You know I have said it before but it is worth saying again. I have been taught that repetition is a good way of emphasising your point. It is certainly the way the Hebrews and the Greeks did it. So just as Paul uses these terms, that includes everyone. There are either Jews or Greeks. Circumcised or uncircumcised. So for all of you Greek, Non-Jewish uncircumcised ones out there MAKE SURE YOU READ ACROSS CHAPTER BOUNDARIES. The boundary between Romans 5 and Romans 6 is a classic case. Romans 6:1 is dependent on what went before in Chapter 5. If we don’t read it in one sitting or if we allow ourselves to stop at the chapter boundary and then start fresh and anew again the next day we will miss the point.
Make sure you are always looking at what has gone before and what is ahead when you are faced with understanding something in the text of the Bible. The Bible is a complete work: 66 books written by 40 different authors over a period of 1500 – 2000 years (depending on the dates set for the older Old Testament writings) – all of which hangs together as one. Expect each book to make sense and to follow themes and purposes which make up the sense units. Look at Bible Gem 21, Gem 68 and Gem 70 among others. We have seen already that often we have to look for the clue to understanding something in one book by searching in another book (especially those from the Old Testament). The whole of the Bible hangs together.
I trust it will be enough to remind you that the Bible opens in Genesis with a “garden” , “ river” , “fruit” and the “blessings and life flowing” . Note that it closes in Revelation with the same themes. Do you think that is a coincidence? No I don’t think so. Learn to look for the connections. Your understanding of the Word of God will increase dramatically when you do. I was especially privileged that when I did my Bible College course I was allowed to do something that no-one else after was allowed to do. I was allowed to do 1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year Old Testament all in the same year. The same thing happened to me in my 2nd year of Bible College where I was privileged to do that same thing again for New Testament. That included doing the preliminary courses for Hebrew and Greek before starting each year of full study. It meant that during my studies I was able to do the introductory course at the same time I was doing the 2nd year intermediate papers and the third year exegesis in the original languages all at the same. I was seeing connections all over the place, every day.
Believe me when I say the Bible is one big sense unit. All of it goes together. It was designed by God and put together by Him even though it is was written by 40 different people over so long a period of time. It was orchestrated by God. Pay attention to its detail and expect all of it to make sense and be connected.
The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.
Anonymous
Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.
James 1:22
Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
Mark Twain