The Bible Our manual for life, is the mind of Christ Scraps of Wisdom The Bible Our manual for life, is the mind of Christ

From the Bible comes instruction We are to be sanctified… This is when we are conformed to the image of Christ. This is where we find truth!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is accurate … God chose people to communicate His Word. There is 66 books written by more than 40 different authors spanning 1,500 years.

INERRANT The Bible is free from error of any kind It is absolutely true, no mistakes, no flaws, no contradictions, no discrepancies, no inconsistencies, no inaccuracies, no disagreements, no imperfections, no defects, no deceptions, no blunders, no lies .

The TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but the TRUTH John 17:17 Sanctify them in truth; Thy Word is truth. Titus 1:2 In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.

INFALLIBLE The Bible is incapable of being wrong or mistaken or inaccurate or misleading; absolutely trustworthy and sure.

People may err, but not the Bible Mathew 22:29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.

AUTHORITATIVE The Bible has absolute authority (power, dominion, rule, control) over me so that I must bow before the authority of the Word.

Satan wants people to think… YOU CAN'T BE SURE (convinced, confident, positive, certain, settled, dogmatic, decided) ABOUT WHAT GOD SAYS.

Didn’t he do that to Eve… This is why the unsaved give the constant objection, "BUT THAT'S JUST YOUR INTERPRETATION." The believer who submits to the authority of the written Word can KNOW the certainty and assurance of "THUS SAITH THE LORD!" "THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT!" "GOD HATH SAID!" (compare Genesis 3:1).

INSPIRED 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us All scripture is inspired by God. This literally means "GOD-BREATHED." To say that "all Scripture is God-breathed" is to say that all Scripture is breathed out from the mouth of God.

PLENARY INSPIRATION The Bible is fully and completely inspired (2 Tim. 3:16 – "ALL Scripture"), not just some parts (or the parts you like best).

Let no man dare… to decide which parts of the Bible are true! What folly for a mere man to choose what parts he will accept and what parts he will reject!

How wise is that man… who gladly receives ALL the Bible as God's truth!

VERBAL INSPIRATION Even the very WORDS (not just the ideas) are inspired (Psalm 12:6; Prov. 30:6), as recorded in the original manuscripts (autographs) as penned by the Bible writers.

JOT AND TITTLE INSPIRATION A jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet and a tittle is a tiny mark which enables one to distinguish between two Hebrew letters which look very similar.

Every jot and title is inspired… Or as we might say in English, every dotting of the "i" and crossing of the "t" is important in God's Word.

To understand God’s Word… I must be born again - “Saved” The person who is not born again cannot understand God's Word: "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).

The hunger… I must desire to know the truth as found in God's Word. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).

I must desire to DO God's will. "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself" (John 7:16-17).

  I must desire to GROW… "As newborn babes, DESIRE the pure milk of the word, that you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Pet. 2:2).  

I must obey the truth that I already know. "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them" (John 13:17).  

I must be a DOER of the Word and not a hearer only. "But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22).  

I must not only learn Christ's commandments … but I must learn to observe (keep) His commandments. "Teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20).

I must be on guard not only to the doctrine but to MYSELF. “Be on guard for yourself and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 

I must understand that Bible study is hard work. "STUDY (be diligent, make every effort) to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

I must realize that understanding is a gift from the Lord and so I need to be right with the Lord and spiritually prepared and ready to receive understanding from Him.

Hermeneutics The science of interpretation. The Bible must be interpreted literally which is the way language is normally and naturally understood.

Most importantly… The believer must study the Bible in full dependence upon the SPIRIT OF TRUTH whose ministry is to reveal Christ and illuminate the minds and hearts of believers.

The science of hermeneutics  Demands that we approach any study of the Word of God from three perspectives:

Isagogics Isagogics is a word that has all but disappeared from the English language. It is the study of the historical and cultural background of the Bible.

Categorical A category is a specific area of Bible doctrine. The Bible is one book, inspired by one Spirit, with one unified message.

The Word must also be… Dispensational, God has divided history into ages or dispensations. We must be able to understand and know how the scripture applies to us, now.

Exegesis To bring out of a passage what is there. The grammatical study of a passage in the Word of God. That is why Pastor-Teachers are so important to us.

It is important to … be able to go back into the original Hebrew and Greek words in the Bible study. This will help us to understand verse, study them in the light of the chapters they were found.

The Bible can be understood… How would a loving God communicate? In a way that we could understand. We need to use common sense.

We must have faith… God shares His deepest secrets only with those who approach His Word in humility and trust.

As our pastor always says… You get out of Bible study exactly what you put into it. The harder you work to Understand God and His Word, the more Insight you will have into His message.