I Am

MY LESSON ON THE BIBLE

PART II

   What is the Bible?

   In this lesson, we hope to answer this question and also learn some very interesting facts about the Bible. Our main focus being on the Old Testament.

   The Bible is the story of God’s creation and interaction with the world and the human race. It is a collection of 66 books, written by about 40 different authors over 1500 years, but encompassing the entirety of human history from creation to the end of the world and beyond.

   Most importantly, the Bible is a unified whole, due to the fact that ultimately, it has one author—God himself. The Bible is “God-Breathed” Timothy The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and Holy Word of God. 2 Peter

   The Bible is God’s way of telling us about himself—His nature, His attributes and His plans and purposes.

   The Bible covers the period from the creation of man which took place approximately 4000 B.C., all the way to the coming of Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection, and the good news (gospels) which spread rapidly in the first century A.D., with the preaching of Paul the Apostle and the establishment of churches throughout the Roman Empire. The New Testament ends around the same time that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

   The Bible consists of two sections: The Old Testament, made up of 39 books, and the New Testament, made up of 27 books, comprising a total of 66 books.

   As I said earlier, today, we will be focusing more on the Old Testament.

   The old Testament is the period from creation (4000 B.C.) to the period of the Persian Empire and King Cyrus who allowed the Jews to return from captivity and rebuild their temple. The Old Testament ended around 400 B.C.

   The Old Testament is written mostly in Hebrew, the language of the Jewish people, with a few parts in Aramaic.

What is the Old Testament?

   The Old Testament is the primary collection of religious writings for the Jewish people. It’s the only group of writings that the Jewish people accept as scripture. The Old Testament tells the history of the people of Israel.

   This history is based on their faith in the God of Israel and on their life as the people of God.

   A question we might ask, how did Jesus view the Old Testament?

   As God in human flesh, Jesus speaks with final authority, and His testimony regarding the Old Testament is loud and clear.

   Jesus believed that the Old Testament was divinely inspired, the veritable (not counterfeit or copied) word of God. He said, “The scriptures cannot be broken” He referred to scripture as “The Commandment of God” and as the “Word of God”

   He also indicated that it was indestructible: “Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the law, until all is accomplished.”

   Many of the New Testaments favorite teachings come from the Old Testament, which is the first two-thirds of the Bible. Take for example, Jesus’ commandment is love our neighbor as ourselves. He quoted that from a law written in the time of Moses.

   Throughout the gospels, we find Jesus confirming many of the accounts in the Old Testament, such as the destruction of Sodom and the death of Lot’s wife The murder of Abel by his brother Cain the calling of Moses (Mark 12:26), and the manna given in the wilderness

   Many people want to accept Jesus, yet they reject a large portion of the Old Testament. If a person believes in Jesus Christ, he should be consistent and believe that the Old Testament and its accounts are correct.

   The books of the Old Testament include historical accounts, list of laws, poetry/songs, and prophecy.

   When studying the Old Testament, the first thing we quickly learn is that the Old Testament is not organized chronologically (not in order of when it happened).

   Creation starts the Bible, in the book of Genesis; the end of the world finishes it, in Revelation. This could lead us to think the Bible is printed in chronological order. But, it’s not. Instead, the books are organized by “subject”:

A.) Books of laws

B.) Books of history

C.) Books of poetry and wisdom

D.) The major prophets

E.) The minor prophets

   The word “Judaism” is a 4,000 year old “monotheistic” (believing in one God) religion based upon the Old Testament.

   As we said before, the Old Testament consists of 39 books and these 39 books are then divided into 4 divisions:

   Seventy-three of the 150 Psalms in the Bible are attributed to King David.

   Historical books show how God used history to accomplish the gospel promise of Jesus.

   Poetical books are praise songs about God’s love and forgiveness in the coming Messiah.

   Prophetical books give, clue after clue, information regarding the coming of the Messiah.

   Again, the purpose of the Old Testament is simple:

   To announce and point to Christ.

   The Old Testament shows God is the source of the world and mankind.

   God seeks the kind of relationship with mankind that will enable mankind to reach the potential for which God created him.

   The Bible is complete, but the story of God’s work in human history continues. Through the Bible, we can learn to recognize how God still interacts with His creation. We can see how current events such as the reformation of Israel in 1948, fit into God’s stated plan. Most of all, we can see the over-arching story of God’s love for us and the ultimate expression of that love in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

   With the book of Revelation, we have the conclusion and consummation of the Bible as God’s revelation to man. As Genesis is the book of beginnings, Revelation is that which anticipates the end-time events, the return of the Lord, and His end-time reign.

