Lesson 1: God’s Book

(1) The student will be able to explain:

• The concepts of General Revelation and Special Revelation.

• Evidence that the Bible is God’s Word.

• Inspiration of scripture.

• Why the inspiration of scripture means that it is without error.

• The terms inspired, infallible, and inerrant.

• Why the Bible is finished and cannot be expanded.

• How the Bible is the primary source and final authority for doctrine.

• How the Bible is important in the daily life of the Christian.

• A statement of Christian beliefs about the Bible.

(2) The student will avoid listening to the wrong authority or studying the Bible with a limited purpose.

Note to class leader: Usually the session will begin with a test over the previous lesson and a review of the objectives of the previous lesson. Since this is the first lesson, go to the scripture reading below.

► Read Psalm 119:1-16 together. What does this passage tell us about the Bible?

God, the Creator of the world, has spoken. He has revealed himself and the purpose of his creation. The truth God has revealed to us is called revelation. There is a book in the Bible called “Revelation,” but the word revelation can also be used for all the truth God has revealed.

► What are some ways that God has revealed truth to us?

Because God has revealed truth different ways, we talk about two categories: General Revelation and Special Revelation.

General Revelation

General Revelation is what God has shown us about himself through his creation. We see the amazing intelligence and power of God in the design of the universe.

God’s highest creation is humanity. We learn some things about God when we look at how people are designed. The fact that we can reason, appreciate beauty, and tell the difference between right and wrong (though not perfectly) shows us that our Creator must possess those abilities to a higher degree. We know that God must be someone who can think and communicate because we have those abilities.

Because General Revelation shows us that God could speak, we realize that Special Revelation could happen. Because God can speak, it is possible for there to be messages from God and even a book from God.

By General Revelation, people know there is a God, that they should obey him, and that they have already disobeyed him. (Read Romans 1:20-21.) But General Revelation does not tell us how to come into a right relationship with God. General Revelation shows us the need for Special Revelation because it shows that people are sinful and without excuse before their Creator, but it does not tell us the solution.

[1]Special Revelation

God gave us Special Revelation through the inspired scriptures and Jesus, his Son. Special Revelation explains the condition that General Revelation shows us to be in: fallen and guilty. Special Revelation describes God, explains the Fall and sin, and shows the way to be reconciled to God.

Imagine that you didn’t know the Bible exists. You realize that there is a God. You know that you are in trouble with God. You don’t know what is after death. You don’t know the purpose of life. You don’t know how to approach God.

Then imagine that someone shows you a book and tells you that it came from God to answer those questions. Can you imagine how valuable this book would be?

► What does the Bible claim about itself? Give some examples of statements from the Bible that show that it claims to be from God.

Let’s talk about the claim that the Bible makes about itself. Then, we will look at evidence that the Bible is true. The Bible claims to be the Word of God. In the Old Testament, there are more than 3,000 statements that messages came from God, often stated as simply as, “The Lord spoke….”[1] Jesus considered the Old Testament to be inspired by God. (Read Matthew 5:17-18; John 10:35; Mark 12:36.) Writers of the New Testament considered the Old Testament to be from God. (Read Acts 3:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21.) Writers of the New Testament considered the New Testament writings to be inspired by God. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Peter 3:16.)

If a person does not accept the Bible’s claim about itself, he should look at the evidence. Imagine again that you did not know about the Bible. You know that God is a person and could speak if he wanted to. So, you know that a book from God is possible. Then someone shows you a book and tells you that it is a book from God.

► How can you know that the Bible is really the Word of God? What would you expect it to be like?

[2]Where the gospel is preached, anywhere in the world, people feel an internal conviction of its truth. When they believe the gospel and repent, they experience God’s forgiveness and a changed life. For most people, that is their first reason for believing the Bible. (Read 1 Thessalonians 1:5.)

Then for those in relationship with God, the Spirit of God speaks through scripture, giving understanding and conviction. The way the Holy Spirit uses the Bible confirms that it is the Word of God. (Read Ephesians 6:17.)

As we walk in relationship with God, we find that the Bible accurately reveals his nature and the way he works with us. The Bible shows us the way to begin a relationship with God and the way to continue with him. This is evidence that the Bible is God’s Word. (Read Psalm 119:1-2.)

