ORDER IN SCRIPTURE

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of SCRIPTURE is of any private interpretation” – 2 Peter 1:20

The DIVINE ORDER IN SCRIPTURE is worthy of examination: “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet.1: 20-21). Everything about the Bible – the Holy Scriptures – shows a Divine Intelligence, Plan and Order. Nothing is arbitrary about Scripture. God’s Word is orderly: it has a systematic arrangement; is marked by and adheres to a structure; and is devoid of confusion. It is not chaotic, complicated, disorganized or disorderly. The Bible reveals the God of Order. Genesis One describes the order and precision God put into creation – evidence of a Master Designer.

Noah received precise instructions of how to construct the Ark and how many and what kinds of animals to place in it (Gen.6). The Priests were given precise instructions of how to conduct worship and sacrifice (Lev.2:2). Gideon followed God’s precise instructions and three hundred soldiers defeated one hundred and thirty five thousand in battle (Jud.7:7). In the New Testament: the Church is described as a Body – a system with functional organs (1Cor.12:12). Let’s imagine the intricacies of the Human Body – the amazing labyrinth of muscles, nerves, and organs – a picture of Systematic Complexity! Every tiny nerve has a profound function. That’s how wonderfully structured the Church, the Body of Christ is!

The Bible reflects similar uniqueness in plan and order. There is no other book, sacred or religious, like it. Composed of 66 books, and written over 1,500 years on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) by more than forty authors, the order and harmony of Scripture remain wonders. The Bible was written by people from diverse backgrounds and in various conditions. Some wrote from palaces, others from prisons, some in exile, and still others during their missionary journeys. They had different education and occupations. Some, like Moses, were destined to be kings or, like Daniel, to serve in high positions. Others were simple shepherds. Some were youth and others quite old. The variety of authors, locations, and backgrounds provide a unique testimony that God works to communicate His message to people as culturally diverse as they may be.

The Bible is unique in its content and message, focusing on God’s redemptive acts in history, intertwined with prophecy concerning the future of God’s plans and His eternal kingdom. Through the vast historical, literary, and stylistic diversity emerges a unified message of how God saves sinners. This is not an assemblage of mere philosophical or moral messages, but the gripping account of the plan of redemption promised, accomplished, and applied by God Himself. God is at work on the stage of history, and with sovereign mastery unfolds an intricate plot that captures the birth, life, death, and resurrection of history’s Protagonist – Jesus Christ. In its multi-coloured splendour, Scripture speaks with one voice, uniformly declaring the redemptive grace centred in Jesus Christ – the only sinless Man, the very Son of God, and the Saviour of sinners!

This Book of books is marked by stooping grace: God enters the human context, accomplishes redemption and speaks in comprehensible words to explain it. Despite the different writers, what is common is that they were all called by God and inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is therefore the Living Word of God, because the same Spirit of God Who inspired the writers of Scripture now guides believers into all truth as we study the Word (Jh.14:16-17; 15:26; 16:13; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

The Bible rewards those who diligently and prayerfully apply the Word to life – at home, at work, and in life’s relationships. Through the discovery and influence of Order in Scripture, we are stirred to put the same into our life’s environments and settings, and in turn receive peace beyond human comprehension, greater fruitfulness, stability, Illumination, and Kingdom Impact: “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (v.19).