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Hidden Mysteries

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• The Doctrine of the Scriptures • Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

Name _________________ © City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

SessionofOne: Gods Week The Doctrine the Scriptures

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

1.

In this session we discover: •

The value of the Word of God, it’s purpose and benefits

•

The importance of truth

•

An overview of the Bible

•

The history of the Bible including its inspiration, preservation and translation

•

Proofs of authenticity that the Bible is the Word of God

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

2.

The Value of the Word of God The Bible is a precious treasure. It is a living book containing the words of God which have the power to breathe upon us, body, soul and spirit, and transform our lives. It is the Book of all books, priceless and incomparable. “The Holy scriptures are a revelation of God, coming from God, and flowing through and to man. They are the only inspired and infallible divine revelation ever given to man and are the supreme authority in all matters of faith and morals.” Kevin J. Conner; The Foundations of Christian Doctrine

A Strong Foundation The Word of God is a living book (Hebrews 4:12) and the only reliable source to base our beliefs upon. Man’s ideas and philosophies are an unreliable, unstable and dangerous foundation. It is essential that we know and are confident in what we believe, and that these beliefs are based upon the strong foundation of the Word of God. If our Christian lives are not built on a foundation of truth, we will not stand when difficult times come.  Luke 6:46-49 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation,

against

which

the

stream

beat

vehemently;

and

immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

We need to hear God’s words and then act on them. The Christian faith is not just hearing and learning about God - it is essential to act on what we learn.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

3.

Purpose and Benefits of God’s Word The Bible gives us many pictures or ‘symbols’ to describe to us what the Word of God is like and what its purpose is in our lives. Fire

It burns, cleanses and purges all that is contrary to its holy standard (Jeremiah 23:29).

Lamp

It is an instrument of light and illumination in the darkness (Psalm 119:105).

Mirror

It reveals to us what we are and what we can be in God (James 1:23).

Rod

As a measuring instrument, it is the divine standard in all matters of faith and practice (Revelation 11:1).

Seed

It is a germinating, life-producing Word, having the potential of eternal life within it (1 Peter 1:23).

Sword

It is sharp and two-edged in its operation, separating the things of the flesh and the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17).

Water

It is life giving, refreshing and a cleansing agent (Ephesians 5:26).

Gold

It is of priceless value. The Bible is an inexhaustive gold mine where one can dig out treasures forever (Psalm 19:10).

Bread

It is the staff of life, ever fresh, and meant for daily consumption (Matthew 4:4, Matthew 6:11).

Pearl

It is a precious gem. Though formed in darkness, it has the colours of the rainbow when brought to the light (Matthew 7:6).

Anchor

It holds the believer in safety through every storm (Hebrews 6:18-19).

Star

It guides the believer to Christ (2 Peter 1:19).

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

4.

There are many other purposes and benefits of God’s Word found in Scripture: •

Equips and trains us (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

•

Gives us understanding (Psalms 119:130).

•

Builds our faith (Romans 10:17).

•

Gives us insight, stops us from sinning and stumbling (Psalm 119:11, 98-104, Psalm 119:165).

•

Builds us up, gives us an inheritance (Acts 20:32).

•

Teaches us about eternal life (John 6:63,68).

•

Causes us to grow and develop (1 Peter 2:2).

•

Helps us to discern the difference between right and wrong (Hebrews 5:1214).

•

Causes us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

•

Washes us and makes us holy (Ephesians 5:26).

More pictures to describe the Word of God God’s Word is like: •

A Filter through which we sift all of our beliefs.

•

A Map by which we navigate the world in which we live. It tells us what ‘roads’ to follow to get us to our final destination safely.

•

A Compass pointing us to the truth, like a compass points to true north. It points us to the One that made us, our Creator. Its message proves the existence of God Almighty.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

5.

The Importance of Truth The Word of God keeps us in truth.  1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.  Ephesians 4:14-15 That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but,

speaking the

truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ. The Bible is clear that a time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine. It is important that we know what the Bible says so that we are not led astray by false teaching in the last days.

 2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

 2 Timothy 3:1-2, 7, 14-15 …In the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…

7 always

learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…

14 But

you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

15 and

that

from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

6.

The Bible The Greek word ‘biblios’ simply means ‘book’ and we derive from it our word ‘Bible’. The Bible is the only authoritative written revelation of God. The Bible is the divine library. Though a compilation of books, it is really one unified book. Facts of the Bible •

Made up of 66 books.

