Lesson 8. The Bible. A school covering the foundations of the Christian faith that every Christian should know. The school consists of twelve lessons. The school was founded by the Christian Bible Institute.
For every Christian’s spiritual growth, it is very important to continually feed on the truth of the Word of God.
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”;
Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 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.”
The Word of God is not only spiritual nourishment for a person, but also an authoritative declaration of divine truth that people need. Moreover, the Bible contains absolutely everything a Christian needs for a godly life.
The Authority of the Bible
God speaks to people through two primary channels: general revelation and special revelation.
General revelation is available to all people. Through it, God speaks through His creation.
Rom. 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 19 For what may be known about God is evident to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divinity, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world through the things that have been made, so that they are without excuse.”
General revelation gives every person a general testimony about God, sufficient to make that person accountable to God.
Special revelation is used by God to communicate specific truths necessary for people. Throughout the history of His relationship with humanity, God has used various means of special revelation. At particular moments in human history, God chose specific people to speak directly through them to others.
- Old Testament prophets
Isa. 6:1–7 “8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ 9 And He said, ‘Go and tell this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”’”
- New Testament prophets
Luke 1:30 “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’”
1 Cor. 11:23 “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’”
The apostles and prophets held a special status before God—they served the Church during its formative period.
Eph. 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,”
After the formation of the New Testament, the revelation of God took on its complete form, containing everything necessary for our salvation and Christian life. This means that in our time, God’s special revelation is expressed through the Bible.
2 Tim. 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17 so that the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
John 20:31 “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
The apostles testify to the superiority of the authority of Holy Scripture over supernatural manifestations.
2 Peter 1:16 “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received honor and glory from God the Father when such a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ 18 We ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place,”
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
The Bible is a unique Book; there is nothing else like it on earth. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it was created by God and expressed through people. The Bible consists of 66 books: 39 books make up the Old Testament, and 27 books make up the New Testament. God used more than 40 authors to write it, who lived at different times—from 1,500 years before the birth of Christ (the Pentateuch) to the 90s of the first century after the birth of Christ (the Revelation of John).
The Bible was written in such a way that each individual author’s style and character of writing were preserved. Thus, the books of the Old Testament were written in ancient Hebrew, while the books of the New Testament were written in ancient Greek. It is remarkable that, at the same time, God preserved the absolute truth of the meaning of every word and phrase of Holy Scripture. This became possible through the “divine inspiration” of Scripture.
“Divine inspiration” means “breathed out by God”
2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Because of the divine inspiration of the Bible, we can be confident of the following:
- The Bible is absolutely true and contains no errors
Matthew 5:18 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke will pass from the Law until everything is fulfilled.”
Psalm 119:138 “The testimonies You have commanded are righteous and altogether trustworthy.”
- The Bible contains everything we need for our lives
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Psalm 19:7–11 “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandment of the Lord is radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, altogether righteous; 10 they are more desirable than gold, even much pure gold, and sweeter than honey, than honey dripping from the comb; 11 by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
The Canonicity of the Bible
“Canon” means “standard.” It is known that the Bible was written over a period of 1,600 years by different authors, sometimes living in different places. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the books of the Bible were brought together. When we speak of the canonicity of Scripture, we mean that apart from the 66 books included in the Bible, there are no other God-inspired books.
Since God is the author of the Bible, He Himself determined which books should be included in it, watching over the preservation of His Word.
Jer. 1:12 “The Lord said to me: You have seen correctly, for I am watching over My word to fulfill it quickly.”
Ps. 118:89 “Forever, O Lord, Your word is firmly established in heaven.”
The canon of the Old Testament was formed and recognized by all Jews several centuries before Christ’s coming. The books of the New Testament were circulated among local churches as they were written. Through the Holy Spirit, God gave His children the ability to distinguish God-inspired books from imitations. Subsequently, the list of New Testament books recognized by local churches was affirmed at a general council of the churches. It should be noted that the Church did not make the books canonical. It only recognized an already existing fact. The authority of the Bible and its canon belongs to God, not to the Church.
Bible Study
To receive real benefit and practical help from the Bible, a Christian must read it, study it, and apply it in practice.
