FoF Lesson 1

Introduction To The Bible

Audio message for Lesson 1: Our God-Breathed Bible
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[Lesson 1: Sessions 1, 2, 3] [Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Notes on Session 1, September 6th:

This course consists of the thirteen lessons listed above; it started on Sunday, September 6th, 2015.  You can purchase the FoF Workbook from Pastor Jim Poyner for $10. Scholarships are available.

Some Introductory Thoughts:

  • The Believer’s Challenge in The Faith:
    • Know what you believe
    • Know why you believe what you believe
    • Know how to defend what you believe
  • Apologetics Forum – Helping Equip Believers in the Defense of The Faith, 1 Pet. 3:15, in the postmodern world in three related areas:
    • Creation vs. Evolution
    • Christian Apologetics
    • Biblical Worldview
  • Reasons For Hope (Carl Kerby) – Grow in The Faith: Know It! Live It! Share It!
  • Creation Training Initiative (Mike Riddle) – Training Christians to Teach and Defend Biblical Truth.
  • The Faith – contended for in Jude 3.
  • Know The Faith; Live The Faith; Share The Faith.

1 Pet. 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Jude 3, Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Guidelines: Preparation for, and participation in, the FoF class:

  1. Read brief notes on each Lesson by accessing FBCA website: www.fbcarlington.com.
  2. Prepare for each class session by listening to the message for the Lesson.
  3. Fill in the answers in the FoF Workbook for each Lesson using your Bible.
  4. Take notes and identify questions you may have based on listening to the message and filling in the answers for each of the Lessons.
  5. Class time will be used to expand and discuss key Lesson topics and answer questions.
  6. Come prepared to interact and learn.

Additional suggestions:

  1. Add your email address to the General Information Mailing List under “FBC Links/E-mail List” on the FBCA website here. You will then receive periodic updates on the FoF class.
  2. In some Lessons we will provide a few Powerpoint slides that will add to the information found in the FoF Workbook.
  3. The answers to the questions for each Lesson will be provided online for 2 or 3 weeks after the class during which the answers to that Lesson are discussed. For Lesson 1, the answers can be found here.

The notes for each session provide an outline of the plan for each session. From time to time we may suggest some articles to read in preparation for the next class time in this FoF course. We may also provide some Powerpoint slides to expand on the topics being discussed.

“If there is no God, nothing matters.
If there is a God, nothing else matters.”
H.G. Wells

 Topics to be discussed in the first session of this course include:

  1. How to use the FoF Workbook
  2. The vision of FoF:
    1. Salvation of the lost
    2. Discipleship and equipping of the saints
  3. Lesson layout
  4. Questions – discovery, thinking, application
  5. Goals:
    1. To have assurance of eternal life – 1 John 5:11-13
    2. To become equipped for ministry – 2 Tim 3:16; Eph. 4:11-12
    3. To know God more deeply – Ex. 33:13

Objectives of Lesson 1:

  1. Origin of the Bible
  2. Brief overview of the Bible
  3. Main themes of the Bible
  4. Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God
  5. Authority, veracity, completeness of the Bible

Class Plan for Lesson 1:

  1. Natural and special revelation
  2. General information about the Bible – origin, titles, translations
  3. The inspiration and believability of the Bible

Common Questions for Lesson 1:

  1. Where did the Bible come from?
  2. Why are there so many different Bible translations?
  3. How do we know the Bible is God’s inspired Word?
  4. How can men have written the Bible and yet we say God wrote the Bible?
  5. Your questions???

Here are a few articles you might want to read before the class starts on Sep. 6.

  1. Surviving a grilling, an article in the Aug. 8th, 2015 issue of the World Magazine on how to talk with those who disagree with you by Marvin Olasky in his interview with John Stonestreet, an Apologist.
  2. John Stonestreet on Marriage and Evolution, an article in the Aug. 8th, 2015 issue of the World Magazine  – by Marvin Olasky in his interview with John Stonestreet, an Apologist.
  3. Janie Cheaney on Unfit to survive, an article in the Aug. 8th, 2015 issue of the World Magazine on what has belief in Darwinism actually done for us?
  4. Generation disordered, J. Budziszewski, an article by Marvin Olasky in the Sep. 5, 2015 issue of the World Magazine on a longing for something more by many college students with empty lives as a result of the sexual revolution.

