Sunday, July 10, 2022
Theme Verse: John 17:17 (NLT) Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
Bottom Line: Knowing WHAT it is will help us know HOW to use it.
Key Verses:
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
What is the Bible?
A library of writings rooted in oral tradition spanning hundreds of years telling the story of God and his people.
1. 66 writings
2. Spanning 1500 years
3. 40 authors of diverse backgrounds
Old Testament = Jewish Scriptures = Hebrew: TaNaKn
T= Torah - origins/Law writings
N= Nevi'im - historical prophetic writings
K = Ketuvim - song/wisdom writings
New Testament = Christian Scriptures
Gospels - account of Jesus
Acts - account of the early church
Epistles - Apostles’ letters to Christians (which includes Revelation)
Types of writing
Narrative - 43% stories of history. ex: Esther, David, Jesus
Poetry - 33% Dense visual language. ex: Psalms
Prose discourse - Speeches, teaching essays - LINEAR
Additional Resource:
Bible Project- What is the Bible?
Bible Project - Literary Styles
Bible Project - How to read the Bible
How did we get it?
Church Leaders - Including some of the apostles early on discerned "inspired" based on the following criteria:
1. Who wrote it? Is it an author who spent time with Jesus/reputable?
2. Was it true? Is it telling what really happened?
3. Is it helpful? Is it relevant to all Jesus followers?
4. Is it changing lives? Is there evidence of God using it for transformation?
They started evaluating the Gospels and the Epistles, and eventually, the writings were agreed upon by church leaders —thus creating the "canon" of scriptures (canon simply means authorized).
They decided to include the Jewish Scriptures because it is the story that Jesus said he came to fulfill.
How can we trust it?
One of the ways historians gauge the authenticity and reliability of what was written is by evaluating two areas:
1. Time span between original writing and earliest copies: the shorter the time span, the more reliable the authorship and work.
2. Number of copies: more copies create more opportunities to compare variance to confirm the authenticity and reliability of the content.
For comparison of the New Testament with other ancient works: Ancient Manuscript Comparison Chart
What is the main point?
The story of the Bible is about humanity's cycle of self-destruction and the Messiah who will restore the covenant partnership between God and humans.
The Bible Project - Video Story Summary
The Bible Project Summary
Additional Resources:
The New Testament Documents by F.F. Bruce
Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow
A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
The Reliability of the Old Testament - Gospel Coalition