The Bible: God s Perfect Word

Transcription

1 Lesson 1 The Bible: God s Perfect Word In embarking on a journey of the study of basic doctrines of the faith, we must start with the foundation of our beliefs itself, the Bible. We must have the conviction that it alone is the infallible source of truth from God, and that everything we believe and teach concerning the Christian life must be grounded firmly in the Word of God. The Reformers called this conviction, in Latin, Sola-Scriptura. That is, Scripture alone is the foundation of all truth. Nothing can contradict it, take away from it, or add to it. Any teaching that cannot be proven by Holy Scripture, either expressly or by implication, cannot be taught as binding or obligatory upon the people of God. So as we begin to study basic doctrines, let us begin with analyzing the Bible itself as the foundation of our teachings. THE BIBLE HAS NO EQUAL There is no other book on earth like the Bible. No other book has been printed so much, read so much, translated into so many languages, talked about so much, transformed so many lives, and has had a steady history of popularity among men such as the Bible. The Bible contains God s revelation to man about the history of redemption and the truth of salvation. While it includes many different subjects and applications, the main intention of the Bible is to reveal to us who God is and how we can come to know Him and please Him. Therefore Christ as Savior is the main subject of all Scripture, as He Himself said: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. John 5:39 A famous old saying gives us a summary of what the Bible is: The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents. i THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD The Bible is Inspired, Inerrant, and Sufficient. The Bible claims to be God s Word. More than 2,000 times in the Old Testament, God Himself claims to be speaking. In the New Testament, the phrase the Word of God occurs at least 40 times! ii 1

2 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 This means that all Scripture is breathed out by God. Because its origin is in God Himself who is the Supreme Being of the universe, the Scriptures contain all the authority of God. Every part of Scripture is useful to teach us about God, to rebuke us when we go astray, to correct us when we re in error, and to instruct us so we can know how to live a life fully pleasing to the Lord in all things. In order to truly know and walk with God, man does not need anything more than the revelation of the Holy Scriptures made alive by the personal illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is sufficient in all matters of faith, and has no equal. We don t need to look outside of the revelation of the Bible in order to find information that will teach us how to be blameless before God (Psa. 119:1). Furthermore, it teaches us how to be equipped fully to effectively serve the Lord as the people of God, and is sufficient for training us in Godliness. It is not only inspired but is also inerrant, therefore it is perfect and without error or contradiction. It is true not only in the realm of faith, but also in science, history, archeology, astronomy, and in all things in which it speaks. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:20-21 This means that the Holy Scriptures didn t originate in the mind of men, but in the mind of God. They didn t come to us by men who wrote down what they interpreted the will of God to be, but the prophets spoke and wrote the Scriptures as they were carried along and inspired directly by God Himself. It was not just good men or really religious men that wrote the Scriptures according to what they believed was true. The Holy Spirit used the minds and hearts of chosen men as His instruments and gave supernatural revelation to them and carried them along with the winds of divine inspiration to write the words which God was speaking through their unique characteristics, situations and experiences. God used human instruments to record His Word without violating their personalities or styles of language, but He Himself is the Author of all Scripture. iii The Bible is Understandable and Clear. Many claim that the Bible is too hard to understand, and that anyone who tries to understand it is just acting foolish. Sometimes, in support of their erroneous views, they will quote a difficult or obscure verse of Scripture in an attempt to demonstrate that we shouldn t even try to understand the Bible. However, the truth is that the things in Scripture which are important and essential to know are very clearly stated in such a simple way, that even the simple (those who lack knowledge and wisdom) can understand them and gain wisdom which leads to eternal life from them. The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalms 19:7b The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Psalms 119:130 The most important things of Scripture, such as the truths which relate to the attributes of God, the Person and work of Jesus Christ, the plan of redemption and the way of salvation are made abundantly clear in the Scriptures. In fact, Jesus Himself suggested that even children can understand the most essential truths of God and be saved (Mat. 19:14). The apostle John tells us that we don t need any man to teach us the truth of God s Word, because the Holy Spirit will illuminate our understanding and lead us into all truth (1 John 2:27). However, it is true that some things are hard to understand, as even the apostle Peter admitted (2 Pet 3:15-16). Yet, we don t need to be discouraged by difficult passages, because the ones that are clear give us enough light to walk with God. The Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16), is so abundantly clear in Scripture that God commands all men to believe and obey it, and those who don t are left without excuse before His throne of judgment (see Acts 17:30-31). 2

