4 – THE BIBLE – A Wonderful Book
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
No one in their right mind would doubt that the Bible is a remarkable book. It has long been the number one best seller. Abraham Lincoln said of it, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man.” Charles Dickens described the New Testament as, “the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.” The Bible really is the most amazing book. These 66 books were written by some 40
authors over a period of about 1600 years. It covers events from creation to the late first century. The authors include kings, priests, prophets, fishermen, a tax collector, a tent maker and a doctor. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.
The Christian faith is not based on human ideas or natural
wisdom but on God’s revelation to mankind. What this means is that we cannot make up what we believe – we must listen and obey what God says. The Bible is a record of what God has said and done and is our direction for life – it is our final authority in matters of faith. It is in the Bible that we get a clear understanding of right and wrong. It is the Bible that we can turn to for guidance when we encounter difficult questions or when we are facing personal crisis. It is in the Bible where we find the truth about who God is, who we are and how He has bridged the gulf that is between us. It is our sure foundation.
Yet to many, even some Christians, the Bible remains a mental maze, a complex puzzle that defies understanding. So what is it? Where did it come from, and how did we get it?
The Bible is a God-breathed book
From (N.T) 2 Timothy 3:16 how is the ‘Scripture’ defined?
All Scripture is _________________________
What this means is that the Bible has its origin in God. The striking unity of the Bible also confirms that God Himself is its ultimate authority. We need to understand however what this does not mean.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE HEADINGS OR CHAPTER DIVISIONS ARE GOD-BREATHED.
These have been added and arranged to help us make our reading of the Bible a little bit easier.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY PART OF SCRIPTURE WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON US.
While all Scripture is God-breathed different parts of the Bible will have different effects on us. For example Romans 8 is more helpful and valuable to us than Numbers chapters 1&2. Both are God-breathed and equally reliable, but they were given for different purposes.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE WRITERS WERE TAKEN OVER AND MADE TO WRITE DESPITE OF THEMSELVES.
The writers of Scripture did not go into some kind of trance when they wrote. They were not like robots and they didn’t find that their pens developed minds of their own.
From (N.T) 2 Peter 1:21 answer the following questions:
Did prophecy have its origin in the will of man? ______________
How were men able to write the Scriptures? ________________________________________
So God the Holy Spirit was the source of the Bible and human writers were the agents. God moved through them and they recorded His truth completely free of error. The Bible then is God’s Word to us. God used inspired human writers to communicate God’s plans and purpose for us. This is what the phrase ‘God-breathed’ means. It comes from His mouth so to speak, it’s His Word.
The Bible is a two-part book
The Bible is like a library of 66 books divided into 2 main groups: The Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books).
To help us find our way around them, each book is divided into chapters and verses.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament begins with Genesis and ends with Malachi. Starting with creation, the Old Testament tells how God introduced Himself to great individuals like Enoch, Noah and Abraham. Then He showed more of Himself to Abraham’s growing family. Finally, He took the descendants, the nation of Israel and made them His special people. To them He gave the Ten Commandments and other laws, and to them He promised the Messiah. This became the way by which God would eventually reach all humanity.
Law
Genesis to Deuteronomy – 5 Books
History
Joshua to Esther -12 Books
Poetry
Job to Song of Solomon – 5 Books
Prophecy
Isaiah to Malachi -17 Books
The New Testament
The promised Messiah was Jesus. The New Testament records His life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the start of the church.
The books of Acts and the Letters (or Epistles) show how the church grew rapidly and how it coped with some of its early problems.
The last book – Revelation gives a glimpse into the future events yet to come especially; the return of Jesus Christ to earth and His final victory over sin and Satan.
Biography
Matthew to John – 4 Books
History
Acts -1 Book
Doctrinal
Romans to Jude – 21 Books
Prophecy
Revelation -1 Book
The Bible is a reliable book
The Bible is a book to be trusted. We can trust it and know for certainty that what it says is significant and necessary. It has physical, spiritual and eternal benefits.
Read (N.T) 1 Peter 1:24-25. Do you think the message of the Bible could become out of date? ___________ Why? _______________________________________________________
In (N.T) John 17:17, Jesus says to His Father. “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” From these words answer the following questions:
Can God’s Word be trusted? _________ Why?__________________________________
The Bible tells us how to be saved
From (N.T) John 5:39 who do the Scriptures speak about? _______________________
In (N.T) 1 John 5:13, we are told why 1 John was written? This is what it says. “I write these things to you who believe in name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
So why was it written? _____________________________________
Find (N.T) Acts 17:10-12. How did the Jews at Berea check up on Paul’s preaching? (v11) __________________________________________________________________________ What was the result? (v12) _______________________________________________________
The Bible tells us how to live
The Bible also speaks to us about all kinds of earthly and practical issues. For example it gives instruction on things like marriage, employment, children, youth, adults, the elderly, widows and orphans, government, how we are to relate to people and how we should treat one a another, social issues, the poor, wealth and riches and many other practical topics.
Turn to (N.T) 2 Timothy 3:16. What is the Bible useful or profitable for?
