Why do we have chapters and verses in the Bible?

The Bible wasn’t originally written with chapter and verse numbers. Those came much later. Chapter divisions were added in the 13th century by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, largely as a tool for navigation and reference. The verse numbers we use today were added in the 16th century and appeared for the first time in a complete printed Bible in 1560.

These divisions have been enormously useful — try finding a passage without them. But they can also lead us to read individual verses as though they stand alone, separated from the larger story God is telling. A verse like Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you ...”) lands very differently when you read the full chapter. Chapters and verses are helpful road signs, but the Word itself is one continuous, connected message of Law and Gospel.

Scripture calls God our Father. What does that mean for how He relates to us?

The image of God as Father runs throughout Scripture, and it is always tender. In Deuteronomy 1:31, Moses reminds Israel that God carried them through the wilderness “as a man carries his son.” That image — a father lifting a weary child — captures something essential about who God is to us. Through faith in Christ, that relationship becomes even more personal. Jesus calls Him our Father, and Scripture goes so far as to call Jesus our brother (Hebrews 2:11) — which means we are welcomed into the same family, the same inheritance, the same love.

What’s the difference between a disciple and an apostle?

The terms are related but not interchangeable. Disciple simply means “learner or follower” — Jesus had many disciples throughout His ministry, and in a broad sense, all Christians are disciples. Apostle means “one who is sent” and refers to those specifically appointed and commissioned by Christ to proclaim the Gospel with unique authority. The Twelve are the clearest example, but Paul also carries the title — not because he walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, but because the risen Christ appeared to him directly and called him (Acts 9, Galatians 1:1). Lutherans understand the apostolic office as historically unrepeatable: The apostles laid the foundation of the church through their eyewitness testimony and their writings, which we now have as Scripture. The church is still apostolic but in the sense that it remains faithful to what the apostles taught, not that the office continues.

A note from the Editor ...

In our letters to the editor section, we would like to answer any and all questions that you have about Scripture, aging well, and our ministry. Please send your questions to editor@worshipanew.org. Please know that we will try to answer as many questions as we can. Thank you and enjoy!