in verse 5.

1 Corinthians 7 and 5. Paul says, do not deprive one another except with consent for a time. He's referring to the sexual relations between a husband and a wife.

He says that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Verse 6, but I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all men were even as I myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

So, did God dictate to Paul all these words here in which he wrote down? Do God say, Paul, I want you to write, quote, I say this as a concession, not as a commandment, for I wish that all men were even as I myself.

No. No, Paul did write these words, and God through his Holy Spirit inspired him, but these words are according to, again, Paul's understanding and writing, they're his words, but they are by the inspiration of God. By the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within him, helping to guide and direct his words. God, through his Holy Spirit, inspired the words of Scripture to be written, but he did not dictate them word for word. 2 Peter 1 and verse 20. 2 Peter 1 verse 20.

Again, we're seeing the inspiration behind the Scripture.

It says, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. It's not of any private origin. Again, these men did not come up with it on their own.

Not of private interpretation or origin. Verse 21, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

So again, the Word of God, the Scripture we have before us, came through man.

Indeed, it did, man, pen the words, but it was by the inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit, which was working with them and dwelling in them.

Again, God did not dictate all the words of Scripture word for word, but He did inspire it. And that is why there is unity throughout the Bible. That's why it's not just this disjointed book full of one man's thoughts and another man's thoughts that don't seem to blend together. That's why we can look at this word as a whole and consider it as a whole, because again, it is by the inspiration of God.

By the time we come to the book of 2 Peter, which we're in at the moment, we see that the apostles' writings now are being recognized as inspired Scripture as well. You know, when Paul said, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, at that time the Scripture that they had was what we would call the Old Testament.

And yet, as we come to see as time progressed, it was recognized that the writings of the apostles and the letters to the church were God-inspired as well. And they began to be recognized and included as Scripture. 2 Peter 3 and verse 1.

2 Peter 3.1 here, Peter says, Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle, and both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder. Verse 2, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

So here we have Peter drawing a connection between the words of the prophets and the words of the apostles as well as being of one. And they are of one, because they were inspired by the same mind, the mind of God working in them. Again, they're one in purpose, one in meaning, they're one in inspiration. Just as God gave inspiration to the prophets, gave the inspiration to his apostles as well.

Carrying on here in chapter 3 verse 15, chapter 3 of 2 Peter verse 15, Peter says, and consider that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of things in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures. Clearly, we see that the writings of the Apostle Paul, again, were considered to be carried in the same way in authority as the rest of the scriptures.

And that's because the words were written according to the wisdom that was given to him, as Peter said. Well, what was that wisdom? Was it the wisdom of Paul? No, it was the wisdom of God, through his Spirit, working with him, inspiring these things to be written.

Again, brethren, God did not dictate every word of scripture, but it was often written under divine inspiration.

Divine inspiration. Now, the Bible was also occasionally written under direct revelation, a little bit different from divine inspiration. Direct revelation. An example of direct revelation would be a section that begins with words such as, the word of the Lord came to me saying, or thus says the Lord. You find that in a lot of the prophets' writings, those words came to them often through dreams, through visions, a manner in which God would convey those words to them, and then they would record them. Again, direct revelation.

The Ten Commandments came by direct revelation.

God revealed them directly to Moses. Did he not? In fact, God wrote them on two tablets of stone with his own finger. I'd say that's pretty direct. I don't think you can get much more direct than that. Moses then wrote them down to be preserved in Scripture for us today.

The Bible was written by man, but it was inspired by God.

And that's what makes it different from virtually any other piece of literature that you could find down through the ages. All Scripture was given by inspiration of God, and it's profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, construction in righteousness. Again, so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

As God's people, brethren, how do we gain the full benefit of that inspired Scripture?

How do we read this word here, study it, and then use it ourselves to be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work?

Well, the answer is obviously, in part, we pray.

We study God's Word. But in order to fully be able to understand and apply the Word of God, that comes by being under the inspiration of God's Spirit ourselves.