1) ___________________________________________ (Showing us what to believe)
2) ___________________________________________ (Showing us where we go wrong)
3) ___________________________________________ (Guiding us back to the right path)
4) ___________________________________________ (Showing us how to live as a Christian)
From (N.T) Acts 20:32, find one thing God’s Word can do for you?
_____________________________________________________________
Turn to (O.T) Psalm 119 and look at some of the different ways the Bible can help us.
1) In an impure world, God’s Word can help you stay pure (v9&11)
The Psalmist is saying that because of God’s Word you can avoid many pitfalls.
2) In a world of heartache and affliction, God’s Word will revive and renew your spirit (v92-93)
When you are discouraged, God’s Word will lift you up and give you hope.
3) In a world of hatred, ignorance and misunderstanding, God’s Word will make you wise, give insight and provide understanding (v24, 97-100 & 130)
As you read the Scriptures you will find answers and direction for the problems that confuse you.
From (N.T) James 1:22-25, what is the Bible like? It is like a ______________
When we do what the Bible shows us, what does God promise will happen to us? (v25)
_______________________________________________________
Like a true mirror, the Bible gives us a true picture of what we are like. It shows us where we need to change and what we should do.
The Bible is a book that deals with real issues, it teaches us how we ought to live in this world. It is a book that if heeded will reap benefits in your life. It holds rewards to its readers.
The Bible is a readable book
The Bible is a book that must be read. For all the reasons given already, there is only one way the Bible can benefit you and that is by reading it. It is the most fundamental way that God will speak to you. It is the Christians spiritual food and guiding light.
Getting the most from your Bible
In order for you to get the most from your Bible here is some advice that will help you.
Some Spiritual Advice
1. Pray First
The Bible is God’s book and we need His help to understand it.
2. Get rid of wrong attitudes
The apostle Peter has some good advice for you as you prepare to read the Bible. Read (N.T) 1 Peter 1:23-2:3 and answer the following questions. What are some of the wrong attitudes we are to get rid of?
(see 2:1) ___________________________________________________________________________
You won’t get much from reading your Bible if your relationship with God or other people is under a cloud. If there are matters that need putting right, do it without delay. Then you’ll find the Scriptures coming alive to you as you read.
3. Come with a desire
From 1 Peter 2:2 how are we to come to the Word of God? ______________________________________________________________________________
You’ve got to come with a hunger to the Bible, with a thirst and a desire for it, like that of ‘newborn babies.’ This is normal. If you have no appetite at all, something’s wrong.
4. Come with expectancy
Part of your hunger will be an expectant attitude. Expect the Lord to speak to you from His Word. Come to it with a willingness to be obedient to whatever He might say to you.
Some Practical Advice
1. Set aside a regular time to read the Bible
Just as we need regular meals to remain physically healthy, we also need to
feed regularly on God’s Word to remain spiritually healthy. It is important
therefore that you set aside regular time when you can read and meditate on Scripture. One of the best times to do this is during your prayer times that we looked at in our last lesson. Start by setting aside 15 minutes each day when you can find a quiet place to read the Bible and pray. Find a time that is best for you.
2. Don’t Rush – Read carefully
Parents often tell their hungry children to chew their food properly before swallowing it. It’s the same with God’s Word. Take time to chew over a sentence or a verse rather than rushing on to finish a section or chapter. Read a section several times to make sure you really understand it. Aim to get all the goodness out of every bite.
3. Follow a plan
It is good to have some kind of plan when reading the Bible. But don’t start with
Leviticus or Ezekiel. A better idea would be to start by reading the Gospels, the books that record the life of Jesus. Then you could try a few Psalms, which are songs of praise and prayer addressed to God. One of the New Testament letters would give you a different flavour, after which you could try some of the tasty morsels of wisdom from the book of Proverbs. You will possibly find yourself spending more time in the New Testament than the Old because, as a Christian, you are a New Testament person – a friend of Jesus whom the New Testament introduces. If you want to be more systematic you can get a One-Year Bible, which has the text of Scripture divided into 365 daily sections so that you can read the whole Bible in a year. Whatever method you adopt have a notebook handy so you can jot down the thoughts the Holy Sprit gives you as you read.
4. Read a Bible translation you are comfortable with.
There are lots of different Bible translations around today, so choose one you are comfortable with. Some of the most common ones are, The New International Version, The Good News Version, The Living Bible, English Standard Version and the Message Bible.
5. If you don’t understand – Ask
If there are things you don’t understand then ask. A Christian friend or a church minister should be able to help. Something else that will help you to learn and understand the message of the Bible is to make sure you attend regularly church services where you will hear the Bible being explained and expounded as it is preached. There are also various Bible reading booklets available that you can use when you read your Bible. The most popular are, ‘Scripture Union Bible Notes’,’ Every Day with Jesus’ and, ’Word for Today.’ These booklets will give you a few Bible verses to read with some short notes to help you understand the passage.
6. Try to apply what you read to your every day life
The truth is that you must apply the Bible and put it into practise otherwise it will not benefit you at all. We can read it and even believe it, but unless we practise it, it will not help us. From (N.T) Luke 11:28, what must we do if God’s Word is to be of any use to us?
_______________________________________________________________________________
God has revealed Himself to us, He has recorded His truth and preserved it through the centuries. If you ask, God will help you understand it. And if you put it into practise, it will change your life.