3 FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE - The Bible contains a total of 66 books; 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. - The Old Testament was originally written almost entirely in Hebrew. Several parts were also written in Aramaic. - The New Testament was originally written in Greek. - These books were written by at least 40 different authors who were chosen prophets and apostles. - The books of the Bible were written over a period of about 1,500 years (app B.C. 100 A.D.). - All the authors of Scripture were Jewish, with the sole exception of Luke, who appears to have been a Greek Gentile. - The Bible contains 1,189 chapters. The chapter and verse divisions are not a part of the original text. They were added at a much later date. THE LAYOUT OF THE BIBLE The Old Testament is divided into 5 major parts: The Law (also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch) which was written by Moses, the History of Israel which details the rise of the monarchy along with its long history of ups and downs, the Poetic writings which includes the songs of Israel (the Psalms) and the Proverbs of divine wisdom, the Major Prophets, and the Minor Prophets (called minor because of their shorter lengths, not because they re less important). See the chart below: The New Testament is also divided into 5 major parts: The Gospels, which are testimonies of the life of Jesus Christ, the History of the early church in Acts which details what the Apostles did when Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Pauline Epistles which include Romans thru Philemon (note: some scholars don t group Hebrews in the Pauline writings but instead in the General writings), the General Epistles of James through Jude, and the powerful prophetic book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which stands all by its self as the sealing of the canon of Scripture. See the chart below: 3

4 The New Testament is in the Old, concealed. The Old Testament is in the New, revealed. (Note: Not all worthy scholars are agreed that Hebrews is a Pauline epistle. Many hold that the authorship of Hebrews is unknown, and therefore belongs under the heading of General Epistles. Though we can t be certain of its author, and the debate will continue until the Lord returns, there seems to be significant internal features in the book which are unique to Paul.) As a student of God s Word, you should eventually come to know all of these books personally, as to their historical backgrounds, their major themes, their authors and relative dates as to when they occurred in history, and where they re located in your Bible. Don t get overwhelmed now if you don t know, as this understanding only comes with devoting much time to study. A good study Bible will give you this necessary background information iv, and you ll grow more familiar with the Bible as you follow Christ, yield to the Holy Spirit, and spend much time reading the Scriptures. THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE Definition: The word Canon refers to which books belong in the Bible and which book do not. Canonical books are those which are divinely inspired and belong in the Bible. The Old Testament: The earliest form of the written Word of God was the two tablets of stone which contained the 10 Commandments. After that, Moses was the first to pen Holy Scripture, and was followed by a succession of Hebrew prophets who God used to write Scripture throughout the Old Testament era. The final book of the Old Testament to be written was Malachi, and was written no later than 400 B.C. After Malachi, there was no prophet in Israel for about 400 years, until the coming of John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ. Historical evidence proves that the Jews widely recognized that there was no prophet among them after Malachi. By the time that Christ walked the earth, the Jews, who God had entrusted as the guardians of Holy Scripture (see Rom. 3:2), accepted all the 39 books of the Old Testament that we accept today as being the Word of God. v Most of the books of the Old Testament are also quoted in the New Testament as having divine authority, thereby proving that they were recognized by the people of God. There are over 219 direct citations of the Old Testament in the New Testament, and even more allusions and references to it on top of that. The authors of the New Testament esteemed the Old Testament as being the very Word of God, just as it claims to be. The Lord Jesus Himself confirmed the Canon of the Old Testament: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:

