Phil Benedict

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

United Indian Mission

Greeley, Colorado

These guides are designed to help you to study, to learn, to understand, and to live what God teaches us in his Word, the Bible. God gave us the Bible to teach us how to know and to walk with Him. We can enjoy God’s blessings forever, rather than experiencing his judgement. His Word is eternally true. Take time to carefully read and think about the Scriptures used in this guide. Meditate on them and the truths they teach. Learn to love God and his Word. Regularly ask God for a right understanding of Scriptural truths and then make them part of you. Absorb them. If you go over the material too quickly without much thought, it will have little or no lasting impact on your life. Commit yourself to making Biblical truths the foundation of your life and to putting them into practice every day of your life.

The Bible is our record of truth that God has made known to man. The Bible teaches us how we can know God and gives us directions in how to walk with Him. It is the only authoritative written source of spiritual truth that God has given to man. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we commit our entire lives to learning, understanding, and obeying God’s Word, the Bible.

In spite of its great importance, many Christians have a casual attitude toward the Bible. It’s not really important enough to read regularly or pay much attention to. We may take it to church with us on Sundays, but it collects dust the rest of the week. Even more "mature" Christians can grow cool in their attitudes. We must diligently guard against this. The Bible is God’s message to us. We must not ignore it.

Do you regularly take time to read and understand the Bible?

Have you developed a casual attitude toward the Bible?

Have you developed a love for the Word of God?

Are you helping anyone else to understand and put into practice the Word of God?

As we begin our study of the Bible, there are several key words that we need to understand.

Revelation refers to truth that God has made known to humans, or to God’s action in making truth known to us. Galatians 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:2-6; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Revelation 1:1

From Galatians 1:12, how did Paul get the information that he taught and wrote about?

What does Revelation 1:1 state about the book of Revelation?

About 400 times in the Bible, there are phrases such as "the Word of the Lord came to me saying", or "the Word of God". Look at the following examples. Isaiah 1:2,10, 3:16, 8:1, 43:1, 44:24, 45:14, 49:8, 50:1, 56:4, 66:1; Jeremiah 1:4, 2:1, 4:1, 35:12, 40:1, 48:47; Ezekiel 6:1, 7:1; Daniel 9:2; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; Amos 1:3; Obadiah 1:1;

Jonah 1:1; Micah 1:1; Nahum 1:12; Habakkuk 2:2; Zephaniah 1:1; Haggai 1:1;

Zachariah 1:1; Malachi 1:1-2

Either the Bible is God’s revelation of truth to man or it is the biggest forgery ever developed by man himself. What a blessing that it is not a forgery. It is, in fact, God’s revelation of himself to us. Because of it we can know God and we can walk with God.

Are you convinced that the Bible is absolutely true?

Is it still true today, even though it is not believed and is ignored by the vast majority of mankind?

To a lesser degree, God has also revealed himself through nature. God points to what He has created to illustrate his own divine nature and power.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Romans 1:20 Also read Psalm 19:1-6 and Psalm 8:3-4.

Nature is a very powerful testimony of God’s divine nature, his power, and his goodness. If one is honest with himself, every person who lives can see this from what God has created. Man has created many false ideas, such as the theory of evolution, in a deliberate attempt to destroy or greatly distort this revelation of God. They make creation the product of pure natural chance rather than being a direct creation of God. For those who believe this, it dims or destroys this powerful revelation of God. This distortion of truth is not of God, but of Satan.

As you look at what God has created, what can you learn about God?

How many people in the world can learn key truths about God through nature?

Divine inspiration is the activity of the Holy Spirit whereby He enabled the Biblical authors to receive God’s special revelation and to speak it and write it in their own language and style, without any error or omission. The words written by Biblical authors are in fact the very words of God. The speakers and writers of God’s words were inspired in the sense that they were acted upon by the Holy Spirit to produce God’s truth in human language.

Prophecy here is not simply referring to parts of Scripture that tell about the future, but to all of the Word of God spoken by the prophets.