This is word inspired by God, written, inspired through His Spirit. It is words that are spiritual. Christ says, the words I speak are spirit, and they are life. So these words before us, brethren, are spiritual. They teach us of spiritual things, and the only way that we're going to be able to fully comprehend them, absorb them in our life, and apply them, is if we are under the inspiration and the blessing of God's Holy Spirit, working with us and dwelling in us as well. Let's go back to 1 Corinthians, this time chapter 2, verse 9.

1 Corinthians 2, 9.

Paul says, But as it is written, I has not seen, nor your heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. You know, physically, and according to the carnal man, you're not going to see those things. You're not going to hear those things and have understanding, but just as Mr. Allwine covered in the sermonette, God through His word has given us a vision through His Holy Days. Through the understanding and the application of those, we have a vision of what God has called us out of and what He is pointing us to, which is eternal life in His family as members of His family in the Kingdom of God. But carnal man, I has not seen nor your heard, nor has it even entered into their understanding. It takes more than the carnal man. Verse 10, it says, but God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God, for what man knows the things of a man, except the Spirit of man which is in Him. You know, there's things that you and I understand because we are man.

We have the spirit of man within us. We have the ability to reason. Horses, we own horses. Horses are an intelligent animal, but the horse is never going to be able to do complex geometry. Many of us with the spirit of man struggle with that, I dare say.

But again, the horse isn't going to understand the things that come by the reasoning and the understanding of the spirit of man. Carrying on in verse 11, even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now, we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

And so, just as the Spirit of man gives us understanding of things according to man, the Spirit of God gives us understanding of those spiritual things of God. Again, the Word of God. And it's an understanding that comes beyond human reasoning and intellect. It's under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. Verse 13, Paul says, These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Brethren, why is the Word of God unified? It is given by the inspiration of God through his Holy Spirit. The Bible was written by man, again, but it was inspired by God. And we come to understand it through the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit as well.

Second question for today, now that we know why the Bible is unified, how is the Bible unified? How is the Bible unified? What specific elements in these writings bind the book together? You know, from Genesis to Revelation, what specific elements in the Bible bind this book together? How is it unified? For the remainder of the message, we're going to look at five ways in which the Old and New Testament are bound together.

Five ways. Point number one is allegory. The Bible is bound together in unity through allegory.

Allegory is a story of people, things, or happenings which has a hidden or symbolic meaning.

I'll say that again. Allegory is a story of people, things, or happenings which has a hidden or symbolic meaning. The example we're going to look at today took place in the time of Abraham's life, but the revealed symbolism from this event is brought out not in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament. Again, as part in terms of what it is that binds the Bible together. The principal characters involved in this event are Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael. Let's go back to Genesis chapter 12. I'm going to set the stage from the first book in the Bible, Genesis chapter 12, beginning in verse 1.

Genesis 12.1, Now the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house to a land that I will show you, and I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. Verse 3, God says, I will bless those who bless you. I will curse him who curses you, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

And so here we find a promise given to Abraham by God that he would indeed make a great nation of him. His lineage would be great. And in fact, brethren, as we know, the Messiah would come through the lineage of Abraham. You know, by you and your descendants, through Jesus Christ, all the nations and the families of the earth would be blessed. Because again, ultimately, that sacrifice that he lays down for us is by which all the nations then can have access to God.

So here Abraham and Sarah are promised offspring, promised in error, and we know the story. Years went by, right? Nothing happened. Abraham and Sarah could not have children. And so what did they do? Well, they tried to bring about the solution by their own means, didn't they?

Abraham fathered a child with Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar.

You know, not according to what God had promised, but it was something they tried to do on their own. And as a result of that union, Ishmael was born, but he was not the seed of promise.

Ishmael was not the seed of promise, not the seed through which the Messiah would come, through which this specific blessing to Abraham would come. Now God did eventually bless Abraham and Sarah with a son. Isaac was born, and he would be their heir, through whom that great nation would be brought about. It was through Isaac's line then that the Messiah would come.

And that's the story of events that we have recorded for us in the Old Testament.

The promise, the birth of Ishmael through Hagar, and the birth of Isaac through Sarah. Let's go to the New Testament. Let's see a New Testament allegory. Galatians chapter 4.