5 The New Testament: The New Testament books were each written by the Apostles of Christ and by their close associates. Those books not directly authored by an Apostle were authored by a close personal companion of an Apostle; for instance, Mark was not an Apostle but he was a close companion of Peter, and Luke was not an Apostle but he was a close companion of Paul. In this way, the Apostles approved of them and their writings held Apostolic authority. All the 27 books of the New Testament were widely circulated in the early church and recognized as Holy Scripture by Christians everywhere. They quickly spread over the whole known world and thousands upon thousands of hand copies were made in the early centuries in many different countries and distributed in the churches. These books did not require a council to declare them Holy Scripture because the books themselves prove they are of divine origin by the power of the truth contained therein. In fact, post-apostolic writers amidst the early church were so devoted to the New Testament writings as Holy Scripture that if all the manuscripts were to be destroyed, we would still be able to recover over 95% of the New Testament from all their quotations of it, their writings being so full of constant quotations from all 27 books. The church has historically accepted all the New Testament writings since they were written and universally recognized those writings as just as inspired as the Old Testament Scriptures, while at the same time rejecting many counterfeit books which came from Gnostic and spurious sources. vi It is no surprise to us that the early Christians, who were filled with the Holy Spirit, were able to discern and recognize the Word of God from counterfeits. They could recognize the voice of Christ in the Scriptures and follow Him, but had God-given discernment to reject all counterfeit and noninspired writings. Jesus said: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:4-5, 27 The voice of Jesus speaks most clearly and powerfully in the New Testament Scriptures, so the early Christians recognized this and devoted themselves to following and obeying what is written in them. How do we know that everything God wanted in Scripture is contained therein? The sovereignty of God ensures that He has preserved His Word. If we have faith that God created all things and sustains all things and is actively involved in the affairs of men and is directing world history, then we must have faith that God has diligently watched over His Word to guard it and preserve it throughout history. Every word of God recorded in the Scriptures is pure, and God has promised to preserve His Word forever: Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Proverbs 30:5 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalms 12:6-7 There is nothing that God would watch over with more zeal and diligence than His own Word, which He has magnified above His name (Psalm 138:2). He has promised to preserve it, and He cannot lie (Num. 23:19). His Word has remained pure throughout the centuries, preserved for us in the Bible. If we believe that God is God, then we must believe that He is able to protect His Word from error. His power and wisdom has ensured that only those writings which were divinely inspired by Him were recognized among His people and included in the Canon of Scripture, protecting His Word throughout all centuries and allowing it to be firmly secured in our present day Bibles. What about the Apocrypha? Protestants are often accused by Catholics of removing books from the Bible. However, the truth is that it is a historically proven fact that it is not the Protestant Christians who removed the books, but it 5

6 is actually the Catholics who officially added the books to the Canon! This was officially done in the Council of Trent in 1546 which was an attempt of the Catholic church to counter the teachings of the Protestant Reformers. Finding no support for purgatory and other such superstitious traditions in the Bible, they canonized a number of uninspired books which they could use in support of their false doctrines (these books include the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, Judith, and 1 & 2 Maccabees, to name some). While it is true that the Apocryphal books were in circulation all throughout church history, and were even read in various churches, and gained a greater and greater acceptance throughout church history because of the force of Roman Catholicism until becoming universally recognized in the Roman tradition as being Scripture even before the Council of Trent, they were never universally embraced by the churches as being a part of the Canon of Scripture. It wasn t until the Council of Trent that they were officially decreed to be part of the Canon. vii The Apocrypha is not to be considered inspired Scripture for the following reasons: 1. The books were largely written during the Silent Period, between the Old and New Testaments. There was no recognized prophet in Israel during this time, from the closing of Malachi to the coming of John the Baptist. Therefore they were not written by or approved by a prophet. 2. The Apocryphal writings were not accepted by the Jews of Israel in the time of Jesus as inspired Scripture. Instead, the Jews accepted the 39 books of what we currently have in our Bible. Yet the Catholics insisted on adding to them to the Old Testament Canon despite the fact that there is no evidence that they received acceptance from the Jews, from Jesus, or from the Apostles. Furthermore, none of the early church writers who knew Hebrew seemed to accept them as Scripture either during the first several centuries of the Church. viii 3. Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever quoted from the Apocrypha. There are more than over 219 quotations of and allusions to the Old Testament in the New Testament, and not one of them is from any these Apocryphal books. 4. The early church fathers did not universally recognize the Apocrypha as Scripture. Jerome (A.D ) who translated the Latin Vulgate rejected the Apocryphal books from the Canon, showing us that the universal church did not accept them at that time. However, he did reluctantly include them in the Vulgate by the command of the Pope, but included them in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments, thus attempting to designate that they were not equal. The Laodicean Council of 363 A.D. also rejected them since they do not meet the standards of inspiration. 5. There are theological heresies in the books of the Apocrypha which contradict the rest of Scripture. Tobit 6:7 promotes superstition by teaching that the smoke of a fish s heart on a fire drives away demons from people. Tobit 4:11 & 12:9 teach that giving alms purges away sin. In 2 Maccabbees 12:43, money is offered for the sins of the dead. Such superstitious statements have no place in God s Word. These things contradict the clear teaching of the rest of the Bible. 6. There are obvious historical errors; Judith 1:5 calls Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Assryians. He was not; rather he was the king of the Babylonians. Baruch 6:2 said the Jews would be in Babylon 7 generations. They were not; rather they were there 70 years, which is less than 2 generations. God does not make errors. Therefore the Apocryphal books do not come from inspiration by God. The truly inspired books of the Bible have no such historical errors. 7. There is no prophetic prediction in the books of the Apocrypha verifying their supernatural origin. The lack of prophetic predictions further verifies that they did not come from an inspired prophet, and therefore they did not come from God. This is not an exhaustive list of reasons, but is sufficient to prove that the Apocrypha has no place among the perfect Word of God. The Bible can never be added to or taken away from. The Canon of Scripture is now sealed, and it was not a church council that sealed it, but it was the Holy Spirit who ceased to divinely inspire men after the final book was written. The last book to be added to the Canon and seal it forever was Revelation. In fact, it ends with a serious warning about adding to or taking away from Scripture: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away 6

7 from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV) It is a serious thing to add or take away from God s word and there are numerous other warnings in Scripture against doing such a thing (e.g. Deu. 4:2, Pro. 30:6, Gal. 3:15). We must accept it as it is with childlike faith in the Father who is speaking through His written Word. The Bible has been preserved for us for centuries. It is God s treasure to His people on earth. It is our sole standard for truth. When the Bible speaks, God speaks! We must not doubt or question God s revelation, but accept it in faith, with a pure heart of love for the truth of God. Ultimately, our conviction that the Bible contains exactly what God wanted it to contain, not lacking a thing, and not containing anything extra, is a matter of faith in God s providence and power, which has promised to preserve His Word for us. Therefore, to skeptically question the veracity and authority of the Bible, is to question God Himself, and such will certainly evoke His swift judgment. ix HOW CAN WE BE SURE THAT THE BIBLE IS GOD S WORD? Some have stated that one needs blind faith to accept the Bible as God s Word, and that you just have to take its own word for it and believe it s God s Word just because it says it is. That may be commendable, but most people aren t ready to dedicate their life to something that cannot be proven as truth. A book that claims to be from God should certainly have characteristics about it that only God could design, and it should have truths in it that only God could know. The Bible has all of this and more! The Bible itself does not only claim to be God s Word, but it actually goes beyond that and proves that it is. Since the source is God, and God is extraordinary and miraculous, then there are some extraordinary and miraculous truths contained in the Bible that can only come from God. In essence, God has left His divine fingerprint on the pages of Scripture to verify its authenticity and to prove to genuine seekers that He is the Author. 10 Reasons the Bible is the Word of God: 1. Historic prophecy. The Bible is full of tons of predictions of historical events that had not yet come to pass when the words were recorded, but later in the future, even hundreds of years later, were fulfilled. These were not just vague predictions, but very specific and detailed prophecies, detailing such major historical events as the rise and fall of major world empires (Dan. 2 & 7), such as Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, the military conquests of certain prominent leaders such as Cryus of Persia (Isa. 45:1-3) and Alexander the Great (Dan. 8), the destruction of certain cities and peoples such as the Edomites (Obad.), and much more. No man on earth could have known such information hundreds of years before such things occurred. God has not only predicted such events, but He actively orchestrates world history through His divine providence to ensure that every detail He has spoken will be fulfilled (see Isa. 34:16). 