•

Can be read aloud in 70 hours.

•

Divided into the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books).

•

Written on 3 different continents.

•

Written by 40 different men over 1500 years (approx. 1400 BC to 90 AD).

•

Old Testament (OT) written in 1000 years (approx. 1400 BC to 400 BC).

•

New Testament (NT) written in 50 years (approx. 40 AD to 90 AD).

•

Number of promises given in the Bible: 1,260

•

Number of commands: 6,468

•

Number of predictions: over 8,000

•

Number of fulfilled prophecies: 3,268 verses

•

Middle chapter of the Bible: Psalm 117

•

Shortest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 117

•

Largest OT book: Psalms

•

Largest NT Book: Luke

The Testaments The word ‘Testament’ simply means ‘covenant’. There are two major covenants: The covenant of law (Old Testament) and the covenant of grace (New Testament). •

The Old Testament tells us of how God worked among the people of Israel, and records many of God’s promises.

•

The New Testament tells of the history of Jesus on earth (the gospels). The teaching books (the letters) help us understand who Jesus is and how we are to live.

•

The Old Testament did not become irrelevant when Jesus came to earth. In fact, He referred to it 122 times.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

7.

Titles of the Bible The Bible has many titles. It is often referred to as the Word, and also as the Scriptures and the Oracles of God.

The Word of the

The Word of Life

Lord (Isaiah 1:10)

The Word of

(Philippians 2:16)

God (Mark 7:13)

The Word of Truth

The Bible

The Word

(Ephesians 1:13)

(Matthew 4:4)

The Word of Christ (Colossians 3:16)

The Word of Faith (Romans 10:8)

The Word Jesus Christ is the living Word, the Word made flesh, and the Bible is the written Word. Both are the ‘Logos’. The living Word is revealed in the written Word and the written Word leads us to the living Word. They are one. The Scriptures The word ‘scripture’ means ‘a writing’ or ‘writings’. It is in contrast to all of the uninspired writings of man. They are also called the scriptures of truth (Daniel 10:21) and the holy scriptures (Romans 1:2). The Oracles of God The word ‘oracle’ literally means ‘the speaking place’. Christianity arises out of a faith in an infinite, personal God who has not been silent, but has spoken. The Bible is indeed God’s ‘speaking place’ – His Word to us.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

8.

Overview of the Bible The Bible is not merely a collection of children’s stories, it is an account of the grand story which explains the existence and purpose of man.

Books of the Bible

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Hidden Mysteries

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Arc of Bible History From 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, by Max Anders

Bible Translations There are many translations of the Bible. The translations that are closest to the original texts are said to be the King James or the New King James versions. Literal

Dynamic

Paraphrase

More accurate ‘word for Carry the main thoughts of Modern day language, word’ translations.

the passage.

but less accurate for original word meaning.

Examples:

Examples:

Examples:

King James Version

New International Version

Good News Bible

New King James Version

New Living Translation

The Message

New American Standard

Contemporary English

Bible

Version

Revised Standard Version

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

10.

Inspiration of the Scriptures The Bible was inspired by God.

 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, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Inspiration or ‘Theopneustos’ simply means ‘God-breathed’. God breathed into Adam the breath of life and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Jesus ‘breathed’ upon His disciples on the morning of the resurrection, telling them to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). With regard to the scriptures, inspiration speaks of ‘the influence of the Spirit of God on the mind and soul of man; the divine influence exerted in the writers of the scripture, by which they are instructed’ (Collins Graphic English Dictionary). The Bible was written by God through man.  2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

21 for

prophecy never came by the will of man,

but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible was inspired by

Holy Spirit

Through the

To

© City Impact Church 2014

God

Man

who wrote the

Scriptures

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Mode of Inspiration Webster’s Dictionary defines inspiration as ‘the supernatural influence of the Spirit of God on the human mind, by which the prophets and apostles and sacred writers were qualified to set forth Divine truth without any mixture of error’.

