Application Questions Each chapter features application questions intended to help you apply what you are learning to your life.

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1 Introduction Welcome to Jumpstart! Whether you are a new believer in Jesus, renewing your relationship with God, seeking a refresher on the basics of your faith, or just have honest questions about Jesus and the Bible, I hope you will benefit from our study guide. Here are a few things you need to know about the study guide up front: What Are You Talking About? This study guide is all about the basics. It consists of six chapters that focus on answering six foundational questions about God, humanity, and life: 1. What is the Bible? 2. Who is God? 3. Who am I? 4. What is the gospel? 5. What is the church? 6. How can I grow? Chat with Friends or Dig in Alone The study guide is useable for facilitating both small group discussion and personal study. You can go through one section a day for five days as you work through one chapter per week, or you can take your time and set your own pace. Mind- stretching Goodness The study guide covers some words and concepts that can be a little intimidating for people who are just starting out studying the Bible. If you come to a concept or section you have a hard time understanding, don t freak out or allow yourself to get discouraged! Everyone starts at the same place when it comes to learning about the Bible the beginning. No question is a dumb question. No question is illegitimate. In general, you will find the concepts in the study guide are explained simply and concisely. You will also have a chance to ask additional and clarifying questions you may have in your small group. There is also a Going Deeper blip at the end of each chapter. These blips highlight other resources you can purchase for further study on each topic covered in the course. Application Questions Each chapter features application questions intended to help you apply what you are learning to your life. Impact Points Impact Points are particularly meaningful insights you receive while studying the topics in the study guide. Each chapter contains a spot where you can write down impact points to discuss with your small group, friend, or spiritual leader. You can also use them to talk over with Jesus in personal prayer.

2 Additional Questions As you think and pray through the topics covered in the study guide, you are going to have more questions for which you want answers. Sometimes you may end up with more questions than answers after studying a section in the study guide. Questions are good. When you read and study the Bible you are actually tuning in to the voice of God. And the questions that come to your mind are often divine invitations for you to come back and listen to Him again through reading and studying the Bible more in the future. To encourage you to continually return to the Bible to hear from God afresh, the study guide contains an Additional Questions space at the end of each chapter. There, you can write down questions that come up in light of what you re studying to discuss in your small group, or pray over at a later time. Before You Start Get a Good Bible The scriptural quotations in the study guide are all taken from the New King James Version, so that would be the best Bible version to use as you work through the content. However, the most important thing is to pick and use a Bible that works for you. Choose one that is readable and easy to handle. You want to use one that you feel comfortable writing in and beating up a little bit. You can always ask your pastor(s) for assistance in picking a good Bible. Find a Good Space If you need a quiet setting to study and think effectively, find it. If you like a little background noise while you read and study maybe a public place or room in your house with some low music is a good study place for you. A common mistake Christians make is thinking there is a right or wrong model for doing a personal Bible study. The right model for you is the one that works for you. Some people enjoy the atmosphere of a busy coffee shop in the background while they meet with God in Bible study. Others need silence and solitude. Stay- at- home moms usually fit Bible study in whenever the busyness of life with kids allows. The context you study in isn t as important as the act of study. So pick the space and time that works for you and God, and get into the Bible. Remember What You re Doing When you pray as a believer in Jesus, God hears you. When you read the words of the Bible, the God of all creation is entering into conversation with you. An absolute miracle takes place when someone reads the pages of Scripture and responds to what they read in prayer God and human beings are having a conversation. There is nothing more amazing than that. It is helpful to remember that you are engaging with God relationally when you pray and study the Bible. Pray The Bible is unlike any other book. The full meaning of its message cannot be understood apart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, God wants to have an interactive relationship with you. For both of these reasons, it is good and helpful to

3 pray every time you study or read the Bible. First, you need God to enable you to understand the full meaning of Scripture. And second, He wants you to depend on Him and talk through the meaning of Scripture with Him. Praying something as simple as, God, help me to understand and apply exactly what you want me to from the part of the Bible I am reading today is completely sufficient. Say it your own way, but invite God to help you understand His Word. He is the best Bible teacher anyway. Be Consistent Everyone gets busy. God knows every detail of your life. Don t beat yourself up if you aren t able to have a two- hour Bible study time every day. Your Bible is a gift from God that He intends to be a blessing to you and a tool for growth in your relationship with Him. God doesn t shame you when the pressures of life prevent you from studying the Bible as much as you would like. Having said that, God s grace is never an excuse for laziness. He wants to meet with you as you study His Word. It is important for your spiritual growth that you be as consistent as you can with Bible study. Similarly, consistency in working through this study guide in a timely manner is crucial as well if you want to benefit from it as much as possible.

