Teaching Guidelines:
- You may choose to complete this topic in one session.
- The goal of this class is to help truth seekers understand the Bible is inspired by God and have the desire to study and learn from it.
Presentation slides:
▶️ Slides on the Bible for use in class
The Bible Is Unique
The Bible is an extraordinary book. Here are some of the ways in which the Bible stands out among other books:
Circulation
First, the Bible is unique in the extent of its circulation. Few books have ever reached 1 million copies sold. Even fewer have sold more than 10 million. But the Bible has sold in the billions. That’s mind staggering! Today, the number of total Bibles printed is estimated to be at 6 billion. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “The world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book is the Bible…”
The Bible has been translated into the most languages of any book in the world in history. Most books published are never translated into other languages and the few that are are only translated into ten-some languages. According to The United Bible Societies, the Bible is available in over 2,550 languages. This represents more than 90% of the world’s population.
Influence
The Bible has greatly influenced civilization as a whole, including literature, art, and music. Centuries are measured from the birth of Jesus—the central character in the Bible. Laws of the western world are built on the principles of the Bible.
The Bible has inspired the lives of many prominent people throughout history such as philosopher Immanuel Kant and President Abraham Lincoln. Charles Dickens called the New Testament “the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.”
So what is it about this collection of ancient writings which we call the Bible that brings such profound impact on the world?
Unity
The Bible is a book written over a span of 1,500 years by 40 authors. These authors were from all walks of life, including fishermen, physicians, shepherds, kings, and tax collectors. But despite the diversity of the writers and the different time periods and places they lived in, the 66 books of the Bible have one consistent and coherent message.
Imagine if you asked 40 of your own friends to write down their thoughts on some of the topics covered in the Bible. To give a few examples of the topics in the Bible, it addresses issues such as marriage, divorce, adultery, caring for the poor, materialism, heaven, hell, patience, injustice, wealth, enjoying life, parenting, friendship, miracles, family, and forgiveness.
What you would get would be a compilation of various opinions and positions, not one unified message. And that is just from your friends. Now imagine asking people who lived hundreds of years apart to write one book on those topics!
The amazing unity of the Bible tells us that while it was written by human beings just like ourselves, it’s not simply a human book. God arranged it so that certain individuals wrote down what He wanted to be said at that time as well as what He intended to convey to people of future generations. And He saw to it that their writings were preserved and collected into what we now have as our Bible.
The Bible’s Claim
The authors of the Bible claim that what they have written was received directly from God Himself.
One author writes in 2 Peter 1:20-21,
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
What does that mean? The Bible’s writers were ordinary people who spoke and wrote out of their own experiences. They wrote about the things going on around them at the time—historical events, and political and social issues. They expressed their own personalities and spoke of their personal joys and problems. This makes the Bible a thoroughly human book. But through the human variety comes the voice of the living God speaking to the people at the time and to us now.
As just one example, the author Jeremiah’s reason for writing came directly from God and was not of his own:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.” (Jeremiah 30:1-2)
Jeremiah then continues to relate what he was instructed to write down:
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “Thus says the Lord:” (Jeremiah 30:4-5a)
According to Jeremiah, what he had written in the Bible were actually words from the LORD.
As you can see, the purpose of the Bible is unlike that of other literature. While the Bible records history, it is more than just history. The Bible records words claimed to be from God Himself.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)
This author claims that the entire Bible is inspired by God. As words inspired by God, the Bible is the standard for doctrine and tells us what is righteous and what is not. The Bible, rather than human reason or the church or the pastor, should be the guide and authority for a Christian’s belief and lifestyle.
The Bible covers important questions about life, the world, and the fate of mankind. It answers fundamental questions all humans face—where did we come from, how to find meaning in a life that ends, and how to receive eternal salvation. Studying the Bible reveals truths about God, ourselves, and how we should live.
Whether you have read the Bible or not, it’s important to look into and decide for yourself what you make of the claims of the Bible.
How Do We Know that the Bible Is Inspired by God?
Now that we know that the Bible claims to be inspired by God, how can we know that these claims are true? We all want a direction in our lives and in the steps we take. In a confusing world, it’s wonderful to have the Bible as guidance. But can we trust the Bible and its teachings? Is the Bible merely fiction or myth, or the insights of religious people?