Sometimes the words "plenary" and "verbal" are used when talking or writing about inspiration.

Plenary inspiration means that every part of the sixty-six books of the Bible is equally inspired. All Scripture... 2 Timothy 3:16

This means that our record of the words of Jesus are not more inspired than our record of the words of Jonah. Paul is not more inspired than Peter. The New Testament is not more inspired than the Old Testament. All of the Bible is equally inspired.

Are the words of Jesus more true than the words of Paul?

Is the book of John more true than the book of Esther?

Verbal inspiration means that every word given by God, even its grammatical form, is inspired by God. Proverbs 3:5 "Every word of God is flawless." Also look at Galatians 3:16 where Paul teaches a spiritual truth based on whether a word is singular or plural.

God did not simply put thoughts in the mind of Biblical authors as they wrote. He inspired each word that was written by the authors of Scripture.

What kind of men were the prophets?

As these men spoke, who was guiding their speech?

From 2 Timothy 3:16, who is the source of all Scripture?

What does Galatians 3:16 indicate about the very words of Scripture?

Why do you think each word of Scripture is important?

3. Illumination

Illumination is the activity of the Holy Spirit in giving us understanding of spiritual truth.

1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 1:17-18

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 takes some study and thought to understand. Read it two or three times.

In these verses we find that it is the Spirit of God, who is the author of the Word of God, that enables us to understand spiritual truth.

In verse 10, who reveals truth to us?

From verse 11, who knows the very thoughts of God?

From verse 12, what have we not received?

From verse 12, why have we received the Spirit?

From verse 13, the Spirit does not rely on what?

From verse 13, what does the Spirit use to teach spiritual truth?

This verse makes reference to "spiritual words". Within Scripture there are certain words that need to be understood if we are to understand the truths taught in the Word of God. Words like grace, redemption, salvation, repentance, believe, and faith all have meanings somewhat different than their everyday usage. A good Bible dictionary such as Ungers Bible Dictionary or The New Ungers Bible Dictionary can be a big help in understanding the Biblical usage of words.

From verse 14, who does not accept spiritual truth?

From verse 14, why does the unbeliever not accept spiritual truth?

From verse 14, what can only be discerned spiritually?

The teachings and the historical records that are in the Bible, as they were originally written, are true, right, and accurate. They do not and cannot contain error. Our human opinions and our understanding may be inaccurate, but the Bible itself is always right, accurate, and without error.

It should be noted that the Bible does record false statements made by man and even by Satan. For example, Job’s three friends made untrue statements that are accurately recorded in

Scripture. They are accurately recorded, but that is not saying the statement itself is true.

What does Titus 1:2 say about God?

Can a God who cannot lie teach false information in his Word, the Bible?

What does Jesus say about the Father in John 8:26?

What does Jesus say about himself in John 14:6?

What does Jesus say about God’s Word in John 17:17?

The Holy Spirit inspired men to write the Bible. What is the Spirit called in John 14:17?

What does Psalm 119:160 say about God’s Word?

What does Proverbs 30:5 say?

What does Psalm 12:6 say?

The word "translation" is not a word from the Bible itself. It describes a process which makes God’s revelation available for people to read in their own language. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek and also a little Aramaic. To "translate" the Bible is to write the Bible in a language other than Hebrew and Greek so that it can be read and understood by people who speak that language. Since very few people speak and read Hebrew or Greek, it is necessary to translate the Bible into languages that are used by people today. All Bibles that are written in English are translations from the original Hebrew and Greek.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

There is no question that God wants us to preach the gospel and make disciples (followers of the Lord Jesus Christ) in all parts of the earth. Often the Bible will use the phrase "in all the earth" or "to the ends of the earth" when in one way or another it speaks of God. To make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God must be translated into the native tongue of the individuals who are being taught. It is hard to understand how one can be a disciple without having the Word of God available to him. Acts 1:8; Exodus 9:16; Isaiah 49:6;

