Lesson 20 Our Letter from God Scope and Sequence Doctrinal Truth: Theology Bible Lesson Objective Students will understand how the Bible is a complete set of writings bearing unique characteristics and divine authority. Sticky Statement The sixty-six are fixed. Key Verse 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Definitions Canon: a term used to refer to the complete list of the sixty-six books recognized as the genuine, inspired, authoritative Word of God Canonicity: the standard or process of selecting books (letters) to be in the Bible Apostle: one chosen and taught by Christ who was then personally sent by the resurrected Christ to make disciples Checklist 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Two letters to help with the illustration: a. One that you received from a friend (A copy is available at the end of the lesson.) b. One that you will send to your friend. 3. Paper, pens, and envelopes. Resources 1. John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016). 2. Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 123. 3. Norman L. Geisler & William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible. pp. 137-14 4. Geisler, Norman L. Systematic Theology: In One Volume. condensed. ed. Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House, 2011. Trust Issues Page 203
Lesson Overview Canon is a term to refer to the complete list of the sixty-six books recognized as the genuine, inspired, authoritative Word of God. Canonicity is the standard or process of selecting books (letters) to be in the Bible. I. The canon is authoritative Knowing that it is authoritative is good, but allowing the Word of God to impact your life is best. II. The canon is prophetic An apostle is one chosen and taught by Christ who was then personally sent by the resurrected Christ to make disciples. III. The canon is authentic No book with false claims can be the Word of God. IV. The canon is dynamic The Word of God is living and active and has a transforming force in the life of the believer. V. The canon is received The sixty-six are fixed. Hook Long before the days of text messages, tweets, and many other social media interactions, people would send letters to each other. Teacher s Note: For this illustration, you will need a sealed envelope addressed to you from a good friend who lives far away (you could even mail the letter to yourself so that the stamp has been processed to make your illustration more authentic). Prior to sealing the envelope place the script inside for full effect of the illustration. Show the envelope to the students and explain that you have just received this exciting letter in the mail. I have just received this letter. I am so excited! It is from a really good friend of mine, who I really like. I haven t seen this person for a long time. We haven t spoken to each other for ages either. I wonder how they have been doing and where they have been going. Oh, we are such great friends. I am just so excited that they have sent me this letter! I wonder what it says. I wonder how they are doing. Maybe they got married...maybe they even have kids now! They are such a good friend and I miss having contact with them. [Emphasize this pondering question.] How could l possibly know how they are doing? Trust Issues Page 204
Teacher s Note: Wait for someone to say open the letter or simply say I guess we need to open the letter to find out! Proceed to open and read the letter. Dear (Insert your name), Ciao! At least I think that is how they say hello from Italy. We have spent some time here with a new job and it has been great! I even found a few places here that serve great pizza. I hope that you are doing well. It seems ages since we have been together. It might seem weird that I would be writing you an actual letter, but I don t have good internet access here. I happened to find your address on a piece of paper in my Bible and thought you might be able to answer my question. The reason I am writing to you today is that I have a few Bible questions. I know that you are a church guy and hopefully you can help me out. I was recently talking to a guy who had, what I thought, was a Bible. I was a little curious and asked him if I could look at it. The strange thing was it had these extra books in the back. Not only that, but we started talking and he said that there are even more gospels than the four that we generally refer to. I never remember you talking or teaching about any of these extra books. So, how do I know which books are supposed to be in my Bible and which ones don t belong? Am I supposed to have sixty-six or more? I m hoping that you can help me out. What can you tell me about how many books are in the Bible? Ciao! I think that is also used for goodbye. Your Friend, (Insert someone else s name here) [This is the end of the letter.] Wow! First off, I am not sure what is more exciting: the fact that he remembered me and thought I could answer his question or the fact that I got an actual piece of snail mail. He apparently has a concern about how we got the Bible and which books belong in it. I know that not many people write a letter anymore. We enjoy when people communicate to us. Although today it is with text messages, tweets, and many other social media interactions. However, the purpose is still true. A letter is communication of information to others. The Bible is our letter from God. So, how did we get this letter? Last week, as we began the series, Trust Issues: Building Confidence in God s Word, we talked about men who wrote God s Word through the inspiration of God and through their own unique personalities. Lesson Content Like my friend, some may ask how do we know that the sixty-six books of our Bible are the only inspired books? Who decided which books were truly inspired by God? Some, like the Roman Catholic Bible, includes books, called the Apocrypha, which are not found in some Bibles. How do we know that we have the right books? These questions are addressed by a study of canonicity. Trust Issues Page 205
