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GOD CENTERED

WORLD VIEW

WINTER 2013-14: Personal Study Guide Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor

THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS


PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE, WINTER 2013-14 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2 PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM VICE PRESIDENT, CHURCH RESOURCES: Eric Geiger GENERAL EDITOR: Ed Stetzer MANAGING EDITOR: Trevin Wax CONTENT EDITOR: Andy McLean DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Jeff Pratt DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY: Ben Trueblood Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel Project for Students Personal Study Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0174, Or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com Printed in the United States of America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWays doctrinal guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Photos: iStockphoto and Getty Images

TGP Personal Study Guide

SESSION 4

CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE?

n case you havent heard, the publishing industry has dealt with the problem of people writing fake memoirs in recent years. While literary forgery is nothing new, this particular form draws a great deal of attention. People present details from their lives that simply are not true. Readers believe the stories and are sometimes personally affected by them. Then, when the lies are revealed, there is a public outcry. In a similar way, there are some today who question the integrity of the Bibles historical accounts. They may see the Gospels as exaggerated fables based on a true person (in this case, Jesus) who would never have sanctioned the authors portrayal of His life and ministry. Or perhaps they see apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts and use these to question the truthfulness of the authors. If we are to embrace a biblical view of the world, its important that we answer the question: can we trust the Bible? This week we will examine three common questions about the Bibles truthfulness. First, we will consider the claim that there are contradictions between the biblical accounts. Then, we will examine the claim that historical or scientic research has proven the Bible untrue. Finally, we will look at several reasons why we can and should trust the Bible as truth without any mixture of error.

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READY YOUR HEART

AT FIRST GLANCE
Matthew 4:4 But he answered, It is written,Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. MY BEST FRIEND AND I WERE IN THE CAR headed to grab some dinner. We were out of town working as camp counselors for the summer. Because the camp was in the middle of nowhere, and since we were not familiar with the area, we looked around for a sign to lead us into town. We didnt have a GPSin fact, we couldnt even rely on cell service happening either. He was driving, and I was on the lookout for a place to eat. As we were driving, I spotted a sign with an arrow pointing up, showing that the town was just ahead. We kept driving and driving, but no town was in sight. After about 30 minutes, I was pretty sure we were about to be in another state, but I was positive that the sign said it was just ahead. Something was clearly wrong. In my mind, either the town disappeared or the sign was wrong. We backtracked. When we got back to where the sign was, I looked and couldnt believe it. The arrow wasnt pointed upit pointed left. At rst I was sure that it was pointed up. What changed? The sign didnt. The mistake was mine. I had only glanced at the sign and thought it said something that it really didnt. On a closer examination, I found out that the sign wasnt wrong. Sometimes, a rst glance can be deceiving. Thats what happened to me. With a quick glance, I thought the sign said one thing, but it really said something else. As we come to differences in the Bible, at rst glance it seems there are contradictions. After a more in-depth look and studying, we nd out that its not a contradiction after all. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 4:4, Scripture is the very word that comes from the mouth of God. Since God doesnt contradict Himself, we can be sure that neither does His Word.

PAUSE AND REFLECT


Recall a time when you have had a mistaken rst glance. Why is it important to work through differences in the Bible? Why is it important to be able to explain through apparent differences with others who may ask? Do you think you are equipped to explain someones questions? Why or why not?

