1-The Bible - NAS

1. The Bible Is Inspired by God.
2 Peter 1:21 For no ______________ was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy __________ spoke from God.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for __________________, for training in _______________________;

2. The Bible, As God's Word, Is True and Dependable.
Psalms 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous __________________ is ___________________.

Psalms 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. [7] You, O LORD, will keep them; You will ______________ him from this __________________ forever.

3. God's Word Is Eternal.
Matthew 24:35 "__________ and earth will pass away, but My _________ will not pass away.

4. God Gives Us the Scriptures for Various Reasons.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through _____________________ and the _______________________ of the Scriptures we might have hope.

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from ________________ you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to ________________ through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

5. The Scriptures Point to Jesus.
John 5:39 "You search the __________________ because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that ____________ about Me;

6. The Holy Spirit Will Help Us to Understand.
John 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own __________________, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will ______________ to you what is to come.

7. Our Hearts Must Be Open to Spiritual Things.
1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, ________________ spiritual ______________ with spiritual words.

8. We Must Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Isaiah 28:9-10 "To whom would He teach ________________, And to whom would He ________________ the ____________? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? [10] "For He says, 'Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.' "

9. Truth Comes to Open Minds.
John 17:17 "______________ them in the truth; Your _______ is truth.

John 7:17 "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the ______________, whether it is of God or whether I speak from __________.

10. Important Characteristics of the Bible.
(1) Its unity: The Bible at first sight appears to be merely a collection of ancient literature. However, considering that it was written by approximately forty authors over a period of nearly sixteen hundred years, its unity is amazing. The plan of salvation is revealed progressively from Genesis to Revelation. There is unity in its theme: The Messiah is promised throughout the Old Testament and declared in every New Testament book to have come in the person of Jesus Christ. And there is complete harmony of teaching: The doctrines of the Old and New Testament are the same.

(2) The history it portrays: The Old Testament embodies the oldest history of any people in the world. William F. Albright, the greatest archaeologist of the twentieth century, wrote, "hebrew national tradition excels all other in its clear picture of tribal and family origins. In Egypt and Babylonia, in Assyria and Phoenicia, in Greece and Rome, we look in vain for anything comparable. There is nothing like it in the tradition of the Germanic peoples. Neither India nor China can produce anything similar. "-The Biblical Period From Abraham to Ezra (new York: Harper, Torch Book, 1963), p. 27.

(3) Its survival: The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any other piece of classical literature-in spite of early attempts by Roman emperors to destroy it. For example, there are more than five thousand known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence. Homer's Iliad is second with only 643 manuscripts that have survived.

The reason for this phenomenon is the Holy Spirit, the real author of God's Word. He inspired all the human authors and ensured that the biblical historians presented an accurate picture. He watched over the history and preservation of the Bible.

Contributed by: Gerard Pfandl, Associate Director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference. Taken from "the Prophetic Gift", Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, December 31, 2008.

Next Bible Study: 2-Who God Is

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