But what if you want evidence that is not based on your own spiritual experience? People in other religions have spiritual experiences also, but their experiences are not based on truth. How can we know that our experience is based on truth?

► Is there evidence that the Bible is accurate in the things that it says?

The Bible was written by more than 40 authors, most of whom were not acquainted with most of the others, over a period of 1,500 years. What would we normally expect of such a book? We would assume that it would have all kinds of mistakes and contradictions. But consider the following facts about the Bible. Thousands of geographical sites mentioned in the Bible have been located; thousands of historical events and individuals mentioned in the Bible are confirmed in history; never has any discovery refuted a biblical statement; and never does the Bible contradict itself. Such statements are not true of any other book ever written. Evidence supports the Bible’s claim to be inspired by God.

We can summarize the evidence that supports the Bible’s claim to be the Word of God in six points. We know the Bible is truly God’s Word because:

• Thousands of biblical facts are confirmed.

• No statement of the Bible is disproved.

• The Bible does not contradict itself.

• The gospel is proved by its effects.

• The Spirit of God speaks through the Bible.

• The Bible guides our relationship with God.

► What do we mean that the Bible is inspired?

Inspiration is the supernatural work in which God revealed himself and brought that revelation to written form. The Bible is the end product of inspiration. The Bible is inspired like no other book. The inspiration of the Bible means that it is completely the Word of God, even to the very words used.

Sometimes people feel like they have been inspired when they have great ideas, but the Bible means more than that when it claims to be inspired by God.

All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

Though scripture flowed from pens in human hands, the emphasis of this verse is that the Bible came from God. Because the Bible is from God, it is reliable for doctrine. It is better than the best that people could do.

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

These verses in 2 Peter say that writers were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The accuracy of the biblical writers did not depend on their own knowledge. The fact that they were moved, or carried, by the Holy Spirit in their writing, shows that the reliability of the writing ultimately depended on God. The Bible is as reliable as God.

► What are some ways that the biblical writers received God’s truth before they wrote?

Sometimes people wonder how inspiration worked. How did God communicate his truth and make sure it was recorded accurately? The first fact we should notice about God’s style of revelation is that it has variety. He is not limited to a certain method. (Read Hebrews 1:1.)

Sometimes God spoke with an audible voice, as when he spoke to Moses (Exodus 33:11). At other times he gave dreams or visions, and the writer described them.[1] Perhaps the part of scripture that came most directly from God into print was the covenant with Israel that was written with the finger of God (Deuteronomy 9:10). Other sections of scripture seem to have been dictated, for major passages in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers come after the statement, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying…”

Inspiration does not mean that God spoke the words to the writer in an audible voice. We see differences in personalities and writing styles among various writers. For example, Paul’s style is very different from Peter’s. Our view of inspiration recognizes God’s use of the human writers’ personalities, vocabularies, writing styles, education, and historical research.

The right view of inspiration is that God inspired the whole person, using the human writer’s imagination and personality to express divine truth, not only revealing truth but also supervising the writing process to provide total accuracy.

Some people think that God just gave the ideas that he wanted to communicate, and the human writer explained them the best he could, inevitably making human mistakes in details. That view does not fit the Bible’s description of inspiration. The Bible describes the authors as being carried along by the Holy Spirit in their writing, so we know that they were not left to write on their own, making mistakes.

Because the Bible is the Word of God, it does not say anything that is wrong because God does not make mistakes. (Read Proverbs 30:5.) Since God revealed himself in the history recorded in the Bible, the details must be accurate so that we have a reliable revelation of God. Therefore, because of the biblical description of inspiration, we know that God guided the writing so that it was completely accurate.

Inspired

The Bible is inspired, which means that it is completely the Word of God, even to the very words used. This term was originally sufficient to assert the full reliability and accuracy of the Bible, but now some people who say they believe the Bible is inspired deny that it is completely accurate. The following terms have come into use to defend essential aspects of inspiration.

Infallible

This term means “cannot fail.” When we say that the Bible is infallible, we mean that it can be trusted and will never mislead us. The Bible is infallible not only in its doctrinal statements, but in every statement it makes.