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READY YOUR HEART

WET PAINT
Luke 2:1-3 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the rst registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. MY GRANDFATHER HAD THE HOBBY of making wood furniture. He would craft dressers, toy chests, and rocking chairs. You name it, he could build it. When I was younger, I would be his helper in the workshop. I was really into it because he would often let me use the power tools. (Who doesnt want to play with a power saw?) On one particular occasion he was making a chair. I helped cut the wood and sand it. I even helped in joining it together. The chair was nished except for the painting of it. We were planning on doing it the next day since it was late in the afternoon and time for me to go home. The next morning when I got to his house, I went straight into his workshop. The chair was there, but he had already painted it. At that point, I assumed that he did it the night before because it looked dry. I wanted to try the chair out, so I plopped down in the chair and realized that my assumption was seriously wrong. He hadnt painted the chair the night before. He painted it earlier that morning, and the paint was still quite wet. My grandfather laughed at me the rest of the day when we saw white stripes of paint down the back of my shirt and shorts. My mistake was making the assumption that something was true before I examined it. Sometimes that happens with the Bible as well. Some people make the assumption that the Bible is untrue and then begin their examination and search for reasons to justify what they already believe. Because of their prior worldview beliefs, they are unwilling to evaluate all of the evidence and follow it wherever it may lead. Luke 2:1-3 is a case in point, as further explained in the lesson. The point is that it is helpful to recognize your own assumptions before coming to the Bible and having the honesty and integrity to lay those assumptions aside if they are unbiblical in order to weigh the evidence properly.

PAUSE AND REFLECT


Whats wrong with making assumptions? Have you ever made an assumption that turned out to be untrue? Explain. Why would it be a mistake to make false assumptions about the Bible without really fully examining the issues for yourself?

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READY YOUR HEART

FOLLOWING TRAILS
Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulll them. MOAB, UTAH has some of the greatest mountain-bike trails in the world. The trails have everything from smooth dirt to extremely rough rocks. Theres a very inspiring story of a father and son who traveled there to spend the week camping and riding the trails. The trip was going great until the third day. They were riding one of the more difficult trails and the dad crashed. When he got up, his front wheel was bent (in fact, it looked more like a taco than a bike wheel). There was no way they could ride out. They decided that the best way to get out was to hike directly over Deadmans ridge. The ridge is steep with loose rocks. Its hard to get a foothold and easy to dislodge huge rocks that can fall on anyone further down the ridge. To add to it, there isnt much of a path to follow. For most people, its hard enough to hike, and here was two people carrying bikes up it. During the ascent, the dad would constantly guide his son to step in the same places he had stepped so that his son would not fall down the ridge. After all, one misstep could have resulted in serious injury. Fortunately, they made it out without incident. How did the son make it out safely? He trusted where someone elsehis Dadhad hiked and made it out safely. When you think about it, we do the same thing with the Bible. One of the reasons we can trust the Bible is because Jesus did. Take a look at John 10:35. Jesus says, Scripture cannot be broken. It is clear from His life and teaching that Jesus believed that. He trusted that. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus trusts that Gods Word will not perish. Since Jesus believed the Bible, shouldnt this give us condence that we can trust it as well?

PAUSE AND REFLECT


Have you ever trusted in something because someone else rst demonstrated trust in it? Give an example. How does knowing that Jesus trusted in the Bible change the way you view Scripture? How does your personal level of trust in the Bible show itself in the way you think, speak, and interact with others?

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We Can Trust The Bible Because...

In this lesson, we will examine three common questions about the Bibles truthfulness. We will consider the claim that there are contradictions between the biblical accounts, as well as the claim that historical or scientic research has proven the Bible untrue. Afterward, we will look at several reasons why we can and should trust the Bible as truth without any mixture of error.

Its Internally Consistent.


As Christians, we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. We believe the Old Testament and New Testament authors wrote under the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Sam. 23:2, Matt. 22:43). The apostle Paul declared: All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16). Jesus Himself described the Scripture as the very word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

While the Bible attests to being Gods Word, not everyone believes it is truly from the mouth of God or that it is true in all it teaches. People claim there are contradictions or errors in the Bible. For instance, there are, at times, sections in the Bible that appear at rst glance to contradict each other. A case in point are the birth narratives of Jesus.  Have you ever wrestled with doubts over the Bibles truthfulness or talked about these objections with someone who has?
To understand this issue, its important to remember the purpose in the mind of each author. In considering the intention of each author, as well as the audience they are addressing, the accounts make perfect sense. How does understanding the authors purpose help us make sense of apparent differences between biblical accounts?

