understanding the bible intro - session 1

A Rhema Christian FellowshipSunday Study

Session One

1. What do I believe about my faith?

2. How can I know what the will of God is?

List some reasons to study the Bible

1. God’s way of speaking to us and blessing us.2. We learn what the Christian life is about.3. We are reading the words and messages of

God Himself.4. We are being obedient.5. We become equipped to deal with others.

1. We hear and interact with God through His words.

2. We get everything we seek and need from God.

3. We gain a greater in-depth knowledge of biblical accounts.

4. We can fully understand the Good News.5. There are hundreds of promises from God.

List some reasons to study the Bible What we will examine in our studies

• Who is the Bible about?• Who is it for?• Who wrote it? • When was it written?• What is it about?• Where did the events take place?• Why was it written?• How did it get written?• What are some ways to study it?• How do I interpret it?

Sessions 1 & 2 – What is and why study the Bible? Session 3 – How do we study the Bible? Session 4 – Observation: What to look for in sentences? Session 5 - Observation: What to look for in paragraphs? Session 6 - Observation: What to look for in discourses? Session 7 – Context – Then and Now Session 8 – Application and Meaning Session 9 – Interpretative Journey Sessions 10 – Putting it all together: A Study of Romans

True or false? The Bible is a collection of individual unrelated stories put together by a group of clergy to teach us the right way to live.

God’s written revelation of His will to men Central theme is salvation through Jesus Christ Explains why Jesus Christ is the Savior for the

World

Contains 66 books 40 different authors Covers approximately 1600 years

Old Testament written mostly in Hebrew (some Aramaic)

Old Testament translated into Greek during Pre-Christian era

Next

Aramaic: a Semitic language of the ancient Near East, dating from about 300 BC and still spoken in the region.

Semitic: a group of languages belonging to the Afro-Asiatic family and spoken in North Africa and Southwest Asia, including Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Maltese, and Amharic

Amharic: the official language of Ethiopia, belonging to the Semitic branch of Afro-Asiatic languages and written in Ethiopic script.

Back

The word Bible comes from Greek word “biblos” The Greek word for “word” is “logos”

The word “testament” means covenant The word “covenant” means “promise”,

“pledge”, or “contract” Old Testament

Covenant God made with man about his salvation before Christ came

New Testament Covenant God made with man about his salvation

after Christ came

Old Testament The covenant of law

New Testament The covenant of gracegrace through Jesus Christ

Old Testament – begins with God (Gen 1:1) New Testament – begins with Christ (Mat 1:1) Adam to Abraham – history of human race

(Gen 1- Gen 11) Abraham to Christ – history of chosen race

(Gen 11 – Mat 1) Christ to His return– history of the church

(Acts – Rev)

Kings Princes Poets Philosophers Prophets Statesmen Some learned Some unschooled fishermen All inspired by God

GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomy

Where did the universe come from?

What makes human beings special?

Why do people do wrong and evil things?

Does God care what happens to us?

How can I know what God expects of us?

JoshuaJudges

Ruth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings

1 Chronicles2 Chronicles

EzraNehemiah

Esther

What is God’s plan for the world?

Does God control what happens in history?

Does it pay a nation to honor God?

JobPsalm

ProverbsEcclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Can I find meaning in life apart from God?

How do I communicate with God?

How can we survive suffering?

What guidelines help me make wise choices?

IsaiahJeremiah

LamentationsEzekielDaniel

Does God ever reveal the future?

What prophecies have already come true?

What sins is God sure to judge?

How will the world end?

HoseaJoel

AmosObadiah

JonahMicahNahum

HabakkukZephaniah

HaggaiZechariahMalachi

How much does God love us?

Do people really get away with being “wicked”?

What kind of society will God bless?

What kind of society is He sure to punish?

Is our country in danger today?

5 Books of the Law12 Books of History5 Books of Poetry17 Books of Prophecy

5 Major Prophets 12 Minor Prophets

Summary (39 Books)

MatthewMarkLukeJohn

Who is Jesus? What did Jesus’ miracles

prove? What did Jesus teach about

God? What did Jesus teach about

the Kingdom of Heaven? Why did Jesus have to die? Did Jesus really rise from

the dead?

Acts

What happened to Jesus’ followers after He rose from the dead?

How did the Christian movement spread?

Who did early Christians believe Jesus was?

Romans1 Corinthians2 Corinthians

GalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians

1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy2 Timothy

TitusPhilemon

What does it mean to be saved?

What special powers has God given to Christians?

What will happen when Jesus comes back?

HebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJude

How are followers of Jesus different?

Does God talk to believers today?

Where is Jesus and what is He doing right now?

Revelation How will the world end? What will happen to

people who have not trusted Jesus as Savior?

What will heaven be like?

4 Books of the Gospel1 Book of History13 Epistles of Paul8 General Epistles 1 Revelation

Summary (27 Books)

Study Bible Bible Concordance Bible Commentary Dictionary and Thesaurus Bible Handbook Writing supplies (colored pens or pencils) Computer or Handheld Assistant

Reading Thorough the Bible in a Year Start at “In the beginning” (Gen 1:1) End at “The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all”

(Rev 22:21) Deductive Study

Topical study Gives Biblical overview of a topic Reveals Biblical harmony throughout

Inductive Study Dissecting Pondering Asking questions Drawing conclusions Considers

AuthorCharactersEventsPlacesCultureWord Meaning

Devotional Study Designed to deepen your personal relationship with

God Tools: Bible, notepad, and writing instrument Process of

Reading many timesMaking notesWriting questionsPersonalizing (write in own words)

Character, Event, and Place Studies Situations happen to people for a reason Gives an understanding how God deals with people

who react in certain ways in given situations Look at details

What is said?What is done?How God instructed and corrected?How God blessed or condemned?

Keyword Study Singular words and their variations Give text life and meaning Use concordance to locate where keyword are used

in the Bible Use thesaurus to locate synonyms (different words,

same meanings) Warning: always look at a word in context

Reading Thorough the Bible in a Year Method Deductive Study Method Inductive Study Method Devotional Study Method Character, Event, and Place Study Method Keyword Study

http://www.eprintablecalendars.com/word-searches/books-of-the-bible/

1. What two essential questions can be answered by studying my Bible?

2. How many books are in the Bible? How many Old Testament? How many New Testament?

3. Old Testament was originally written in _____?4. New Testament was originally written in ____?5. If you want to learn about the early church got

to the book of _______?

1. What are the first five books of the Bible called?

2. In the Bible what group of books can you find what Biblical prophecy has already come true?

3. In what book can I find information about the “End Times”?

4. Is the word “rapture” used in the Bible?5. Which study method will we use in Sunday

Studys?