Fundamentals of the Faith

INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE - LESSON 01

Objective

• Explain origin of the Bible• Provide Brief overview of the Bible• Present main themes of the Bible• Reinforce the total sufficiency of Scripture

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Memory Verse

• 2 Timothy 3:16• “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for

teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”

• The foundation of FOF classes is Holy Scripture

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Outline

• Revelation: Natural and Special• Overview of the Bible• Bible’s Claim of Inspiration

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Revelation

• Two Categories of Revelation: Natural and Special (or Particular)

• Defining Revelation: “God’s disclosure to man what was previously unknown”

• Defining Inspiration: “A process by which God, as the instigator (mastermind), moved men by the Holy Spirit to write words of God” (FOF, 22)

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Natural Revelation

• Natural Revelation: God’s revelation to man through creation and man’s conscience

• Romans 1:18-20 illustrates revelation through creation

• Romans 2:13-15 illustrates revelation through man’s conscience

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Questions

• Based on those passages, how has God revealed Himself to man?

• “Through creation and His written law within our hearts”

• What does creation reveal to us about God?• God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine

nature

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Questions

• Why is natural/general revelation important?• To motivate man to search for a fuller (sufficient)

revelation of God• Can natural revelation save? Why/why not?• It evidences God’s existence but does not instruct

sinners how to be saved

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Special Revelation

• Special revelation is “God revealing Himself through miracles and signs dreams and visions, theophanies (appearances of God in tangible form), through prophets and the greatest prophet Jesus Christ, and through the written words in the Bible” (FOF, 23)

• Hebrews 1:1-2

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Types of Special Revelation

• Theophanies˃ To Abraham––Gen 17:1˃ To Isaac––Genesis 26:2˃ To Jacob––Genesis 32:30˃ To Moses––Exodus 3:2-6

• Dreams and visions˃ Jacob’s Ladder––Gen 28:12-16˃ Daniel––Daniel 2:19, 28

• Miracles and Signs˃ Flood––Gen 7˃ Burning Bush––Exodus 3˃ Plagues in Egypt––Exodus 7-13˃ Parting the Red Sea––Exodus 14

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Special Revelation-Sufficient?

• Sufficient for Salvation• See 2 Timothy 3:15-17• Greater than natural revelation but does not reveal

everything about God• Deut. 29:29; Romans 11:33

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General info about Bible

• How did we get the Bible?• 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever made by

an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

• God spoke to men to write His words (FOF, 24)• Writing covers a span of 1600 years from O.T. to

N.T. writings

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Languages of Bible

• O.T.––Hebrew and Aramaic• N.T.––Greek• Prominent Translation but not inspired––

Septuagint–-Greek translation of the O.T.

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O.T and N.T.

• Old Testament: Old Covenant (Exodus 19:5; Deut. 28:1, 15)

• Obedience=Blessings/Disobedience=Cursings• New Testament: New Covenant• Better covenant (Heb. 7:22; 8:6)• O.C. has ceased (Heb. 8:13)• N.C. through Christ (Luke 22:30)• N.C. of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:5-6)

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O.T. Survey

• What are the first 5 Books • Provide key People and Events• List next 12 Books• Key people and events• Next 5 books• Key people and events• Major and Minor prophets

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N.T. Survey

• First 5 Books: Historical• Next 21: Doctrinal• Revelation: Prophetical

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Inspiration of the Bible

• How can we justify inspiration?• Scripture testifies to its own inspiration• God has chosen in His sovereignty to preserve His

word• 1 Thessalonians 2:13; O.T.: “God said”, “the Lord

said”, “the word of the Lord”• Inspiration=God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)

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Inspiration of the Bible

• God Breathed––God moved upon the heart, will, emotion of the writers

• God’s initiative cannot be stopped• He has ordained His word be preserved and

believed (Isaiah 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 1 Peter 1:25)

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Canonization of the Bible

• Testimony of the Holy Spirit to the authority of His own word

• Prophetic authorship/authority (2 Pet 1:20-21)• God providentially preserving (Isaiah 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 1

Peter 1:25)• Recognition by God’s people• Claim to be word of God• Christ validated Scriptures (Luke 24:44; Matt. 4:4, 7, 10)• Peter to Paul (2 Peter 3:15-16)/Paul to Luke (1 Timothy

5:18, referencing Luke 10:7)

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“Hard to Believe?”

• Why is it then that everyone cannot accept the inspiration of God’s word?

• 1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 3:10-18 (spiritually dead)

• Yet for the believer, Scripture is reliable and consistent throughout

• Contains no errors or contradictions

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Believable!

• God’s word is inerrant (original manuscripts)––accurate and totally free from any kind of error or contradiction

• Testifies to creation, contrary to scientific guesstimates

• Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, believed that Scripture was from God

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Confidence of Christ

• Jesus spoke of the law and prophets (Matt 5:17-18)• Jesus was convinced of the historical and accurate

Jonah narrative (Matt. 12:40-41)• Jesus retold the Sodom and Gomorrah story (Matt.

10:15)• Jesus covered 4 important topics: Law, prophets,

mercy, and judgment

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Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled

• Birthplace of the Messiah was predicted in Micah 5:2, 700 years prior to His birth (Luke 4-7)

• Virgin birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25)

• Jesus’ “triumphal” entry prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 700 years prior (John 12:12-15)

• Crucifixion and suffering prophesied 700 year prior in Psalm 22:14-18 (John 19:23-37)

• Isaiah 53:4-7 in Matthew 26:63

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Applications?

• The trustworthiness of Scripture is worth the effort in study and obedience

• Only the Holy Spirit can convict that the Bible is God’s word

• Bible’s Claim of Inspiration is all the evidence the believer needs

• 1600 years, 40 authors, 3 languages=Divine inspiration

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