If the statements in this book, the Bible, are in fact inspired by God and worthy of our trust, then they should be accurate, reliable, and true. Let’s look at a few areas in which the Bible passes this test.
Archaeology
Modern archeological findings have confirmed the accuracy of the people, places, and historical events recorded in the Bible. For example, the Hittites mentioned in the Bible were thought to not exist but with later archaeological discoveries, there is evidence of this group of people.
In fact, most of the ancient cities mentioned in the book of Acts have been identified through archaeological finds. That includes 32 countries, 44 cities and 9 islands shown to exist and that corroborate that the written narratives of the Bible are based on fact.
Science
While science cannot prove that the Bible is inspired by God, if the Bible truly is the word of God, then the statements of an Almighty God would be able to stand up to what we know so far through science. Not only is the Bible shown to be accurate in its description of the universe, but it made these statements long before human beings knew these principles to be true.
For example, the Bible says in Job, one of the oldest books in the Bible, chapter 26 verse 7, that the earth is suspended over nothing. It was not proven until 1687, when Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation, that the Earth floats in space.
In Isaiah 40:22, God declares that He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in. These words were written hundreds of years before Christ. In the twentieth century, the astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that we live in an expanding universe and that space actually stretches out as the Bible describes.
The Bible states in Job 38:16 that there are springs in the ocean. The first deep-sea hot springs were discovered in 1977 on the Galapagos Rift west of Ecuador. Since then, they've been found in the Indian, Pacific, and North Atlantic Oceans. Other passages in the Bible refer to ocean currents and the water cycle before they were charted out and recognized by scientists (e.g. Ps 8:8; Job 36:27-28).
Prophecies
How would people know that God was inspiring a human author to write? That would be something hard to detect. How can it be known that the author was not just writing truthfully or profoundly but that he in fact had a special message from God? One way is through miraculous predictions that are outside the realm of human ability. Since humans are unable to foresee the future, the ability to accurately state what will happen is a miracle.
Other books that claim to be divine, such as the Koran, Book of Mormon, and the Hindu Veda contain few detailed predictive prophecies. The Bible, however, records numerous prophecies of the future, many of them in great detail, and hundreds of the Bible’s prophecies have been fulfilled.
For example, Jesus predicted that Jerusalem would be destroyed, and not one stone would be left on another. Forty years later, Jerusalem was besieged and burnt down in February 70 AD by Roman general Titus and 80,000 of his soldiers. In September of that year, the walls were broken down and the temple was leveled.
The fate of other countries such as Edom, Babylon, Media-Persia, Egypt, and Greece were also predicted by prophets such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The outcomes of the countries were fulfilled in history as the Bible described.
Personal Experience
Besides the various external evidence mentioned above, the most direct proof of the Bible being true and applicable to us is when we personally experience the word of God coming true in our own lives.
Through the recorded words of prophets, apostles, and His son Jesus Christ, God continues to speak to us today. God wants to communicate with people. He doesn’t want to be a distant and unknowable God. It’s through the Bible that God takes the initiative to show us who He is. In the Bible, God provides what we need to know to have a close relationship with Him. We just need to follow the way He has set before us and we can experience that God is living and cares to be a part of our lives.
The Bible is filled with promises of God that are meant for us to receive and to benefit our lives. Within our marriages and in how we raise our children, the Bible’s principles help us to find a life of love, contentment, peace, joy, and purpose. By taking the words of the Bible to heart and applying them in times of loneliness, frustration, or sorrow, you can find comfort and strength. In times of confusion and doubt, the word of God can shed light on your path and lead you.
- Share your personal experience or testimonies
If you claim the promises for yourself, you can experience for yourself that it is indeed the almighty and all-loving God who speaks to us through the Bible.
Benefits of the Bible
Unlike secular books, which provide entertainment and knowledge for our daily lives, the Bible instructs us on how to obtain salvation.
In 2 Timothy 3:15, we learn that the Holy Scriptures are able to make a person wise for salvation.