Inerrant

This term means “without error.” The Bible is accurate in every statement that it makes. Since God would never lie or make a mistake (read Titus 1:2) and the Bible is God's Word, we can be sure that it is without mistake. If a person says that the Bible may have mistakes because humans were involved in its writing, he is forgetting the description of inspiration in 2 Peter 1:21: the writers were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The biblical, historical view of inspiration is that the whole Bible is inspired, even to the very words, and therefore is without error. (Read Matthew 5:18.)

What about Errors in Copying?

Before machine printing existed, all documents including scripture were copied by hand. We do not have the original manuscripts written by Paul, Isaiah, or Moses. Among the thousands of ancient, handwritten copies that we have in Greek and Hebrew, there are slight differences, and we cannot always know exactly what the exact original wording was. However, the differences are so slight that no doctrine is questionable because of them. Because we know that the originals were inerrant, and because the differences in the copies are so small, we know that we can trust every statement the Bible makes.

► How do we know the Bible is accurate even though it was copied by hand many times?

► What are various reasons that some people think the Bible has mistakes?

Sometimes people claim that the Bible has mistakes. That is because they don’t understand the nature of the Bible.

The Bible used common human communication. For example, there is a verse that mentions the sun moving across the sky. Most scientists believe that the earth is turning, rather than the sun moving, but they also talk about the sun coming up and going down. They are simply describing it like they see it.

There are also poetic statements, like “the hills skipped like lambs” (Psalm 114:4), or “the trees clapped their hands” (Isaiah 55:12). That is a style of literature that is obviously not literal.

Sometimes writers quoted other people, including people who were not inspired. (For instance, the speeches of Job’s friends are recorded, even though God said they did not speak what was right (Job 42:7).)

None of that is any problem for the doctrine of inspiration. God guided the writing process to make sure the final product was His Word.

Sometimes people think they see a contradiction in the Bible, but they need to look at it more carefully. For example, Mark 5:1-2 and Luke 8:26-27 tell us about a demon-possessed man who was delivered by Jesus. Matthew 8:28 tells us that there were two demon-possessed men delivered. That is not a contradiction. Luke and Mark did not say there was only one man. They chose to focus on the one man who had a history in the area. If a person sees statements in the Bible that seem to contradict each other, he should not hurry to a conclusion, but take time to understand the context.

► What are some ways the Christian should use the Bible?

The Bible provides the law of God. Keeping the law does not save us, but the law does show us how God wants us to live. God’s law shows God’s nature. We should follow it because we want to be like God. Because we love God, we should love his law. Psalm 119 describes how a worshipper of God should delight in the law of God. The person who loves God will pray for God to change his heart to match God’s will. It is impossible for a person who loves God to be unconcerned about pleasing God.

The Word of God is light. The Apostle Peter tells us that the world is in spiritual darkness, and the Word of God is the light to guide the way we should go. (Read 2 Peter 1:19-21; see also Psalm 119:105.) A person should never follow ideas or feelings that contradict God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will never lead a person to do something that the Bible says is wrong.

[1]The Word of God is our spiritual food. Good appetite is a sign of health, and a Christian will desire the Word of God like a baby desires milk (1 Peter 2:2). As a Christian matures, he is able to understand and digest more of God’s truth, like a child learns to eat solid food (1 Corinthians 3:2). A Christian must daily feed himself spiritually with God’s Word.

The Bible is our defense against Satan. We are commanded to equip ourselves with spiritual armor. The sword the Holy Spirit provides for us is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus answered the temptations of the devil with scripture (Matthew 4:3-4).

The Word of God is truth that calls for our response. Jesus compared it to seeds that are planted (Luke 8:11-15). Some of the seeds did not do well because the ground was not prepared. As we read the Bible, we must respond to its truth and pray for God to bring fruit from our life by his Word.

Because the Bible is God’s Word...

• It will never be outdated or irrelevant. It applies to all people in all places and times.

• It is the guide for discerning God’s will, since God will never contradict himself or change his mind.

• It is our guide for getting the best out of life, since God, our Maker, gave it as directions for us.

• It contains everything we need to know to be saved and to walk in relationship with God.

Though we learn from pastors and from church tradition, no idea can be accepted that contradicts scripture because it is the final authority.

The Holy Spirit illuminates God's Word for our understanding and directs us to obey it.

► God still speaks, but should we expect that anything can be added to the Bible?

From the time that the last apostle died, the church has considered the Bible a finished book. The church did not merely select writings to call scripture; instead, they recognized that certain writings were inspired by God and had scriptural authority. The writings that were recognized as scripture met qualifications that no later writings could meet.

