HIS SIGWORK, Principle 7 of 10 - Whole Counsel of God

The Whole Counsel of God
+ A Bible Overview
Principle 7 of 10 Principles of Responsible Scripture Interpretation
Free Downloadable PDF of this Introduction

Scripture interprets Scripture
The Bible is a beautiful gem; each book in it is a facet reflecting onto the other books. Good translations allow us to see the connections and clear themes that tie the entire Bible into a beautiful whole. These connections let us know that a Master Orchestrator wrote the Bible through the hands of many individuals who lived hundreds of years apart! (For more on this subject, please see my paper HIS SIGWORK – Principle 8 of 10 – Original Languages and Bible Translations.)

Seeing the Beauty of the Whole for Yourself

Very soon after I was born again in 1980, an older lady suggested that I read the Bible in at least three sections at a time to see God’s working in the lives of people over a span of hundreds of years.

I will interject that before I met the Lord personally, I thought the Bible was boring, but after His Spirit invaded my life, I couldn’t put it down! In the early days, I divided the Bible into five sections and read for 10 minutes from each of these sections each day (a total of one hour):

• Genesis to Job
• Psalms to Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes to Malachi
• Matthew through John
• Acts through Revelation

As I read in this way, I began to see the “beauty of the whole.”

A Bible Overview Chart

My document entitled A Bible Overview – for personal and group study is a printed learning tool and may be viewed or purchased here at Flower Girl Greetings. This 6-page tool measures 8.5 x 11 inches when closed; it can be folded again to fit into your Bible.

I created this Bible Overview Chart over many years. It has helped me to grasp the Bible in its entirety. It is a perfect tool for serious students or for a friend who has never read the Bible and would like to grasp its message.

The inside chart of the Bible Overview tool contains the Bible’s timeline at a glance, so that you can see how each book relates to the entire Bible. All 66 books of the Bible are indicated with red letters. Here is what the chart contains:

• Starting at the top of the chart, the major Old Testament stories are listed in chronological order in the first three lines followed by a list of the judges.
• Next, the nation of Israel moved from a theocracy with judges to a monarchy with kings.
• Next, the monarchy divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. Each king in each of the two kingdoms is named, along with more details and the respective Bible references.
• Listed to the right of each kingdom are the prophets who spoke to those kingdoms. The themes of their messages are indicated with blue letters.
• Relevant empires and the New Testament are also included on this chart.

Along with the inside chart, two of the pages include a summary of the Bible that includes these sections – The Wooing God, Jesus Christ the Messiah, The Old and New Testaments, and How to Understand the Bible. I wrote this summary to minister to anyone who has asked, “What is the Bible about?”

Whether you use this Bible Overview tool or just read the Bible consistently each day, I know that God will pour out His revelation to you as you explore the beauty of His Word!

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.