Some backup Powerpoint slides for Lesson 1 can be found here.

Notes on Session #2, Sunday, September 13th:

Introduction:
  1. Welcome to new members of the class
  2. Personal highlights from MacArthur’s message?
  3. Challenges in filling in Answers in Lesson 1? [Answers found below]
  4. Questions to be addressed?
  5. Review of plans for Lesson 1, Session 1
 Topics discussed in the first session of this course include:
  1. How to use the FoF Workbook
  2. The vision of FoF:
    1. Salvation of the lost
    2. Discipleship and equipping of the saints
  3. Lesson layout
  4. Questions – discovery, thinking, application
  5. Goals:
    1. To have assurance of eternal life – 1 John 5:11-13
    2. To become equipped for ministry – 2 Tim 3:16; Eph. 4:11-12
    3. To know God more deeply – Ex. 33:13
Objectives of Lesson 1:
  1. Origin of the Bible: revelation, how God used men to write His words
  2. Brief overview of the Bible: its structure and basic content
  3. Main themes of the Bible: Jesus Christ, His glory, plan of salvation
  4. Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God
  5. The dynamic, authority, veracity, and completeness of the Bible
Class Plan for Lesson 1:
  1. Natural and special revelation
  2. General information about the Bible: origin, titles, translations
  3. Bible Survey: OT and NT [high level review]
  4. The inspiration and believability of the Bible
Common Questions for Lesson 1:
  1. Where did the Bible come from?
  2. Why are there so many different Bible translations?
  3. How do we know the Bible is God’s inspired Word?
  4. How can men have written the Bible and yet we say God wrote the Bible?
  5. Questions received during the week
  6. Your questions???

Some details:

We will be discussing some of the topics covered in Lesson 1 in more detail since they are so foundational to The Faith that we profess. In some cases we will show and discuss some of the Powerpoint slides from Heinz’s course on Christian Apologetics. The slides are found at heinzlycklama.com/apologetics and will be referenced by file name and slide numbers.

Revelation:
  1. Definitions
    1. God is the source of revelation
    2. Inspiration is the process God used to give us the special revelation of the Scriptures
  2. Natural Revelation
    1. Through creation, Rom. 1:18-20
    2. Through conscience, Rom. 2:14-15
  3. Special Revelation
    1. God reveals Himself to man through miracles, signs, dreams, visions, theophanies, prophets, Jesus Christ, Bible (written words of God)
    2. God spoke on two occasions, Heb. 1:1-2, by the prophets long ago, and by His Son in these last days
    3. Theophanies: Gen. 17:1; Gen. 26:2; Gen. 32:30; Ex. 3:2-6
    4. Dreams and visions: Gen. 28:12-16; Dan. 2:19, 28
    5. Miracles and signs: Gen. 7; Ex. 3; Ex. 7-13; Ex. 14
    6. Bible sufficient for salvation & equipping of the saints, 2 Tim. 3:15-17
    7. Scripture does not reveal everything: Deut. 29:29; Rom. 11:33
General Information on the Bible:
  1. How did we get the Bible? 2 Pet. 1:21 [See slides 1-8 in GodsWord.ppt  / pdf]
    1. Written over 1600 years: 1500 B.C. to A.D. 100
    2. 40 different authors
    3. OT Written in Hebrew and Aramaic
    4. NT written in Greek
    5. Written on three different continents
    6. No original manuscripts/autographs exist today
    7. Septuagint – Greek translation of OT written in 3 BC, the work of 70 Jewish elders
  2. Titles of the Bible [See slide 24 in GodsWord.pdf]
    1. Bible – book or scroll
    2. Canon – Greek word for Rule
    3. Scripture, John 7:38
    4. The Writings – 2 Tim. 3:15
    5. The Word of God – 1 Th. 2:13
    6. The Law, Prophets, and Psalms – Luke 24:44
  3. The Old Testament (OT)
    1. Testament = an agreement or covenant by contracting parties
    2. Based on the Old Covenant: Ex. 19:5; Deut. 28:1, 15
    3. A covenant of obedience and blessing
  4. The New Testament (NT)
    1. Based on the New Covenant
    2. The New Covenant better than the Old Covenant, Heb. 7:22; 8:6
    3. The Old Covenant has passed away, Heb. 8:13
    4. The New Covenant is through Christ’s blood, Luke 22:20
    5. The New Covenant is not of the Law but of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3:5-6
  5. The Apocrypha [See slides 20-22 in GodsWord.pdf]
    1. Included in the Catholic Bible
    2. 14 extra books involved
    3. Not accepted as inspired of God
      1. Never quoted in the NT
      2. Christ never mentions them in Luke 24:44
      3. Lack endorsement of the ancient Jewish writers
      4. Problems with the content
      5. Almsgiving can save you from death and the dark abode, Tobit 4:8-10; 12:9
      6. One can make atonement for the dead, 2nd Maccabees 12:43-46
      7. Teachings inconsistent with biblical teachings
      8. Do not have prophetic power
  6. Bible Translations
    1. Compare Ps. 23 in KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV translations
    2. Compare John 3:16 in KJV, NKJV,NASB, ESV translations
    3. Check out http://www.blueletterbible.org/
    4. Check last page of Lesson 1, “How The Bible Became Ours“
  7. Bible Survey [To be continued in Session #3]

