ROCKSEED – FAITH FOUNDATIONS – SESSION 8: THE BIBLE – THE WORD OF GOD
The Bible is The handbook for Christian living, it is the Word of God written by human hands through inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. In a world full of lies and uncertainty it is the Truth – directly from the Creator, who knows everything
because He made everything – He does not lie or go back on His Word and promises (even if we do), for that would be
to deny Himself.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For
prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Col 1:15-17
15
He (Jesus, the Word who became flesh – John 1:14) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all
things, and in Him all things consist.
James 1:17
17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning.
2 Tim 2:13
13
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
As we discussed in session 3, the Bible is made up of the Old and New Testament, which relate to the Old and New
Covenant. Some of the Old Testament, especially the laws and punishment for sins, may seem very harsh, but this
serves to reveal the true severity and depravity of sin. Even though God knew people would never be able to live up to
the law, He had to set the standard for righteousness, while at the same time He made a way that we could be made
righteous despite our failure to live up to His holy standard. When reading the Old Testament it is important to view it
in light of the New Covenant and the grace that we now live in through Jesus Christ.
Rom 3:20-24
20
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the
Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all[a] who believe. For there is no
difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
In total there are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. There are many
overlapping time periods in the various books and the order is not strictly chronological, but follows rather in a
progression of themes. The Bible was compiled from a variety of ancient manuscripts and copies of those manuscripts
(the copies themselves being ancient), this is one of the reasons why there are a few different translations or versions
of the same Bible - some scholars prefer one manuscript to another, and while the words may change here and there,
the meaning and message is the same. The other reason why we have different translations is because some favour
accuracy while others prefer to provide something more contemporary or easy to understand; which is why it can be
good to read and compare two different translations in order to get a fuller understanding of a piece of scripture.
Now we must also address the issue of false doctrine and writings: there are other ancient religious manuscripts and
books that are not included in the Bible, the fact is that not everyone who wrote a manuscript was inspired by the Holy
Spirit, some of these false teachings are glaringly obvious while others are more deviously subtle, but evidence of their
incongruity with the rest of scripture as a whole were still found and so they were not deemed legitimate or fit for
inclusion in the Bible. Rest assured that the God who created the entire universe and has ultimate power over all things
ensured that people would have His Word written in truth.
Matt 24:35
35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
2 Tim 2:15
15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.
2 Tim 6:20
20
O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of
what is falsely called knowledge—
The Bible is complete and there is nothing new that will be revealed that is not already contained in the Word in some
form, until the world ends and we go to be with God for eternity. However the Lord does still give us insight into His
Word and His ways: present day visions and prophecy are as much a part of the church today as they were in biblical
times, it is a means by which the Spirit of God grants direction and instruction to the church in general, local church
fellowships or even individuals. Even though these visions and prophecies will not be added to the Bible, they must also
never contradict the Bible, and so every prophecy must be held up to the light of scripture.
1 John 4:1
1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have
gone out into the world.
On the same subject of biblical insight and revelation by the Spirit, there are also a variety of books and teachings on
different biblical subjects that have been written by Christian authors; many of these are wonderful and very helpful,
but some are biased and unbalanced, while others are downright false – this is why it is important to read the Bible
itself, so that you will know the truth and not be mislead – do not take anything as doctrine (a system of belief that
governs your Christian faith and way of living) that in any way contradicts the Bible; and beware of taking a verse out of
context, people sometimes try to twist scripture to suit their own ideas by presenting a half truth: a portion of verse
which seems to agree with their way of thinking, while ignoring the part that refutes it.
Acts 17:11
11
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and
searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
2 Tim 3:16-17
16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is useful for so many reasons, not just so that we can learn the truth... We are able to build a relationship with
our God through spending time with Him in prayer and in studying His Word – everything we can know about God,
while we are on this earth, can be found in the Bible (through the Holy Spirit the Lord can give us personal insight and
revelation, but it will always be in accordance with His Word). The more we read and study the scriptures the more we
begin to understand the nature, character and personality of God; and to grow in faith and godly wisdom.
Jer 29:13
13
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
John 5:38-39
38
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the
Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (Jesus was speaking to the
unbelieving Pharisees – they did not understand that the scriptures which they loved so much were testifying about
Jesus, that He was Son of God and the promised Messiah.)
The Bible teaches us the ways of God as opposed to the ways of this world. If we are to turn around from our old ways
and follow Jesus, then we need to know Him and the things that He said and did.
John 8:31-32
31
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Rom 12:2
2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Psalm 119:9, 11, 15
9
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
11
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
15
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
In biblical terms, to meditate does not mean to sit and make hum sounds, but to spend time pondering the Word:
considering what it means to you and how you can apply it to your life. It is in meditating on the Word that the Holy
Spirit begins to unfold its meaning in our hearts – this is the difference between knowing what the scripture says and
actually understanding it and its relevance to you; or to put it another way, the difference between head knowledge
(logos) and heart knowledge (rhema).
John 16:13-14
13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His
own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will
take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
Many things in the Bible won’t necessarily make sense to you if you try to understand it by your own human reasoning;
so if you struggle to read the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand it. You won’t get it all at once,
but the Lord reveals things to us as and when we are ready.
1 Cor 2:10-14
10
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of
God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the
things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy[d] Spirit teaches, comparing
spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Col 1:9
9
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with
the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
The Word is not only a passive tool for learning, gaining spiritual wisdom and understanding, and building relationship
with our God, it is also a mighty weapon against the enemy and against our own human inclinations toward sin.
Declaring the Word of God in faith is like thrusting a sword at the lies and power of the devil, totally severing his
influence or control in any given situation. The Word is like a conduit for our faith and gives shape to our faith – in faith
we know that God forgives our repented sins because His Word says so, in faith we know that God heals because His
Word says so; when we know the Word our faith is no longer a vague hope that God would grant us good fortune, but a
solid trust in the specifics of each of His promises.
Heb 4:12
12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of
soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Eph 6:17
17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
2 Cor 10:3-5
3
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
The Word of God is food for your spirit and your soul; in Matt 4:4 Jesus quotes from Deut 8:3 saying, “Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” – the Word is what nourishes us as Christians
so that we can grow more and more into the likeness of Christ, so that we can know the truth, reject false teachings,
build a relationship with our God, walk in His ways, receive insight from His Spirit and wield a mighty weapon
empowered by God against all the power of the devil.
Private Study:
Read 2 Peter 3:16. Ignorant and unstable people ____________ the scriptures to their own _______________.
Read Psalm 119:105. The Bible (God’s Word) guides us and gives us direction in our lives; it is a ___________ to our feet
and a _____________ to our path.
Read Rom 10:17. _______________ comes by hearing, and hearing by the ________________ of God.