   The Bible is a remarkable book. It is the world’s best-selling book.

   It was written over a period of 1600 years by over 40 different authors.

   These were men who were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit.

   As I said before, I believe the Bible is God’s method of communicating with mankind and it is crucial that we understand and trust it as the word of God.

   When we ask, “Is the Bible truly God’s word?”, we can see over and over again, throughout scripture that what the prophets wrote was considered, by even the Apostle Paul, to be “Holy Scripture”

   They are Holy because God Himself was involved in their production.

   Paul even spoke that he, himself, received the gospel through the Revelation of Jesus Christ

   Paul also reminded early christians that the Holy Scriptures are the “Oracles of God”

   The Divine writer is Holy; therefore, what He writes is Holy. Because God is Sacred, the words He speaks are also Sacred, and the words God gave to mankind in the Bible are Holy and Sacred. In “Just as God is perfect, so are His words perfect. Just as God is Righteous and Pure, so is His word Righteous and Pure”.

   Because the scriptures are the inspired word of God, we can also conclude that they are also inerrant, and authoritative.

   A correct view of God will lead us to a correct view of His word.

   Because God is all powerful, all-knowing and completely perfect, His word will by its very nature have the same characteristics.

   The same verse that establishes the inspiration of the scriptures also establishes that it is both inerrant and authoritative. If it is not inerrant, then God is not God. And without doubt, the Bible is what it claims to be—the undeniable authoritative word of God to humanity.

   The Bible claims not only to be inspired by God, but also to have the supernatural ability to change us, and make us “complete”. That’s what I think is great!

   If the Bible is truly the word of God, then it is the final authority for all matters of faith, religious practice, and morals.

   If the Bible is truly God’s word, then we should cherish it, study it, obey it, and fully trust it.

   If the Bible is the word of God, then to dismiss it is to dismiss God, Himself.

   The fact that God gave us the Bible is evidence and an Illustration of His love for us.

   Can God make a mistake? It is unthinkable to contemplate that God might be capable of error.

   We trust the Bible because we trust God. To stray from scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master.

   The Bible is a reflection of its author. The Bible was written by God Himself.

   If the Bible contains misinformation, then God is the author of confusion.

   If the Bible contains misinformation, then God is not truthful.

   The accuracy of God’s word has been preserved and is supernaturally protected by Him.

   It should not surprise us that, no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out After all, Jesus said in “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

   After looking at all the evidence, one can only say, without a doubt that, the Bible is truly God’s word.

   As I said before, it all comes down to a matter of

   A person must have an open mind and be willing to accept the words of Jesus Christ.

   Have Faith, Study the Bible, and Pray. In Timothy the Bible says, “Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”

   Before, we had some good discussion on the scripture I read from from Lesson 1: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to “fulfill” them. I tell you the truth, until Heaven and Earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law.”

   In these verses, Jesus is reinforcing the accuracy of the scriptures, down to the smallest detail, because it is the word of God.

   When we speak of the Old Testament Law, we are referring to the 600+ individual commandments that God laid down in the Old Testament to the nation of Israel, not to christians. These laws were to show the Israelites how to obey and please God (The Ten Commandments, for example). Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (the sacrificial system). Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (the food and clothing rules).

   None of the Old Testament Law is binding on christians today!!

   When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament Law. Various New Testament scriptures state that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law, bringing it to completion and conclusion:

   In place of the Old Testament Law, christians are now under and need to obey the of According to the “Law of Christ” is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your and to love your neighbor as yourself.”

   All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments

   The Bible nowhere specifically defines what precisely is the of However, most Bible scholars understand the of to be what Christ stated were the greatest commandments in These two commands are the core of the entire Old Testament Law. All of the Old Testament Law can be placed in one of two categories of “Loving God” or “Loving Your Neighbor”.

   Rather than trying to remember the over 600+ individual commandments in “The Old Testament Law”, christians are simply to focus on loving God and loving others. If christians would truly and wholeheartedly obey those two commands, we would be fulfilling everything God requires of us.

   The idea of a changing Bible, over the countless millennia is not a new concept. However, did you know I can back up my proof that little of the Bible has and the parts that changed were just a simple rearrangement of words, still meaning the same thing? Did you know that compared to the early manuscripts, 95% of the Bible is identical?

