The half brother of Jesus had much to say. (James 2:8) He talked about the danger of the tongue for teachers (James 3:1) He also defined "pure religion" (James 1:27).  There is one adjective he used that was absolutely consistent with the teaching of his Brother. It's in the Bible other places, but this description places a priority on its importance. He used it as an encouragement to others.  Christians can know that they are doing well when it's characteristic of their behavior.  

James 2:8   Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well
Praise God! 

Why is the Old Testament labeled "Old"?

Jesus quoted from the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 in Matthew 22:37. He then added a high ethic.  "Love your neighbor as yourself".  One of the ways we can follow the command of Jesus is to understand how he fulfilled the law.  Because of what Christ has done we are able to fulfill the command, "love your neighbor as yourself". The more we think about God, the more our minds can assure affirm our understanding. He gave humans the gift of critical thought.  We can worship Him with our minds. May you be blessed as you THINK about Him. Praise God! 

When Jesus rose from the dead in AD 33 and then ascended into heaven, he left His disciples with a mission and a simple command.  The mission is clearly stated in  Matthew 28:19-20.  The command is in Acts 1:8.  After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), the disciples went to the world with the best news ever.  A church was established in Antioch (Acts 11:26).  The disciples used a Greek Translation of the Old Testament (LXX) and then as the New Testament was written down it was translated by Jerome into Latin. As the Good News reached more and more people, following the great Reformation, we were able thanks to William Tyndale to read the Bible in OUR language, English.  The next time you contemplate giving to missions, remember this.  We were once the mission field and now we enjoy the Revelation of God's will, the Bible because someone dared to give, sacrifice, work and preach so that we could hear it.  Praise God! 

The Bible is the best selling book of all time.  We know we should read it but it brings challenges that we have to take into account.  First, it's written in 2 languages.  The New Testament is written in Greek which was spoken in the first century while the Romans occupied the fertile crescent. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew.  Hebrew and Greek are vastly different from each other.  Greek reads left to right like English, Hebrew reads right to left.  Greek has vowels, Hebrew doesn't. In fact the Greek speakers in the time of Jesus used a GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.  They had their own translation of the Bible. We refer to this translation as the Septuagint the label for it is LXX.  Who cares? When we know that the NT was written in Greek and the OT was written in Hebrew, we can appreciate the different issues involved in interpreting and translating the the texts into English.  If the New Testament authors had to rely on a translation of the Hebrew into Greek for the the Old Testament, how much should modern believers get the best English translation?  Praise God! 

There are 66 books in the Protestant Bible.  27 in the New Testament and 39 in the Classic (Old) Testament.  There are different types of literature such as historical narrative, poetry, instructional, and apocalyptic.  It's important when you come to such a vast collection of books that one learns to zoom out.  There are 40 different authors.  While the writing of the Bible took a span of over 1500 years, the time span that the books cover is at least 4100 years.  There are 2 major events in the Old Testament, the Exodus and the Exile.  Looking at an overview or big picture of the Bible helps you find how to contextualize the content of it. When we understand the big picture, we can see what one scholar referred to as the "Scarlet Thread" through Scripture.  It's redemptive. God wants a relationship with His people and He sent His son to save them.  Praise God! 

The book of Acts is the gateway to understanding the New Testament epistles. Paul wrote `13 of them.  The backstory brings context and understanding.

Did you know there is a "self-destruct" verse in the Bible?  There is.  It's even in the New Testament! Paul the Apostle was clear on the absolute logical value of Christian faith.  We get most of our strong theology about Christ from his inspired writings.  1 Corinthians 15 is a masterpiece of logic and reasoning.  It's in this chapter where Paul gives this point:
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
Whoa!  Do you know of ANY other world religion that has that kind of thinking in it?  Christianity tells the truth.  We believe Jesus died and rose again physically from the dead, but we are also honest enough to say if He didn't, then nothing else is true.  Wow.  That's a strong logical position to take!  Paul continues in verse 18:
18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
From here, he asserts the point of the passage:
1Cor. 15:20    But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
Christians are free to think, and free to believe!  Praise God! 

The book of Psalms is unique because most of them used to be sung rather than read.  I have always thought that it's a tragedy that we don't know the melodies used.  One place where the rhythm and response of the writer comes through with great clarity.  It's in the longest psalm.  Psalm 119 was written in acrostic fashion with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet becoming the first letter of each phrase in order.  This helped the hearers remember in association with the Hebrew alphabet.  I find this really interesting, but since I only know enough Hebrew to be dangerous, it's the literary expression that conveys the meaning.  The author is thinking about the Law of the Lord and how he or she wants to communicate the value of it to the next generation.  Their explanation conveys it all.  It's in the middle of the Psalm at verse 97 or the "M" part of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psa. 119:97       Oh how I love your law!
        It is my meditation all the day.
​
May our attitude toward Scripture be the same!  Praise God!

The Bible has been digitized thousands of times.  There are also tremendous helps online to quickly organize and emphasize the content of Scripture.  One of these is a great bridge between the digital world of quick study, and the tactile (and necessary) world of paper. 
Teach Sunday School is a site that has multiple, and dare I say beautifully organized tables and lists that will help any teacher of God's word.  Use it for your Small group, Bible study, youth or any other age or interest demographic group out there. Teach Sunday School will enhance your mastery of Scripture and your ability to communicate it to others.  I bought my packet of materials and thought you might find it helpful too. Praise God!