You may have heard about the Bible, but really
what is it? How does it fit into
Christianity and how is the best way to read & reference it? We will start off with an overview of the
Bible & discuss its importance to the Christian faith. By the end of the lesson, I hope that you
have a better understanding of what the Bible is all about.
What is the
Bible?
·
What do you think it is?
·
What is it physically?
o Old &
New Testament – Testament means ‘agreement’
o 66 books
that tell the story of God’s people
o Different
authors & times
o Different
literary genres
·
Written by men but inspired by God
o 2 Timothy
3:16
All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness
·
Unified
o Written
over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers,
most of who did not know each other and were from varying backgrounds
§ king,
fisherman, tax collector, shepherd, etc.
o Written in
three different languages
§ Hebrew,
Greek, & Aramaic
o Yet the
message is harmonious
Why is it
important?
·
The Bible claims to be TRUTH
o John 17:17
Sanctify
them in the truth; your word is truth
·
So if the Bible is TRUTH….
o then it is
the most important book in the history of mankind
o then it
holds the answers to life’s biggest questions: “From where did I come?” “Why am
I here?” and “What happens to me when I die?”
o then
whatever runs counter to it is FALSE
o we have to wrestle with the black & white nature of the Bible
·
It is the foundation for the Church
o The word
“Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower
of Christ.”
o The Bible
is the only documented source of His life & teaching
o John 7:16
So Jesus
answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks
his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and
in him there is no falsehood.
·
So we are not a slave to what ‘sounds right’
o Like all
roads lead to God
§ This is actually an exclusive claim like any religion or Athiesm
§ You're saying you're right & everyone else is wrong
