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The Bible
INTRODUCTION: The Bible is the Christian's instruction and rule book, II Timothy 3:16,17.
- Why is the infallible Word of God the only instruction or rule book we will ever need throughout our lifetime?
- It will furnish us milk while we are babes in Christ, I Peter 2:2.
- It will furnish us meat when we mature and become full grown Christians, Hebrews 5;13,14.
- It will completely furnish us with instruction for every good work we will ever need to perform, II Timothy 3:17.
- Despite its inestimable value, many new converts, and older Christians alike, fail to appreciate the Bible.
- This lesson will deal with facts concerning the Bible which should cause us to appreciate more fully its value.
- What is the Bible?
- The Bible is God's Word, II Timothy 3:16.
- It does not just contain God's words; it is the Word of God.
- It contains the words of Satan, angels, man (both good and bad), a she ass, etc., but it is the Word of God.
- It is God's way of talking to man.
- The Bible is God's revelation to man.
- He has revealed Himself directly to men in two ways:
- Through the Living Word, John 1:14
- Through the written Word, John 1:14
- What we know about the Living Word (Christ) is revealed in the written Word (the Bible).
- The Bible is a divinely inspired library of 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament).
- The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word biblia which means "Books".
- The Books was the name of this library until shortly after 400 A.D. when it received the name "Bible".
- How did we receive the Bible?
- Holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write His Word, II Peter 1:21.
- There were as many as 40 different writers.
- These men had different backgrounds.
- They lived as much as 1600 years apart in time.
- These inspired men wrote on goatskins, sheepskins, and papyrus scrolls.
- Three different languages were used.
- Hebrew — most of the Old Testament is in Hebrew.
- Chaldee or Aramaic — parts of Daniel, Ezra, and Jeremiah were written in Chaldee.
- Greek — the New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
(Note: Matthew's Gospel may have originally been written in Aramaic.)
- For hundreds of years these books were copied by hand.
- Several ancient hand-copied books have been preserved to this day.
- In ancient times, entire Bibles were scarce; few even possessed one full book.
- The Bible has been translated into more than one thousand languages and dialects; the most famous translation is the King James version.
- Why do we need the Bible?
- For history
- It tells us who we are, where we came from, and why we are here.
- It tells us about the origins of the heavens and earth and all therein.
- It tells us why men behave as they do.
- For doctrine, II Timothy 3:16,17
- It is the only book which presents the truth about God.
- It is the only book which diagnoses man's real condition and prescribes a sure cure.
- It is the only book which teaches the true way of salvation.
- For prophecy
- Only God can foretell the future with absolute accuracy, Isaiah 46:9,10.
- Man needs to know something about the end of this age and eternity.
- God has revealed these things in the Bible; hence, our need of it.
- For guidance, Psalm 119:105
- It shows us the paths in which we should walk.
- It tells us how to live.
- It brings us comfort in the midst of sorrow.
- What should we do with the Bible?
- Study it, II Timothy 2:15.
- Study it daily, Acts 17:11.
- Study it purposely, John 5:39.
- Believe it, Acts 27:25.
- It is impossible for God to lie, Hebrews 6:18.
- God's Word is truth, John 17:17.
- Heed it, James 1:22.
- It is not enough just to believe the Bible; we must do what it says.
- To believe the Bible and yet not heed it is a grevious sin, James 4:17.
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