Why the BibleIs the Word of God
presented by the United Church of God,
an International Association
oday a vital ingredient is sorely missing inour modern lives. We simply are not copingwith all the stresses of the age. Our humanmechanism—brain and body—is breakingdown under the strain. In an overcrowded world,adeep sense of loneliness often engulfs the individual.Perhaps the most damaging casualty has occurredin our relationships with each other,not to mention ourwholesale estrangement from God. Trust is becominga thing of the past. Long-held community values areevaporating before our eyes.Men and women encounter tremendous difficultykeeping standards of truth intact in a climate wheremorality is fading fast and movie marquees adviseus to “succumb to our darker side.”As one newspapercolumnist wrote,“we live in an age which has triedexcessively hard to eliminate absolute rules.”We are also losing our sense of security. Describingone prominent Western nation,a newspaper articlesaid that,“if the country had a therapist,the complaintcould be defined as a virulent strain of unease,per-haps of nationalinsecurity.”Our children aretruly worried abouttomorrow—andrightfully so. Jobsdon’t appear tolast all that long,and many mar-riages end in thedivorce courts.At best thefuture looksuncertain.In the wordsof European par-liamentarian SirFrederick Catherwood,“the all-pervasive rationalismof our own century,infiltrating our whole cultureand philosophy,has reduced man to an animal,con-demned to a meaningless existence terminated bydeath.”The spread of this type of godless secularismhas taken a heavy toll on society.
CRISIS ON THE WORLD SCENE
We live in an age of constant crisis! The MiddleEast threatens to explode at almost any time. Althoughthe Cold War may be history,many of the formerU.S.S.R.’s nuclear weapons still exist. Diplomats andother government officials remind us that Russia stillpossesses some 20,000 nuclear weapons.The deadly spread of weapons of mass destructionis an all-pervasive problem. Terrorist groups—generally armed to the teeth with modern weaponsand living as a law unto themselves—threaten thestability of many nations.Population growth still soars out of control inmany areas of the world,stretching resources to thelimit and leading to further global instability. As
The Times
(of London) warns,“A ballooning worldpopulation is taking such a heavy toll of the planet’sresources that it is putting the survival of humankindin jeopardy ...”Pollution and other problems threaten to strangleearth’s life-sustaining ecosystems. One writer warnsthat “the West is destroying the ecological systemsupon which its economic life depends.”A frighteningexample is the earth’s loss of two thirds of its originalforest cover. Environmentalist Francis Sullivan warnedthat “in one generation we are facing the almost com-plete loss of natural forest.”The forests are the lungsof the earth—and without lungs,we cannot breathe.It is in just such a threatened,confused and crisis-charged age that a centuries-old organism—theChurch—is called upon to do its work. Deeply sensi-tive to its duties and responsibilities in spreading andteaching the true gospel message (Matthew 24:14;28:18-20),the United Church of God,an InternationalAssociation,offers this Bible-study course—filling amost important need in today’s troubled world.For many millions,God’s Word is unexplored anduncharted territory. Yet the Bible is not only designedto help human beings cope in a world caught up in allkinds of crises. It contains the
good news
of the com-ing Kingdom of God—showing how God
will
solvethe many problems of a world edging ever closerto catastrophe.
LEARNING TO APPRECIATETHE BIBLE
Today’s alarming conditions cause many menand women to feel a deep sense of unease. At thesame time many experience a real spiritual hunger.Clearly “they feel there is something outside thebox of time and space in which they find them-selves”(Catherwood).They wonder about the reality of God and the Bible.
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Bible Study Course Lesson 1
The Bible reveals great truths that, when comprehended, can transform your life in ways you’ve never imagined.
Why the BibleIs the Word of God
“It has been my custom for many years to read the Bible in its entirety once a year”
—John Quincy Adams (U.S. president 1825-1829)
T
HOW DOES GODREVEAL KNOWLEDGE?
In ages past,how did God choose to reveal Hisknowledge to humankind?
“God, who at various times and in variousways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets ...” (Hebrews 1:1).