Isaiah 42:10; Psalm 33:8; Exodus 9:16; 1 Chronicles16:23 and 30; Psalm 8:9; Psalm 66:1-4; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 96:9

We, here in the United States, can easily get a Bible. If we want, we can even get it in several different translations. This is not true for many in the world today who do not have any of the Bible in their own language. According to information from Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are people who speak some 4500 languages that need the Bible translated into their own language. The full Bible has been translated into over 300 of these languages. The New Testament has been translated into about 800 of these languages and about 1000 languages have at least one book of the Bible. There are some 3000 languages that do not have any Scripture in that language. Many men and women around the world are working to translate the Bible into some of these languages. This is a difficult and thrilling ministry. To give God’s Word to people who do not have it is a very noble and fulfilling lifetime ministry.

Do you have a deep appreciation for the Bible which has been translated into a language you can understand?

Will you pray that the process of Bible translation into languages without the Bible will go quickly?

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

From these two verses, what can we conclude about the Word of God?

The Bible, the Word of God, is true. Those who love and submit to it have a solid foundation and anchor. They are blessed by God. They can have peace, be productive, and look forward to an eternity secure in heaven with God.

How is the Word of God described in 2 Timothy 2:15?

What does it mean to correctly handle the Word of Truth?

How are God’s words described in 2 Samuel 7:28?

What does Jesus say about himself in John 8:45?

From Psalm 119

The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. Verse 138

Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Verse 142

...all your commands are true. Verse 151

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. Verse 160

From the verses above from Psalm 119, list several things that are said about the Word.

There are many more verses of Scripture that in some way speak of the truthfulness of the Word of God. Some of these are: 1 Kings 17:24; Luke 1:4; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5;

Psalm 18:30; Psalm 33:4 Look up each of these verses and carefully read them.

Over and over God’s Word is described as true, trustworthy, or some other similar statement. What do you think that God wants us to know from these verses?

Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

In this verse Jesus tells us that the truth will set us free. What will God’s truth free us from?

There are other kinds of truths that strongly support the fact that the Scriptures are inspired of God and are true. Consider the Bible itself. It has some 40 different authors. It was written over a period of over 1500 years. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The New Testament was written in Greek. The authors came from many different walks of life. Some of the writers were fishermen, prophets, tax collectors, doctors, shepherds, soldiers, church leaders, priests, judges, and some were kings. Some were very well educated; others had no education at all. Some were poor; others were very rich. Some were Jews; at least one was a gentile. They came from different political spectrums. Some of the Bible was written in a cave; some in a desert; some in a jail; and some in a palace. Some of it was written in Israel; some in Babylon; some in Syria and some in Europe. Some of the Bible is historical narrative; some is poetry; some is theological; some are proverbs; and some is allegory. They wrote on many different subjects and wrote in many different styles of writing. Yet in spite of these vast differences, there is not one real contradiction in the whole Bible. It all comes together as ONE united Bible. Its central theme is the Lord Jesus Christ, the One we still serve today.

This is a miracle. It would be a unusual if two people of similar backgrounds wrote on the same subject without some differences; yet the Biblical authors, in spite of great differences, were in complete harmony with each other. The reason is that they were all inspired by the same God. Praise the Lord for his Word, the Bible!!!

Archeology has repeatedly shown the historical accuracy of the Bible.

Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates the divine origin of Scripture.

Known science demonstrates the accuracy of Scripture.

Many reject, or distort, or ignore all or parts of the Bible. However, the Bible is from God and all of it is true. God does not give untruths or half truths. He is not a liar or deceiver. The Bible is true whether you or I believe it or not. Our attitude and beliefs do not affect the Bible’s truthfulness. We cannot simply ignore it, or take it lightly, or "interpret" it to fit our own way of thinking, and expect to accurately understand God’s truth. We accept Biblical truth as stated, and submit and conform to it. There is no other way to know and to walk with God.

It may be well to note here that there have been errors made in copying and in translating the Bible. However, these errors are so small and insignificant that there is absolutely no question that the translations we have today are extremely accurate and very trustworthy. When you pick up your Bible and read it, you are in fact reading the Word of God.