   The example of Noah’s Ark doesn’t violate any law of logic.

   You may think it is impossible that such an event occurred. But under what conditions? If you say something like “I don’t believe that animals would just walk up to Noah in pairs of two! Animals don’t do that sort of thing”. Then you would simply be filtering the story through the wrong context. It’s true that such a scenario will strike the average person as unbelievable. In fact, that scenario strikes me as unbelievable. Animals don’t just do that sort of thing of their own accord. However, the proper context in which to view the story is the providence of God. God can bring the animals needed to Noah. God can provide the water. God can keep Noah safe, etc.

   In the proper context, I don’t find anything unbelievable about the story. And given that it violates no law of logic, I’m going to suggest that this is also an insufficient reason to disbelieve the Bible.

   Finally, in making the statement, “I believe in God, a higher power”, don’t you think this God would want to communicate with us in some way?

   Is it important to you to have friends that you can trust? Is a friend trustworthy when they lie to you or when they tell you the truth?

   The same answer goes for all of us. When someone has told you something and given their word, you expect them to keep their word and not break it. If they break their word, then they lied to you and they cannot be trusted.

   God has never lied to man and never will. God is not a man that can lie, says the Bible It is impossible for God to lie

   He has never made a promise that He could not keep Kings Corinthians He is always true to His word and has the power to back it up 1:3, Titus All He requires is for us to hear what He has told us according to His word God said that He sent his Son into the world that whosoever believeth in Him would not perish but have everlasting life That’s what God said and He made good on His promise 2,000 years ago when his Son, Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin, raised by His parents, living among men, was baptized by John the Baptist, was filled by the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel of the kingdom, sacrificed His life on the cross, shed His blood for forgiveness and cleansing of all sin, died and was buried and rose from the dead, that sinners like you and me would believe that He is the only begotten Son of God and have everlasting life.

   God is no more trustworthy than the truth that He has spoken and demonstrated and written down in the Bible as His own word.

   Therefore, you cannot separate God from what He has spoken and written down in the Bible as His very own words. God is the same as His word is the same as God. The Bible even makes this claim:

            John 1:1-3)

   So, you see the word (the Bible or the scriptures) and God are the same thing. Jesus Christ is the word that was made flesh and the only begotten Son of God. When we believe upon Jesus Christ, we are believing upon the word that God has given us. Everything spoken and written in the Bible is true, and can be trusted because He was God and the Word of God is the flesh. This is the most important thing Jesus has said to you and me 5;24, John

   To believe in God, you must also believe in Jesus Christ and His word and what the Bible has testified as to the truth concerning Him as the Son of God.

   Christ shed His blood and paid for all your sins on the cross as it is written. When you put your trust and belief in Him, you shall be saved, forgiven, and cleansed from all sin and have everlasting life.

   God and His word can be trusted.

   In light of foregoing, how could someone not believe in these convincing, God-breathed, error-free, life-transforming truths?

   God has said that if we do not open our hearts to Him, He will not open our eyes to the truth. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would teach us and guide us into the truth. And the truth of God is found in the word of God. Then, to those who believe, these sacred words are life itself, but to those without the spirit, the Bible is nothing but foolishness.

   Today, we will be ending our study on the Bible series. I hope everyone has enjoyed the lessons. I know, I have enjoyed it and all the feedback and discussions we’ve had. I have learned a lot from just preparing a lesson each week. It has been gratifying to me and helped me grow spiritually. It’s been a blessing.

   Today, I want to briefly speak on the Bible as a source of comfort for me.

   I look at the Bible as a guide for me to have a more personal relationship with Jesus, my Lord and personal Savior.

   The Bible tells me who Jesus is and how He died for all my sins, how He was buried, and how He rose again and ascended into Heaven. I would not know this except through the Bible.

   I feel it’s necessary to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and accept Him as my Lord and Savior, in order to obtain salvation and eternal life. Because, Jesus said, “No man enters into the Kingdom of Heaven, except through me.” The Bible makes this known to us.

   As I have said before, it all comes down to Faith In God, Faith in Jesus Christ, Faith in the Holy Spirit, and Faith in the Bible.

   I personally believe in God Almighty, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible.

   And with that, I’ll end this session with this message:

GOD LOVES AND SO DO I!!