Galatians 4, we begin to see where the symbolic meaning of all this comes together and how it's applied. You wouldn't necessarily or you would not get this from reading what we call the Old Testament. I don't really like that term. Old Testament, New Testament, those are not inspired words in the Bible. Those are man's words dedicated to splitting the parts of the Testaments apart here. But let's just understand what God wrote through the man in times of old is confirmed and expanded later on. So now we come to Galatians chapter 4.

We see the symbolic meaning of all this. Galatians 4 verse 22.

For as it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond woman and the other by the free woman. But he who was of the bond woman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through promise. So you have Ishmael born according to the flesh. Again, as Abraham and Sarah tried to do things according to their power and ability to bring forth the son. He was born according to the flesh, but then you have Isaac who was born according to faith. Isaac was the son of promise and that did not come by Abraham and Sarah doing something themselves in order to have the power to bring that about. That was a blessing from God, son of promise, through faith. It's the only way that was going to be fulfilled. Again verse 23. But he who was of the bond woman was born according to the flesh. He of the free woman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. So Hagar, the bond woman, had the son according to the flesh, represents the old covenant. The old covenant was not the covenant of faith. It was the covenant of works and sacrifices and fleshly works of the hands, offerings and sacrifices in that way. That was Hagar. Verse 25, for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, where the law was given, and corresponds to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with her children. The Jerusalem, which now is, in the day of the apostles, and frankly in our day as well, is fleshly, in bondage, physical, because in that state, it's bondage unto sin and death, because it's into bondage under the law, again, under the terms of the old covenant. But verse 26, it says, but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. And so just like Hagar symbolized the old covenant corresponding to the fleshly Jerusalem, which was in bondage, Sarah symbolized the new covenant corresponding to the Jerusalem above, which is free through faith. Brethren, you see how this allegory works. You have the physical circumstances of the people and the events in the Old Testament, and the spiritual understanding of the symbolism of that expressed in the New. Because the Jerusalem above is the mother of us all, the church is free from bondage through faith. There are many in the church who are of the physical descendants of Abraham, but there are many in the church who are not of that physical lineage, what we would call the nations, the Gentiles, but yet through faith, they are set free as well. And that is the symbolism of Sarah. Let's go to Galatians here, chapter 3, verse 26.

Galatians 3, verse 26. As we understand this, it brings the concept of being children of Abraham through faith now full circle. Galatians 3, verse 26 says, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, but you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. We are of the promise, through the promise. Jesus Christ ultimately was the promise that could make it possible for us, then, to be Abraham's seed, children of God, in the spiritual sense. So, brethren, you see how this particular allegory ties the Old and New Testaments together in unity. And that's only one example. There's many more. There's many more you could go through.

Point number two, second way, the Old and New Testament are tied together through unity, is through typology. Typology. Typology is the study of types and symbols in which one type represents another. Again, typology is the study of types and symbols in which one type represents another. We tend to call it type and anti-type, where there is a type in the Old Testament, and then we see the anti-type, the greater fulfillment of that type in the New.

We may not realize it, but we often reference types between the Old and New Testaments during the Spring Holy Days. It's actually a regular part of our teaching during that time. An example would be the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12. It was the perfect lamb that was to be killed, right, for the Passover sacrifice. The blood was to be put on the doorposts and on the lentil, and those who came under the protection of that blood, the firstborn, were protected from death.

So we understand that. Who was the New Testament Passover lamb a type of? Where do you find it?

We have to go to the New Testament to answer that question. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 6.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 beginning in verse 6.

Here Paul says, Your glory is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? It says, Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened, for indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.

The Passover of Exodus 12 was a type of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God.

