THE BIBLE – THE WORD OF GOD
It is so important to for a young Christian to start right; therefore the first importance is to establish your faith in the Bible, for it is the Word of God.
Keep in mind that the Bible is not a book of philosophy, although it is philosophical. Do not go to the Bible for a scientific treatise. However, there is no discrepancy between ascertained facts of science and the Bible. The Bible is not a book of history (BUT HIS STORY), but is found to be accurate when recording history. The Bible was given to man from God, revealing JESUS CHRIST the SON OF GOD, and GOD THE SON, the ONLY SAVIOUR (Jn.14:6). He is the center and the circumference. It is Christ from Genesis to Revelation (Jn. 5:39).
The Bible is as high above all other books as the heavens are above the earth. Someone has said of the Bible:
“READ IT TO BE WISE
BELIEVE IT TO BE SAFE and
PRACTICE IT TO BE RIGHT.”
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THE BIBLE CLAIMS TO BE THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD (2Tim. 3:16,17)
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THE BIBLE IS DIFFICULT BOOK (1Cor. 2:14-16.)
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THE BIBLE IS A BOOK OF ONENESS (2Pet. 1:21)
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THE BIBLE CLAIMS SPECIAL POWER (Heb. 4:12)
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THE BIBLE COMMANDS THE BELIEVER TO STUDY THE SCIPTURES (2Tim. 2:15.)
THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD (2Tim. 3:16,17)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” By “inspiration” we mean that the Holy Spirit exerted His supernatural influence upon the writers of the Bible. Therefore the scriptures are God inspired word for word. By this we mean that every word, in the original, is fully and equally inspired in all of its teachings. The Bible does not just contain the word of God. It is the word of God.
The writers of the Bible did not write by natural inspiration, or an act of the human will. “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2Pet. 1:21). David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue (2Sam. 23:2)
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The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible (1Pet. 1:21)
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Man was the instrument used by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible.
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Results: The infallible Word of God. Therefore the Bible is free from error and absolutely trustworthy (Ps. 119:89; Matt.24:35).
THE BIBLE IS DIFFICULT BOOK (1Cor. 2:14-16.)
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
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"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
The Bible is a difficult book because it came from the infinite to the finite – from the unlimited, all powerful God to limited man. Therefore, you cannot understand the Bible as you would understand the writings of Plato or Socrates. You can study the great philosophers with the natural mind, and by diligent application , grasp their profound meaning. If the Bible could be understand by the natural man, it would be a natural book, and could not be the Word of God.
Since the Bible is from God, and therefore spiritual, before you can receive its teachings, you must be born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:6) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Always approach the Bible praying that the Spirit will be your teacher and will guide you to a better understanding of His Holy Word.; or it will remain a difficult, closed book
(Jn. 16:12-15) 12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
THE BIBLE IS A BOOK OF ONENESS (2Pet. 1:21)
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The oneness or unity of the Bible is a miracle. It is a library of 66 books, written by over 35 different authors, in a period of approximately 1,500 years. Represented in the authors is a cross section of humanity, educated and uneducated, including kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers and physicians. Included in the subjects are religion, history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography, and prophecy. Yet its various parts are as harmoniously united as the parts that make up the human body.
For 35 authors, with such varied background, to write on so many subjects over a period of approximately 1,500 years in absolute harmony, is a mathematical impossibility. It could not happen! Then how do we account for the Bible? THE ONLY ADEQUATE EXPLANATION IS : “HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
THE BIBLE CLAIMS SPECIAL POWER (Heb. 4:12)
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
“For the Word of God is quick and powerful…”
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The Bible claims a DIVIDING POWER as a sword (above verse). The Bible will separate man from sin (Ps. 119:11) I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you, or sin will separate man from the Bible (Isa. 59:2) But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
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The Bible claims REFLECTING POWER as a mirror (Jas. 1: 22-25) 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. In the Bible WE SEE OURSELVES as Go sees us – as sinners (Rom. 3:23) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
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The Bible claims CLEANSING POWER as water (Eph. 5:26) to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, David prayed that God would “wash him from iniquity” and “Cleanse him form sin” (Ps. 51:2) Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
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The Bible claims REPRODUCTIVE POWER as seed (1Pet 1:23) For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. We are children of God, because we have been born into the family of God by the incorruptible seed of God. This is the new birth (Jn.3:1-7) Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
5) The Bible claims NOURISHING POWER as food (1Pet.2:2) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, The Bible is spiritual food for the soul. NO CHRISTIAN CAN REMAIN STRONG IN THE LORD AND NOT STUDY THE WORD OF GOD.
THE BIBLE COMMANDS THE BELIEVER TO
STUDY THE SCIPTURES (2Tim. 2:15.)
-Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)
-Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)
“Study to show thyself approved unto God” is a command. As you study the Bible, you will discover that it does not just contain the word of God –it IS the word of GOD. You must also keep in mind that the Word of God contains the words of God, as well as the words of Satan, demons, angels and man – both good and bad. God is truth and cannot lie. Satan “is a liar and the father of it” (Jn. 8:44). Man is natural and is therefore limited and does not always speak the truth. TO ILLUSTARTE: (Matt. 22:15-46). In this portion of Scripture, we have the words Jesus, of the Pharisees, of the Herodians, and of the Sadducees. The Pharisees, Herodians and the Sadducees were trying to entangle Jesus in His teachings, that they might accuse Him of breaking God’s law. Their words were spoken with evil intent, revealing the thinking of the natural men, along with the words of God that came from the lips of Jesus.
AS YOU STUDY THE BIBLE, ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS:
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Who is speaking: God, demon, angel or man?
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To whom is He speaking: to the nation Israel, to the Gentiles, to the Church, to men in general or to some individual man or being?
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How can this Scripture be applied to my own life to make me a better Christian?
B = BEHOLD
I = I
B = BRING
L = LIFE
E = ETERNAL
Please read
John 17:3
1John 2:25
1John 5:20
John 20:30, 31
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