Since we have been separated from God because of our sin, we need the words of God to lead us back. Not only do the words of God show us the way of eternal life, they can transform us as we apply them to our lives. Here are some ways that the Bible transforms our lives:
God’s Word Is Food
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Bread provides the energy that we need to survive. But we don’t just need physical food to sustain our lives. The hunger of our soul cannot be satisfied by material things. Many people seek gratification in wealth, alcohol, drugs, sex, love, or high worldly status, and find only more emptiness and hurt.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation (1 Peter 2:2)
The Bible is the source of spiritual and emotional nourishment that we need, just as a child needs milk to grow. The Bible is life and health to us. As we eat of the words of God, we become spiritually healthy, and it builds us up to be spiritually strong and mature.
God’s Word Is a Lamp
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Without light, we can stumble or hurt ourselves while walking in the darkness.
Without the illumination of the word of God in our lives, we may spend our days wandering aimlessly. The Bible is a light that shows us where we are, guides us to the next step and keeps us from falling. Through the Bible we can find solutions to our problems, no matter how big or small. We can experience guidance in our daily living and feel confident and sure of each step of the way.
God’s Word Is a Mirror
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (James 1:23-24)
The point here is that we shouldn’t just know what’s right and wrong. We should correct our wrong after we find out where we have gone wrong. One thing we learn from James’s words is that the Bible is like a mirror that shows us who we really are.
Sometimes the danger or problem is not in our surroundings but in ourselves. The Bible serves as a mirror that reveals our true condition. It convicts us of our shortcomings so we know when our thinking and choices are wrong. When we see dirt on our face in the mirror we will wipe off the smudge. In the same way, when the Bible makes bare our shortcomings, then we can take the steps needed to make changes.
Getting Started with the Bible
The Bible is a compilation, not a book of fiction that needs to be read from cover to cover. So you don’t have to start with the first page. Especially since the first encounter with the Bible can be daunting, you can pick out books to start with.
There is a mix of many different genres and literary styles within the Bible. This includes historical narratives, laws and regulations, poetry and proverbs, parables, letters, and prophetic visions and messages.
A suggestion for those new to the Bible is to start with the Gospels, the stories of Jesus, who came to give us a fresh start. If you like to read reflective poetry that shows the full range of human emotion, you can read the book of Psalms. If you are interested in history, you can read the history books to learn the origin of the Jewish nation, its struggles for survival in Canaan, its rise to power, its captivity, and its return from exile.
There are some tips for approaching Bible reading that can help you to get the most out of your studies.
A Little a Day
The best approach as you start to study the Bible is to read or listen to a passage each day. You won’t be able to finish reading the entire Bible in just a few sittings, so it’s better to set aside a short time each day that you devote to systematically reading through the Bible.
Think of learning God’s word as an adventure or a treasure hunt. Take the time to enjoy it. Even those who have read the Bible many times continue to gain new insights and receive comfort from familiar passages. There is a life-time’s worth of wealth and reward in God’s word, and they are waiting for you to discover them.
Let It Speak to You
Approach the Bible with a receptive heart and an open mind to learn and receive the teachings from the Bible. Don’t be too quick to form your own opinion and interpretation.
The Bible teaches us in James 1:21:
Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
When the words of God are planted within us, they can grow to spiritual life.
By seeing how God spoke and acted in the past through the Bible, we get a picture of what the unchanging God is like and the type of life that He wants us to live. The Bible is full of positive and comforting verses, but it also contains words of rebuke and warning, which we should not miss. As you read, put yourself in the mind and emotions of the writer and think about what the passage would have meant to those who first heard it and what it’s saying to us now.
Ask and Seek
Ask questions about what you are reading and let it challenge you at the same time. As you come across questions, pray to God for understanding. Pray for the Holy Spirit, who can guide us into all truth, because Jesus promised His followers in John chapter 16 verse 13: ”When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
You may find it helpful to have a notebook to jot down your thoughts as you read through a passage. This will help you to retain what you have read. Finding others to discuss your questions and reflections will greatly help you to digest and apply what you read to your life.
Trends and philosophies of the world rise and vanish. Generations come and go. The Bible and its teachings are timeless, transforming more lives than any other book in history.
FAQ
- How do we know the Bible is inspired by God?
- Is the Bible outdated?
- Has the Bible been altered over time?
- Why doesn’t the Bible seem to make sense?