You know, He is our Passover. He was sacrificed so that by faith we could come under His blood, be saved from death and bondage, according to spiritual Egypt, according to the ways and the sins of this world today. Again, Passover Lamb of Exodus 12, the type, Jesus Christ, the anti-type, the greater fulfillment and the spiritual fulfillment of the type from the beginning. A couple more examples we won't turn, but just to think about. Again, holy daytime in the spring holy days, we talked about delivery from bondage in Egypt, the Old Testament. God brought about the plagues and by power might, strength of hand, He brought Israel out of bondage from Egypt. That was a type of the delivery from bondage unto sin under the New Covenant. New Testament scriptures that reveal that to us. We go from being under bondage to this world's ways and to sin and we've been freed now to live according to God's call as slaves of righteousness. Again, you had type and the greater fulfillment. Last example I give you is that of circumcision. Under the Old Covenant, circumcision was a type pointing to what's the New Testament fulfillment? It's conversion. Circumcision of the heart. Again, conversion, the symbol of the covenant that we have made with God. And that list could go on and on. The unity of the Bible can be clearly seen through the expression of types binding the Old and New Testament together. And it's no coincidence it wasn't an accident, you know, it's not some clever devising of man that we somehow pull these things out of here. No, it's by God's inspiration in God's direction. The Bible is bound together in types. Point number three, another way in which God's word is bound together in unity, is through unity of promise and fulfillment. Unity of promise and fulfillment. Many prophecies given in the Old Testament are fulfilled or repeated in the New. Many prophecies given in the Old Testament are fulfilled or repeated in the New. Probably the greatest and most obvious, no probably about it, but the greatest and most obvious to us ought to be the prophecy and the fulfillment of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. We read earlier in Genesis 12 that the descendant of Abraham would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. The first Messianic prophecy in the Bible is recorded in Genesis 3, verse 15, going all the way back to the beginning. It's a thread that runs all the way through Scripture. We won't turn there, but Moses declared in Deuteronomy 18, verse 15, that the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, and him you shall hear. Again, Deuteronomy 18, 15. Built around so many sections of Scripture throughout the Bible is the promise and the fulfillment of the Messiah, and in addition to that, the promise and prophecy of what is yet to be fulfilled, but yet lies ahead in the future. We will turn to this one. Let's go to Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 6. Isaiah, chapter 9, beginning in verse 6, Messianic prophecy.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. Upon the throat of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. This is the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. You know, God will see that it is so. Prophecy in Jesus Christ. Brethren, this is not a stagnant prophecy or one that is limited in scope or fulfillment. It is forward-looking. It is ongoing. The increase of his government and peace will be no end.

It's continuous. Because of that, it's tied together as a thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation. Let's notice the New Testament example. This one that ties this together, Luke chapter 1 verse 30. Luke 1 verse 30. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. And he will be great. He will be called the son of the highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Again, the unity of promise and fulfillment. It's a means by which God has bound the Bible together in agreement. And it's a means by which, brethren, you and I can see the threads that run through and weave together the form, the tapestry, of the complete message that God has for us today.

Fourth point, fourth manner in which the Bible is bound together, in unity is through thematic unity. Thematic unity. Thematic unity is the unity of ideas. Some themes developed in the Old Testament are expanded in the New Testament.

Themes developed in the Old Testament are expanded in the New Testament. Now, one of Dr. Ward's favorites in this regard, and it's one he preaches on often, if you've ever listened to his sermons and on a consistent basis, almost every one of his sermons he talks about judgment, mercy, and faith. And he hammers the point home, and rightly so.

But one of his favorite points of thematic unity is judgment, mercy, and faith. In the online class, he showed how God wanted Israel to exercise judgment, mercy, and faith. And he wants us to exercise it in our lives as well.

I'm not necessarily going to go into the whole teaching on it, but I do want to show you the connection. Let's look at one scripture here in the Old Testament, Micah, chapter 6.

Micah 6.

Abadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum. Micah, chapter 6, and verse 6. It says, I ask the question, with what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousands rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul? In verse 8 comes the answer. It says, He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

And so we see here the concept introduced of what it is that God desires. You know, was it sacrifice? Was it fulfillment to the exact letter of the laws? Is that what God ultimately desired? He's shown you what is good, but the Lord requires of you justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Let's see the expansion of this New Testament. Matthew 23.

Matthew 23, verse 23. Hear the words of Jesus Christ. Matthew 23, Jesus is chiding the Pharisees for missing the mark by such a wide margin themselves.

