Is the Bible the truly God's Word? Christians say yes. The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not just a good book? What is unique about the Bible that sets it apart from all other religious books ever written? Is there any evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word? These types of questions must be seriously examined if we are to determine the validity of the Bible’s claim to be the very Word of God, divinely inspired, and totally sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. The Church of Divine Guidance Adult Bible Study Group is doing a study to address and answer these questions.
Review
Last week we started to look at the way that the Old Testament was constructed.
The Old Testament was written,for the most part, in Hebrew, which is a comparatively simple language to understand. It’s broken up into 3 major sections; history, poetry, and prophecy. The historical books are the first 17 books in the Old Testament. The first 5 are known as the Pentateuch or the Law. Those books trace the history of man from creation through the time that the nation of Israel is chosen, starting with Abraham, redeemed, and prepared to enter a promised homeland. The remaining 12 historical books record the conquest of that land, a transition period in which judges ruled over the nation, the formation of the kingdom, and the division of that kingdom into northern (Israel) and southern (Judah) kingdoms, and finally the destruction and captivity of both kingdoms. They record the history of the Jewish nation from its inception through its days of glory and deportation, and finally, to its days of survival as a small, insignificant nation surrounded by enemies intent on destroying it.
The Historical Books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
The Poetic Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Now comes a different set of books, which are known as the poetic books of the Bible: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They don't relate historical experiences. Rather they relate the experiences of the human heart. They do not advance the story of the nation of Israel. Instead, through the use of Hebrew poetry, they delve into the questions of suffering, wisdom, life, love, and most importantly, the character and nature of God. The Psalms do however have some prophecies about the coming Messiah.
The next major section of the Old Testament is prophecy.
The Prophetic Books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
These 17 books make up about one-fourth of the Scriptures. The office of prophet was instituted the days of Samuel, and those who were prophets stood along with the priests as God's special representatives. The men who wrote these books were called or appointed to "speak for" God Himself. God communicated His messages to them through a variety of means, including dreams, visions, angels, nature, miracles, and an audible voice.
A prophet’s primary function in the Old Testament (OT) was to serve as God’s representative or ambassador by communicating God’s word to his people. True prophets never spoke on their own authority or shared their personal opinions, but rather delivered the message God himself gave them.
Exodus 4:12 (NKJV)12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you
Jeremiah 1:9 (NKJV)9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Ezekiel 2:7 (NKJV)7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.
And many of the OT prophetic books begin with the words, “The word of the LORD that came to whoever the prophet was.
The prophetic books have four major themes and purposes:
1. To expose the sinful practices of the people
2. To call the people back to the moral, civil, and ceremonial law of God
3. To warn the people of coming judgment
4. To anticipate the coming of Messiah
Unfortunately, the messages they shared from God were often rejected and their lives endangered.
Why is the Old Testament and the history of the Jews so important to us as Christians?
Both Jews and Christians both claim to have God's Word.
Judaism. It is the oldest of the world's three great monotheistic religions (that is, religions serving one God). He revealed His law, the Torah, to the Jewish people (the first five books of the Old Testament) and He chose them to be a light for all humanity. The Torah contains some 613 commands which are summed up in the Ten Commandments.
A very important concept in Judaism is that of the Messiah. Originally the Jews believed that God would send a powerful messenger (the Messiah) who would deliver Israel from her oppressors and usher in a reign of peace and prosperity. Today many Jews no longer hold to a personal messiah, but hope for a messianic age of justice and truth. For the Jews the coming of the Messiah or the messianic age still lies in the future.
We Christians all owe a tremendous debt to the Jews. We have inherited so much from them, and from them came God's own Son, the Messiah. Faith in Him, that is, in His death and resurrection is why we are now reconciled to God and have hope for the future, the resurrection of the body and eternal life in the presence of God. We Christians can not only look back on a marvelous history, but forward to the day when His kingdom comes and brings all people together.