While there have been many attempts on the part of some to highlight contradictions in the Bible, all have failed or been explained away by further investigation. Because the Bible is inspired, it will be consistent and unied in all that it says.

Its Historically Conrmed. Even if the Bible doesnt contradict itself, what about apparent
contradictions in the matter of science? Or history? For instance, one common objection is that science has disproved the Bible and the miracles described there. But this objection begins with the unproven assumption that God does not exist or that miracles simply cannot occur. In other words, the starting point is one that declares the Bible to be false in its testimony regarding the existence and power of God.

What we have discovered from these types of objections is that there are multiple perspectives by which we can approach a text. How we approach the Bible affects what we see and how we understand what the text is saying. H  ave you ever been tempted to question the authority and truthfulness of the Scriptures? What was your view of God during that time? How does your view of God affect the way you approach the Scriptures?

When we come to the Bible and try to listen to its claims, we can easily misjudge those claims if we hear them only from within the framework of our own modern assumptions. Letting the Bible speak for itself, that is, letting it speak in its own terms, includes letting the Bible speak from within its own worldview rather than merely our own. Vern Poythress

Jesus Trusted It.

But the biggest reason we as Christians trust the Bible is because Jesus did. Because Scripture is the Word of God, Jesus honored and cherished it. He said it was imperishable (Matt. 5:17-18). He claimed it would not fail in its purpose and could not be broken (John 10:35). He held up its supremacy over human tradition (Matt. 15:3, 6). And He considered the Bible to be historically reliable (Matt. 12:40, 24:37-38). H  ow does Jesus perspective on the Scriptures reliability help us trust the Bible in places we dont understand?

Conclusion Trusting the truthfulness of the Scripture is rst a matter of

trusting that God is there and He is not silent. While we may stumble over certain things we read, we humbly seek to understand what is being said because we believe it comes from God Himself and for the empowerment of our mission. The longer we study and the deeper the depths we go in the Word, the more we realize that the Bible is unique and unlike every other book. We realize that it displays the internal consistency and unity we would expect of an overarching story about God and His relationship to His creation. We realize that it can be trusted, that Jesus Himself trusted it, serving as a model for us to follow.

Why is the answer to the Bibles truthfulness and authority one of the most
important questions for you life?

ENCORE

CAN WE TRUST THE BIBLE? we can trust the Bible because...


by Keith Whiteld
1. ITS INTERNALLY CONSISTENT (MATT. 1:1-18; LUKE 3:23-38). As Christians, we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. We believe the Old Testament and New Testament authors wrote under the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Sam. 23:2, Matt. 22:43). The apostle Paul declared: All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16). Jesus Himself described the Scripture as the very word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). While the Bible attests to being Gods Word, not everyone believes it is truly from the mouth of God or that it is true in all it teaches. People claim there are contradictions or errors in the Bible. For instance, there are, at times, sections in the Bible that appear at rst glance to contradict each other. A case in point are the birth narratives of Jesus. Lets take a look at the genealogy of Jesus. Both Matthew and Luke trace the line of Jesus through history. Matthews account traces the line of descent from Abraham to Jesus, while Lukes account follows the ancestry from Jesus and works backward all the way to Adam. Matthews Gospel traces the lineage from Abraham to Jesus in 41 generations, while Luke records the ancestral line from Adam to Jesus in 76 generations. Why are there dierences? To understand this issue, its important to remember the purpose in the mind of each author. Matthews genealogy is concise. It is organized in three groups of 14, connecting the line to three time periods. The rst group lists the patriarchs, the second names the kings, and the third contains ordinary citizens. The intent was not to give a strict record but rather to present the historical progression. It begins by highlighting the family origin, then the rise to power through Davids throne, and eventually the decline from royalty to the humble birth of the Messiah. By relating Jesus to David and Abraham, Matthews genealogy shows the relationship of Jesus to all Jews: He is their Messiah. This coincides with the overarching theme and purpose of the book of Matthewto prove that Jesus is, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah. Lukes account, however, begins in a unique way for a genealogy. It begins with Jesus and moves backwards through history to Adam. Some suggest that Lukes purpose in ordering the genealogy in this way is to emphasis the grand signicance of Jesus. Perhaps another purpose in Lukes order is to highlight that the Messiah is a fully human Savior. His genealogy of Jesus is traced all the way back to Adam, demonstrating the relationship of Jesus to all of mankind. 2. ITS HISTORICALLY CONFIRMED (LUKE 2:1-3). Weve looked briey at the charge that the Bible contradicts itself. What about apparent contradictions in the matter of science? Or history? Biblical authority is challenged today from every conceivable perspectivefrom scientic, to religious, to historical objections. What we have discovered from these types of objections is that there are multiple perspectives by which we can approach a text. How we approach the Bible aects what we see and how we understand what the text is saying. No one should ignore the questions that are sometimes raised. But we must be careful to not examine the questions from a perspective that limits us from seeing possible ways to resolve the issues. What weve discovered time and again with these objections is
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ENCORE