For Old Testament books, the church kept the writings that Israel had preserved as scripture. Eventually, the books of the New Testament were recognized as scripture by the following qualifications:

• Historical ties to the apostles

• Self-authenticating quality

• Unanimous church acceptance

• Respectful use of the Old Testament

• Usefulness for resistance against heresy

God still speaks, but can something be added to the Bible now? It is impossible for any new writing to meet the qualifications for inclusion in the original scriptures. For example, no new writing can be tied to the apostles, for they are not still with us. Neither would any new writing be accepted by the whole church worldwide.

Scripture is complete and sufficient for salvation and Christian living (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Nothing important and necessary can be added to scripture because it already has all we need. People who claim to be receiving new revelation should instead spend their time studying the revelation God has already given. They will find there all they need and will be guarded from error.

Note to class leader: Two members of the class could explain this section and the next section.

Compromising Biblical Authority

What is your final authority? Many Christians would say that the Bible is their authority, but they actually trust their own feelings the most. A person will say an action is okay because he does not feel guilty when he does it. This person is making his feelings the final authority instead of the Bible.

There are many reasons people may not take the Bible seriously. Perhaps someone they respect ignores an obvious teaching of the Bible, and this encourages them to do the same. Perhaps they are guilty of doing something the Bible forbids, and they try to find a way to justify their own actions. Perhaps they are simply ignorant of what the Bible teaches. We must make every effort to understand the Bible and submit to its authority.

Studying the Bible with a Limited Purpose

The Bible is the primary source of doctrine. It is the final authority for any doctrinal question. However, it is a problem when people study the Bible only to find proof for their doctrines. They do not use the Bible for spiritual food. They think only about how to show that someone else is wrong. It is right for us to develop and defend our doctrines with scripture. However, if that is our only use of the Bible, we will lose the joy that comes from using it in our personal relationship with God.

Some people read the Bible only for the purpose of feeling encouraged. We need to remember that the purposes of the Bible include instruction, conviction, and correction (2 Timothy 3:16). We should not skip the commands of the Bible, looking for the promises that make us feel better. Maybe God wants to convict or correct us today or teach us something.

Some religious groups claim to believe the Bible, but they make something else their final authority. They claim that only they can explain the Bible, using revelation or a special system that only they have. Their most important doctrines cannot be proved from the Bible.

They may have another book that they use as scripture in addition to the Bible. They may say that the Bible is not reliable because it has translation and copying errors.

Those ideas imply that the Bible is not complete as the Word of God. For those people, something else becomes the final authority.

► Read the statement of beliefs together at least two times.

The Bible is the Word of God. God inspired the writers so that they wrote without error. The Bible includes everything that we need to know to be saved from sin and to walk in relationship with God. The Bible is the primary source of our doctrine and is the final authority. The Christian should study the Bible daily to know God better, to be guided by God, to be spiritually fed, and to live a meaningful and joyful life.

(1) Passage Assignment: Each student will be assigned one of the passages listed below. Before the next class session, you should read the passage and write a paragraph about what it says about the subject of this lesson.

• Psalm 119:33-40
• Psalm 119:129-136
• Proverbs 30:5-6
• Matthew 5:17-19
• 2 Timothy 3:15-17
• 2 Peter 3:15-16
• Revelation 22:18-19

(2) Test: You will begin the next class with a test over Lesson 1. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(3) Teaching Assignment: At least three times during this course, you will teach a lesson or part of a lesson to people not in the class. This teaching can be done in a class at church, a home Bible study group, a family gathering, or another setting. You are responsible to create these opportunities and report to your class leader.

(4) Remember to always read the next lesson in preparation for the next class.

(1) What is General Revelation?

(2) In what two forms has God given Special Revelation?

(3) What three things does Special Revelation do that General Revelation cannot do?

(4) What claim does the Bible make for itself?

(5) List six reasons we know the Bible is God’s Word.

(6) Why is the Bible profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness? (2 Timothy 3:16).

(7) What description does the Bible give of inspiration that assures us that the writers were kept from making mistakes?

(8) List four methods of inspiration God used.

(9) What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?

(10) What does it mean that the Bible is infallible?

(11) What does it mean that the Bible is inerrant?