God Almighty,Creator of all we see,does not leavehumankind without guidance and direction. He hasput His thoughts into words for our benefit. God hasrevealed Himself through the vehicle of words.The Bible itself calls Jesus Christ “the Word”(John1:1,14).And,according to this introductory NewTestament passage,the message of the Hebrew Bible(the Old Testament) is the true Word of God (compareMatthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; Acts 24:14; 28:23).
But how did God choose to reveal even more pre-cious knowledge?
“[God] has in these last days spoken to us by HisSon ...” (Hebrews 1:2).
Moses prophesied of a coming,future Prophet simi-lar to himself
whose words
the Bible encourages us toheed (Deuteronomy 18:15,18). The apostle Peter iden-tified this great Prophet as Jesus Christ Himself (Acts3:20,22-23). No doubt about it—Jesus Christ was
that
Prophet! (compare John 1:45; Luke 24:27).Jesus Christ,as God’s own Son,is the ultimateProphet,and His words are the very essence of prophecy (Revelation19:10). We shouldlisten carefully towhat He tells us(Matthew 17:5).Christ’s wordsare chiefly foundin the four semibio-graphical accountsof His life andteaching:theGospels of Matthew,Mark,Luke andJohn. However,ina much larger sensethey are found in thewhole Bible. JesusHimself endorsedthe truth and theauthority of theHebrew Writings,commonly calledthe Old Testament,by calling them Scripture (Luke 24:44-45). He alsoprovided for the inspiration and writing of the booksthat would later become the New Testament (John14:26; 16:13).Could it just be that there are some workable answersafter all?This unique course is designed to address someof the most fundamental questions about our almostnever-ending quest for God. It also seeks to explorethe inevitable implications for our personal behavior.This first lesson consists of an overview of severalbasic biblical themes that later lessons will cover inmuch greater detail. First it addresses questions we allcontemplate:Does God exist? What makes the Bibledifferent from other books? Why did God create menand women? Is there something much greater than thislife in store for us?Together in this study course we will walk throughsome of the most intriguing and inspiring portions of the Bible,seeking to discover the real purpose for ourbeing—and how we may live fulfilling lives whileaccomplishing that great purpose.Jesus Christ said:“I have come that they may havelife,and that they may have it more abundantly”(John10:10). The Bible reveals great truths that,when com-prehended,can transform your life in ways you’venever imagined.
HOW TO BEGIN YOUR STUDY
Here are a few helpful points that will help you getthe most out of this course. The most important one isone of the simplest:searching out every scripture refer-ence in your own Bible. Although some of the princi-pal scriptures are quoted,we strongly encourage youto personally
look up every passage
in order to seeeach scripture in its proper context.Our main textbook is the Bible itself. In additionto each basic biblical quote,our
comments
usuallyinclude additional pertinent scriptural references. Mostof these will appear after the term
“compare.”
You willfind much deeper understanding if you look up andponder the meaning and significance of everybiblical reference.This study course is designed to help you becomemore skilled in your personal study,as well as doingnothing less than assisting you in changing your wholelife for the better. We also encourage you to requestyour free copy of the booklet
How to Understand the Bible.
It offers additional information to help you growin understanding from your study of the Bible.The question-and-answer format is an enormouslyeffective way of presenting the biblical materialcovered in this course. Also,unless otherwise noted,all biblical quotes are taken from theNew KingJames Version.Finally,to help you gain the most benefit from theselessons,each will conclude with a set of review ques-tions that you may use to test yourself.
Together we now embark on a journey of discoverythrough the Bible.
Why the Bible Is the Word of God
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Christ consistently treated theOld Testament as the true record of God’s dealings with and divine instruction for humanity. His teaching and conversations were replete withquotes and allusions from the Hebrew Bible.
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Bible Study Lessons 1-12
Only one book gives us the answers to life's crucial questions: Why are we here? Where is the world headed? What does the future hold? This 12-lesson Bible Study will make the Bible come alive as it leads you through the biblical answers to these and other questions! - quoted and taken from ucg.org
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