1. The Bible - "A Reliable Source"? (Answering WHY)

Purpose of the Study: This study is to provide a foundation and skills to study the bible more effectively.

Challenge Questions:

What is the bible?

Who wrote the bible? What is the bible about?

How do we know what the bible says is true? Or can the bible be trusted?

Why do I/You want to study the bible?

What value does the bible have for our lives? Or why is it important?

How do I study the bible?

What do I do with the knowledge from studying the bible?

What is the Bible? – 2 Timothy 3:16

- ALL scripture is inspired by God – in other words the Bible is the very WORDS of God

Why is someone’s WORD important? – Luke 6:45

A person’s WORDS reveal what is at the heart of that’s person’s character.

There are times that we can take people by their word but sometimes we are hesitant.

If the bible is the written word of God, then by examining it, we would be given the evidence to trust in God’s word or not

Who wrote (authored) the Bible? – 2 Peter 1:19-21

The surface answer to this question is that MAN physically wrote the Bible

The deeper dive into this question is, HOWEVER, it was not of MAN’s (PRIVATE*) own interpretation

“Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke FROM God”

While MAN physically wrote the bible, NOTHING that they wrote was because of their OPINION

HERE’S THE POINT: The bible was written by MAN but its AUTHOR is GOD. The bible is GOD’S WORD that reveals His HEART and CHARACTER

Challenge Question: If the bible was written by man, Can it be trusted?

How do we get trusted information today?

Books(Encyclopedia/Library - Old School), News Outlets, Social Media, Google Searches, Peer-reviewed journals

Who are the authors or wrote from these “trusted” sources? MAN

Can we agree that there is not one piece of evidence that was not written by human beings?

So, deciding if the bible is trustworthy is not truly based on who physically wrote the text

Trusting the words of the bible would be determined on is the source or the wisdom where the information is coming from reliable (“Reliable Sources tell me”)

Who are these “reliable sources” who claim that information they are providing is trustworthy?

All the information provided through whatever type of information stream is sourced by SOMEONE or HUMAN BEING (Even Artificial Intelligence is a gathering of human thought)

According to what we just pointed out, the WHO of the “reliable information” of the Bible – GOD

REFLECTION: Let’s think about “reliable sources” that the source material is from human beings

Medicine – Without being political, do we trust a good amount of what our healthcare providers recommend to us – YES (I hope we do)

But is something that we trust (Medicine) infallible or unerring? NO

Medicine or Science over the centuries HAS NOT come to the right conclusions EVERY SINGLE TIME

In many instances, information that was presented as FACTS, years later has to be retracted because it was found to be an error (CDC-COVID, Cigarette & Health Health, Sudafed)

Have we completely abolished all medicine and science because of the error of “reliable sources”

HERE’S THE POINT:

As we move forward in studying the bible, let’s evaluate how we determine what is trustworthy or a “reliable source” and what isn’t

The reality is, we still trust and utilize healthcare and medicine to a certain extent even thought we do not have a perfect track record

The major reason that most “trusted” information does not have a 100% success rate is because the “reliable source” where the information is coming from is based solely on the “wisdom” and/or opinion of man. Human information that has more errors than people like to admit. (AI has error)

So let apply that same logic to the bible

Is the “reliable source” (wisdom) of the Bible prone to the same deficiencies?

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 – The writer of this book is Paul (Writer of a good majority of the New Testament)

Who does he state provides the wisdom of the words that he speaks? GOD

1 Corinthians 2:11-13 – Here is the difference between the Bible and other “reliable sources”

The bible is GOD’S WISDOM and HIS ALONE

NOTE: His wisdom/thoughts He FREELY gave through His Spirit to humanity for them to express in written form as He led them to write

KEY POINT: The scriptures are not mingled with MAN’S wisdom and GOD’S wisdom. The bible is GOD’s wisdom ALONE.

Contrasting that with other “reliable sources,” those are based on MAN’s wisdom, meaning that it has limitations on its ability to be with error

Based on this information: We can say that the Bible is not prone to the same deficiencies as other “reliable sources” IF it’s found that God’s WISDOM is TRULY infallible.

As someone who is trying to represent or display a true image of God, it would make sense that I would be able to prove this point. The bible even directs me in this point

1 Peter 3:15 – As a believer in the Word of God and trying to reflect a proper and true image of Him I am making a statement to everyone I study with

I believe that God is real and He exists

That God’s Word is completely infallible and can be fully trusted

That the Word of God has EVIDENCE I need to believe that His Word is true

That I have set myself apart for HIM accepting that HIS way is the direction I want to go

I study the bible to give the reasons WHY I believe this to be TRUE

MOST IMPORTANTLY: That my life is showing the world a CONSISTENT IMAGE of my “Reliable Source”

In Isaiah 1:18 – God does not ask you to believe blindly or require a blind submission

Come now (urgency), let US reason together (relationship)

God does not expect you just to submit to Him because He is God

He wants you come to Him because He has evidence that choosing to follow Him has greater benefit for you than the alternative

FULL DISCLOSURE: If you choose to explore the evidence – It WILL change you

Whatever this change is, it will be based on REASON and EVIDENCE

ILLUSTRATION:

As a child (more so as a teenager), the one response that I hated to hear from my parents when I asked why I couldn’t do something was….take a guess? “BECAUSE I SAID SO!”