Revelation is the communication of truth which could not be discovered by natural reason. The Bible is not man’s thoughts about God, but primarily God revealing Himself and His purposes to man. Inspiration describes the process by which the revelation was recorded. While revelation involves the imparting of divine truth, inspiration involves the recording of the truth. The scriptures are infallible because of inspiration. Inspiration was the power which enabled the men of God to write the divine revelation without error or defect (Revelation 1:11; 2 Peter 1:21; Jeremiah 30:2; 2 Samuel 23:2; 2 Timothy 3:16). Illumination is what happens when we perceive the truth of God’s Word by the influence of the Holy Spirit as we read the Bible. It describes the process of the Holy Spirit enlightening our understanding to be able to receive God’s revelation (Luke 24:27, 45; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27; Acts 13:27; Psalm 119:18). As believers today, we do not receive revelation or inspiration as the Bible writers. We receive illumination on the revelation that was given to the Bible writers by inspiration. Illumination is the supernatural opening of our understanding to receive that which is revealed in God’s Word. It is the work of the Spirit to bring revelation, inspiration and illumination. The Holy Spirit knows what He meant when He inspired the Word. We, therefore, need His illumination. © City Impact Church 2014

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Revelation is the discovery of truth. Inspiration is the recording of truth. Illumination is the understanding of truth.

Plenary-Verbal Inspiration Plenary – Full, complete in every part. Verbal – By means of words. Plenary-verbal inspiration states that the Bible writers were fully inspired, even as to their choice of words. The Bible is fully and completely the Word of God. God wrote the Bible through Man Though God is the author of scripture, He chose to use men to write it. Since the Word was going to man, He decided to channel it through man also. It is evident throughout scripture that God used the writers’ frames of reference, cultural backgrounds, historical perspectives, personalities, emotions and experiences. God clothed His revelation with their humanity. Men like Moses, Isaiah, Paul and John have clearly left their mark on scripture. The Bible is, then, a product of both God and man. The miracle of inspiration is that God could channel His revelation through man without detracting from perfection; that men, using their consciousness, could write divine truth; and that the Holy Spirit could cause men to write the infallible word of God without violating their personalities. God was able to fully utilise the faculties of fallible men and yet somehow overrule their limitations so as to bring forth an infallible revelation of Himself.

“The scriptures were plenary-verbally inspired. The Holy Spirit breathed upon the human vessels the very thoughts and words He wanted written. This word flowed through the human channels involving their emotions, personalities and frames of reference, without violating such. Yet the Holy Spirit guarded and preserved each thought, phrase and word from any error, omission or inaccuracy.” Kevin J. Conner; The Foundations of Christian Doctrine

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False Theories of Inspiration Theories of Inspiration

Description

Natural Theory (also Intuition Theory)

The Bible was written by human genius or by men of superior mental insight.

Illumination Theory

The Bible was the result of illumination, or a heightening of man’s religious perception.

Mechanical Theory (Dictation Theory)

God dictated the Scriptures to the writers. It says, in effect, that the Bible is a verbatim report.

Trance Theory

Writers of the Bible were caught up in a vision or trance-like state and wrote word for word what they saw by the Spirit.

Man

wasn’t

consciously

involved. Partial Theory

Only parts of the Bible are inspired. The Bible only contains some of the Word of God.

Thought Theory (Dynamic Theory)

God gave the main thoughts to the writers but they expressed them in their own words as they wished.

© City Impact Church 2014

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The Doctrine of the Scriptures

14.

The Results of Inspiration The following characteristics of the Bible are the result of its being plenaryverbally inspired by God. Genuineness The books of the Bible were written by people who were who they said they were, and were written when those people said they wrote them. Credibility The Bible is entirely truthful on every matter it states. Jesus Himself confirmed the writings of the Old Testament. He spoke of them as the law, the psalms and the prophets. The New Testament writers were qualified as eyewitnesses of Christ and bore testimony to His teachings. Infallibility The Bible is considered ‘infallible’ in that it is incapable of error and is exempt from any liability to make mistakes. It has set forth divine truth without any mixture or error. It is absolutely right. Authority Authority arises out of infallibility. If the Bible is genuine, credible, canonical, and infallible, then it has absolute authority in our lives. The Bible is the supreme authority for all Christians concerning their faith and morals. It is the final court of appeal for the life and conscience of all believers. If your experience appears to be contrary to the Bible, believe the Bible rather than your experience.

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

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History of the Bible Original copies of the Old Testament where written on leather or papyrus (a plant leaf). The Old Testament was predominately written in Hebrew and Aramaic. And the New Testament was written in Greek. As there are so many words in the Greek and Hebrew language, it has meant that the depth of meaning of some scriptures has been lost in the translation to English. For example, in the Greek language there are four words for our word, love. Each of the four Greek words defines a different type of love. How copies of the Bible were made The Bible is without error (Proverbs 30:5). Scribes in Bible times regulated their profession as copiers of the Bible with the following fastidious rules: •

They could use only clean animal skins, both to write on and, even, to bind manuscripts.