4 CHAPTER 1 What Is the Bible? Section 1 A primary way God reveals Himself to humanity is through a supernatural book known as the Bible. When we say the Bible is supernatural we are referring to the fact that the ultimate origin and author of the Bible is God Himself. The three words Christians use to explain their view of the Bible are inspired, inerrant, and authoritative. Each of those words say something very unique and special about the Bible. Let s take some time to define each one: The Bible Is Inspired Christians believe that God inspired the very words the human writers of the Bible used when they originally wrote the Scriptures. That is exactly how the apostle Paul described the nature of the Bible to a young pastor and his friend named Timothy: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV) Did you catch the full impact of what you just read? All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, according to Paul. The phrase by inspiration of God literally has the idea of God- breathed. If that s true, the Bible you read is an amazing gift! The Process of Inspiration What did the process look like when God gave the message of the Bible to the men who wrote it? This is how the apostle Peter described it: 20 no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21 NKJV) When God communicated the Bible s message to the human authors He chose, they weren t sitting around trying to come up with a new religion. God initiated the writing of the Bible. He wanted the world to know about His love for humanity. So He moved His chosen authors through the influence of the Holy Spirit to write the Scriptures. Throughout the more than 1,500 plus years over which the Bible was completed, God was actively overseeing every step of the process, ensuring that they wrote precisely what He wanted communicated to humanity. The human authors of the Bible didn t merely go on auto- pilot when God inspired them to write Scripture. God used the unique personalities and writing style of each man He

5 used to write the Bible. This is why the Bible is so diverse in literary style from book to book. And yet, in the diversity of the Bible s structure and style there is a beautiful unity that shines through. God made sure that only His words and intended meanings were communicated through each person. The Bible Is Inerrant Because God is perfect, everything He says is true and perfect. God never misspeaks. Everything He says is without error. Since a perfect God who doesn t make mistakes is the one who inspired the Bible, the Bible itself contains no mistakes. This is what Christians mean when they say the Bible is inerrant. The Bible on Inerrancy The Bible itself claims that it is without error: A. Isaiah Taught Inerrancy Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. (Isaiah 34:16 NKJV) B. Jesus Taught Inerrancy the Scripture cannot be broken. (John 10:35 NKJV) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18 NKJV) C. Paul Taught Inerrancy All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV) The Bible Is Authoritative As the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the Bible is also authoritative over our lives. The Book on Life Many people who are living in confusion about their purpose wish they could find a book life. That is exactly what you have in the Bible. It shows you how to live life as it was meant to be. The apostle Peter explained it this way: His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises... (2 Peter 1:3-4a NKJV; emphasis added)

6 The Authoritative Book on Spiritual Truth Some people search their entire lives for a tool to help them discern between true sources of spirituality, and hurtful sources of religion and spirituality. That is what God intends the Bible to be for you. On the positive side, the Bible is the book of spiritual truth. It will never misguide as you seek to understand God, yourself, and life. On the negative side, ignoring or perverting the teaching of the Bible can result in deadly consequences. Speaking of the danger of misusing the Bible, the apostle Peter said, untaught and unstable people twist (them) to their own destruction... (2 Peter 3:16 NKJV; parenthesis added) Here are the facts: The message of the Bible is liberating because it is the only trustworthy source of spiritual truth in a world full of spiritual confusion. But on the other side of the coin, the Bible is sobering. If it is what it claims to be then its message cannot be ignored or perverted without tragic consequences. APPLICATION 1. What have you looked to for authority in your life to this point? 2. What part has the Bible played in forming your thoughts on life and morality? 3. What practical things can you do to make sure you are able to consistently meet with God as you read and study the Bible?

