THE BIBLE: OUR MOST IMPORTANT BOOK

1. THE BIBLE: OUR MOST IMPORTANT BOOK Faith Foundations Course One Lesson 1

2. READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL Why is the Bible the most important book we’ll ever need?

3. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • According to 2 Peter 1:21, who wrote the Bible? Men who “spoke from God” wrote the Bible: • Prophets (Moses, Isaiah & David) • Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) • Apostles (Peter & Paul)

4. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • Who told these men what to write? God the Holy Spirit. It’s called verbal inspiration.

5. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • Whose Word, then, is the Bible? The Bible is God’s Word.

6. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • Some people say that the Bible contains God’s Word but that it also contains words humans have added. They say that we have to try to figure out which words are from God and which come from human origin. How does 2 Timothy 3:16 show that their belief is wrong? All Scripture is “God-breathed,” or inspired. We can trust that all of the Bible is from God.

7. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • In John 17:17, what did Jesus say about God’s Word? God’s Word is truth. There are no errors, lies, or half-truths in the Bible.

8. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • In 2 Timothy 3:15 God’s Word is called the “Scriptures.” In this passage, what one word describes the Scriptures? Holy—pure, without a flaw.

9. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • Juan was telling his friend Pete some things he had learned from the Bible in vacation Bible school. His friend responded, “The Bible says a lot of good things, but we can’t expect it to be right about everything because it was written so long ago.” If you were Juan, what would you say to Pete? All of the Bible is absolutely true in every thought and every word. We know this because God gave the words to the men who wrote it and he doesn’t make mistakes. Jesus himself said to the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

10. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • The Bible is God’s Word. Why might you find special comfort in that fact when… a. You find out your grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer? You know from God’s Word that you can pray to God for help, that God loves you, and that he has the power to help. And if God chooses not to heal the cancer, you have confidence in God’s own promise that if your grandfather dies with faith, he will be with God forever.

11. A SPECIAL AUTHOR • The Bible is God’s Word. Why might you find special comfort in that fact when… b. Your conscience bothers you because of a sin you have committed? You can trust that Jesus died to take away your sin and that God loves you, not because of who you are or what you have done but because of what Jesus has done.

12. KEY POINT #1 The Bible is God’s Holy Word.

13. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • Psalm 19:1 says that the wonders of nature, such as the stars in the heavens, tell us something about God. What do they tell us? There is a God. He is wise and powerful.

14. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE 10. What doesn’t nature tell us about God? Nature doesn’t tell us who the true God is and what he has done to save us.

15. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • What is the only way we can learn what we need to know about God? Only in the Bible.

16. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • What do the following passages tell us about God? a. Deuteronomy 6:4 He is one. This is only one true God.

17. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • What do the following passages tell us about God? b. Psalm 90:2 He is everlasting.

18. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • What do the following passages tell us about God? c. Matthew 28:19 He is triune = 3 persons in 1 God.

19. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • What do the following passages tell us about God? d. John 3:16 He loves us so much that he gave his Son to die for us and to give us eternal life.

20. AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE • Your friend feels she doesn’t have to go to church. She says she feels very close to God when she’s outside enjoying nature and that’s good enough. What would you say to her? Nature does help us recognize that there must be a god; however, it doesn’t show us who the true God is. Only the Bible shows us who the true God is. One reason we go to church is to learn about the true God from the Word. We also go to church to worship the true God for creating us, blessing us, and redeeming us.

21. KEY POINT #2 The Bible tells us who the true God is.

22. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • One day as you and your friend are talking about death and dying, your friend confesses, “I’m afraid to die. God probably hates me because of some of the bad things I’ve done.” What is the most important thing you could do to help your friend? Tell your friend what the Bible tells us about eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice, which saves us all from hell.

23. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • John 20:31 tells us why God gave us the Bible. Why did he? So that we canbelieve in Jesus as our Savior and have life in his name.

24. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • 2 Timothy 3:15 speaks of the special message we learn from the Bible. What is that special message? God’s wonderful plan to save all people through faith in his Son.

25. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • Evaluate these statements: a. I read the Bible to learn about history. The main purpose of the Bible is to tell us who God is and how we are saved.

26. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • Evaluate these statements: b. I read the Bible as a great literary work. The main purpose of the Bible is to tell us who God is and how we are saved.

27. A PRECIOUS TRUTH • Evaluate these statements: c. I read the Bible as a good guide for daily living. The main purpose of the Bible is to tell us who God is and how we are saved.

28. KEY POINT #3 The Bible tells us how we are saved.

29. Why is the Bible the most important book we’ll ever read? • The Bible is God’s Holy Word. • The Bible tells us who the true God is. • The Bible tells us how we are saved. SUMMARY The Bible is the most important book because it is God’s Holy Word, which tells us who God is and how we are saved.