•

Each column of writing could have no less than forty-eight, and no more than sixty lines.

•

The ink had to be black, and of a special recipe.

•

They had to verbalise each word while they were writing.

•

They had to wipe the pen, and wash their entire bodies, before writing the word ‘Jehovah’, every time they wrote it.

•

There had to be a review within thirty days, and if as many as three pages required correction, the entire document had to be redone.

•

The letter, words and paragraphs had to be counted, and the document became invalid if two letters touched each other. The middle paragraph, word and letter had to correspond to those of the original document.

•

The documents could only be stored in sacred places.

•

As no document containing God’s Word could be destroyed, they were stored, or buried, in a geniza, a Hebrew term meaning ‘hiding place’. These were usually kept in a synagogue or, sometimes, in a Jewish cemetery. All old and worn documents had to be buried with ceremonial pomp. (This is why we have none of the original documents today.)

Teams who translated the Bible from the original languages checked and verified each other’s work, and prayed together throughout the whole process of translating the scriptures. The translators were extremely careful to translate the scriptures accurately. © City Impact Church 2014

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16.

Overview of the History of the Bible 1,400 BC

The first written Word of God: The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.

500 BC:

Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.

200 BC:

Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.

1st Cent. AD: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27 Books of the New Testament. 315 AD:

Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament which are today recognized as the canon of scripture.

382 AD:

Jerome's Latin Vulgate Manuscripts Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Test).

500 AD:

Scriptures have been translated into Over 500 Languages.

600 AD:

LATIN was the Only Language Allowed for Scripture.

995 AD:

Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English Language) Translations of The New Testament Produced.

1384 AD:

Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.

1455 AD:

Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be massProduced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.

1516 AD:

Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.

1522 AD:

Martin Luther's German New Testament.

1526 AD:

William Tyndale's New Testament; The First New Testament printed in the English Language.

1560 AD:

The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language Bible to add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).

1611 AD:

The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.

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The Doctrine of the Scriptures

1885 AD:

The "English Revised Version" Bible; The First Major English Revision of the KJV.

1901 AD:

The "American Standard Version"; The First Major American Revision of the KJV.

1971 AD:

The "New American Standard Bible" (NASB) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Word for Word English Translation" of the Bible.

1973 AD:

The "New International Version" (NIV) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Phrase for Phrase English Translation" of the Bible.

1982 AD:

The "New King James Version" (NKJV) is Published as a "Modern English Version Maintaining the Original Style of the King James."

1990 AD:

The "New Revised Standard Version" (NRSV); further revision of 1952 RSV, (itself a revision of 1901 ASV), criticized for "gender inclusiveness".

2002 AD:

The English Standard Version (ESV) is Published as a translation to bridge the gap between the accuracy of the NASB and the readability of the NIV.

17.

Copyright ©2013 by author & editor: John L. Jeffcoat III. www.greatsite.com

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Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

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An Overview of the History of the Compilation of the Bible Key People

Description

Key People

10 Commandments written by God, given to Moses on Mt Sinai (Around 1,400 BC - 1,500 BC). Written in Hebrew. •

1. 10 Commandments and Pentateuch

2. The Torah written on animal skins

© City Impact Church 2014

The earliest scripture is generally considered to be the “Pentateuch”, the first five books of the Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy.

Description •

Continued to be preserved in Hebrew on scrolls.

•

As we approach the last few centuries before Christ, the Jewish historical books known as the “Apocrypha” were completed, yet they were recorded in Greek rather than Hebrew.

3. 39 Books of the OT completed by approx. 500 BC and Apocrypha

•

Passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years on scrolls made of animal skin, usually sheep, but sometimes deer or cow.

•

The entire Pentateuch, on a scroll, it is called a “Torah”.

•

An entire Torah Scroll, if completely unraveled, is over 150 feet long!

•

By the end of the First Century AD, the New Testament had been completed.

•

Most sheep are only about two to three feet long, it took an entire flock of sheep to make just one Torah scroll.

•

•

The Jewish scribes who painstakingly produced each scroll were perfectionists.

In 315 AD, Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identified the 27 Books which we recognize today as the canon of New Testament Scripture.