Josh. 1:8 “Be strong and courageous, for you will give this people possession of the land that I swore to their fathers to give them; 7 only be strong and very courageous, carefully observing and obeying all the law that Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely in all your endeavors. 8 This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it; then you will prosper in your ways and act wisely.”
Ezra 7:9–10 “On the first day of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, because the gracious hand of his God was upon him, for Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
- Bible Reading
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth”;
God expressed His truth to people through a language they could understand (Hebrew—the Old Testament; Greek—the New Testament). For God’s truth to become clear to a person, they need to read it.
The Bible must be read carefully. Although the Bible is written rationally and clearly, it contains an immense wealth of God’s truth. To understand it, we must pay close attention to every detail.
How many squares do you see in this picture?
To see all the possible squares, you need to be very attentive. They are all objectively present here. We are not imagining them; we simply need to see them.
The Bible must be read continually. First of all, to understand the Bible correctly, you need a good knowledge of its overall content. The better you know the Bible, the easier it will be for you to understand the meaning of its individual passages.
Furthermore, continual Bible reading is necessary because we constantly need spiritual food. To make the right decisions, we need constant access to God’s truth.
Reading the Bible is the most practical way to communicate with God. God speaks through the Bible. A Christian is someone who listens to what the Lord says in order to know Him better and obey Him.
- Bible Study
“...but meditate on it day and night...,”
In order to understand the truth of the Bible, it is necessary to study it. God conveyed the meaning of His truth through human language. There are several simple rules for studying the Bible:
- Determine the meaning of the words
Every word has its own meaning. Sometimes this meaning changes depending on where the word is used.
Example: Josh. 1:8 “Be strong and courageous, for you will give this people as an inheritance the land that I swore to their fathers to give them;
What do the phrases “this people,” “you will give the land as an inheritance,” and “which I swore to their fathers to give them” mean?
- Determine the meaning of the sentence (phrase)
The meaning of words often depends on their grammatical form, their order in the sentence, and their relationship to one another.
Example: Eph. 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery; instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
- And do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery; instead, be filled with the Spirit,
- speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
- singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord,
- giving thanks always for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
- submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
- Determine the meaning of the paragraph (verse) in context
Correct interpretation is impossible unless you determine the meaning of your text in context. There are several levels of context
- Immediate context
Determine what role the text being studied plays in the overall development of the thought
Example: Determine the meaning of 1 Pet. 2:15: “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish people,”
Instruction on how Christians should behave among unbelievers – 1 Pet. 2:11–14, 18; 3:1–7
- Context of the book
Instruction for Christians living in the dispersion amid persecution – 1 Pet. 1:1–2; 4:4, 13–16
- Context of the New or Old Testament
Peter’s Epistles – Practical instruction for Christians
- Context of the whole Bible
New Testament teaching concerning the Church
- Determine the meaning of the words
- Applying the Bible
Even the most accurate interpretation of the Bible will not lead us to success if the revealed truth is not practically applied in our lives.
“...that you may be careful to do everything written in it; then you will prosper in your ways and act wisely.”
The task of those who study the Bible is to understand the principle revealed in the biblical text and determine how it can be practically applied in our lives today.
2 Tim. 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
When you study the Bible, ask yourself these questions:
- What does this text teach me?
- What does it convict me of?
- How does it suggest that I correct my problems?
- What general instruction in this text is necessary for my spiritual growth?
Bible Translations
God made sure that His authoritative Word would reach us through the Bible. The Bible was originally written in ancient Hebrew (the Old Testament) and ancient Greek (the New Testament). Various translations exist:
- Literal translation
- A translation that is as close to the original as possible while remaining readable
The most widely used Russian Bible translation is the Synodal Translation. The New Testament was translated in 1822, and the Old Testament in 1876. Several new Russian Bible translations have since been published.
When reading and studying the Bible, we must not forget the primary purpose for which God gave it to us: John 20:31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Therefore, we should approach reading and studying the Bible first and foremost with prayer and humility before God, ready to submit ourselves to His will.
Homework: Memorize 2 Tim. 3:16–17
Source: Christian Bible Institute
