1. Rev. Christopher J. Respass ABI—Major Bible Themes, Lesson 1 Fall 2014

2. I. Bible Basics A. “Bible” from Greek word “biblos” meaning “book.” B. 39 books in OT, 27 books in NT, 66 books in all. C. Written by more than 40 authors over 1600 years. D. The Bible is the Word of God!

3. How do we conclude that the Bible is the Word of God?

4. Two Lines of Evidence: Internal and External I. Internal Evidence A. “Internal Evidence” is that evidence which the Bible declares or assumes of itself. B. Scripture claims to be the word of God Deut 6:6-9 Joshua 1:8 Psalm 119: 9, 11, 97-100 Prov. 30:5 Matt 5:17-19

5. B. Scripture claims to be the word of God (cont) Prov. 30:5 Matt 5:17-19 C. The Constant assumption of the OT and NT writers is that the Bible is the Word of God.

6. 6 Perfections & Transformations Worked by the Word of God (Ps. 19:7-11) PerfectionsTransformations 1. Perfectrevives the soul 2. Suremakes simple people wise 3. Rightbrings joy to the heart 4. Pureenlightenment to the eyes 5. Cleanendures, never fails 6. Trueto be desired, keeps us alert

7. II. External Evidence “External Evidence”—those evidences external to the pages of Scripture that support the claim that the Bible is God’s word.

8. 7 External Evidences that the Bible is the Word of God 1. Continuity of the Bible. Notwithstanding the number of authors and the span of time over which the Bible was written, the Bible has an undeniable continuity and consistency that can be observed from Genesis to Revelation. Bible doctrine is “progressively presented from its first introduction to its more complex development.” (MBT, 12)

9. 2. Extent of Biblical Revelation. The Bible addresses truth found in many disciplines. Whatever the bible addresses, it does so accurately and is never in contradiction of later discovery. The Bible reveals facts that only God could know. Discussion Point: Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.” (Ecclesiastes 1:5 ESV)

10. 3. Unprejudiced Authority of the Bible. The Bible’s message is from God yet written by humans. It is not a message by humans to humans. As such, it does not reflect any prejudice. It records the sins and failings of the young and old, male and female, great and small.

11. 4. Supreme Character of the Bible. The Bible reveals the supreme character in history—Jesus Christ. There are clear similarities between the Bible (written word) and Jesus Christ (Living word) 1. Supernatural 2. Blend of Human & Divine 3. Transforming Power

12. 5. Subject Matter. The Bible has supernatural character. It addresses eternity past—things that occurred before man existed (e.g, the selection of the saints (Ephesians 1.). It also addresses matters to occur in the future. 6. Bible as Literature. As a purely literary document, the Bible is robust, diverse and scholarly. It includes various genre, stories of love, war, intrigue, suspense, tragedy and triumph.

13. QUESTIONS

14. Chapter 2The Bible: Inspiration Chapter 3 The Bible: Subject and Purpose