Lesson 1: What is the Bible?
The information in this study is mainly drawn from Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem and other online sources.
The Breakdown of the Bible
66 books written by over 35 authors over a span of 3500 years.
The original manuscripts were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
None of the original manuscripts exist.
The current New Testament is trustworthy, between 95% — 99.5% accuracy to the original manuscripts.
***The above image has outdated information, but it gets the point across.
Who Were the Human Writers?
At least ten of the books of the Bible are unsigned. The authors did not see fit to include their names in the books they wrote. For example, Job and Esther in the Old Testament — we don’t know who wrote them. In the New Testament, Hebrews — we don’t know who wrote Hebrews.
But the traditional list of authors would go like this:
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and at least one of the Psalms (Psalm 90).
Ezra the scribe wrote the books of Ezra and 1–2 Chronicles.
Nehemiah wrote the book of Nehemiah.
Psalm writers include David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Ethan, Heman.
Solomon wrote some of the Psalms, most of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
Agur and Lemuel wrote some of the Proverbs.
Then all the prophets wrote the books by their own name:
Isaiah
Jeremiah, who also wrote Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Then the writers of the Gospels in the New Testament:
Matthew
Mark
Luke, who also wrote Acts
John
Paul wrote those thirteen letters.
James, the Lord’s brother, wrote a letter.
Peter and Jude wrote letters.
And finally, John (who wrote the fourth Gospel) wrote the letters that bear his name, along with Revelation.
But the real question is, “Why is the Bible different?”
Because the Bible is _________________________ (answer: God-breathed)
God’s opinion of His words can be broken down into four general categories: authority, clarity, necessity, and sufficiency.
The _________________ of Scripture (answer: Authority)
All the words in the Bible are God’s words. Therefore, to disbelieved or disobey them is to disbelieve or disobey God Himself.
Key Scriptures:
All Scripture is breathed out by God… (2 Timothy 3:16a)
There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:16b)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. (Hebrews 1:1)
Regardless of the way the words came to the authors, the words they put down were an extension of them — their personalities, skills, backgrounds and training. But they were also exactly the words God wanted them to write.
Example of Mark
Mark loves to use the word “immediately”. He used this word twice as much as any other NT writer (36 times in his gospel).
Example of Paul
Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! (2 Cor. 11:7–11)
Example of the author of Hebrews
1038 different words
169 appear only once in the NT (so-called hapax legomena)
90 are used only in one other NT book
10 not found in Greek literature before Hebrews
If God claims that the words of Scripture are His own, then there is ultimately no higher authority one can appeal to for proof of this claim than Scripture itself. For what authority could be higher than God? So, Scripture ultimately gains its authority from itself.
To disbelieve God Himself is to place yourself as a higher authority with a deeper, more developed understanding on a topic or topics than God Himself.
The ____________ of Scripture (answer: Clarity)
Since God purposely reveals Himself to us, it would make sense that He wants us to have understanding, or clarity. Yet, right understanding requires time, effort, the help of the Holy Spirit, and obedience.
We do not arrive at an understanding of God’s Word on our own. We need God to open our minds to understand the Scriptures for the things of God are spiritually discerned.
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14)
A right understanding of Scripture is often more the result of our spiritual condition than our intellectual ability.
When individuals disagree on the proper interpretation of a passage of Scripture, the problem does not lie with Scripture, for God guided its composition so that it could be understood. Rather, the problem lies with us. Sometimes, as a result of our shortcomings, we fail to properly understand what the Bible is teaching.
Example of Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
- Step 1: What did the text mean to the original audience?
- Step 2: What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
- Step 3: What is the theological principle in this text?
- Step 4: How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?
- Step 5: How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?
The _________________ of Scripture (answer: Necessity)
The necessity of Scripture means that it is necessary to read the Bible or have someone tell us what is in the Bible if we are going to know God personally, have our sins forgiven, and know with certainty what God wants us to know.
Just like our physical lives are maintained by daily nourishment with physical food, so our spiritual lives are maintained by daily nourishment with the Word of God. To neglect regular reading of the Bible is detrimental to the health of our souls.
While the Bible is necessary for many things, it is not needed for knowing some things about God, such as His character and His moral laws, for ‘the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork’ (Psalm 19:1).
Therefore, this ‘general revelation’ about God’s existence, character, and moral law is given to all people; it is seen through nature, God’s historical works, and an inner sense that God has placed in everyone. It is called ‘general revelation’ because it is given to all people in general. It is distinct from the Bible. By contrast, ‘special revelation’ is God’s revelation to specific people. The entire bible is special revelation, and so are the direct messages from God to the prophets and others as recorded in the Bible’s historical stories.
6 important truths about General Revelation:
1. General Revelation refers to the truth that God has made himself known in the observable design and majesty of natural or physical creation.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18–20)
2. General revelation in natural creation makes available to all mankind a true knowledge not only that God exists but what kind of God he is.
Ronald Nash identifies seven elements: (1) God exists; (2) this God created the physical universe; (3) this God is loving; (4) this God is personal, since love cannot characterize an impersonal deity; (5) this God is a moral being; (6) we have violated the moral law and thus are guilty; and (7) we have displeased the morally perfect God who is the source of the moral law.
3. The truth of general revelation means that there is no such thing as an honest atheist. All people know God, atheists just lie about it or deceive themselves.
4. General revelation is sufficiently accessible and clear to render all mankind without excuse for the failure and refusal to believe.
“So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20b)
5. Although general revelation is sufficient to render all without excuse for not believing in God, it is not sufficient to bring a person into a saving relationship with God.
No one will be saved solely because of their acknowledgment of God in nature, but many will be lost because of their refusal of him as revealed there. In other words, general revelation lacks redemptive content. It is epistemically adequate but soteriologically inadequate. It makes known that there is a God who punishes sin but not that he pardons it. “Any unbeliever who rightly understood it would be driven to despair. However clearly the content of general revelation was grasped, it would by itself provide no adequate basis for fellowship with God” (Packer, God Has Spoken, 55).
6. The human conscience is also a modality of general revelation.
By virtue of having been created in the image of God, even those who lack the special revelation of God’s will (Rom. 2:12) have the law “written on their hearts” (Rom. 2:15). Thus “their conscience also bears witness” (Rom. 2:15) to the revelation God has made to/in them.
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. (Rom. 2:14–15)
The ________________ of Scripture (answer: Sufficiency)
Today the Bible contains all the words of God a person needs to become a Christian, live as a Christian, and grow as a Christian.
The sufficiency of Scripture should encourage us to search through the Bible to try to find what God would have us think about a certain issue or do in a certain situation.
While the Bible might not directly answer every question we can think up — for ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God’ (Deut. 29:29) — -it will provide us with the guidance we need ‘for every good work.’” (2 Tim. 3:17)
Group question/s: What are some areas that the Bible does not address? Does this mean the Bible is not sufficient?
Many differences that have divided churches and denominations are issues on which the Bible places little emphasis. Many individual conclusions on issues like the proper form of church government, the exact nature and order of the events surrounding Christ’s return are drawn more from skillful inference than from direct biblical statements. One should, therefore, exhibit a humble hesitancy in placing more emphasis on these issues than the Bible does.
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Phone–(661) 857–6565
Email–pastor@auberry.church