2. Messianic prophecy. There are hundreds of detailed predictions in the Old Testament Scriptures about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, including His Deity (Isa. 9:6), virgin birth (Gen. 3:15, Isa. 7:14), miracles (Isa. 35:5-6), rejection by men (Isa. 53:3), crucifixion (Psa. 22, Isa. 53), and resurrection (Psa. 16:10). All the prophecies detailing His life and ministry at the time of His first coming were fulfilled to the detail. No other man in the history of the world has ever come close to fulfilling even 10% of the ancient prophecies that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled by coming into the world to save sinners. 3. End Time prophecy. The Bible makes stunning and clear predictions about the last days. Many of them have already come true, such as the rise of false prophets and false Christs (Mat. 24:24), the increase in wars and natural disasters (Mat. 24:6-7), the growing corruption of men (Mat. 24:12, 2 Tim. 3:1-5), the coming of great apostasy (2 Thes. 2:3, 1 Tim. 4:1, Jude 1:18), and even the re-gathering of the Jews to their land in the Middle East (Jer. 32:37-42, Eze. 7

8 36:24). The fulfillment of such prophecies gives us assurance that God Himself was foretelling future events, and that the remaining prophecies not yet fulfilled with come to pass speedily. 4. Scientific facts and discoveries. x The Bible is full of amazing scientific statements that were recorded many centuries before men discovered them. For example, the Bible said the earth was round when men said it was flat (Isa. 40:22); society wouldn t discover this until 2,600 years later! In an age when men thought the earth sat on the back of a large animal, the Bible recorded that the earth floated in empty space (Job. 26:7). The Bible describes the cycle of air currents a couple thousand years before men discovered them (Ecc. 1:6). Jesus said His Second Coming would occur when some are awake working in a field and others are asleep in their beds, describing the rotation of the earth before it was ever discovered by men (Luke 17:34-36). There are many more amazing scientific facts in the Bible. 5. Historical facts and archeological discoveries. The historical accuracy of the Bible s events has been abundantly proven among historians. The fact that such characters as are named in the Bible existed has been confirmed by innumerable archeological discoveries, and even by the historical records of pagan kings and empires outside of the Jewish people. There is no reliable historical evidence contrary to what the Bible claims. Even persons such as John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, and James the leader of the Jerusalem church, have been mentioned in Jewish and secular history as having actually existed as real persons. 6. Diversity of the messengers yet unity of the message. The Bible, being written over a period of over 1,500 years by over 40 different authors, has a tremendous diversity amongst themselves. Yet, even so, the Bible has a perfect and wonderful unity of thought and message and doesn t contradict itself in anything. Unanimously, the authors of Scripture testify of the truth of God and they all point to the central themes of the Supremacy of God, the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and the redemption of fallen man. This shows us that although God used a great diversity of human instrumentality, He is the common Author of every book of the Bible. 7. The conscience of man. The Words of Scripture pierce the heart of man like no others words. The God-given conscience that God has given to each man confirms the Bible s commendation of good and condemnation of evil. The way the words of Scripture expose the secrets of men s hearts and sins proves that there s a great and just God behind those words who concerns Himself with right and wrong. The character of those who truly follow the teachings of the Bible is of such superior character compared to those who don t that the testimony and fruit of the Bible proves it comes from a good and holy God. Each man in his heart, whether he admits it or not, knows it s wrong to blaspheme, lie, cheat, steal, murder, commit adultery, etc. while at the same time knowing that it is favorable to do good, love and help others, etc. Thus every person has an internal witness to the truth of Scripture. 8. The Bible s tremendous influence. Though there is no other book on earth that has been hated, attacked, and resisted more than the Bible, there yet remains no other book that has been read, published, and distributed more than the Bible. Its tremendous success in the face of all opposition proves that the hand of God is behind it. Many of those who have historically sought out to discredit the Bible and prove it to be false, after much study, have come to the opposite conclusion than that which they sought out to come to, and have converted to Christianity. What other book compares with the Bible in terms of historical influence upon men and nations? 9. The spiritual power of the Bible. No other book on earth has transformed so many lives as the Bible. Innumerable persons all throughout history have testified to finding deliverance from sin and peace with God through reading the words of Scripture. Men have been so changed, transformed, and convinced that the words of the Bible are true that untold hundreds of thousands have shed their blood in martyrdom defending the truths contained in it. Countless men who had no education in Biblical literature, no upbringing in Christian beliefs, and no prior influence of religious things have picked up a Bible, and upon reading it, have found their lives utterly changed forever. Some of these men have turned into passionate preachers and 8