•

A great level of faithfulness to accuracy applied to the preservation of Godʼs Word throughout the first couple of thousand years of Biblical transmission.

4. NT Completed

See appendix for information regarding the Canon

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The Doctrine of the Scriptures

19.

300 AD – 1400’s History of the Bible Key People

Description In 382 AD, the early church father Jerome translated the New Testament from its original Greek into Latin.

•

The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380's AD by John Wycliffe.

•

This translation became known as the “Latin Vulgate”, (“Vulgate” meaning “vulgar” or “common”).

•

He opposed the teaching of the organized Church, as they taught contrary to the Bible.

•

He put a note next to the Apocrypha Books, stating that he did not know whether or not they were inspired.

•

He translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe.

•

The only organized and recognized church at that time in history was the Catholic Church of Rome, and they refused to allow the scripture to be available in any language other than Latin. Those in possession of non-Latin scriptures would be executed! The Culdees were a secret society, and the remnant of the true Christian faith was kept alive by these men during the many centuries that led up to the Protestant Reformation.

•

The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dugup, crushed, and scattered in the river!

•

One of Wycliffeʼs followers,

•

Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffeʼs manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire.

•

© City Impact Church 2014

Description

•

5. Jerome

6. Columba and the Culdees

Key People

7. John Wycliffe

•

In fact, the first man to be called a “Culdee” was Joseph of Aremethia.

•

•

In the late 1300ʼs, the secret society of Culdees chose John Wycliffe to lead the world out of the Dark Ages.

The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.”

•

1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church in Whittenburg.

8. John Hus

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20.

1400-1500’s History of the Bible Key People

Description •

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450's,.

•

The first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany.

•

The invention of the movable-type printing press meant that Bibles and books could finally be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This was essential to the success of the Reformation.

9. Johann Gutenburg

© City Impact Church 2014

Description •

In 1496, John Colet, another Oxford professor and the son of the Mayor of London, started reading the New Testament in Greek and translating it into English for his students at Oxford, and later for the public at Saint Paulʼs Cathedral in London.

•

The people were so hungry to hear the Word of God in a language they could understand, that within six months there were 20,000 people packed in the church and at least that many outside trying to get in.

11. John Colet

•

In I490ʼs, Oxford professor, and the personal physician to King Henry the 7th th and 8 decided to learn Greek.

•

In 1516, with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament.

•

He read the Gospels in Greek, and comparing it to the Latin Vulgate, he wrote in his diary, “Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.”

•

The first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium.

•

No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome… even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God.

•

10. Thomas Linacre

Key People

The Church still threatened to kill anyone who read the Bible in any language other than Latin.

12. Erasmus

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21.

Key People

Description •

The first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language.

•

Fluent in eight languages.

•

“Architect of the English Language”, (even more so than William Shakespeare).

•

Forced to flee England, due to the widespread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project.

13. William Tyndale

© City Impact Church 2014

•

1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament was printed.

•

One risked death by burning if caught in possession of one of his Bibles

•

Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of flour.

•

The Kingʼs men would buy up every copy available to burn them and he used their money to print even more!

•

Incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Last words were, "Oh Lord, open the King of Englandʼs eyes". In 1539, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”.

Key People

14. Thomas Cranmer

Description •

In 1539, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hired Myles Coverdale at the bequest of King Henry VIII to publish the "Great Bible".

•

It became the first English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English.

•

It would seem that William Tyndale's last wish had been granted, just three years after his martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was known as the Great Bible due to its great size: a large pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions of this version were printed between April of 1539 and December of 1541.

Hidden Mysteries

The Doctrine of the Scriptures

22.

Key People

Description

Description

•

1517 nailed his 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenberg Church door.

•

She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church.

•

Luther, who would be exiled in the months following the Diet of Worms Council in 1521 that was designed to martyr him,

•

Mary went on to burn reformers at the stake by the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant.

•

Translated the New Testament into German for the first time from the 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus, and the New Testament in English for the first time in history.

•

This era was known as the Marian Exile, and the refugees fled from England with little hope of ever seeing their home or friends again.

15. Martin Luther •

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Key People

16. Queen Mary

Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in Germany in 1525, and by year's end had translated the New Testament into English.

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1500-1600’s History of the Bible Key People

Description •

The New Testament was completed in 1557.

•

The complete Bible was first published in 1560. It became known as the Geneva Bible.

•

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First Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be easier.

•

Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that the Geneva Bible is also known asconsidered the first English "Study Bible".

•

In 1568, a revision of the Great Bible known as the Bishop's Bible was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between 1568 and 1606, this Bible, referred to as the “rough draft of the King James Version”.

•

In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so produced their own from the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate.

19. John Calvin

Key People

20. John Knox

Description •

John Knox, the most famous Scottish Reformer, was born near Edinburgh in 1505.

•

John Knox saw how important it was for the church to do what the Bible said, and not just what they thought was right.

•

He wasnʼt afraid to stand up to anyone, even kings and queens, for what he knew was right. His preaching was used by God to transform the whole of Scotland.

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21. King James I

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•

The Protestant clergy approached the new King in 1604 and announced their desire for a new translation.

•

The Geneva Version had controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) In 1611 the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as "The 1611 King James Bible" came off the printing press. They were printed and chained to every church pulpit in England and then personal sized Bibles printed.

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Miraculous Preservation of the Bible Over Time Over the last 3,500 years, the Bible has been the most loved and most hated book in existence. No other book has ever suffered the persistent opposition that the Bible has and yet it has been preserved through time. •

Roman Emperors issued edicts ordering its annihilation.

•

Thousands of Christians have been martyred for possessing a copy.

•

It has been corrupted, challenged and rejected.

•

Its infallibility and authority have been repeatedly questioned.

Yet, through all these trials, the Bible has survived and remained the most significant book in human history.  Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”  Psalm 119:89 Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Just like Chinese whispers, messages can change as they are passed on. However, with the Bible, God has remained sovereign (in control) and His Word has remained infallible (perfect, without error). God has miraculously preserved its contents.

•

Few books have ever lasted 1,000 years.

•

More than 5,000 manuscripts of the New Testament exist today, which makes it the best-attested (or endorsed) document of all ancient writings.

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The Proofs of Authenticity The preservation of the Bible over time is one of the most important proofs of its authenticity. Below are more proofs that demonstrate the Bible is the inspired Word of God. 

Miracles of the Bible



Prophecy and Fulfillment



Numerical Structure



Unity of Scripture



Influence over Time



The Bible claims Divine Inspiration

Miracles of the Bible A miracle is an act of divine power; a supernatural deed wrought by the power of God. 

Moses’ message was supported by miracles (Exodus 7-12).



Jesus’ message was confirmed by miracles (John 5:36; 10:37-38).



The Early Church carried on the work of Christ, with miracles accompanying their ministry (Mark 16:17-18).

Prophecy and Fulfillment Prophecy is an evidence of Divine knowledge. Bible prophecies and their fulfillments provide some of the greatest proofs of the inspiration of scripture. That God could cause men to accurately predict events generations before they occurred proves He was involved in their writing. 

Concerning the first coming of Christ: there are 330 prophecies, 150 of which were fulfilled in the six hours Jesus was on the cross. All were specifically fulfilled.



The probability of eight out of these 330 prophecies coming to pass is 1 in 1017. This is equivalent to covering the state of Texas two feet deep in silver dollars, one of which has a special mark on it, with only one chance to pick the right one.



The greatest possible example of prophecy and fulfillment is that which pertains to Messianic prophecy. The only man to have ever had explicit details given beforehand of his birth, life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection was the Lord Jesus Christ. This was foretold by thirty different persons, over a period of 4000 years before Jesus was even born.

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The Numerical Structure of the Bible God Himself is the Divine Numberer, and He has stamped His numerical seal upon the whole of creation. The original Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible has a numerical structure that is ingenious, supernatural and unending. This is something that would be impossible for human beings to produce on their own. In scripture, numbers can be: 

Specifically mentioned



Implied



Hidden

There is a numerical structure hidden in scripture that is not found in any other piece of literature, sacred or secular. It is woven into the very fabric of scripture. Vital research on this numeric seal was completed by a native of the world's most renowned atheistic nation, Russia. Dr Ivan Panin was born in Russia on December 12, 1855. He was a mathematical genius who died a Harvard scholar and a citizen of the United States in 1942. It was in 1890 that Dr Panin made the discovery of the mathematical structure underlining the vocabulary of the Greek New Testament. Some of the most well known examples of this structure are found in: a) Genesis 1:1 b) Genealogy of Christ, Matthew 1:1-17 Excerpt from ‘Is God a Mathematician?’ by Keith Newman on Genesis 1:1 http://www.wordworx.co.nz/panin.html Let’s take the number seven as an illustration of the way the patterns work. Seven is the most prolific of the mathematical series which binds scripture together. The very first verse of the Bible “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), contains over 30 different combinations of seven. This verse has seven Hebrew words having a total of 28 letters 4 x 7. The numeric value of the three nouns “God”, “heaven” and “earth” totals 777. Any number in triplicate expresses complete, ultimate or total meaning.

