Basics Session 3 The Bible – God and His Word
Assignment Discussion What did you learn? What was most impactful to you and why?
Bible Quiz! Who can be the first to find the following verses… 2 Timothy 3:16 2 Peter 1:21 Luke 1:1-3 2 Peter 1:16 1 John 1:3
Objective Discovering how to read and study God’s word
How Would You Respond? “The Bible is just a book, like any other book, written by men, nothing more, nothing less.”
Quick Stats…. 666 books in total – 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament SSpans over 1,500 years 440 different authors with varied backgrounds and walks of life (kings, doctors, scholars, fishermen, etc.) 33 different languages - Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek AAnd with all this diversity…there is still one central theme – God’s redemptive plan for mankind!
How Would you Respond? “OK - I agree that this book is remarkable, but it was just written by men.” “Men probably just made these stories up for their own purpose.” “Granted, this is a remarkable book and God inspired its writings and those who wrote the various books of the Bible were careful to be accurate, but its been a long time since those books were written - how can we be sure that they were not corrupted along the way?”
Historical Data… AuthorWhen Written Earliest CopyTime Span # of Copies / Fragments Caesar BC900 AD1000 yrs10 Plato BC900 AD1200 yrs7 Thucydides BC900 AD1300 yrs8 Homer900 BC400 BC500 yrs643 New Testament AD125 AD25-50 yrsover 24,000 (McDowell, Josh and Wilson, Bill A Ready Defense, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Adapted from page 45)
Tips To Understanding the Bible “OK, so I can trust that the Bible has been accurately transmitted over the years, but it’s so hard to understand - how can I read it and understand? Am I supposed to take it literally? Who wrote it? Who was it written to? What is the cultural/social climate? What preceded the passage? What was after the passage? What type of literary genre is it? Was it straight historical narrative? Or poetry/song? Was it a parable (earthly story with a spiritual meaning)? Was it allegorical? Was it prophetic?
Have A Game Plan! Pray Observe Interpret Apply Do
How To Meditate On God’s Word
Practice Read Luke 15:11-31 – twice! Pray What are your observations? What did you interpret from the reading? What are the application points?
Religion vs. Relationship How awesome is our God! The creator of our universe wrote a book that is so amazing that it not only allows us to gain a deeper understanding of His heart and who He is, but it has messages that still apply thousands of years after it was written! The next time you read the Bible, read it as a letter written directly to you from a God who loves you – because that is what it is!
Application Points What is something new that you learned about God today? What is God telling you to do with this new knowledge? How can what you learned today help you in your daily life?
Practice using this technique at least twice this coming week. Use the worksheets provided in your Participant Guide. If you are not sure where to start, here are a few suggested verses: Ephesians 6:10 – 18 Hebrews 12:1 – 2 Titus 2:11 – 12 1 John 1:9 As table groups, be accountable and encourage each other! For Next Week…