9 devoted their lives to the propagation of Biblical truth. What other book on earth has such power within its pages? 10. Jesus Christ Himself believed in the Bible. He quoted frequently from the Old Testament Scriptures all throughout His ministry. He claimed that they were more important than physical bread (Mat. 4:4). He believed that the Law and the Prophets were more sure than the heavens and earth (Mat. 5:17-18). He believed in the historical events of Lot with Sodom and Gomorrah (Luk. 17:28-32), of Noah and the flood (Mat. 24:37-38), of Jonah and the great fish (Mat. 12:40-41), and of Daniel (Mat. 24:15). Jesus also believed that His chosen apostles would declare His Word and teachings to the world after His departure, thus recording the Canon of New Testament Scripture (John 14:26). There are certainly more reasons than these 10, and many, many more evidences and facts that could be given, but these simple reasons alone are enough to prove that no man could have written the Bible. God has left His fingerprints all throughout the books of the Bible in such a way that only the ignorant or willfully blind could deny that His hand is behind it. We do not accept the Scriptures as God s Word only by the authority of the ancient Jews, or of the early Church leaders. We accept the Scriptures for the same reasons they did, because the Scriptures themselves demonstrate that they are of divine origin and prove themselves to be true to the serious inquirer. Our faith in God s Word is not a blind or ignorant faith. It is a faith based on solid fact, on a sure foundation, which can logically be proved as true to anyone who sincerely seeks to know. God has created man in His image, as an intelligent and rational creature, and in His mercy He has demonstrated His intelligence and omniscience in the pages of Scripture, showing us that the Bible is His Word and that it is worthy of our devotion and obedience. Therefore anyone who rejects the claims of Scripture does not reject a mere book, but they are rejecting God Himself, and are left without excuse for their blindness. OUR RESPONSE TO THE WORD OF GOD We are commanded, exhorted and taught: - To obey it (Ex. 19:5). - To be diligent to always remember and never forget it (Deu. 4:9). - To allow it to fill our heart, our household, and our conversation always (Deu. 6:7). - To teach it to our children (Deu. 4:9, 6:7, 11:19). - To live by it as our daily bread (Deu. 8:3). - To read it every day (Deu. 17:19). - To meditate on it day and night (Jos. 1:8). - To explain it clearly and simply to people so they understand (Neh. 8:8). - To esteem it as greater than our necessary food (Job 23:12). - To hide it in our hearts to keep us from sin (Psa. 119:11). - To delight in it as sweeter to our soul than honey is to our mouth (Psa. 119:103). - To be the light that guides our lives (Psa. 119:105). - To treasure it above all earthly treasure (Psa. 119:127). - To be consumed with zeal for it (Psa. 119:139). - To seek knowledge and wisdom from it like searching for hidden treasures (Pro. 2:3-4). - To tremble at it in holy fear (Isa. 66:2). - To have it burning in our heart like a fire in our bones (Jer. 20:9, Luk. 24:32). - To pray over it according to its prophecies and promises (Dan. 9:2-3). - To quote it in time of temptation (Mat. 4:4). - To not contradict it by the traditions of men (Mark 7:13). - To receive Christ to whom all the Scriptures bear witness (John 5:39). - To allow the Holy Spirit to quicken it to our understanding (John 6:63). - To be cleansed, sanctified and set apart to God by it (John 15:3, 17:17). - To devote ourselves to it continually (Acts 2:42). - To not neglect it for things of lesser importance (Acts 6:2). 9

10 - To search it and test all teaching by what is written (Acts 17:11). - To receive the Word and be built up in the faith by it (Acts 20:32). - To not doubt or waver at the promises contained in it (Rom. 4:20). - To hear it and allow it to impart faith to us hearts (Rom. 10:17). - To receive hope and comfort by it (Rom. 15:4). - To not handle it deceitfully (2 Cor. 4:2). - To be washed with the water of the Word (Eph. 5:26). - To use it as a sword to battle against evil (Eph. 6:17). - To allow it to dwell in us richly with all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 3:16). - To speak it boldly even if men don t like it (1 Th. 2:3). - To receive it as having divine authority (1 Th. 2:13). - To read it publicly and be taught by it (1 Tim. 4:13). - To observe it without partiality (1 Tim. 5:21). - To be diligent to understand it, interpret it and teach it correctly (2 Tim. 2:15). - To know it and receive wisdom unto salvation by it (2 Tim. 3:15). - To be taught, reproved, corrected, and trained by it (2 Tim. 3:16). - To not give occasion for unbelievers to blaspheme it (Tit. 2:5). - To believe it and receive its blessings by faith (Heb. 4:2). - To grow up by it and develop discernment by it (Heb. 5:14). - To highly esteem those who teach it to us (Heb. 13:7). - To desperately crave it like a baby craves milk (1 Pet. 2:2). - To not twist it to our own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). - To allow it to give us assurance of our salvation (1 John 5:13). - To be persecuted for our testimony to it and even die for it (Rev. 1:9, 6:9). - To sing it in praise to God (Rev. 15:3). - To not add to it or take away from it (Rev. 22:18-19). DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What, or who, is the main subject in all of Scripture? (Hint: see Luke 24:27) 2. What does the term sufficiency mean when used of Holy Scripture? 