Introducing the Bible

 

Preamble

• The Bible is the core book of real Christianity (the foundation of understanding)

• The Bible is the record of significant interactions between God and mankind

 

Main Section

1. General layout of the Bible – Book of Books                                         Book/chapter/verse

• Old Testament: written well before Jesus: c 1400 – 420 BC  -  Law, History, Prophets, Writings.

• New Testament: written shorty after Jesus: 48 – 70 AD  -  Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation.

 

   2. How the Bible was written

       2 Pet 1:16-  eyewitnesses of events (great emphasis on eyewitnesses in the Bible, especially in NT)

                   : 20, 21 – inspired by the Holy Spirit (driven?)

       2 Tim 3:14-17 – the Bible says it comes directly from God.  This has the authority of the Apostle Paul behind it!

       Every word of the Bible was written by a prophet inspired by God.

           No other book can make this claim!

 

   3. Kinds of evidence

• Archaeology                       eg Pool of Bethesda, Taylor prism

• Undesigned coincidences             eg Jos 5:10  Passover;    Jos 2:6  flax

• Unity of message             more than 40 writers, different places and professions, 14+ centuries, 3 languages

                                                                ONE MESSAGE

• Prediction of future events          Mk 13:1                Mk 13:3 / Lk 21:6              Lk 21:24

• The witness of Jesus Christ         Lk 16:31              (Jn 5:46,47           Jn 10;35)

                                                                          (Jn 4:5,24 / Jos 24:1, 14, 26–27)

 

 

 

  4. The Bible interprets itself

• The Bible provides its own context           (Bible stories)

• No other books are needed to understand it

• One part of the Bible explains another    (Bible echoes – eg  Jn 4 / Jos 24)

 

Summary

The Bible is a message, given by God, as the basis for understanding Him.

Its value is established by external and internal evidence.