The Bible, God's Word
LESSON 1
When we consider that God Himself wrote the Bible, it then becomes priceless… precious… set apart from all other books. We find its pages filled with great stories of courage and faith, wisdom and answers to life’s questions, even truth itself, and amazingly, visions and revelations of the future and how we can be assured of a blessed one. The Bible is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. It is a map to guide us through this life… and to the incredible and wonderful things God has planned for us in Heaven. Here you will learn to value and embrace this amazing gift God has given us.
It is Divinely Inspired by God Himself
Some have called the Bible “God’s Handbook” for His children. When we consider that God is the One who created all things… the universe… the earth and everything in it… and particularly mankind… giving us breath and life and purpose, it makes perfect sense that He would give us a guidebook on how to live this life to its fullest, according to His plan. And that is exactly what He has done. As we can see in the verse below, He is the author of His Word and has given it to us as a valuable gift, to help us live a fulfilling life.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
It Reveals God’s Heart and Mind
Through the Bible’s many amazing stories, its guiding principles for life, and its great and precious promises, God is in fact revealing Himself to us. We are learning about Him… about how He views things… what He loves and what He hates. We begin to understand His purposes for us and even His specific will and calling for us individually. One thing we absolutely see is just how much He loves each and every one of us. We learn how incredibly valuable we are to Him and the immeasurable price He paid for us.
“For God so LOVED the world that HE GAVE His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
As God’s Word is brought into any situation, question or challenge, it is amazing how the air clears and confusion lifts as God’s wisdom brings the needed answer.
“The entrance of Your Words brings LIGHT.” Psalms 119:130
It has Amazing Power to Transform our Lives
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he challenges us to be “TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind” and then in Ephesians 5:26, he speaks of being “WASHED by the cleansing of God’s word”. In this ever-darkening world we live in today, how refreshing it is to have God’s life-giving Word to impart to us joy, peace and even hope through His precious promises.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Heb. 4:12 NLT
God’s word also has the power to build and strengthen our faith… and faith is one thing that greatly pleases God.
“FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
It Brings Prosperity and Blessing
The scriptures give us specific instructions on how to prosper and be blessed in this life. There are numerous verses found throughout the Bible which offer promises for those who love God’s Word… and particularly for those who read it often and meditate on its words.
“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the word of the Lord, and who MEDITATES on His word day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – WHATEVER THEY DO PROSPERS.” Psalms 1:1-3
And again, in Joshua 1:7-8, “Keep this Book of the law always on your lips, MEDITATE on it day and night, SO THAT you may be careful to do everything written in it. THEN you will be PROSPEROUS and SUCCESSFUL.”
This word “meditate” has a very special meaning in the scriptures. In the original Hebrew writings, the word meditate actually means to “chew the cud”. For those not raised on a farm, this refers to how a cow chews the grass over and over and over until it is basically a liquid so that it can properly digest it. This is what God would have us to do with His Word. At times, to receive a better understanding of a verse, we need to take hold of it… and chew on it… dwell on it… think on it… over and over, allowing God’s Holy Spirit to enlighten it and reveal to us what it means, and how we can effectively apply it to our lives.
God wants us to live a victorious and fruitful life in every way and He has given us everything we need to do just that…
We Need to Know It Well
The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy “Study to show yourselves approved to God, a workman that needs not be ashamed. Tim. 2:15-17
Notice, Paul doesn’t just say to “read” the Word, although that is important to do as well… but rather, he teaches us to “study” the Word. Paul is wanting to protect us from error, emphasizing that by studying it, we will be sure to correctly interpret the Word. There are many excellent books that have been written over the centuries, which are here to guide us with the revelations and wisdom that God has shown the authors. These books are surely a great benefit to us, but it needs to be said that the “best” book to focus on is ultimately the Bible itself… God’s guidebook and manual for His children.
Another powerful verse concerning “knowing” God’s Word is found in John 14:26, where Jesus said to His disciples… “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will REMIND YOU of everything I HAVE SAID TO YOU.”
So, here is the question… How can the Holy Spirit remind us of something that we have never heard of or read in the first place? By reading and studying God’s word, we are in essence giving the Holy Spirit the tools to work with… to remind us of what we need to know… when we need to know it. It is quite fascinating to watch how the Holy Spirit will put in our minds a special verse of scripture just at the appropriate time when we need it most… sometimes just for us… and sometimes for someone else.
It is a Weapon
One of the first things we need to understand is that being a child of God instantly makes us an enemy of God’s enemies. The devil was ultimately defeated over two thousand years ago at the Cross of Jesus, yet God allows him to actively resist us as believers… all for God’s purposes and for our growth and benefit. One of the most powerful weapons we have against the devil is the Word of God. Jesus exemplifies this perfectly in both Matthew 4 and Luke 4, where the devil tempts Him three times… each time failing, as Jesus strategically quotes the scriptures, directly confronting the temptation saying “It is written…” Finally, the devil, having been defeated by the truth of the written Word, leaves Him until a later time.
In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul spoke about putting on the “Armor of God” and uses the metaphor “The Sword of the Spirit” referring to the “Word of God”. The scriptures are powerful as an offensive, as well as a defensive weapon, not to be trifled with or handled lightly.
It is Eternal
In concluding this first section on God’s Word, it must be said that there never has been, and never will be another book like The Bible. It is a living book… an eternal book… a book filled with stories that will be shared and cherished forever. Jesus confirmed this when He spoke of the eternal nature of His word in Matthew 24:35…
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY WORD will never pass away.”
Read the Word until you fall in love with it… then do your best to live by every word of it!