7 Section 2 Give Me Proof Inspired, inerrant, and authoritative? Christians make some pretty big claims about the Bible! At this point you might be thinking, I want some proof. That is absolutely natural and legitimate. The good news for you is that there is plenty of evidence to consider. And the evidence available to us demonstrates conclusively that the Bible truly is God s supernatural book. Consider the following lines of evidence: The Bible s Internal Consistency Imagine for a moment that 40 people from America, China, and Mexico were randomly selected to co- author a book. Twenty were from America and spoke English, ten from China who spoke Chinese, and ten from Mexico who spoke Spanish. The authors in each country never had the opportunity to meet each other. Now imagine that the publisher of the book expected the authors to put together a book that was one unified work, with a consistent cast of characters and the same plot from beginning to end. But during the project they weren t allowed to talk, share notes, learn each other s language, or plan the story together. How successful in their writing project do you think they would be? You probably would not expect them to be very successful, right? You know what s incredible? Those are almost the exact circumstances through which the Bible came to exist. The Bible was written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Bible was written by 40 different authors who lived on three different continents, over a period of more than 1,500 years. Most of the authors never met each other. And yet, amazingly, the Bible is one consistent story from beginning to end. The plot, characters, and central theme remain the same from beginning to end. For further perspective on how significant the Bible s internal consistency is, consider JR Tolkien s The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Tolkien was arguably one of the greatest fiction authors of all time. His books are read and enjoyed by thousands across the globe. What many people don t know is that Tolkien had to complete nearly a dozen revisions to achieve internal consistency between the three books in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Again, don t miss that. Tolkien was a literary genius. And even though he was the sole author of his books, he had to revise them multiple times to make the story lines consistent! So again, in contrast, how is it that the Bible, with so many different authors and varied circumstances through which it was written, came to be a single, complete, and unified book? The only plausible answer is that there was truly one Author in operation behind all other 40 human authors who wrote the Bible. Inspiring them all throughout the ages was God Himself.

8 APPLICATION 1. Have you thought of the Bible as a collection of disconnected stories, or a unified book with one theme? 2. How does the unity (internal consistency) of the Bible impact you? 3. What books or stories have you valued most in life outside the Bible? How do they compare to the Bible in terms of how they came to be completed?

9 Section 3 The Bible s Scientific Accuracy In our day and age, many think the Bible is full of scientific inaccuracies. The truth is that the Bible is completely ahead of its time and in a class of its own among ancient manuscripts when it comes to science. Scientists have been playing catch- up to the Bible for hundreds of years. Below is a small list of areas in which the Bible was proven to be ahead of the game in scientific discovery: A. The Cosmos The Bible declared the earth s shape to be a sphere around 700 BC. It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22 NKJV) The scientific community widely believed the earth was flat until the fifteenth century. This means the Bible was 2,200 years ahead of human scientists. The Bible declared the earth to be suspended in space with nothing physical holding it in around 900 BC. He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. (Job 26:7 NKJV) For centuries humans believed the earth was being held up by animals, gods, or super- humans. The Bible declared the stars to be innumerable at least six thousand years ago. Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be. (Genesis 15:5 NKJV) Modern science didn t accept this fact until the sixteenth century AD. At that time Galileo made a big enough telescope to see how many more stars exist than had previously been thought. B. The Waters The Bible declared the existence of valleys in the seas in the ninth century BC. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. (2 Samuel 22:16 NKJV) Modern science didn t begin to accept this fact until the eighteenth century AD.

10 The Bible declared the existence of springs and fountains in the sea at least six thousand years ago. In the six hundredth year of Noah s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:11 NKJV) When He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep. (Proverbs 8:28 NKJV) The scientific community first acknowledged this fact in The Bible declared the existence of water paths (ocean currents) in the seas in the sixth century BC. The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:8 NKJV) The scientific community first acknowledged their existence in the nineteenth century AD. C. Reproduction The Bible declared the fact that all living things reproduce after their own kind at least six thousand years ago. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 NKJV) And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. (Genesis 6:19 NKJV) The scientific community has a hard time keeping reproduction this simple. D. Thermodynamics The Bible declared the Law of Entropy (that energy is running down) before the sixth century BC. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them; and they will be changed. (Psalm 102:26 NKJV) The scientific community only embraced this fact in the nineteenth century AD.

11 APPLICATION 1. What kinds of things have you heard people say about scientific statements in the Bible? 2. What surprised you most about the scientific statements the Bible recorded so far ahead of its time? 3. How does reading the small sample of scientific statements from the Bible above affect your confidence in the Bible s trustworthiness?