Matthew 23, 23, Jesus says, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint, anise, and cumin, and you have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.

Here, Christ is showing that the principles of justice, mercy, and faith aren't perfected simply through the keeping of the law to the letter.

The law should be kept. The law is spiritual, and we must live by it.

But justice and mercy and faith go beyond simply the letter of the law. They come from the intent of the heart.

Justice, mercy, and faith ultimately is a heart matter.

Verse 24, Jesus brings this out, blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. It says, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. You know, they did what looked good. They kept the law. They counted the tide to the very last leaf to make sure nothing was left aside.

Yet Christ said, even at that, you're grossly missing the mark.

Verse 26, blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of den men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Again, thematic unity takes themes of the Old Testament and expounds on them and extends them in the new. Often, that extension is with a deeper understanding of the spiritual intent.

Now, the law given under the Old Covenant was to be obeyed, and it is still to be obeyed, but Christ said, you know what? It's a good thing not to commit adultery, but if you look at a woman and lust after her in your heart, it is adultery. You're not to murder your brother, but if you hate your brother in your heart, it is murder. It can be the expansion with the deeper spiritual understanding that these things are not simply the letter of the law. They are a matter of the heart.

If your heart is dedicated to God, your actions will follow.

Brother in the Bible is full of themes that run throughout Scripture from the first book to the last. We're still on thematic unity here. Genesis is a book that needs to be mastered. Because again, I brought out the fact that on a TV television series, what happens in the first season? So many of the plot lines are laid. The character attributes are developed. The first book of the Bible contains man's sin, the promise of the Messiah, salvation, redemption, Master's book of Genesis, and what is there in content. You'll see the threads as they run all throughout the Bible to Revelation. Just consider a few of these quickly.

Genesis, you have the creation of the heavens and the earth. The fact you have as well the recreation of the heavens and the earth after Satan's rebellion, all there within the first three verses of Genesis. Revelation, book of Revelation, John sees the new heavens and the new earth that will be. In Genesis, you have the result of Satan's rebellion, which was the earth without form and void. Go to Revelation. You see the results of Satan's final rebellion at the end of the millennium. Begin in Genesis. You see the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night. Go to Revelation. You see the new Jerusalem with no need for sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates it. And Jesus Christ the Lamb is its light.

Start in Genesis. You see the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. Go to Revelation. You find the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God.

Brother, these are themes that run all throughout Scripture. It's not that they're limited to Genesis and Revelation only. Again, these themes are like threads of a tapestry woven all throughout Scripture that when you see them and understand them, they form the picture that we're all supposed to understand and learn from. Each of these topics and many, many more you can find. And when you know where to look and how to look and you have God's inspiration through His Spirit, again, you see these threads across thousands of years. 66 books, 40 authors, and there's unity. These are just a few that are here and they're not hidden.

Thematic unity that runs through Scripture is an important element that binds God's Word together. Point five, final point for today. We could come up with more, I'm sure, but this is plenty. Point five, how Scripture is bound together. It's bound through progressive revelation. Progressive revelation. Some themes in the Old Testament continue to be revealed in the new.

Progressive revelation. Themes in the Old Testament that continue to be revealed in the new.

Example of that would be how will Israel come to be called the sons of God? How is it that Israel will come to be called the sons of God? Let's go to Hosea chapter 1.

Hosea 1. Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea. It's easy to get lost in the minor prophets at times. They're not minor because of the message. They're kind of minor in length, perhaps, and they're bundled together in a way that sometimes we can get lost up there. Important messages to consider there. Hosea, how is it that Israel will come to be called the sons of God? Hosea, we know the story. Hosea was told to take a wife of Harlotry. Hosea represented a type of God. Faithful. His wife was a type of what Israel had become. She was a harlot. She was unfaithful. Ran around.

And God had Hosea take this wife and bear children. Hosea chapter 1 and beginning in verse 6.

Hosea 1.6 says, Then she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him, Call her name, Lo Ruhama, which means no mercy. For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. Verse 7 is an inset chapter, basically saying that God will indeed have mercy on Judah for at least the length of time. Verse 8. Now when he had weaned, when she had weaned, Lo Ruhama, he conceived again and bore a son. And God said, Call his name, Lo Ami, for you are not my people, and I will not be your God.

So here God is putting Israel away because of their unfaithfulness to him.

Again, Israel ran around with other nations, with other gods. God said, You are not my people. I will not be your God. As the passage goes on, then God gives them a promise. A promise of deliverance, a promise that they once again will be his people, but there is a time span between when the promise is made and when the promise will be fulfilled. Verse 10, he says, Yet the number of the children of Israel, this is the promise, shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in that place where it is said to them, You are not my people. There it shall be said to them, You are the sons of the living God.

Again, this is the promise that is yet to be fulfilled from that point anyway.

But what is the fulfillment, ultimately? What is the fulfillment of this promise in Hosea? Well, we have to go to the New Testament to find out. Again, this is progressive revelation revealed in the Old, but expanded on in the New. Let's go to Romans 9.

Romans 9, verse 6. Here are the first few verses of Romans 9.6 to deal with Paul and his heavy hardness over the fact that the gospel went out. It went out to the Jews, the people of Judah, went out to the Israelites, scattered peoples around, and yet it produced very little fruit.

Some did respond, but by and large they did not. So the first part of Romans 9, Paul is heavy-hearted over that. But Romans chapter 9 and verse 6, Paul says, but it is not that the Word of God has taken no effect. You know, it went out there, and it wasn't that it just fell on the ground and didn't have any prophet. He says, For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel. What's he saying? Well, he's saying that the Israel of God, the spiritual Israel, is partly made up of people who are of the physical lineage of Israel, as well as people who are not. People from the nations, the Gentiles, have opportunity to be part of spiritual Israel, and they are not all Israel, who are of Israel. Verse 7, Nor are they all children, because they are the seed of Abraham. So you're not the children of spiritual Israel, just because you are of the physical lineage of Abraham, either.

That wasn't where the mark was set in that way.

They're not all children, because they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac, your seed shall be called. Isaac was the son of faith and promise. Their seed would be called in Isaac, because becoming a part of the spiritual Israel of God was not according to the flesh, such as Ishmael. It was according to faith in the promise.

Again, they're not all children, because they're the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac, your seed shall be called. But then it was by faith and promise that even the Gentiles could be called the son of God and part of the nation of Israel. Paul goes on to quote from Hosea in verse 25, still here in Romans 9. He says, also in Hosea, I will call them my people who were not my people, and her beloved who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people. They shall be called the sons of the living God. Here Paul's expressing the fulfillment of what Hosea was saying, in that the Gentiles now have been given God's Spirit. They've been drawn close. They've been made part of the Israel of God, which is that great nation. That God said, you know, their numbers would be as the sands of the sea, and He would be their God, and they would be His people. Even the Gentiles, by faith, are of that nation. The Israel of God is a nation according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. And that is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise that we find in Hosea. But again, you come to the New Testament to see that fully expressed and understood. Again, progressive revelation. Peter carries on with this theme, 1 Peter 2. Final passage we'll go to today. 1 Peter 2, verse 9.

1 Peter 2, 9. He says, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous life. Now notice the wording, verse 10. Who were once not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Again, going back to the meanings of the names of the children of Hosea. You were not the people, but now you are. You had not obtained mercy, but now you have. The process of becoming the Israel of God begins not with being a part of the physical nation, but with those who exercise faith in the promise of God and come under the blood of Jesus Christ. That is the fulfillment of the words of Hosea. Progressive revelation. Themes of the Old Testament, which continue to be revealed in the New. Rather than the Word of God, again, is incredible, bound together across time, across authors, but of the same spirit. I want to conclude with reminding us again of the five points of unity. Number one is allegory. Number two, typology. Number three, unity of promise and fulfillment.

Number four, thematic unity. Number five, progressive revelation.

Brother, if we keep these five points in mind and we remember who it is who inspired these words, we're going to go a long ways towards recognizing the threads that run through Scripture, the beautiful tapestry that God has woven together for us. That tapestry and that inspiration, which we call the unity of the Bible.