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Also tightly sealed up with sevens is the genealogy of Jesus, the account of the virgin birth and the resurrection. Seven occurs as a number 187 times in the Bible (41 x 7), the phrase “seven-fold” occurs seven times and “seventy” occurs 56 times (7 x 8). Excerpt from Foundations of Christian Doctrine by Kevin Conner on the Genealogy of Christ The following is only a portion of the numerical phenomena to be found in the genealogy of Christ, in Matthew 1:1-17. •

The number of words in the vocabulary will divide by the number seven.

•

The number of words beginning with a vowel is divisible by seven.

•

The number of words beginning with a consonant is divisible by seven.

•

The number of letters in the vocabulary is divisible by seven.

•

Of these letters, those which are vowels and those which are consonants will both divide by seven.

•

The number of words in the vocabulary occurring more than once is divisible by seven. Those occurring only once likewise divide by seven.

•

The number of words occurring in more than one form is divisible by seven. The number occurring only in one form likewise divides by seven.

•

The number of nouns is divisible by seven. The number that are not nouns likewise divide by seven.

•

The number of proper names divides by seven. The male names divide by seven. The female names divide by seven.

•

The number of words beginning with each of the letters of the alphabet is divisible by seven.

The Unity of Scripture The Bible contains law, poetry, songs, historical accounts, parables and biographies. Yet along with its great diversity, the Bible possesses a marvellous unity. The authors of the Bible included kings, prophets, fishermen, prisoners and tradesmen. Together, a unified book was produced, with each writer contributing certain needed portions that harmonised with, but never contradicted, the whole.

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For forty men to write 66 books in three languages over a period of 1,500 years and have them become one harmonious book is humanly impossible. The books were written without any collaboration, but with no contradiction. The unity and progression of thought, together with the absence of contradiction, indicates that the Bible had ultimately one author – God. That the Bible is the Word of God is supported by phrases such as “God said”, found over 3,800 times in its pages (Exodus 32:16; Deuteronomy 9:10, 10:2; Exodus 24:12). Additionally, the human writers of scripture claimed to be channels of God’s Word (Jeremiah 36:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Joel 1:1). The Influence of the Bible Over Time The Bible has supernatural power (Hebrews 4:12). It has touched every nation and culture. It has been translated into more languages and been reproduced in larger quantities than any other book. Despite the fact that it is centuries old, it is relevant and life-changing today. •

No other book has been printed as widely as the Bible.

•

It is consistently the number one best-selling book, because it is a supernatural book.

•

It was the first book to be translated from one language to another.

•

Throughout the centuries, it has changed lives and helped create healthy and successful societies.

The Bible Claims Divine Inspiration 1. The Writers – Both Old and New Testament writers stated their words or writings were not of themselves. 2. The Writings – The writers often claimed that God spoke to them and then asked them to write in a book what He had spoken to them. 3. The Thoughts and Words – Scripture claims the contents are inspired. These facts confront people with a choice – is the Bible just a valuable book or is it God’s Word? For more proofs of authenticity, refer to Appendix D at the end of your notes for this session. © City Impact Church 2014

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Conclusion •

The Bible provides us with a strong foundation to build our lives upon. It is the only reliable source on which to base our beliefs.

•

The Bible was inspired by God. God revealed His Word to the writers of Scripture and inspired them to record it without error or defect. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God to us as believers today.

•

The Bible was plenary-verbally inspired. That is, fully inspired, even to the choice of words.

•

The fact that the Bible was inspired by God has been proven by the miracles it records, the fulfilments of its prophecies, its numerical structure, its unity, its preservation and its influence.

•

The inspiration of the Bible means that it is credible, infallible and applicable to our lives.

