Introduction:

Throughout history, God has given every individual a chance to accept His eternal
plan of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly most people have rejected Him,
and will, therefore remain separated from God for all eternity in Hell. Thus accepting
Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior is the most significant decision you could ever
make.
Most of us have made a profession of faith and have accepted Jesus as our
personal Savior, but sadly most of us also have not made Christ our Lord. The difference
is tremendous. Jesus MUST be the Lord of our lives if we are to have a successful
Christian life. He MUST be our first priority, our final authority, our strength, our Lord!
These Lessons we’re about to start will show us how to make Jesus both our Lord
AND Savior.

Lesson 1: The Word of God

“What is the significance of the Bible in my Life?”

The Bible is God’s Word to man. It reveals the plan of God for all of mankind. It
reveals the nature of God, the sinfulness of man, the plan of salvation in Christ, the
prospects of heaven for the saved, the doom of the unsaved in hell, guidelines for the
Christian to follow in order to live and act as he should. It is God’s word to us. It is the
most important object we have on this earth. We are to love it, learn it, and live it.

The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint the Christian with the basics of the Bible
and how it relates to our everyday life, so we can begin to understand how its principles
are to guide every facet of our walk with Jesus Christ.

I. The Word of God is active in salvation.

The Word of God is what convicts the lost soul. Whether if its in the
spoken word, written word, or even put to music, the Word of God is
the only thing that the Holy Spirit uses to convict the lost soul.

A. I Peter 1:23 says a man is born again “by the Word of God”. The Word of
God is the agent, which brings about the new birth.

B. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith…” Romans
10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.”

C. James 1:21 says the Word of God is: “…is able to save your souls.”

D. Paul’s summary of the gospel contains four parts in I Corinthians 15:1

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed
 in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how
that (1)Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 (2)And that he
was buried, (3)and that he rose again the third day (4)according to the
scriptures:”
1. Jesus Christ died for our sins
2. Was buried
3. Rose from the dead
4. ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.

E. You must believe what the Bible says about sin, your condition, and God’s
plan of salvation in order to be saved. You must realize that you are a lost
sinner deserving of Hell Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God; you can’t save yourself, and that only through Jesus perfect
sacrifice of His shed blood covering our sins can we accept the free gift of
salvation. Only the Word of God has the power to convict a lost soul and to
save.

II. Since you are saved by the Word of God, it must be your absolute, infallible
guide to tell you how to live.

A. Every major purchase (car, appliance, etc) is accompanied by an owner’s

manual, which tells you how to operate it. If you don’t go by the book, it
won’t work. The Bible is God’s “owner’s manual” for your life. God would
not save you and call you to service without clear, exact directions; but you
must “go by the book.”

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we

should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Deuteronomy 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his
statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son,
and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee,
and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath
promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these
words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest
down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
 thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt
write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

The Word of God teaches us how we are to live, there isn’t a situation in our
lives that’s not covered in the Bible. It is to be our rule book, and our
measuring stick.

III. What is the purpose of the Word of God for a Christian?

A. The Word of God equips you for service, it tells us how to grow spiritually so
that we may be used by the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable

for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take
unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And
your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all,
taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints;

II Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

B. The Word of God sustains you. This is illustrated in the Bible as “Spiritual
Food.” It is a complete and balanced diet.

Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have
esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was
unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O
LORD God of hosts.

Milk = 1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
 that ye may grow thereby:

Honey = Psalm119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth!

Honey = Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and
health to the bones.

Bread = Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Water = Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and
bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing hereto
I sent it.

Water = Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word,

Meat = Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need
that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For
every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil.

Meat = 1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and
not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye
able.

We need the spiritual food contained in the Word of God to nourish our Spirit.
The Word of God tells us that we are spiritually dead before we are saved. Once
we get saved we are born again spiritually, the only way to grow spiritually is to
eat regularly from the Word of God. Our spirit need food to grow just like our
physical body needs food to continue to function. Its possible that some of our
problems are caused by our spirit being starved to death because we never feed it.
If you only ate Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night could your
physical body make it?

C. The Word of God keeps you clean to please God.

 Psalm 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by
taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I
sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have
I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

We must remember that God is Holy. If we are to have fellowship with Him
we must remain clean from sin. The Word of God can and will clean us but we
must first read it, study it, and hide it in our hearts.

IV. Is the Bible completely reliable?

A. It is more sure than the audible voice of God. This is a very VERY critical
point. It must be understood that all “experiences” are to be judged by an
infallible standard that is greater than any experience. Peter said the Word of
God was MORE SURE than the physical appearance and audible voice of
God.

II Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we
made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father
honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent
glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice
which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of
the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.

compared with:

Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his
brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was
transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment
was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and
Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is
good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for
thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And
when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And
Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they
 came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to
no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

We are to trust the Word of God more than any experience. We must
remember that Satan is very powerful, he will during the last days perform many
miracles that will deceive the world. Only by comparing an experience to the
Word of God can we tell if it was from God or the Devil.

B. The universe was created by the spoken Word of God.

Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which
do appear.

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host
of them by the breath of his mouth.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The power of the Word of God is amazing, if the Word of God can make
everything we’ve ever seen or touched it can certainly direct our lives.

V. How do I learn the Bible?

A. The Holy Spirit of God will lead and guide you into all truth. God may use
other instruments to aid in teaching (books, tapes, preachers, etc…), but
ultimately, truth is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14 He shall glorify
me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15 All things that
the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and
shall show it unto you.

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand, and remember the Word of God. We
must remember though that the Holy Spirit is God, and cannot stand sin. If we
have sin in our lives how can we expect to hear the Holy Spirit guide us?

B. The Bible is learned by comparing scripture with scripture, relying on God’s

Spirit to teach you and not your own natural intellect.
 I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so
the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we
might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also
we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we
have the mind of Christ.

VI. A brief history of the Bible.

A. A total of 66 books.

B. Written by more than 40 authors.

C. Written over a time span of about 2,000 years

D. Totally accurate in matters of history and prophecy.

E. Not one contradiction.

F. Fits together perfectly as if written by one man.

VII. Basic questions.

A. Where should I start reading?

As a young Christian, focus on the primary places, which deal with your new
relationship with your Heavenly Father. The Gospel of John, the Epistle of I
John, and Psalm 119 are excellent places to begin.

1. The Gospel of John is written that you might believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name.
 2. The Epistle of I John is written that you might have complete assurance of
Salvation

I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name
of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the name of the Son of God.

3. Psalm 119 is the greatest chapter in the Bible on a man’s love for the
Word of God.

B. What if I find something I don’t understand?

1. Don’t get upset about it. God will reveal it to you in time – when you are
ready.

John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now.

2. Be sure you live what you do understand! God will not give you more than
you are capable of handling. As you put into practice the things you are
learning, God will entrust you with more.

Note to remember: All “experiences” are to be judged by the infallible

standard, which is greater than any experience.

Notable Quotable: “You show me what kind of shape your Bible is in and I’ll
show you what kind of shape you’re life is in”

Notable Quotable: “The Word of God will keep you from sin, or sin will
keep you from the Word of God.”

Questions:
1. The Word of God is active in our salvation. Briefly explain how the following verses
apply to this.

A. I Peter 1:23
B. Romans 10:
C. James 1:21

2. What are the four key elements of the gospel according to I Corinthians 15:1-4?
A.
B.
C.
 D.

3. What are the major purposes of the Word of God in the Christian Life?
A.
B.
C.

4. From II Timothy 3:16-17, we understand that all scripture is profitable for the
following:
A.
B.
C.
D.

5. The Bible is likened to God’s “owner Manual” for you life. Briefly explain why this
is.

6. Your Physical body needs food in order to function properly. Your spiritual body
needs food also. Give two scripture references that show us this.

7. According to II Peter 1:16-21, The Bible is _____ _____ than the _______ _____
of God. The Bible judges all of man’s ________ because it is an _______ _______.

8. According to Genesis 1 and 2, man’s theory of evolution is a lie. What do we learn

from the following verses regarding this subject?

A. Hebrews 11:3
B. Psalm 33:6

9. We will learn in #4 that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. The Bible is also
learned by _______ scripture with _______ and depending on God’s Spirit to teach
you.

10. According to I Corinthians 2:9-16, why can’t unsaved people properly understand
what the Bible teaches?

11. The middle of the Bible is _______ It is no coincidence that the middle two words of
this verse are “____ _____.”

12. Briefly explain the primary purpose of this lesson.

Key verses: II Peter 1:21, Psalm 119:9, II Timothy 3:16-17

Note: Many popular attitudes about the Bible are:

(1) The Bible is just another religious book written by men
 (2) The Bible can only be understood by the “Clergy” or by years of formal
education.
(3) In order to understand the true meaning of the scriptures, you must study
Greek and Hebrew.

From the Bible principles taught in this lesson, you should understand that these attitudes
are wrong and why.