HS Bible Tu

Walkthrough of Powerpoint

Pass out the surveys.

Go through the powerpoint once you are done with the surveys.

Intro Day

So, in this course we will be looking at the Bible from about a 50,000 foot view.

That does not mean that we will not be digging deeper though.

In this course, I do not assume that everyone is a Christian, and that is fine.

Disagreement is fine, however, we will always aim to keep it respectful.

Discussion

What do you think when you hear “the Bible?” What thoughts come to mind?

Why do you think that some people view the Bible as sacred while others reject it entirely?

What is truth to you?

Can something be culturally relevant to people even if you don’t believe it?

Lesson

Show Bible Project “What is the Bible Video.”

We need to realize that the Bible is not just a singular text, but is a library of books with different subjects, authors, and intents.

All of the Biblical texts are written over the course of 1,500 years of history.

The Bible is written by many different authors under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Despite the diversity in lived experiences, the Bible comes together in one cohesive and compelling narrative.

We will discover many different genres of literature covered in the Bible. They are:

Poetry

Narrative

Law

Prophecy

Wisdom

Letters

So why do you think that reading books like poetry as narrative might cause some problems?

What the Bible is, and What it is Not

2 Timothy 3:16–17 says that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

So the Bible itself claims that it is breathed out by God and has a purpose.

What do you think “training in righteousness” means?

Why do you think the Bible might hold so much significance in many different areas of study?

While many use the Bible to try and push ideas that are not biblical, the Bible is not: a science textbook, a self-help manual, or just a collection of moral quotes.

While the Bible may discuss certain aspects of those areas, it should not be used as a “catch all” book.

The Bible tells a unified story, which we will refer to as the “Grand Narrative” of Scripture.

Who do you think the main character of the Bible is?

Why do you think the Grand Narrative matters?

The Grand Narrative Previewed

While later in the week we will dig into the Narrative, we will just briefly cover it here.

There are 5 major sections, or chapters in the Grand Narrative that we will examine.

Creation

The Fall

Promise from God

Redemption

Restoration

It is so important to realize that the Bible is God-centered not human-centered.

While humanity is important, we are not the main character of Scripture.

Jesus realized that He was the main character in Luke 24:27 where it is noted that, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Interpretations and Context

Why do you think that context matters in Scripture?

If I tell you a story about someone, but give you no background to who they are, do you think that you would fully understand their choices or actions?

When approaching Scripture things like audience, location, time period, historical setting, rulers, are all important for understanding the full context of a passage of Scripture.

Have you ever had someone just quote random Scripture at you?

Just because someone quotes Scripture at you, does not always mean that they are using it in the correct context.

A lot of people like Jeremiah 29:11 that says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

But when we read the preceding verses and the next few after it, Jeremiah 29:8–13 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

We can see here that the context is God is telling Israel, who is at this time exiled in Babylon, not to listen to false prophets and that He will take them out of exile after 70 years. This was not a message to you and me, it was for Israel in that time.

2 Peter 1:20–21 says, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

This Scripture is telling us that no true prophecies were ever produced by the will of man, but from the Holy Spirit of God, the same is true of the study of Scripture. We need to be open to having the Holy Spirit guide us in our study of Scripture.

Reflection and Quick assessment

Okay, I want you guys to pull out a sheet of paper and write these two questions on it:

What is one assumption that I have about Scripture that was challenged today?

What is one thing that I hope to learn from this class this semester?

I want you to take the next 5 or so minutes to answer those questions and then I will collect them, don’t worry, they aren’t graded.

Preview and Close

Tomorrow we will be digging into a bit more detail on the Grand Narrative of Scripture.

Next week on Friday, we will have a quiz on the first full week of material that we will learn. The quiz will only take about half of the class period, so the rest of the time we will discuss a bit about what we will learn the following week.

I want to express that in this class we will have many discussions about various issues. It is vitally important that we remain as respectful to one another as we all have different upbringings and lived experiences.

We are not here to insult one another, but to take part in academic discussions.

As such disagreement is allowed, and even encouraged, but understand that disagreement should never turn personal or create division amongst each other.

If it does turn personal I will shut the discussion down.

Having your ideas critiqued is something that will occur in all aspects of life, and they are necessary in the academic world to develop our critical thinking skills.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for each of these students and the opportunity that they have to study Your word. Your precepts. Your law. I pray that You use this year to give each student the knowledge that they need to understand more about you. We just want to know You, the real You. Not who others tell us you are, but who You tell us You are. It is in Your name that I pray. Amen.