12 Section 4 The Bible s Fulfilled Prophecies Fulfilled prophecy is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible. The Bible truly has no rivals among other ancient writings when it comes to specific, detailed, confirmed, fulfilled prophecy. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophecies during His thirty- three years on earth. The writers of the New Testament were eyewitnesses who knew Jesus personally and were acquainted with the prophecies made about Him in the Old Testament. In their writings they explain many biblical prophecies they had the privilege of seeing fulfilled before their very eyes as they took part in the life and ministry of Jesus. Though He fulfilled over 300, scholars point out that the odds of Jesus fulfilling just 48 of 61 major prophecies are 1 in (that s one with 157 zeros behind it). Yes, that is a TON of zeros! What the math is telling us is that it is virtually impossible that Jesus could fulfill all those prophecies if He wasn t the Person the prophecies were actually about. The Top 5 Check out the uniqueness and accuracy of the following list of just five of the major prophecies Jesus fulfilled: 1. The Bible prophesied that the Messiah would be born to a virgin: A. Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." The eyewitnesses recorded: B. Matthew 1:18, 25: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary...was found with child of the Holy Spirit...and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS." 2. The Bible prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. The eyewitnesses recorded: Matt 2:1: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem." 3. The Bible prophesied that the ministry of the Messiah would be preceded by a specific messenger: Isaiah 40:3: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"

13 The eyewitnesses recorded: Matthew 3:1-2: "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'" 4. The Bible prophesied that the Messiah s side would be pierced in His execution: Zechariah 12:10: And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." The eyewitnesses recorded: John 19:34: "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." 5. The Bible prophesied that the Messiah would be executed by crucifixion: Psalm 22:16-18: "For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." The eyewitnesses recorded: Luke 23:33: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left." John 19:33: "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." John 19:23-24: "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes...they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. APPLICATION 1. What kinds of ideas have you held or heard about Bible prophecy in the past? 2. What was the most interesting prophecy you read about in this section? 3. How does getting a glimpse of the accuracy of Bible prophecy regarding the biblical Jesus make you respond to Him?

14 Section 5 The Reliability of Modern Bibles In response to the claim that the Bible is God s perfect supernatural book, many suggest that the Bible is full of errors and contradictions. But like the claim that the Bible is full of scientific inaccuracies, this claim is also completely refuted by the evidence available today. Many ancient copies of the Bible have been discovered all over the Middle East, Europe, and Africa which prove that the Bible you read today contains the same content as the Scriptures used by Christians through the ages. New Testament Manuscript Evidence The original copies of the New Testament were written in ancient Greek. Nearly 6,000 Greek copies of the New Testament writings alone have been discovered. Additionally, over 20,000 New Testament manuscripts written in other languages have been discovered, bringing a total of nearly 25,000 manuscripts. Many of the manuscripts discovered were written within 100 years of the initial completion of the New Testament. Between the vast numbers of discovered copies, there is less than 2% variance (differences). That means that 98% of the discovered manuscripts are exactly the same when compared to each other. The vast majority of the differences that make up the remaining 2% are minor issues of grammar and punctuation. No major doctrines are contradicted between the copies. Gospel Connection The Bible isn t merely a book of moral stories or religious rules and regulations. The Bible is all about Jesus Christ, and what we call the Gospel. From beginning to end it shows the greatness of Jesus Christ, His love for a broken world full of broken people, and the good news of His plan to save them. This means that as you study the Bible you should continually ask yourself, How does this portion of Scripture reveal Jesus to me? A. Jesus on the Bible s Theme Luke 24:44: Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. John 5:39-40: You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. B. John on the Bible s Theme John 1:45: Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

15 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10 NKJV) APPLICATION 1. What have you heard about contradictions and errors in the Bible? 2. How did learning a little about the manuscript evidence for the Bible comfort or challenge you? 3. How should the truth that the Bible is all about Jesus from beginning to end change how you read and interpret Scripture? IMPACT POINTS Write down the insights from this chapter that most impacted you and discuss them with your small group ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS Write down any questions you have about the content of this chapter, or additional questions you thought of as you went through it. Discuss these questions in your small group GOING DEEPER These are some resources you can purchase on your own to learn more about the Bible. 1. A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix 2. How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot