searching the scriptures - solidrock.netsolidrock.net/docs/word/searching_for_the_truth.doc · web...
TRANSCRIPT
Searching For
The Truth
Milpitas Bible Fellowship
.
Searching For
The Truth
A 5-week investigative study designed to enable an individual to discover for himself
what the Bible teaches about Itself, God, Man, Jesus Christ, and Becoming a Christian
.
Keyed to the New International Version
(408) 262-2062 Milpitas Bible Fellowship www.solidrock.net
.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction1
2. What The Bible Teaches About Itself2
3. What The Bible Teaches About God10
4. What The Bible Teaches About Man17
5. What The Bible Teaches About Jesus Christ23
6. What The Bible Teaches About Becoming A Christian31
7. Supplementary Material37
.
A Description of Each Book in the Bible Can We Be Sure That We Have The Original Bible? Can We Trust The Truthfulness Of The New Testament
Authors? Hasn’t Archaeology Proven That The Bible Is False? Can Thinking People Really Believe That Jesus Rose
From The Dead?
.
Introduction
Our Approach:
1. We tried to put this study together in such a way that someone from any background would benefit. You may or may not go to church. You may or may not believe in God. We are trying not to assume anything on those issues. All we are assuming is that you are interested in learning for yourself what the Bible teaches.
2. That is our purpose – to help you discover for yourself what the Bible teaches about itself, God, man, Jesus Christ, and becoming a Christian.
3. Most of our time will be spent reading and discussing specific parts of the Bible. This way you can read for yourself and come to your own conclusions about what the Bible teaches. Many people are intimidated by the Bible. And, yes, parts of it are not easy to understand. However, most of it is not too difficult. So the focus will be on reading specific parts of the Bible and discussing their meaning.
4. This focus on the Bible will help us have direction and make progress. It is easy to get bogged down in debating the thousands of human opinions about God. But that is not our goal here. Our goal here is to study together what the Bible teaches.
5. If you have questions that sincerely trouble you about the Bible, or Christianity, or Jesus Christ, we want you to ask them. We want to deal with every question that comes up honestly and sincerely. We will do the best we can to point you to specific passages in the Bible which can answer your questions.
Using This Material:
1. Each week there will be material for you to study ahead of time. You will need to read various passages of the Bible and seek to answer various questions related to those passages. Our guess is that it will take you about an hour. Schedule ahead of time when you will do this studying.
2. How can you find the different places in the Bible? Since we are all using the same edition of the Bible, we will give you the page number. Then we will also give you the chapter and verse.
3. If you come up with a question during your own studying, just jot it down. Then be sure to bring it up next week.
4. Be sure to do the studying. It will help the discussion time next week be most productive. But if you do not get to it, come anyway.
.
What The Bible
Teaches About Itself
.
What The Bible Teaches About Itself
We have two goals for this section. First, we want to help you become familiar with the Bible as a book, so that you will be comfortable studying it in the weeks to come. Second, we want to look at what the Bible claims about itself.
An Overview Of The Bible
Turn to the Table of Contents in your Bible. You will see that the Bible is divided into two sections – the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament.”
The Old Testament: This section of the Bible includes books written before the time of Jesus Christ, describing what God was doing in the history of the world from creation right up to the time of Christ.
The New Testament: This section of the Bible includes books written after the time of Jesus Christ, elaborating on what God was doing during the time before Christ, and explaining what God is doing in the history of the world from Christ on into the future.
There are 66 different books in the Bible -- the Old Testament consists of 39 books, while the New Testament consists of 27 books.
Turn to the first book in the Old Testament, the book of Genesis (page 1). Notice that there are chapter divisions. Notice also that each chapter is divided up into verses. These chapter and verse divisions help us find passages quickly. (But in this class we will use page numbers, since we all have the same edition of the Bible.)
Now turn back to the Table of Contents. Notice that some books in the Old Testament have titles like “First Samuel” and “Second Samuel.” Why the division? In those days books were written on scrolls – either of pieces of leather sewn together, or of papyrus (a reed which was split and interwoven to make a paper-like material). It was difficult to handle a scroll longer than 30 feet. This is why some books were divided into two parts. So First Samuel is part one of the book of Samuel; Second Samuel is part two (LaSor, Hubbard, and Bush, Old Testament Survey, p.30f).
Now look at the New Testament books. Although some New Testament books also have “First” and “Second” in their titles, the reason is not the same as it is for the Old Testament books. These are different letters written at different times. For example, First Corinthians is the first letter we have which Paul wrote to the church at Corinth (a city in Southern Greece). Second Corinthians is the second letter we have which Paul wrote to Corinth.
.
Note: in the Supplementary Material section there is a table with a brief description of each book in the Bible. You can use this as a reference tool as you continue your studying.
Clarifying The Question
People have many different opinions about the Bible. Some view it as a moral guidebook, others as an interesting historical document, others as an out-of-date piece of literature.
But our question is not how other people view the Bible. Our question here is how does the Bible view the Bible? Or in other words, what does the Bible teach about itself? (If you would like more information on reasons why we can trust the truthfulness of the Bible, refer to the Supplementary Material at the end of this study.)
Read Psalm 19:7-11 (page 541-542).
1. List six different titles used in this passage for Old Testament Scripture. (19:7-9)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. List seven different adjectives used to describe Old Testament Scripture. (19:7-9)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. List six different effects Old Testament Scripture has on people. (19:7-8,11)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. How does the psalmist describe the value and desirability of God’s Word? (19:10)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read Hebrews 1:1-2 (page 1184).
1. Has the God of the Bible chosen to communicate with man?_________________________________________________________________________
2. How did God speak to our forefathers “in the past”?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. How did God speak to man “in these last days?” _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (page 1179).
1. Where did all of Scripture originate from? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you think “God-breathed” means?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What is Scripture useful for?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
4. Do we need anything besides the Scriptures to do “every good work”? (3:17)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Exodus 9:13-16 (page 62) and Romans 9:17 (page 1120)
1. Who is speaking in Exodus 9:13-16?_________________________________________________________________________
2. In Romans 9:17, Paul quotes Exodus 9:16. What can we learn about the nature of Scripture by comparing these two passages?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read John 10:35 (page 1063).
1. What did Jesus say was impossible to happen to the Scriptures?_________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you think it would mean for the Scriptures to be “broken”?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Mark 7:1-13 (page 997-998).
1. What did Jesus say Moses’ words (the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) were? (7:10,13)
_________________________________________________________________________
.
2. What did Jesus rebuke the Pharisees for? (7:13)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Luke 24:26-27; 44-47 (page 1047-1048).
1. Into what three categories did Jesus divide the Old Testament Scriptures? (24:44)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Who is the central subject of the Old Testament Scriptures? (compare Jn.5:39 – page 1055)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What two aspects of Christ’s ministry did the Old Testament Scriptures primarily speak about? (24:26-27; 46)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read John 14:26 and John 16:13 (page 1068-1069).
1. What two things did Jesus promise the Holy Spirit would do for the apostles?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What books of our New Testament are the fulfillment of these two promises? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read 2 Peter 1:20-21 (page 1204).
1. What does Peter say that Scripture does not have its origin in?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. How did Old Testament prophets receive, speak and write down their message? (compare Jeremiah 30:2 -- page 781)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read 2 Peter 3:15-16 (page 1206).
1. What did Paul write with in all his letters? (3:15)_________________________________________________________________________
2. What does Peter call Paul’s letters? (3:16)_________________________________________________________________________
Food For Thought
1. Based on all we have read in the Bible so far, how does it describe itself?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
2. Do you find it difficult to accept the idea that God has communicated to us in a book? Why or why not?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. If what the Bible says about itself is true, would you view it as bad news or good news?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. If this were true, what would it mean for us?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
What The Bible
Teaches About God
.
What The Bible Teaches About God
What Is God Like?
This is a huge question. But again, our goal is simply to understand what the Bible says about this question. The Bible paints a very clear picture of who God is.
Read the following passages. Note what is said about God, and then summarize each passage in your own words.
Psalm 8:3-4 (page 535)________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Isaiah 49:14-15 (page 727) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Zephaniah 3:17 (page 936) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Isaiah 14:24 (page 689) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
How would you summarize what the above passages teach about God? ______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
.
Read Psalm 90:2 (page 588).
1. How long has God been in existence? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. How long will God be in existence?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Jeremiah 23:23-24 (page 774).
1. How big is God? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Is there any place in God’s universe in which He does not dwell?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 19:6 (page 1229).
1. How much power does God possess?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read John 17:24 (page 1071)
1. What does Jesus say God was doing before the creation of the world? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you think God was lonely before He created the world?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Acts 17:24-25 (page 1098).
1. What does Paul say about God’s needs? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 43:7 (page 718).
1. Why did God create us? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Psalm 16:11 (page 539).
1. Where are we supposed to find joy?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
2. What are at God’s right hand?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Isaiah 6:1-5 (page 680).
1. What did Isaiah see in his vision? (6:1)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think the seraphs covered their faces and feet? (6:2)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What attribute of God did the seraphs (angels) repeat three times?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What was Isaiah’s immediate response to this awesome revelation of God’s holiness?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Nahum 1:2-3, 6 (page 926).
1. What will God do with His enemies?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What can we be sure that God will not do with the guilty?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
3. What three words are used in 1:6 to describe God’s attitude toward those that rebel against Him?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read John 3:16 (page 1052)
1. Why did God send His Son?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Food For Thought
1. Make a list of all the qualities of God you have discovered from your study of the Bible?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the most difficult thing to accept about God from your study of the Bible? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
3. If what the Bible says about God is true, what would it mean for us? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
What The Bible
Teaches About Man
.
What The Bible Teaches About Man
Introduction:
Some people believe that man is basically good, and given the proper environment and education will make righteous choices. Others believe that children are born as blank slates, with no bias toward good or evil. Again,, our concern is not to discover the opinions of men, but rather to discover what the Bible teaches on this subject.
Read Romans 1:18-23 (page 1112)
1. Why is it that no one can say to God, “I never knew about you”? (1:19-20)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. When God revealed Himself to man in the creation of the world, how did mankind respond to Him? (1:21-23)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Not many people today turn away from God to worship statues and animals. What are some things that people worship today?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What happened to men and women because they turned away from God? (1:21-23)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. As a result what did God to them? (1:24,26,28)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read Romans 3:9-12 (page 1114).
1. How many of the human race have sinned? (compare Romans 3:23)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. How many unsaved people seek God?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What is sin? (compare Romans 3:19-20 – page 1114, and 1 John 3:4 – page 1208)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Romans 5:6-10 (page 1116).
1. When Jesus Christ died for us, what three things were we? (5:6,8,10)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Romans 6:23 (page 1117).
1. How are wages different than a gift? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What does sin result in?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
3. What kind of life comes to us as a gift from God?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Then, what kind of death must the Bible be speaking of which comes to us as a result of sin?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians 2:1-3 (page 1156-1157).
1. What is the spiritual condition of all unsaved people? (2:1)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What do they follow after? (2:2)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Who is the ruler of the kingdom of the air? (compare Ephesians 6:11-12)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What do unsaved people live to gratify? (2:3)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. What are unsaved people by nature? What does “by nature” refer to? (2:3)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read Titus 3:3 (page 1182).
1. How does the Bible describe people before God saves them?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What is an unsaved person’s relationship to passions and pleasures?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (page 1172).
1. When Jesus Christ returns in glory with His mighty angels, what will He do to those who do not know God nor obey the gospel? (1:8-9)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. How long will they be punished for?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Revelation 14:9-11 (page 1225).
1. How does the Bible describe hell in this passage? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Food For Thought
1. Summarize in your own words what the Bible teaches about man before he is saved?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Does the Bible teach that man is basically good, or basically evil? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What parts of this study do you find easiest to understand and agree with?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What parts of this summary do you find the hardest to understand and agree with? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
What The Bible
Teaches About Jesus
Christ
.
.
What The Bible Teaches About Jesus Christ
Introduction
Our purpose in this section is to examine what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ. Who was he? What was his purpose?
There are many opinions current in the world today about Jesus Christ. Some say he was a good man. Others claim he was a prophet of God or a great religious leader. But again – our purpose is to see what the Bible teaches.
What are the Primary Sources for Learning about Jesus?
The Bible contains four biographies of Jesus Christ. They are called “gospels,” which means “good news.” These books describe what Jesus Chris said and did.
The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, a wealthy tax collector who left his tax business and followed Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark was written by Mark, who was a good friend of Peter and who decided to follow Jesus as a young man. The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, a doctor who traveled with the apostle Paul after becoming a follower of Jesus. The Gospel of John was written by John, a fisherman who followed Jesus.
Why do we have four different biographies of Jesus Christ in the Bible? Well, imagine four people standing on separate corners of an intersection witnessing an accident. The four testimonies, although essentially the same, will vary according to where they were positioned and what details especially caught their attention. By combining four testimonies, any event would be more thoroughly recorded. This is the effect of the four Gospels. The sum of the four gives a quadraphonic record of Jesus’ life. Four biographies – written by four different men. Each one highlights different aspects of Jesus’ life, but they speak with an amazing consistency.
.
What do the following passages teach about Jesus?
Matthew 14:22-33 (page 970).
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Mark 3:1-5 (page 992)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Mark 11:15-17 (page 1003)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Mark 15:39 (page 1010)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Luke 7:36-50 (page 1023)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
John 11:38-44 (page 1064).
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Jesus left a deep and powerful impression on everyone around him. Rich tax collectors left everything to follow him, as did poor fishermen, and prostitutes. A soldier who
.
watched Him die concluded that he was the Son of God. Was he? What did Jesus claim for himself? Who did he say that he was?
Who Did Jesus Claim To Be?
That is, did he claim to be a very good man, a prophet of God, a religious leader, or something more?
Read Mark 14:61-64 (page 1009).
1. What did the high priest want Jesus to tell him? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What did Jesus say about himself?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Who does “the Son of the Blessed One” refer to?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What did Jesus say about how they would see him in the future?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Why did the high priest accuse Jesus of blasphemy?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read John 10:30-33 (page 1063).
1. Why did the Jews try to kill Jesus? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read John 14:9 (page 1068).
1. What did Jesus claim about himself?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
As we have seen, Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, equal with God the Father. That’s why the Jews tried to kill him. For them, it was the height of blasphemy for a mere man to claim to be equal with God. It seems that they didn’t stop to consider whether Jesus could possibly be telling the truth. Jesus’ claim to be God was either true or false. If it was false, then either Jesus knew it was false or thought it was true. If Jesus knew his claim was false, then he was a liar of the worst sort, for he would be leading people away from God in order to believe a lie. In that case, Jesus was not a good man, but rather a very deceitful and evil man.
If Jesus thought his claim to be God was true, when in reality he was only a mere man, he would be a lunatic. He would be on a par with the man who thinks he is Elvis Presley come back from the dead. People like that are usually placed in insane asylums. Those are really the only options we have if Jesus’ claim to be God was false. You can’t have Jesus as a good man, and great religious leader, but not God. If Jesus was not God, he is not a good man, and certainly not a great religious leader. The only other option is that Jesus was telling the truth, and thus is Lord and God. You can either accuse him of being a liar, dismiss him as a lunatic, or fall down before him as God, but don’t claim that he was a good man. He simply hasn’t left that option open to us!
Do you think Jesus was a liar, lunatic, or Lord and God? Why? ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
.
What Does The Rest of the New Testament Teach About Jesus?
Read the following passages and summarize what each one teaches about the identity of Jesus Christ:
John 1:1-3,14 (page 1049)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
John 20:30-31 (page 1075)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Colossians 1:15 (page 1163)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 1:1-3 (page 1184)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Romans 9:5 (page 1119)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Titus 2:13 (page 1182)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
.
What Did Jesus Claim He Came To Do?
Read the following passages and specify what Jesus taught was the purpose of his coming:
Mark 10:45 (page 1003)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Luke 5:31-32 (page 1020)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Luke 19:10 (page 1039)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
John 3:16-17 (page 1052)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Food For Thought
Two thousand years ago history records the life of a man named Jesus. From that time to this His influence has had a dramatic impact on the world, and millions of people have followed His teachings.
1. What in this lesson is the most difficult for you to agree with about Jesus?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
.
2. What in this lesson is the easiest for you to agree with?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
.
What The Bible
Teaches About
Becoming A
.
Christian
.
What The Bible Teaches About Becoming A Christian
Introduction
Think back to last week’s study. We saw that the Bible teaches that God sent Jesus to be a ransom – to pay what we owed because of our sin. God sent Jesus to call us to repentance. God sent Jesus to seek and save us. God sent Jesus that we might not be condemned, but have eternal life.
In this study we want to discover what the Bible says happens to someone when their ransom is paid – when they change their ways – when they are saved – when they receive eternal life. What should someone do who wants to become a Christian? What will God do to make them Christians?
What We Must Do To Be Saved?
Read Acts 16:25-34 (page 1096-1097).
1. What does the Bible teach someone must do to be saved? (16:31)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read James 2:14-26 (page 1197).
1. What kind of “belief” do you think the demons have? (2:19)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What quality characterizes saving faith? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Read Acts 2:38 (page 1079).
1. What did Peter say a person must do to be saved? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What does it mean to repent? (use an English dictionary or Bible dictionary to find its meaning).
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
What God Does To Save Us
The Bible teaches that this is what we must do to be saved (repent and believe). But becoming a Christian is much more than something that we do. The most important part is what God does. What does the Bible teach God does in saving people?
Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (page 1144).
1. Who do you think the “god of this age” refers to?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What has he (the god of this age) done?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did he do it?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
4. What does God do when He saves a person? (4:6)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. What do we need to do in order to have the blindfold, the veil, the blindness taken away? (2Cor.3:16)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. What is an evidence that God has saved a person? _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Ezekiel 36:26-27 (page 857).
1. What two things does this passage say God does when He saves someone?_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. The Bible says that everyone has had a hard heart. Can you relate to this? In what ways have you seen this in your experience?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read John 4:4-14 (page 1052-1053).
1. What is the “gift of God” that Jesus would have given this woman if she had asked? (4:10)
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
2. What do you think “living water” refers to? (4:10)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What does Jesus say he will do when he saves someone? (4:14)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians 2:4-5 (page 1157).
1. What does God do when He saves someone? (2:5)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What two attributes of God are the reason He does this? (2:4)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Sinners are saved by what? (2:5)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. What is grace? (use an English or Bible dictionary)_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
.
Concluding Questions
1. In the past what did you think it meant to be a Christian?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What new thoughts have you discovered in this study?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. What would this mean for you if you believed it was true?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
.
Supplement
ary Material
.
A Description Of Each Book In The Bible
The Old TestamentBook Description
Genesis History: Creation, Fall, Flood, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, JosephExodus History: God delivers Israel from Egypt through MosesLeviticus God’s laws for Israel’s worship and conductNumbers History: Israel’s sin, their wandering in the wildernessDeuteronomy Moses’ sermons to Israel; God gives His Law a 2nd timeJoshua History: God leads Israel into the promised landJudges History: Israel repeatedly turns away from GodRuth History: an illustration of God’s faithfulness1 Samuel History: Samuel, Saul, David2 Samuel History: David1 Kings History: Solomon’s reign, his sin, Israel divided2 Kings History: Israel’s sinfulness; God’s punishment in the exile1 Chronicles History: another perspective on David2 Chronicles History: another perspective on SolomonEzra History: part of Israel returns after the exileNehemiah History: another group of Israelites returnEsther History: God’s protection of His people while in exileJob History: Job’s trials and trust in GodPsalms Songs and prayers set to musicProverbs Words of wisdomEcclesiastes Solomon’s insightsSong of Solomon A love poemIsaiah Prophecy: God’s warnings and promises to JudahJeremiah Prophecy: God’s warnings and prophecy to JudahLamentations A lament for Judah after God punished the nationEzekiel Prophecy: God’s words to Jewish exiles in BabylonDaniel Prophecy & History: God’s faithfulness to Daniel in BabylonHosea Prophecy: to Israel, before the exileJoel Prophecy: to Judah, before the exileAmos Prophecy: to Israel, before the exileObadiah Prophecy: to Edom, before the exileJonah Prophecy: to Assyria, before the exileMicah Prophecy: to Judah, before the exileNahum Prophecy: to Assyria, before the exileHabakkuk Prophecy: to Judah, before the exileZephaniah Prophecy: to Judah, before the exileHaggai Prophecy: to Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the exileZechariah Prophecy: to Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the exileMalachi Prophecy: to Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the exile
Note: sometimes “Israel” is used to describe the whole nation of Israel. But after Solomon’s death in 931 B.C. the northern and southern sections of the nation divided – becoming two nations. The northern portion was called “Israel.” The southern portion was called “Judah.”
.
The New Testament
Book DescriptionMatthew What Jesus said & did – written for Jewish audienceMark What Jesus said & did – written for Gentile audienceLuke What Jesus said & did – written for Gentile audienceJohn What Jesus said & did – written for unbelieverActs A continuation of “Luke” – what God did in the early churchRomans Paul’s letter to the church at Rome1 Corinthians Paul’s first letter to Corinth2 Corinthians Paul’s second letter to CorinthGalatians Paul’s letter to the churches of GalatiaEphesians Paul’s letter to EphesusPhilippians Paul’s letter to church of PhilippiColossians Paul’s letter to church at Colossae1 Thessalonians Paul’s first letter to church at Thessalonica2 Thessalonians Paul’s second letter to church at Thessalonica1 Timothy Paul’s first letter to Timothy, his representative in Ephesus2 Timothy Paul’s second letter to TimothyTitus Paul’s letter to Titus, his representative in CretePhilemon Paul’s letter to Philemon, a Christian whose slave had run awayHebrews A letter encouraging Jewish believers to persevereJames Letter from James, Jesus’ brother1 Peter Peter’s first letter2 Peter Peter’s second letter1 John John’s first letter2 John John’s second letter3 John John’s third letterJude Jude, Jesus’ brother, warns against false teachersRevelation John’s vision of Jesus’ promises and warnings to the church
.
Can We Be Sure That We Have The Original Bible?
Can we be sure that the Bible we hold in our hands is the same as what Moses or Paul wrote? Like all ancient literature we no longer have the original manuscripts. But there is more detailed manuscript evidence for the Bible than for any other ancient literature.
Study these quotes from scholars:
F.F. Bruce (professor at the University of Manchester, England)
“Perhaps we can appreciate how wealthy the New Testament is in manuscript attestation if we compare the textual material for other ancient historical works.
For Caesar’s Gallic War (composed between 58 and 50 B.C.) there are several extant MSS [existing manuscripts], but only nine or ten are good, and the oldest is some 900 years later than Caesar’s day.
Of the 142 books of the Roman History of Livy (59 B.C. – A.D. 17) only thirty-five survive; these are known to us from not more than twenty MSS [manuscripts] of any consequence, only one of which, and that containing fragments of Books iii-vi, is as old as the fourth century.
Of the fourteen books of the Histories of Tacitus (c. A.D. 100) only four and a half survive; of the sixteen books of his Annals, ten survive in full and two in part…
The History of Thucydides (c. 460-400 B.C.) is known to us from eight MSS, the earliest belonging to c. A.D. 900, and a few papyrus scraps, belonging to about the beginning of the Christian era… Yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity of Herodutus or Thucydides is in doubt because the earliest MSS of their works which are of any use to us are over 1,300 years later than the originals.
But how different is the situation of the New Testament in this respect! In addition to the two excellent MSS of the fourth century… which are the earliest of some thousands known to us, considerable fragments remain of papyrus copies of books of the New Testament dated from 100 to 200 years earlier still…
To sum up, we may quote the verdict of the late Sir Frederic Kenyon, a scholar whose authority to make pronouncements on ancient MSS was second to none:
.
‘The interval then between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.’” The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (pp. 18-20)
Bernard Ramm:
In regard to the New Testament there are about 13,000 manuscripts, complete and incomplete, in Greek and other languages, that have survived from antiquity. No other work from classical antiquity has such attestation.
Sir Frederic Kenyon:
It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: especially this is the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, or early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.
Scholars are satisfied that they possess substantially the true text of the principal Greek and Roman writers whose works have come down to us, of Sophocles, of Thucydides, of Cicero, of Virgil; yet our knowledge of their writings depends on a mere handful of manuscripts, whereas the manuscripts of the New Testament are counted by hundreds, and even thousands.
.
Can We Trust the Truthfulness of the New Testament Authors?
This is a valid question to ask. What we are asking is – is it reasonable to trust what the New Testament authors wrote? Do we have sufficient reason to believe them?
Here are some reasons why we can trust the New Testament authors:
1. The New Testament authors agree with each other. It is possible for one person to be deceived or have a hallucination. But it is not reasonable to assume that this group of authors were all deceived or suffering from hallucinations.
2. Many of the New Testament authors were killed because of their faith in Christ. This shows that they truly believed what they wrote about Jesus, to the point of losing their life for it. This does not prove it was true. But it shows that they were not intentionally deceiving anyone. They truly believed what they wrote.
3. The New Testament authors were either eye-witnesses themselves or related what eye-witnesses had told them.
a. Luke’s introduction to his biography of Jesus:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:1-3 – page 1012)
b. Peter’s description of his writing:
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16 – page 1204)
c. John’s description of his writing:
“The man who saw it (describing John himself) has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” (John 19:35 – page 1074)
.
