Bible Study Lesson 1

Welcome

Thank you for taking the time to go through these Bible studies.

It is our sincere prayer that as you work through each lesson, you would take the time to carefully read every Bible verse that is given. These studies are not built on opinions, but on what God has said in His Word. As you read, consider not just the information, but what God is saying to you personally through the Scriptures.

We would also encourage you to thoughtfully fill in the blanks throughout each study. This will help you stay engaged and allow the truths of God’s Word to settle more deeply in your heart.

If at any point you have questions, or if you would like to sit down and go through the Bible together in person, we would truly love that opportunity. It would be a privilege to meet you, answer any questions, and help in any way we can.

Thank you again for taking the time to seek the truth in God’s Word.

Where Do We Find Truth?

Where do you turn to be sure of the truth?  Or is there such a thing as truth?
Some would say no. In fact, the only thing they’re certain of is that you can’t be certain of anything.

Others may not go that far, but they dismiss the Bible as just a good book—not absolute truth.

But if they’re so sure about that, shouldn’t their conclusion be open to examination?

The Bible makes a very different claim—it presents itself as truth.
So we would simply invite you to examine it for yourself.
Don’t you owe it to yourself to take the time to test it… just in case it really is true?

So how do we arrive at truth?

People have come up with many answers to that question, but the Bible shows the weakness in each of them.

Some say, “Follow your conscience.” or “Let your conscience be your guide.”
It sounds right—but is it enough?

The place to find out the answer is in God's Word!

According to:

Is the conscience really a reliable guide?

You don’t have to look far to see the problem. What one person accepts, another rejects.

That’s why we have laws, courts, and prisons—because conscience alone doesn’t produce agreement on what’s right.

And even with governments in place, there’s still no complete unity. Nations disagree. Leaders disagree. Even within the same system, people can’t fully agree on what is acceptable and what is not.

Others look to the church, or to man-made creeds, as their authority.
But those, too, fall short—because in the end, they still depend on man to define what truth is.


(Also, look up and read Matthew 15:3,6,9)
In fact, churches vary in beliefs and practices. Yet there is a standard by which all can be judged. That standard is the Bible. We will show you in this study some of the reasons we believe ALL TRUST can be placed in this amazing book that is better than all consciences, churches and creeds.

As we approach the Bible we must realize that it is different from any other book. The Bible is the most objective, factual and un-opinionated account of history to be found on the face of the earth. God's men and women are revealed in their times of victory and also in times of defeat and failure. In the Bible man can find the answers to life's most perplexing questions. In this study we will go beyond just making statements, but will show you why they are true! If we are to take the Bible as THE WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD, then surely there is some proof!

Yes, there is!!! Study on...

FIRST... What Is The Bible?

The Bible is a collection of 66 books, divided into two major sections known as the OLD and NEW Testaments or Covenants. Please look at the very front of your Bible and look over the index. You will notice that the Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. The Books of the Bible are not arranged chronologically, but rather topically. Both of the Testaments have their books set in Groups, as shown in the following.

The Law


Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

These are the books given from God to Moses to give to the Jewish people. They include laws for religious, social, and moral life.

The HISTORY Books

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

These are the history books of the rise and fall of the Jewish nation. It tells the stories of victories and defeats. They tell of God's goodness to the nation in spite of their often sinning against Him.

The POETICAL Books

Job, Psalm, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

These books express the joys and sorrows of the authors and their interaction with God. We see them at their best and at their worst.

The PROPHETS

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

These books record the prophecies about and to the nation of Israel and record the promises of days to come. It is here that we will find many of the prophecies that were not fulfilled until many years later. This will help us to see that the Bible is not like any other book produced by man. In fact it is a book inspired by God!

From the close of the Old Testament (Malachi) to the birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew), over 400 years transpired. These years are called the "Silent Years."

The GOSPELS

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

These books record the life of Christ. They are each a view of Christ from a different perspective, and the major portion of the books relate the last 3 1/2 years of His life, death and resurrection from the dead.

The HISTORY Book

Acts

The book of Acts records the early advance of the church Jesus started during His earthly ministry. Here we see the church starting many other churches and making progress in spreading the gospel to all of the world.

The EPISTLES

Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2&3 John, Jude

These books known as epistles are letters written to churches to set in order what is true, how to operate a church and how to please God as individuals.

The PROPHECY Book

Revelation

This book is often called a mystery. Nothing could be further from the truth. To understand it, however, you must first know the author. We will save it for a future study.

How Did We Receive The Bible?

The Bible is not just a book, it is THE BOOK – different from any other book that has or will be written. The Bible is a SUPERNATURAL Book because of the way in which God gave it to mankind. It is wrong to say that men wrote what they "thought" God wanted us to know. Instead the Bible claims God wrote through the personalities of these men!

Look Up 2 Peter 1:21

by the Holy Ghost."

This verse of scripture teaches three vital facts concerning how we got the Bible:
  1. It wasn't made up by men. 
  2. Men of God wrote the Bible. 
  3. God authored the Bible. 

Look Up 2 Timothy 3:16

of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

The way in which God gave us the Bible is called INSPIRATION. "Inspired" literally means "God breathed." As we speak, we breathe. So it is with the Bible. It claims to be the breath of God, OR the very words of Almighty God. By inspiration we mean that the Holy Spirit moved the human writers of the Bible in such a way that they recorded the very words of God although in their own literary style.

A good way to illustrate this miracle is to consider how you would write things down on paper. It is the PEN which actually does the writing -- but only writes as you move it.

And that is exactly what God did.  He Used Human Writers To Pen His Words.

God used about 40 different men from all walks of life to write the Bible. This was accomplished over a period of some 1,600 years. Since these men did not live at the same time and had not met each other in many cases, we must stand in amazement at the unity of this Bible. No contradictions! This is more than a human book!

If the Bible is the INSPIRED Word of God we can take it as THE authority for all we believe and do. Surely if it is the Word of God, there will be some 'proofs' of this.

And there ARE!

We will look at these in study #2.


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