Lesson 7
Authority of the Bible - God's Word

Previous Lesson | Index | Next Lesson

Many people today when confronted with the Bible say that it is not the Word of God - it was written by men. John Wesley, an 18th century Christian leader, used the following analogy:

"The Bible could have only been written by: A) good men, B) bad men, or C) God. If good men wrote the Bible, and then claimed it was written by the inspiration of God, (2 Timothy 3:16), they would be liars, and liars are not good men. If bad men wrote the Bible, they would be condemning themselves because the Bible condemns sin, Bad men tend to justify their sin, but the Bible never justifies sin. Since neither good men nor bad men wrote the Bible, the only Person left is God."

In the following lesson on God's Word you will examine evidence of the authority of the Bible and its reliability for discerning the will of God in daily decision-making. According to the Scriptures themselves, the Word of God is true because it is truly the Word of God.

Memorize 2 Timothy 3:16

Lesson 7 Questions

Authorship of the Bible

  1. In your own words explain John Wesley's analogy concerning the authorship of the Bible.
    ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

     

  2. What does 2 Timothy 3:16 state about the authorship of the Bible?
    __________________________________________________

     

  3. From the above verse list the Bible's four areas of usefulness and define each.
    1. ______________________________________________
    2. ______________________________________________
    3. ______________________________________________
    4. ______________________________________________

     

  4. How are the words in the following passages attributed to God?
    1. Exodus 4:10-12
      ______________________________________________

       

    2. Isaiah 1:2
      ______________________________________________

       

    3. 1 Corinthians 2:13
      ______________________________________________

       

  5. According to 1 Thessalonians 2:13 how did the people receive and not receive the Scriptures?
    __________________________________________________

     

Lesson on Prophecy Fulfilled

  1. The uniqueness of the Bible is evident by its accuracy in Old and New Testament prophecy and fulfillment. According to Deuteronomy 18:20-22, how can you be certain if a prophet's message is from God?
    __________________________________________________

     

  2. The incredible thing about prophecy is that it is the foretelling of a certain happening before it occurs. What prophecies were fulfilled in the following verses?
Old Testament - New Testament Event 
Micah 5:2         Matthew 2:1 ______________________ 
Zechariah 9:9    Luke 19:35-37 _____________________ 
Psalm 22:16     Luke 23:33 ________________________

The Reliability of God's Word

  1. What importance does God place on his Word according to Psalm 138:2?
    __________________________________________________

     

  2. What does Jesus say about God's Word in the following verse? John 17:17
    __________________________________________________

     

  3. What do the following passages state about the reliability of the Scriptures?
    1. Joshua 23:14
      ______________________________________________
    2. Psalm 33:4
      ______________________________________________
    3. Proverbs 30:5-6
      ______________________________________________

     

  4. In 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter gives an eyewitness account as to what has been written. Answer the following questions concerning his testimony about this. (NOTE: Peter's eyewitness account referred to here in 1 Peter is of the Transfiguration. Also read Matthew 17:1-13).
    1. What is Peter not following concerning this testimony? (v.16)
      ______________________________________________
    2. What proof does he give that these words were not man's clever invention? (v.16)
      ______________________________________________
    3. What were they eyewitnesses to?
      ______________________________________________
    4. What was made more certain because of this eyewitness account? (v.19)
      ______________________________________________
    5. According to verses 20 and 21, where did the Scriptures come from?
      ______________________________________________

 

The Power of God's Word

  1. What is the Word God able to do according to the following passages?
    1. Romans 1:16-17
      ______________________________________________
    2. Psalm 119:9-11
      ______________________________________________
    3. John 15:5-7
      ______________________________________________
    4. 2 Timothy 3:15-16
      ______________________________________________

     

  2. What are the benefits of being obedient to God's Word? (James 1:21-25).
    __________________________________________________

     

  3. Read Psalm 119 and list your observations about the following. (List the Scripture verse next to each)
    1. The Psalmist's attitude towards God's Word
      ______________________________________________
    2. Benefits of God's Word.
      ______________________________________________

       

Conclusion:

From what you have learned in this study, list several reasons why you believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Previous Lesson | Index | Next Lesson

Top of Page