Friday, September 18th:

Dr. Tas Walker speaking at the Apologetics Forum meeting at 7:00 PM at the Atonement Free Lutheran Church on the topic “Dinosaurs and the Most-Asked Questions”

Sunday, September 20th:

Dr. Tas Walker, guest speaker at First Baptist Church Arlington, WA during the Sunday School hour and in the Worship Service.

  1. Sunday School hour at 9:00 AM: Rocks, Fossils & The Age of the Earth
  2. Worship Service at 10:30 AM: Creation and Evolution: Faith, Facts and Fantasies

Friday, September 25th – Saturday, September 26th:

Notes on Session #3, Sunday, September 27th:

Introduction:
  1. Continuation from Session #2 [General Information on the Bible]
  2. Welcome to new members of the class
  3. Personal highlights from MacArthur’s message?
  4. Challenges in filling in Answers in Lesson 1? [Answers found below]
  5. Questions to be addressed?
  6. References: Slides in GodsWord.ppt /pdf
Bible Survey
  1. Introduction
    1. Scripture is the foundation from which all of the FoF material draws its authority, 2 Tim. 3:16
    2. Scripture is living and active, Heb. 4:12
  2. See chart “The Bible At a Glance” on second to last page of Lesson 1
    1. Timelines and maps are useful as reference points for each book and associated people and events
    2. Reference: Slide 16 in GodsWord.ppt /pdf
  3. The Old Testament (39 books)
    1. Section 1A of Lesson 1: The Pentateuch (5 books)
    2. Section 1B of Lesson 1: History (12 books)
    3. Section 1C of Lesson 1: Poetry (5 books)
    4. Section 1D of Lesson 1: Major Prophets (5 books)
    5. Section 1E of Lesson 1: Minor Prophets (12 books)
  4. Some important OT people and events:
    1. 4000 BC: Creation
    2. 2300 BC: Flood
    3. 2000 BC: Abraham
    4. 1860 BC: Isaac
    5. 1820 BC: Jacob
    6. 1700 BC: Joseph to Egypt
    7. 1446 BC: Exodus (10 plagues, Passover instituted, Ex. 12:3-13 -> John 1:29, 36; 1 Cor. 5:7; Is. 53:7 (a sacrificial lamb))
    8. 1000 BC: Kings Saul, David, Solomon
    9. 900 BC: Divided Kingdom
    10. 700 BC: Assyria destroys Israel
    11. 606  BC: Babylonian captivity of Judah (70 years)
    12. 536 BC: Jews return to Jerusalem; Ezra rebuilds temple; Nehemiah rebuilds wall
  5. The New Testament (27 books)
    1. Section 2A of Lesson 1: History (5 books)
    2. Section 2B of Lesson 1: Letters and Epistles (21 books)
    3. Section 2C of Lesson 1: Prophecy (1 book)
  6. Some important NT people and events:
    1. Birth of Christ
    2. John the Baptist
    3. Christ’s temptations
    4. Choosing the 12 disciples
    5. The Sermon on the Mount, Matt. 5:1-7:29
    6. The Olivet Discourse, Matt. 24-25
    7. Christ’s miracles
    8. Christ’s parables
    9. Christ’s arrest, trial, crucifixion, burial, resurrection
    10. Ascension of Christ
    11. Pentecost, 50 days after Passover
    12. Key people : Peter, Paul
    13. Paul’s conversion and missionary journeys
    14. Epistles: letters to churches and individuals
    15. Revelation: tribulation and return of Christ; kingdom, final judgment
  7. Christ in the Bible
    1. Christ is seen in all the Scriptures, Luke 24:27
    2. Jesus said the Scriptures “bear witness of Me”, John 5:39