4. The authors of the New Testament appealed to common knowledge about Jesus. If what they wrote about Him was not true, people alive at that time could have proven them wrong.
a. Peter’s sermon to Jewish unbelievers:
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22 – page 1078)
b. Paul’s statement about Jesus’ resurrection:
“…that he [Jesus] was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:4-6 – page 1139)
5. Other historical sources confirm the truthfulness of many of the New Testament books and authors:
a. Eusebius (an early historian) gives a quote from Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (A.D. 130), in which Papias discusses the origins of the gospel of Mark:
“The elder [the apostle John] used to say this also: Mark, having been the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately all that he [Peter] mentioned, whether sayings or doings of Christ…” (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 39)
b. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (A.D. 180) tells the origins of our four gospels:
“Matthew published his gospel among the Hebrews [Jewish believers] in their own tongue, when Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the church there. After their departure [death] Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, himself handed down to us in writing the substance of Peter’s preaching. Luke, the follower of Paul, set down in a book the gospel preached by his teacher. Then John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned on his breast, himself produced his Gospel, while he was living in Ephesus in Asia.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.1.1)
.
Hasn’t Archaeology Proven That The Bible Is False?
Not at all. Look at these quotes from historians and archaeologists.
Nelson Glueck (Jewish archaeologist)
“It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.”
W. F. Albright
“There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.”
Millar Burrows
“On the whole, however, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine.”
.
Can Thinking People Really Believe That Jesus Rose From The Dead?
There is nothing intrinsically unreasonable about believing that Jesus rose from the dead. If there really is a God, if Jesus Christ really was the Son of God, then the resurrection would certainly be possible.
So the question is not about the possibility of the resurrection. The question is, “Does the evidence show the probability of the resurrection?” We cannot prove that the resurrection occurred. When we are dealing with history the issue is, “What is the most reasonable explanation for the historical data?”
Everyone agrees that the tomb was really empty. This is clear, because if Jesus’ opponents could have found His body they would have immediately proven that Jesus did not rise from the dead.
But people have given a couple of different explanations for the empty tomb besides the explanation that Jesus rose from the dead:
1. The tomb was empty, because the disciples went to the wrong tomb.
The problem with this is that Jesus’ opponents would immediately have gone to the right tomb, pulled out Jesus’ body, and proven that Jesus did not rise from the dead. This cannot be the reason the tomb was empty.
2. The tomb was empty, because Jesus did not really die; he just “swooned” and walked out. Listen to what D.F. Strauss (an unbeliever) says about this theory:
“It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre [tomb], who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to his sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that He was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life, an impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry.”
3. The tomb was empty, because the body was stolen while the soldiers slept.
a. The chief priests and Pharisees were concerned about this very thing. So they requested that the tomb be guarded by professional soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66 – page 989). These soldiers faced severe penalties for not fulfilling their duties. How likely is it that the disciples could have stolen the body out from under their guard?
.
b. During Jesus’ death the disciples were depressed and fearful. It is hard to imagine that they suddenly became brave enough to steal the body.
c. The disciples were willing to suffer beatings, imprisonments, and most of them were finally killed for their belief in Jesus Christ. If this was a group conspiracy, what was the motive? What did they gain?
d. Jesus later appeared to over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:4-6 – page 1139). Many of these were still alive at the time Paul wrote this letter.
My conclusion is that the tomb was empty because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, demonstrating that He was the Son of God.
1. Jesus taught that He would die and be raised from the dead (Matthew 16:21 -- page 973; Mark 9:31 -- page 1001; Luke 9:22 – page 1026).
2. The fact that Jesus was really dead is confirmed by the horrible suffering He endured, by the fact that He was put to death by professional soldiers, and by the fact that Pilate asked the soldier in charge of the crucifixion to confirm Jesus’ death. It was only when Jesus’ death was confirmed that Pilate allowed the body to be taken away (Mark 15:44-45 – page 1010).
3. The Jews wanted to be sure that the disciples did not steal the body. So they asked Pilate for permission for a guard for the tomb. So the tomb was guarded by professional soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66 – page 989).
4. But Sunday morning the tomb was empty. Jesus’ opponents were not able to find His body to disprove the rumors of his resurrection.
5. Jesus’ followers were transformed from depression and fear into joy and confidence. The reason they gave for this was that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them. Jesus ended up appearing to over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:6 – page 1139). Many of His followers ended up dying for their belief in Him.
6. Jesus’ enemies could do nothing to deny the resurrection. They could produce no evidence to the contrary.
7. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is confirmed by every writer of the New Testament. It is described in detail by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
I believe that the best explanation for the historical data is that Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead.
.