While there were times I listened, there were many times I did contrary to what my parents said.

Why do you think I did the opposite of what I was told? - NO REASON WHY

In a sense, I was commanded to submit blindly!

This is NOT what God desires from us

He desires us to believe Him NOT BECAUSE He said so

Instead, because we have a reason why!

He wants us to have an intelligent faith and the think critically!

SUMMARY: With all that being said, before we continue, is this acceptable to you as we move forward?

FIRST POINT - The bible was written by man but its author is GOD

NEXT POINT: The bible is its own expositor (explains itself) – If the bible is the whole Word of God, it doesn’t need outside sources for explanation. God’s Word will explain God’s Word

This is important because through these studies, we will see the consistency and character of the author or “Reliable Source” – His thoughts and characteristics are consistent and do not contradict each other

This is not saying that other people who have shared their experience with God is not worth looking into. However, for our study we will rely on the Bible and generally accepted knowledge such as history to support our studies.

How does the Bible explain itself?

BIBLE FACTS

66 books – 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testatment

40 different writers that span over centuries

ONLY has ONE Author

2 Peter 1:20-21 – Who inspired these writers? Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:12 – This Spirit, God FREELY gave His wisdom to these writers which in turn He can provide to us to help us understand ALL the content in the Bible

1 Corinthians 2:14 – Only through the Holy Spirit can spiritual things be understood.

Vs 11 – Human thoughts are only discerned by the “spirit” we express or portray

God’s thoughts are expressed and given through His Spirit

We need the Spirit to understand what is in the Bible

GOOD NEWS – We have access to the same Spirit and Author that the ancient writers did

Luke 11:9-13 – Jesus is speaking in these verse and is saying:

Ask and IT WILL be given

Seek and YOU WILL find

Knock and IT WILL be opened

This is part of the REASONING and EVIDENCE

Gaining understanding and knowledge takes a willingness and humility (learning NP)

In my experience of studying the bible with other for the last 3 years, He has not failed in this promise

How do we do this? James 1:5-7

God will give His wisdom FREELY and WITHOUT REPROACH. He will not hold back for the honest seeker.

It’s His desire for you to know everything and anything about who He is

He wants you to have ALL the evidence you need to make an informed decision about the life you can have if you choose Him

It takes willingness and humility and believing (struggle) that the evidence that He provides comes directly from His heart (which we will study more about)

Isn’t that good news that the “Reliable Source” will provide unlimited amounts of information to be confident that you can act appropriately

Why is this important? – Let’s look at some recent events

The US declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776

The founding fathers had a vision of what this country was intended to become.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Since then, we have “private interpretations” of what that vision was. But what VALIDATES these interpretations?

Congress comes to a majority consensus of what and how our country functions. Which still has to be approved by the private interpretation of the executive branch

However, not everyone is in agreement with these interpretations

Ongoing Amendments, Bill of Rights. Federal laws, State Laws

But we will never know if what the founding fathers envisioned is truly being played out today. WHY?

They are dead. They cannot validate that what is happening now is what they would have wanted to happen.

WHAT’S THE POINT? – The bible does not have that problem

Why? Because the Author is NOT DEAD

ALL have ACCESS to the AUTHOR!

We can ask the Author directly what He meant (Word of God)

We can know what His original purpose is for our lives.

We don’t have to guess.

Therefore, having access to the Author eliminates our opinions.

While our country has problems with coming to a consensus, Christianity also has those same challenges.

Many Christians will give a private interpretation while claiming it is what God meant on a specific matter. This is the opposite of what God wants. He want to FREELY give.

However, if the Bible was allowed to explain itself it would be seen that the Scriptures is actually saying contrary to what is being profess as coming from God

What is this doing? Giving a FALSE IMAGE OF WHO GOD IS

Why does this approach interpreting the Bible have CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES?

When a professed follower of God is giving a FALSE IMAGE of who God is…

The honest seeker of God or unbeliever sees the fragmented beliefs (FALSE IMAGE) within Christian circles JUSTS AS in other “reliable sources”

It solidifies their stance, that the Bible is no different than other “reliable source”

That Christianity is no different from any other belief system

Why? Because it's all based on HOW individuals or groups interpret their writings

And since man is faulty and doesn’t get things right for various reasons

Fragmented Christianity (FALSE IMAGE) becomes one of the “seemingly” greatest pieces of evidence against the validity of the Bible and God altogether.

This is WHY God’s Word said, there is “NO PRIVATE INTERPRETATION”

This FALSE IMAGE can be just as destructive to people within the Christian faith as it is to people outside of it

This is WHY we must let the God’s Word explain God’s Word.