    3. Christ seen throughout the OT Scriptures:
      1. Promised through the blessing of Abraham’s line, Gen. 12:1-3
      2. Pictured in the Passover as the true Passover Lamb, Ex. 12:3-13; John 1:29, 36
      3. Crucifixion was predicted, Ps. 22:1-8; Is. 53:4-7
      4. Birthplace was predicted, Mic. 5:2
      5. Future kingdom, dominion , and glory predicted, Dan. 7:14
The Inspiration of the Bible
  1. Inspiration is God overseeing and directing men to write His words.
  2. The Scripture claims to be the Word of God
    1. In the OT, 2000+ claims such as “God said”, “the Lord Said”, “the Word of the Lord” – all in relation to divine inspiration
    2. Paul’s claims, 1 Th. 2:13; 1 Cor. 2:12-13
    3. Paul writes to Timothy “All Scripture is inspired by God”, 2 Tim. 3:16
    4. Inspiration means “God-breathed”
    5. All words in the Scriptures are of divine inspiration, 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Ps. 16:7-10; Acts 13:32-35
  3. The sovereignty of God in preserving His revealed Word
    1. God is in control of all things, including His Word
    2. God’s purposes cannot be challenged, Is. 46:10; Is. 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:25
  4. Reference: Slides 24-29 in GodsWord.ppt /pdf
The Canonization of the Bible
  • How was the Bible Canon recognized?
  • Reference: Slides 9-23 in GodsWord.ppt /pdf
  • God is in control of all things, Is. 46:10; Eph. 1:11
  • God preserved the writings He inspired
  • The church only recognizes and receives that which God has already inspired and preserved
  • Reference: Slides 24-29 in GodsWord.ppt /pdf
  • Why these 66 books?
    • Testimony of God the Holy Spirit to the authority of His own Word.
    • Prophetic authorship, 2 Pet. 1:20-21.
    • God’s providential care, Is. 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:25.
    • God’s people’s recognition.
    • Many of the books in Canon claim to be the Word of God.
    • Jesus validated the OT books, Luke 24:44; 11:51.
    • Peter recognized Paul’s writings as being equal with Scripture, 2 Pet. 3:15-16.
    • Paul recognized Luke 10:7 as Scripture in 1 Tim. 5:18.
  • Why are the Apocrypha not included? [Slides 20-22 in GodsWord.ppt /pdf]
The Believability of the Bible

We can strengthen a believers’ conviction that the Bible is God’s Word in a number of ways, including providing the evidence. Here are some reasons:

  1. God used ordinary men, not the philosophers of the day, to write this unique book.
  2. The Bible is internally consistent.
    • Written by 40 different authors over 1500+ years.
    • Written in 3 different languages.
    • Different literary styles – history, poetry, prophecy, etc.
    • Claims to be the Word of God.
    • Perceived errors and contradictions have been addressed.
    • Documents the sins of its characters -leaders, patriarchs, people (Deut. 9:24), David’s adultery (2 Sam. 11-12), faults of the Apostles (Matt. 8:10-26), disorder within the church (1 Cor. 1:11) , etc.
  3. Evidence for biblical truth:

HolyBible  MoreHolyBooksOver300HolyBooks

Ps. 119:130, The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

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