LESSION 17: INTRODUCTORY STUDIES

AIM: A focused study on the Biblical principles for effective Biblical study, which will produce
growth in workers. Lk.2:52; Eph.4:15.

WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

The word Bible comes from the greek word biblos which translates as book (Luke 4:17). In
the New Testament, biblos refers to the Old Testament Scriptures. But the word Bible refers to
the entire Old and New Testament Scripture. Observe how Scripture is described in the verses
below. Psalm 19:7,8; 12:6; Ephesians 6:17
The Bible is Gods message for his people. It is made up of 66 books containing stories,
prophecy, and guidelines for godly living. From the time of Moses until the Apostle Paul, God
inspired people to write down his words so his message could be given to everyone. The Bible
is a tool for understanding Gods will for our lives, if we will listen to what it has to say.
The Bible is a special revelation from God. It explains what God is like, how he expects us to
act, and the consequences of our either accepting or rejecting his message. The Bible contains
hundreds of answers to the big questions in life: Who created the universe? What is the
meaning of existence? How can I be sure to spend eternity in heaven?
The Bible is one of the most translated, most read books in the entire world. To people who do
not know Jesus Christ, the Bible proclaims the message of his loving and redeeming work. It
has touched millions of hearts with its promises of renewal for those who may not have any
hope. For Christians, the Bible serves as an excellent guidebook on who God is, what Christ
has done for us, and how we should live in order to reflect his wonderful work in us.

Who wrote the Bible? How did the Bible come to us?
Scripture cames by way of Gods revelation to man. This means that God took the initiative to reveal Himself
and His Plan for Mankind by way of Inspiration. 2 Timothy 3:16; Jeremiah 36:2; 2 Peter 1:20-21

Why should we study the Bible?

Joshua 1:8; Psalm 19:11; Matthew 7:24; 2 Tim 3:16-17

To Benefit from Studying the Bible the following

conditions must be satisfied?
Having The Right Heart Attitude
1. A New Heart ~ In order to truly understand the Bible, a book of Spiritual Truths written by the Spirit of God, the
Bible student must possess the Author (the Holy Spirit) in his heart to be his Guide and Teacher! He must be
born again by God with a New Heart! (1 Corinthians 2:13-14)
2. A Hungry Heart ~ The main requirement to studying Gods Word is not a seminary degree, but an intense
desire to know Gods Will. Studying Gods Word is hard work! It requires patience and perseverance! Unless you
really desire to know Gods Will, you will find Bible Study laborious and, God forbid, boring! When you
passionately desire to discover Gods Will in His Word, the discipline that it requires will come (super)
naturally! Jer.29:13.
3. An Obedient Heart ~ Along with a strong desire to Know Gods Will is the passion to Do Gods Will. It is
fairly easy to gain academic knowledge of Biblical facts and events, but only a desire to do Gods Will turns that
knowledge into wisdom (John 7:17). How badly do you want to do Gods Will? That, more than most other

things, will determine how much we will get out of Gods Word!
4. A Humble Heart ~ Discovering Gods Truths requires humility, with a willingness to learn from others and
to change our own thinking should it be found in error. Only God is infallible!

Having The Right Conviction

1. The Bible is Gods Word ~ The Bible is Inspired by God, both in its message and in its very words. By
Inspiration, I mean more than that the authors themselves were inspired to write, but that God Himself sovereignly
worked through the various human authors and their unique personalities to record exactly what He wanted
to communicate to mankind. We can be assured that when we read the Bible, we are reading Gods very Word to
us! (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. The Bible Conveys Gods Message ~ The Bible consists of 66 books, written by approximately 40 different
human authors, over a span of 1500 years and in varying places. And yet, it clearly communicates a single
message without contradiction: Gods Plan to Rescue Man from Sin and Transform Him into a Child of God!

Having The Right Tools

1. A Good Bible Translation: Few of us have the training and ability to read the Bible in its original
languages (Hebrew and Aramaic in the Old Testament and Greek in the New Testament). We must therefore
depend on translators to bring the Bible into our own language. The question that is often raised is Which
translation is the best? If you expect to receive an answer from me, you will be disappointed. I will not
recommend nor endorse a specific translation, but it may help if you understand the various principles used in
Bible translation work.
2. A Notebook ~ Studies should always be written out to reinforce what is learned as well as to keep a record
for future reference.
3. Reference Materials ~ There are many reference books that aid in a study of the Bible, including Bible
Dictionaries, Lexicons, Encyclopedias, Concordances and Commentaries. These will be covered in subsequent
lessons.