This is the only way we can present a true IMAGE of who God is

As honest seeker of truth and allowing the Bible to affect our lives we allow God’s true IMAGE to be expressed and allow others to see the Heart of God

More importantly, it proves that the Bible is not an ordinary book

How do we do this? 1 Corinthians 2:13

We cannot use human wisdom or opinion. We don’t interpret the Bible by what is popular circle are saying or what is #trending, or even what is happening in current events

We must compare the Spiritual with the Spiritual. The Bible is the standard which is used to interpret the Bible

Combining Spiritual thoughts with Spiritual words

What does this look like? Isaiah 28:9-10 - Order/Precept (command) by Order/precept

Line by line:

Read the context of the chapter or book

Ex: if a verse is unclear in the chapter, the lines before and after it will give its meaning. If its not in the immediate chapter then the chapters before and after will help give understanding

Here a little there a little:

Read the context of the Bible as a whole

Ex: when we read something mentioned about creation in Revelation we go back to the creation account in Genesis to get understanding

When we do this we eliminate our opinions and we protect ourselves from portraying that FALSE IMAGE

This is how we get the answers straight from the Author Himself

We compare what He said to what He said

Example: Matthew 5:17

Jesus said He came to fulfill the law

Many people will insert their ideas here about what Jesus meant.

However, how will we find the answer?

Romans 13:10

The fulfillment of the law is love

With that understanding, what did Jesus mean?

He came to show us that the law is kept by love

Well, if you ask someone what love is, you’ll have many different answers.

So should we be left to interpret what the Bible means by love?

What is the correct thing to do?

Not going to look at that now. We'll cover how love is defined in a later study.

FINAL POINT: THE BIBLE IS TO BE VIEWED AS A WHOLE. ALL ITS PARTS ARE RELATED TO PRESENT ITS GRAND CENTRAL THEME

While the bible is separated by books and different writers and time periods, the over-arching theme ties all those books and writers and time period together

In my experience, an effective bible study is done when you can look at one part of the bible and see the same themes in other parts of the bible and they connect.

The bible is not a bunch of random stories and a mere source of inspirational quotes

It does not contain a needless or irrelevant record of evil and suffering

All the pieces are like a puzzle and when properly and accurately understood with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can get a true IMAGE of who God is

The bible has a singular purpose and goal

Just as the body has multiple systems and organs and functions, it all works together for a single purpose and its to sustain life

What is that over-arching theme or grand central theme of the bible?

Before we look at that theme, we have to be clear that this theme is the standard by which all the stories, values, concepts, and perspectives

WHY the emphasis on this standard? As we move forward learning about the what is in the bible, we have to be sure we have a standard (“true north”). Without the standard as we have been discussing throughout this study we will based our findings on opinions an speculation.

The bible is clear that the Author is God and its His wisdom that it being reveal through the bible

So with that being said what is the standard and theme of the bible?

We will use all our bible study tools to help us understand this topic

To understand the over-arching theme we will go to the last book of the bible, really the summary of the entire book. This book was written by one of Jesus’s disciples, John.

Revelation 1:1 (The Grand Central Theme) – The summary of the bible is a Revelation of Jesus Christ! Which leads us to believe that the books leading up to the summary would be about how Jesus is revealed through the inspirations of all the books and writers throughout the centuries. How can we prove this?

Lets go to the very beginning of the bible (The Bible as a Whole): Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning GOD created…which in turn is saying that GOD IS CREATOR. What does this have to do with a Revelation of Jesus?

Let’s go back to the New Testament (The Bible is it own expositor): John 1:1-4, 14

In the beginning was THE WORD and THE WORD was WITH GOD and THE WORD WAS GOD

ALL things came into being THROUGH HIM.

vs. 14 – THE WORD became FLESH

So this FLESH would come to earth to dwell with us. Who specifically was that?

Romans 1:1-4

Paul is the writer of this book who was set apart for the GOSPEL “GOOD NEWS”

A promise beforehand through His prophets and the Holy Scriptures

His Son in the Flesh – Jesus Christ the Lord

There is some interesting verbiage in this verse – Jesus is referred to as the Son of God but then we read about His resurrection from the dead

The question is, if the bible is a Revelation of Jesus Christ, then what we just read brings up some interesting questions

If Jesus is God, WHY did He come to earth to become Flesh?

If Jesus is Creator, WHY is the world the way it is today?

If Jesus came in the Flesh, WHY does the bible talk about His death?

If Jesus died, WHY? And what was the purpose of him dying and being resurrected?

WHY does any of this impact me and my life?

The hope of these studies is that all these questions will be answered by The Author of the Book.

As we dig deeper into the bible, more questions will come up and more answers will be provided

God wants us to REASON with HIM

God wants us to know WHY a life with Him far exceed anything that this world has to offer

And its through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, how we will gain clarity on all these issues we face

Does that sound like a journey you are willing to take?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All scripture is inspired by God

The BENEFITS:

Profitable

Educational

Provides reproof and correction (clarity)

Training for Righteousness (will we dig deeper throughout the course of these studies – Image of God)

Adequate & Equipped for EVERY GOOD WORK