When we hear the word canon we often can think of an instrument of war, but it comes from the Greek word meaning rule or measuring stick. We use the word canon. Canon is a term to refer to the complete list of the sixty-six books recognized as the genuine, inspired, authoritative Word of God. Canonicity is the standard or process of selecting books (letters) to be in the Bible. So, canonicity describes the standard that books had to meet to be recognized as Scripture. On one hand, deciding which books were inspired seems like a human process. Christians gathered together at church councils in the first several centuries A.D. to officially recognize which books are inspired. However, it s important to remember that these groups did not determine which books were inspired. Councils simply recognized what God had already determined. The early church councils applied several basic standards in recognizing whether a book was inspired. These are called the Tests of Canonicity. I. The canon is authoritative For books to be considered for the canon they had to be authoritative. To help us understand this term, we look through Scripture for characteristic words that fall into this test like And the word of the Lord came to the prophet, or The Lord said unto, or God spoke, or Thus says the Lord. The Old Testament is populated with so many that they have become proverbial or well-known. Some of these claims of inspiration are so clear that it was hardly necessary to discuss whether some books were divine in origin. This was the argument Paul used to defend his words to the Galatians (Galatians 1:1-24). [Ask a student to read Galatians 1:1.] Paul argued that his message was authoritative because he was an authorized messenger of God. He also turned the tables on his opponents who preached a different gospel (Galatians 1:6-7). His opponents gospel could not be true because they were false brethren (Galatians 2:4). But here is the truth, Knowing that it is authoritative is good, but allowing the Word of God to impact your life is best. Will you accept the authoritative Word of God as your authority for faith and practice? II. The canon is prophetic Another test that the books of the Bible had to address concerned prophecy. This simply means that a book in the Bible must have been written by a spiritual leader who speaks on behalf of God. In the Old Testament this meant the author was a prophet, king, judge, or scribe. In the New Testament the author must be an apostle of the church or backed by one so that there was apostolic authority behind the book. Remember that an apostle is one chosen and taught by Christ who was then personally sent by the resurrected Christ to make disciples. For example, Peter was considered to be the apostle who stood behind the writings of Mark, and Paul the apostle behind the writings of Luke. Trust Issues Page 206
Below are a few examples of Scripture in which we are told directly who the author is: Jeremiah 1:1 The Prophet Jeremiah Amos 1:1 The Prophet Amos 1 Peter 1:1 The Apostle Peter Philemon 1:1 The Apostle Paul III. The canon is authentic Another consideration that a book went through was a test to see if it was authentic. What do you think of when you hear the word, authentic? [Allow time for answers.] Teacher s Note: Ask the group, What do you think of when you hear the word, authentic? Allow time for answers. Expect answers such as: original, true, reliable, real. For a book to be authentic, it must be consistent with other revelations of truth. To determine if a book was authentic, questions like these are asked: Does the book contain facts? Did the authors avoid the use of the false philosophical and scientific opinions of their times? Does the book tell the truth about God and His world as known from previous revelations? [Ask a student to read 2 Corinthians 1:17-18.] God cannot contradict Himself. No book with false claims can be the Word of God. Any teaching about God contrary to what His people already knew to be true was rejected. A simple test was given by Moses to try the truth of a prophet s prediction. [Ask a student to read Deuteronomy 18:20.] If the prophet lied, he died! This further clarified that if what was foretold did not materialize, it was not from God. IV. The canon is dynamic Another test for canonicity is a book s power to edify and equip believers; which means it is dynamic. A question for this test would be similar to: Does the book demonstrate God s life-changing power? [Ask a student to read Hebrews 4:12.] The Word of God is living and active and has a transforming force in the life of the believer (2 Timothy 3:17; 1 Peter 1:23). The message of God would certainly be backed by the might of God. Paul applied this principle to the Old Testament when he wrote to Timothy. [Ask a student to read 2 Timothy 3:15.] Paul reminded Timothy of the impact the Scriptures have already had on his life. Trust Issues Page 207
V. The canon is received As the books circulated they had to gain acceptance, or be received, and be used by the believers of the churches. Another requirement for canonicity of a book was the book being accepted by the Jewish people in the Old Testament or the churches of the New Testament. Believers in these communities acknowledged the authority of the message as did other contemporary believers familiar with the author. Initial acceptance of a book by the people to whom it was addressed was crucial. [Ask a student to read 1 Thessalonians 2:13.] Whatever debate there may have been about a book s place, the people in the best position to know its credentials were those who knew the writer. There is ample evidence in which books were immediately accepted into the canon. Here is a list of a few examples: Moses books were immediately placed with the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 31:26). Joshua s writing was added (Joshua 24:26). Following these were books by Samuel and others (1 Samuel 10:25). Daniel had a copy of Moses and the Prophets, which included the book of his contemporary Jeremiah (Daniel 9:2, 10-11). Paul quoted the Gospel of Luke as Scripture (1 Timothy 5:18). Peter had a collection of Paul s letters (2 Peter 3:16). Do you think the rules of how to test canonicity are too lenient or too strict? Why? [Allow time for discussion.] Connection As you could guess, I wrote my friend back. Teacher s Note: You can either simply choose to read the response, or print this letter off. If you choose to print the letter off, you could further the illusion by signing the letter at the end and inserting the letter into an envelope. Second Letter: Dear (Insert name of friend), It was great to hear from you, and I am glad that the trip is going well. First, the extra books in the back of the Bible you found were the Apocrypha. We do not include these books or any other extra books into our Bible. The sixty-six are fixed. The reasons that we have sixty-six books in the Bible is detailed and important for us to know. For a book to be included in our Bible, or canon, it must pass a few tests. For this example, let s use the Apocrypha that you found. Trust Issues Page 208