that these criticisms often arise from a set of commitments, a set of preconceived notions about the world that are in conict with the biblical view of the world. Often times objections begin with the unproven assumption that God does not exist or that miracles simply cannot occur. In other words, the starting point is one that declares the Bible to be false in its testimony regarding the existence and power of God. But what if we start with the Bible? There we see the world was designed with a purpose and was created by an all-powerful, personal God. Gods personal nature makes a dierence in how we understand our world. A personal God acts with purpose. He is loving. He provides. He makes Himself known to his creation. He is all-powerful. He can do whatever He wants to do, and nothing stops Him. In addition, if the Bible comes from a personal, all-powerful God, then possible contradictions within the biblical stories or with historical documents cannot easily be dismissed as errors. Instead, we ought to see how the Bible coheres and, when in doubt, give the Bible the benet of the doubt. 3. JESUS TRUSTED IT. Why trust the Bible? Throughout the Scriptures, the biblical authors recognized that their writing was under the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21, 2 Sam. 23:2, Matt. 22:43). But the biggest reason we as Christians trust the Bible is because Jesus did. Because Scripture is the Word of God, Jesus honored and cherished it. He said it was imperishable (Matt. 5:17-18). He claimed it would not fail in its purpose and could not be broken (John 10:35). He held up its supremacy over human tradition (Matt. 15:3, 6). And He considered the Bible to be historically reliable (Matt. 12:40, 24:37-38). The Bible is a historical book. The biblical story is one grand story from Genesis to Revelation. This story unfolds through multiple plots and subplots. In the midst of all of the themes, all the people, and all the stories, there is one central theme through the Scriptures: the promise and fulllment of a Messianic King who is establishing an eternal kingdom for God. This grand story points to one person, Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27). In the Old Testament, Christ is promised to the people of God. In the New Testament, He arrives (Matt. 5:17-18). The detailed nature of the prophecies fullled in Jesus is one of the clearest signs that the Bible is no ordinary book. The Bible tells a story that through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, God can change a heart of stone into a heart that loves and worships our Creator. CONCLUSION Trusting the truthfulness of the Scripture is rst a matter of trusting that God is there and He is not silent, as Francis Schaeer liked to say. These two beliefs not only help us explain how God speaks, but they also guide us as we seek to understand and engage the questions that come up in reading the Bible. We may stumble over certain things we read, but we humbly seek to understand what is being said because we believe it comes from God Himself and for the empowerment of our mission. The longer we study and the deeper the depths we go in the Word, the more we realize that the Bible is unique and unlike every other book. We realize that it displays the internal consistency and unity we would expect of an overarching story about God and His relationship to His creation. We realize that it is historically veried in its details, giving an accurate portrayal of true people and events. We realize that it can be trusted, that Jesus Himself trusted it, serving as a model for us to follow.
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