So the Hebrew bible most if which is the Old Testament is very important because;
- It reveals God—that there is a Creator, that the world didn't just happen, and that He is in control over everything at all times.
We read about creation in Genesis 1
Isaiah 46:9-10 (HCSB)9 Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; ⌊I am⌋ God, and no one is like Me.10 I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will.
- It reveals that this God is a God of love who is deeply concerned about every person.
Psalm 8:4-8 (HCSB)4 what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?5 You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor.6 You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet:7 all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild,8 the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas.
Psalm 86:5 (HCSB)5 For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.
Psalm 100:5 (HCSB)5 For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.
- It reveals that God's love is defined by His laws. The Ten Commandments, and the statutes and judgments based on those commandments, show us how to live God's way of love. All of them are summed up by the two great laws of love that Jesus gave the in answer to a question from one of the scribes about which was the greatest commandment
Mark 12:29-31 (HCSB)29 “This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.31 “The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”
- It reveals that sin brings suffering—that when we sin, there is a penalty. And if an entire nation sins, it eventually will reap the results of those sins. On the other hand, if an individual or a nation repents of sin and asks God for forgiveness, He is ready and willing to forgive
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 gives us a litany of the result of sin. It’s talking about the nation of Israel but we can apply much of it to ourselves as individuals and as a nation.
But then when we or a nation repents and asks forgiveness;
Psalm 103:8-13 (HCSB)8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love.9 He will not always accuse ⌊us⌋ or be angry forever.10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
- It reveals the plan of God—that there would be a Savior who would pay the death penalty for your sins and my sins; that this Savior, the Messiah, would establish the Kingdom of God on earth; and that there would be a resurrection of the dead to eternal life
The entire 53rd chapter of Isaiah
Daniel 2:44 (HCSB)44 “In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.
Micah 5:2 (NKJV)2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
Numbers 24:17 (NKJV)17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
- It reveals that there would be a new covenant under which God would give people the gift of His Spirit, which would remove our heart of stone and replace it with a heart that would love and obey God
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (HCSB)31 “Look, the days are coming”—⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.32 ⌊This one will⌋ not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them”—the LORD’s declaration.33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the LORD’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”—⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (HCSB)26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27 I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.
- It reveals that humanity is created in God's image, created to be like Him and to share rulership with God over the entire universe
Genesis 1:26-27 (HCSB)26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.
Hebrews 2:6-8 (HCSB)6 But one has somewhere testified: What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him?7 You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor8 and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.
The New Testament
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| Early New Testament Manuscript |
Was written in Greek, which is a very complex language that emphasizes abstract concepts and subtle shades of meaning. Therefore, studying the New Testament demands greater diligence. Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is not one book, but a collection of 27 individual books that reflect a wide range of themes, literary forms, and purposes
The Historical Books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
The first five books in the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John (called the Gospels), and Acts (Luke wrote Acts too)—are entirely narrative and the only historical books in the New Testament. The first the Gospels, are a historical account of the life and times of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, whose birth, life, death, and resurrection were prophesied throughout the Old Testament. The book of Acts provides a factual report of the period from Christ's final words to His followers and His ascension into heaven to the travels and trials of the apostle Paul. Acts describes some of the key events in the spread of the gospes from Judea to the far reaches of the Roman Empire.
The Doctrinal Books: Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation
With the end of Acts and the historical books of the New Testament, the Bible moves to 22 letters (called epistles are letters of doctrine—teaching and instruction in Christian truth and practice. A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.
Paul is believed to be the writer of Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, the brother of Jesus wrote James, the apostle Peter wrote the books by his name, the apostle John wrote, in addition to the Gospel book, wrote the 3 epistles with his name and he wrote the book of Revelation. Jude, which we studied a few months ago, was believed to be written by another half brother of Jesus and the brother of James. There is some dispute about the author of Hebrews. Most theologians believe that it was written by Paul.
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