Do you have complete confidence that the Bible is in fact God’s Word and is one hundred percent true?

Men who reject or ignore Biblical truth face severe consequences. Romans 1:18 says they face the wrath of God. Hebrews 10:26-27 are solemn verses indicating that those who know the truth but reject it, face God’s wrath, judgement, and hell. In the Bible God reveals the way to know Him. There is no other way of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God.

Do you accept the Bible as absolutely true?

Do you seek to understand its truth?

Do you put effort into putting it into practice?

Have you learned to have inner peace, based on the truths of the Bible?

Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, " and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

What does God say his Word will do in Isaiah 55:11?

Is it man’s wisdom and talents that accomplish God’s will and purpose, or is it God’s Word that accomplishes his purpose?

Carefully read Hebrews 4:12 several times.

How is the Word of God described in this verse?

What will the Word do?

In your own words, what is this verse teaching?

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119:9

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Are you regularly absorbing the Word of God and growing more like Him?

Carefully read Matthew 4:1-11. Briefly describe what takes place in this passage.

Every time Jesus was tempted, what did He use to defeat the tempter?

What can we do to consistently be victorious over temptation?

Now carefully read Ephesians 6:10-18 at least two or three times.

From verse 10, describe God’s power.

From verse 10, what do we do in relation to God’s power?

From verse 11, how much of the armor are we to put on?

How much of the armor can we safely leave off?

From verse 12, who do we struggle against?

From verses 14-17, list six pieces of our armor and briefly explain how each one of them is tied to the Word of God.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

In Ephesians 6:18, what are we commanded to do?

Praying in the Spirit does not mean to pray in tongues. Praying in the Spirit is praying in submission to God, being led and empowered by the Spirit of God. When we pray in this manner, we see God working in response to our prayer. It is a tremendous and exciting experience when we see Him at work through us and through prayer.

From verse 18, when are we to pray in the Spirit?

From verse 18, what kind of prayers and what kind of requests should cause us to pray in the Spirit?

From verse 18, when can we stop praying for each other?

What do you think will result from this kind of praying?

Do you sense the Spirit of God leading in your prayers?

Read James 4:7-10.

In verse 7, what two commands are given?

Is either one of these commands more important than the other?

Can we follow one of these commands without following the other?

From verse 7, what will happen if we obey the commands?

From the first part of verse 8, what beautiful promise is given?

Are you drawing closer to God?

What does the rest of this Scripture passage tell us to do?

What promise is given at the end of this section?

The Bible clearly teaches us to rejoice and that joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God. When is it appropriate to turn our joy into mourning or gloom as we are instructed in verse 9?

These are key passages relating to our struggle and victory over Satan. It is important to note that every piece of armor in one way or another begins with the Word of God. It is our only offensive weapon. ...the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We are also clearly commanded to resist him. This is God’s plan for us to be victorious over Satan. We are never given instructions in the Bible to rebuke Satan or to pray a hedge around somebody or something. Rebuking Satan and praying hedges will have little or no effect if we do not obey the clear cut teaching of Scripture relating to victory over Satan.

Romans chapters 6-8, is a key passage of Scripture relating to victory over sin. It is not light reading, but is richly rewarding when we take time to understand and live the truths of these chapters.

Man’s word, his ideas and his teachings, change as time passes, knowledge is gained, and

circumstances change. Today’s beliefs may in fact be tomorrow’s joke. What one culture

accepts as true is not believed by others. Not so with the Word of God. It is eternal, unchanging and true in all generations.

The Word of God is from God and is eternally true. It will last forever. As man and his concepts change, the Word of God will remain true, relevant, dependable, and unchanging. It will teach some from every generation to know and walk with God. There is no other source of spiritual truth and anyone or anything that contradicts it is false. It is and always will be the solid foundation on which to build and anchor our lives. It teaches us to know and to walk with God.

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September, 2001