Having the Right Method

Finally, we come to the purpose of this Study. You may have attended at one time a Bible Study where a
Scripture passage is read and then each person in the group is asked to share what that passage means to them.
What often happens is that there are as many interpretations of the passage as there are people in the group.
Each person brings their own personal experiences and therefore sees the passage in their own subjective and
biased way.
But the question must be asked. Which interpretation is right? Why? Because each Bible author had
only one intended meaning when he wrote the Scripture. Our task as Bible students is not to discover what
we think the Scripture means, but to discover what the original author meant when he wrote that Scripture
many centuries ago! We accomplish this by following a logical, methodical, careful and objective system of
study. Following a Method protects us from interpretations that are affected (or infected?) by our own biases
and feelings, and allows us to share and compare our interpretations with others in an ob

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament is made up of 39 books primarily written in Hebrew. It chronicles the story of
Gods work on earth before Jesus was born. Over the course of a thousand years, about 30
writers, including Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, and David, contributed writings to the Old Testament. It
can be split into three main sections: History, Poetry, and Prophecy.
THE HISTORY BOOKS
The history section begins with Moses five books, called the Pentateuch. These books contain
the story of Gods creation of the universe, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the great
Flood, and the Israelites exodus out of slavery in Egypt. The Pentateuch also contains Gods

first laws for his people. These laws were given to Moses in the Ten Commandments (Exodus
20:1-17) and instructed the Israelites to honor God in everything they did.
After the Israelites had moved into the land God had promised them, they became a very
powerful nation. Starting with the selection of Saul as the first king of Israel, the history books
tell the story of King David, his son Solomon, and the other kings that followed. Some kings, like
King Asa, followed Gods laws and were blessed by God. Other kings, like King Ahab, set up
idols and disobeyed Gods laws. Because of their disobedience, God said he would end Israels
reign as a great nation, and it was eventually conquered and enslaved by the empires of Assyria
and Babylon.
THE POETRY BOOKS
In the middle of the Old Testament, there are five books of poetry written primarily by King David
and King Solomon. These books include songs praising God (Psalms), books about wisdom
(Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), and a wonderful love poem between a bride and groom (Song of
Songs). These books serve as wonderful meditations on Gods love for us, his power over all of
creation, and his desire for us to respect and fear him.
THE PROPHECY BOOKS
After the five poetry books come the prophecy books, written by about sixteen different authors.
There are the major prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, who wrote longer books,
and there are minor prophets, such as Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, whose books are
shorter. These books deal with Gods disappointment in Israel for not keeping his commands,
remind the people of Gods unconditional love for them, and foreshadow the coming Messiah
who would redeem Israel forever.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament was written in Greek, and its twenty seven books were most likely written in
the span of about fifty years. The New Testament is primarily concerned with the redemptive
work of Jesus Christ and the early Christian church, but it also gives wonderful guidance
concerning godly living. The New Testament can also be split into three main sections: history,
the epistles, and prophecy.
THE GOSPELS
The first four books of the New Testament are the gospels, which tell the story of Jesus birth,
life, death, and resurrection. They also record the words Jesus spoke to his disciples about
following him and continuing his work after his eventual return to heaven. Following the gospels,
the beginnings of the early church and the work of Jesus disciples in performing miracles and
preaching the gospel are recorded in the book of Acts.
THE EPISTLES
Following Acts are the epistles, or letters the Apostle Paul and others wrote to encourage the
first Christians in their walk with Jesus Christ. The epistles provide wonderful insights into Gods
desires for our everyday activities.
THE PROPHECY BOOK
The last book of the New Testament is Revelation, which is a prophetic book detailing Christs

future return to earth.

THE TRUTH AND AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE
The Apostle Paul writes that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and Peter
explains that prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they
were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). This includes both the Old Testament and
the New Testament. Because God loves us, he would never intentionally lead us astray by
giving us a Bible that was not absolutely true. His Word exists as an authoritative guide so we
may know the truth.
GOD'S COVENANT
Another word for testament is covenant or promise. The Bible is a book about Gods
covenant with his people-first with the Israelites and eventually with all people. The Bible helps
us understand what God expects from us in order to maintain this covenant and foster a
wonderful relationship with him.
The Old Testament talks about many covenants, but one of the most important ones is Gods
covenant with the Israelites that he initiated with the Ten Commandments. After giving his first
laws to the people of Israel, God said, Take care to follow the commands, decrees, and laws I
give you today. If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord
your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers
(Deuteronomy 7:11-12). When Israel followed these guidelines and worshiped God alone, their
kingdom thrived. They moved into the Promised Land of Canaan and became a very powerful
nation. When Israel broke the covenant by being disobedient to God, he sent enemies to attack
and enslave them. The Old Testament describes how God gave Israel numerous opportunities
to keep their covenant with him and how they were unwilling to do so. Because they were
constantly sinful and rebellious, the Israelites had no hope of earning Gods favor.
Even when the Israelites were going through a very tough time, God never forgot them, and he
assured them they would eventually be redeemed. God sent prophets to tell of the new
covenant which would come in the form of a Messiah.
Jesus Christ was the primary instrument of this new covenant. By coming to earth and dying on
the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for all people, Jesus did away with the need for man to
constantly sacrifice animals or grains to God. Gods new covenant required people to simply
believe in Jesus Christ. The New Testament provides the details on Gods new covenant
available to all people, not just the Israelites.
Gods covenant cannot be changed. We can accept or reject what the Bible tells us, but we
cannot change it. God has promised that if anyone joins his covenant, they will ultimately
prosper, and he will care for them. But for those that do not accept this covenant, God promises
harsh judgment.
The Bible, then, is the story of Gods covenant with people-how it was first established with the
Israelites and was later extended to all people through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
When we read and follow what it has to say, we are participating in the very same covenant as
the people in the Bible. The Word of God truly is eternal.