3. How many books are in the Bible? In the Old Testament? In the New Testament? 4. What languages was the Bible originally written in? 5. Who was the human author of the first five books of the Bible? What are some other names for these five books? 6. Can you name the five divisions of the Old Testament books? 7. Who were the authors of the four Gospels? Which two were Apostles? Which two were close companions of the Apostles? 8. What verses of Scripture promise us that God will preserve His Word forever? 9. What was the name of the Catholic Council in 1546 that officially canonized the Apocryphal books in the Catholic Bible? Why did they do this? 10. Can you list three reasons why the books of the Apocrypha don t belong in the Bible? 11. Can you name five reasons, from memory, which prove the Bible is the Word of God? 12. If the Bible is truly the perfect, preserved Word of God, what should be our attitude towards it? MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 4:4 - It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Read Psalm 119 slowly and meditate on how it applies to your own life and your own attitude toward the Word of God. Take special notice of the deep love and reverence the Psalmist has for God s Word and all the blessings he receives from the Word. After reading it, pray and ask the Lord to give you the same hunger and passion for His Word as you see written about in this Psalm. 10

11 Endnotes: i Quote taken from a Bible printed by The Gideon s International. Source beyond that is unknown to author. ii The Macarthur Study Bible, How We Got the Bible, pg. xiii. iii For those interested in a clear, thorough and concise statement about the Inerrancy of Scripture, I recommend reading the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy of It s series of affirmations and denials explains clearly what is, and is not, meant by these terms. You can find it by searching online. iv Though all commentary notes are written by men, and not divinely inspired, a good Study Bible with book introductions, study helps, and commentary notes is a very helpful tool that can greatly enrich your study of God s Word. For speakers of English, I recommend the ESV Study Bible or The Macarthur Study Bible (just beware of the cessationist position). v Although the Jews corporately recognized as Holy Scripture all the text we now have as the Old Testament, they did not count 39 books due to the fact that they organized the books differently, and merged some books together in their count. vi The Gnostics were a widely varied group of cults in the early centuries which denied basic essential doctrines of Christianity. They produced a number of spurious writings, many times forging the Apostle s names to them, yet their writings prove to be heretical. For example, the so-called Gospel of Thomas claims that women aren t worthy of eternal life, and that they need to become men to be saved. These silly heresies have no place among the Canon of Scripture, and the early church universally recognized them as being false counterfeits and rejected them. vii It is true that many considered the Apocryphal books as being a part of the Canon all throughout the history of the Church, but if we go back to the earliest dates, the majority of churches in the early centuries rejected them from the Canon. They found their way into the Latin Vulgate of the 4 th Century, contrary to the desire of Jerome who did not view them as Scripture, but who nevertheless followed the decree of the Pope. With the continual rise of Rome and the Latin language, the Vulgate inevitably became the standard Catholic Bible used everywhere. After many centuries of use, the Catholic Church declared everything in it to be Holy Scripture citing sacred tradition in support of their decision in an attempt to counter the teachings of the Protestant Reformation. So although the Apocrypha was widely read, it was always resisted by men of God, and was never officially a part of the Canon of the Roman Catholic Bible until the Council of Trent in the 16 th Century. viii This is confirmed by Josephus, an early Jewish historian, among other reliable sources (see Josephus, Book 1, section 8). ix For those interested in studying more about the Canon of Scripture, for starters I recommend the pertinent chapters of Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, and The New Evidence which Demands of Verdict by Josh Mcdowell. x Information on Scientific facts in the Bible were taken from The Evidence Bible, Ray Comfort. Ray lists more examples than is listed here Josef Urban. You may freely print and distribute these lessons or teach them in your Bible study or church group as long as they are provided without charge. If posting them online please provide a link to 11