Our first question, is it authoritative? The Apocrypha never claims to be authoritative. It does not have a Thus says the Lord or The Lord said voice nor moment. My question for you is this: Will you accept the authoritative Word of God as your authority for faith and practice? Knowing that it is authoritative is good, but allowing the Word of God to impact your life is best. Is it prophetic, meaning is it written by a man of God? Matthew 23:35 Jesus implies that the close of Old Testament historical Scripture was the death of Zechariah (400 B.C.). This excludes any books written after Malachi and before the New Testament, which is exactly when these books were written. Is it authentic or consistent with other revelation of truth? The Apocrypha is never quoted as inspired in any other Scriptures. Is it dynamic? At best these books are historic. However, they fail in demonstrating God s lifechanging power. When in comes to the Word of God, will you allow it to change your life? I know you have allowed it to change your destiny because you have trusted Christ as your Savior. Will you read it each day so it can change you on a consistent basis? Is it received? The Apocrypha was never received by the people of God. As you can see it is not an easy task for any book to make it into the canon of Scripture. Just because a book contains truth or was written during the time of the Bible doesn t make it worthy to be part of the canon. The sixty-six are fixed. I hope that this list helps. Ciao! (Insert your name here) Our canon is complete. The sixty-six are fixed. We can trust the Scriptures we have. It has been tested and found to meet the requirements of a canonical book. Where do you go for answers? If it is not the Bible, could your solution withstand the test that the books of the Bible have? You could be faced with a situation this week and need to find answers, will you make the decision today to turn to the Bible first and make a point to allow the Word of God to change your life? Decision Teacher s Note: The students will finish this lesson by writing a letter to themselves. You can have the letters preprinted for each student to decrease time, or allow the students to write the letters themselves. Please have paper, pens, and envelopes available. Their letter should be mailed to the students one month from the time of this lesson. Trust Issues Page 209
The Bible is a letter from God to you. Just like our letter that we read in the beginning, if we never opened it and read it, it would be of no value. If you never open the Bible and read it, you are wasting a most precious gift. Today, you have an opportunity to write a letter to your future self. This letter is to challenge you to open the Word of God on a consistent basis. [Pass out the letter or blank pieces of paper.] Your letter should say this: Dear Future Me, I have heard the reasons for why the Bible is complete, and it can be trusted. I know that the sixty-six are fixed. As a result, I need to spend more time in God s Word. This month I will focus on my personal quiet time. My goal over the next month is to spend time in God s Word times and seek to specifically apply one truth each time. Signed, Me Teacher s Note: Ask students to address an envelope to themselves and seal the letter inside. Have each small group leader mail the letter in one month. It might be helpful to the small group leaders if the church will pay for the postage to send these letters. Sticky Statement The sixty-six are fixed. Trust Issues Page 210
Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever considered how we got the books of the Bible? Why? (This is an opening question to get the group talking. Expect students to answer on both the yes and no side of this question. If yes, then follow up with what questions did you consider? If no, then follow up with the Why? Getting them to see the importance of this topic.) 2. Can we add any book that we wish to the Bible? Why not? (This is of course a no answer. However, we are looking for them to go back to the main points of the lesson and show why we cannot add more books to the Bible.) 3. Why is a verse like Deuteronomy 18:20 critical when discussing canonicity? (The goal is to help the students see that God values His Word and wants people to know that they can trust it. To help them get to this important truth, consider a follow-up question like: Do you think it was harsh of God to take the life of a false prophet? Why do you think God took it so seriously? ) 4. At the end of the lesson you were challenged to set a goal for reading and applying the Word of God, what was your goal? (Be sure to collect the letters and prepare them to be mailed one month from today. Ask each student how you can help keep them accountable to attain their goal. Be willing to contact them outside of youth group. Consider making a point to have your personal quiet time with a student several times that month if he will let you.) Trust Issues Page 211
Dear, Ciao! At least I think that is how they say hello from Italy. We have spent some time here with a new job and it has been great! I even found a few places here that serve great pizza. I hope that you are doing well. It seems ages since we have been together. It might seem weird that I would be writing you an actual letter, but I don t have good internet access here. I happened to find your address on a piece of paper in my Bible and thought you might be able to answer my question. The reason I am writing to you today is that I have a few Bible questions. I know that you are a church guy and hopefully you can help me out. I was recently talking to a guy who had, what I thought, was a Bible. I was a little curious and asked him if I could look at it. The strange thing was it had these extra books in the back. Not only that, but we started talking and he said that there are even more gospels than the four that we generally refer to. I never remember you talking or teaching about any of these extra books. So, how do I know which books are supposed to be in my Bible and which ones don t belong? Am I supposed to have sixty-six or more? I m hoping that you can help me out. What can you tell me about how many books are in the Bible? Ciao! I think that is also used for goodbye. Your Friend, ( ) Trust Issues Page 212