For further study on The Doctrine of the Scriptures, see The Foundations of Christian Doctrine by Kevin J. Conner

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Appendix A: The Canon The word “canon” means “measuring rod” and refers to a standard, or rule. The books of the Bible have been measured, tested and proven to be the inspired Word of God. It is believed that Ezra gathered the Old Testament books into the accepted canon at the end of the Babylonian captivity. The New Testament canon with today’s 27 books occurred at the end of the 4th Century. A New Testament book was considered ‘canonical’ if it met a certain number of factors. These included: •

The book had to have been written or authorised by an apostle.

•

Its teachings had to honour Christ and be consistent with the teachings of the apostles.

•

It had to have been acknowledged and used by Christians since the earliest days of the church.

People became more aware of the importance of the New Testament writings after the Diocletian persecution in 303 AD, when many sacred writings were burned. Replacing the destroyed copies became a high priority as a result. The books of the Apocrypha were added to the Bible by the Catholic Church in 1546 AD. They are not part of the inspired Word of God and were never part of the canon.

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Appendix B: The Apocrypha Meaning “veiled, secret or closed”. Fourteen books were added to the Bible by the Roman Catholic church in 1546A D. Much of the rest of Christendom has rejected these added books for the following reasons: 1. They never had a place in the Hebrew canon. 2. They were written in the silent years, between Malachi and John the Baptist, when there were no inspired prophecies. 3. They are never quoted by Jesus or the Apostles. 4. They are not found in the original canon of books compiled in the first four centuries. 5. None of the writers claim divine inspiration or authority. 6. The books contain many historical, chronological and geographical errors, and at times contradict themselves, other biblical books and history. 7. None of the writers speak with a message from God. 8. They teach doctrine and uphold practices which are contrary to other scriptures (e.g. magical incantations, lying is acceptable, prayers for the dead are taught). 9. They do not fit into the numerical structure of the canon.

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Appendix C: The Dead Sea Scrolls Until 1947 when the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered (which were transcribed between 2nd century BC and 1st century BC) the earliest remaining copies of the Old Testament were from 895 AD. The Dead Sea Scrolls proved the accuracy of the copies that were in use at the time the scrolls were discovered. The Dead Sea scrolls show the extreme care taken in translating and copying the Bible. (Sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls): The Dead Sea scrolls consist of roughly 900 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include some of the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 C.E., and preserve evidence of considerable diversity of belief and practice within late Second Temple Judaism. They are written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, mostly on parchment, but with some written on papyrus. These manuscripts generally date between 150 BCE to 70 CE. The scrolls are most commonly identified with the ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, but recent scholarship has challenged their association with the scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are traditionally divided into three groups: “Biblical” manuscripts (copies of texts from the Hebrew Bible), which comprise roughly 40% of the identified scrolls; “Apocryphal” or “Pseudepigraphical” manuscripts (known documents from the Second Temple Period like Enoch, Jubilees, Tobit, Sirach, non-canonical psalms, etc., that were not ultimately canonized in the Hebrew Bible), which comprise roughly 30% of the identified scrolls; and “Sectarian” manuscripts (previously unknown documents that speak to the rules and beliefs of a particular group or groups within greater Judaism) like the Community Rule, War Scroll, Pesher (Hebrew pesher ‫“ = פשר‬Commentary") on Habakkuk, and the Rule of the Blessing, which comprise roughly 30% of the identified scrolls. Publication of the scrolls has taken many decades, and the delay has been a source of academic controversy. As of 2007 two volumes remain to be completed, with the whole series, Discoveries in the Judean Desert, running to thirty-nine volumes in total. Many of the scrolls are now housed in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. According to The Oxford Companion to Archeology, “The biblical manuscripts from Qumran, which include at least fragments from © City Impact Church 2014

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every book of the Old Testament, except perhaps for the Book of Esther, provide a far older cross section of scriptural tradition than that available to scholars before. While some of the Qumran biblical manuscripts are nearly identical to the Masoretic, or traditional, Hebrew text of the Old Testament, some manuscripts of the books of Exodus and Samuel found in Cave Four exhibit dramatic differences in both language and content. In their astonishing range of textual variants, the Qumran biblical discoveries have prompted scholars to reconsider the once-accepted theories of the development of the modern biblical text from only three manuscript families: of the Masoretic text, of the Hebrew original of the Septuagint, and of the Samaritan Pentateuch. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the Old Testament scripture was extremely fluid until its canonization around 100 A.D.”

Fragments of the scrolls on display at the Archaeological Museum, Amman.

The Qumran caves where

Remains of living quarters

the scrolls were found.

at Qumran.

The Psalms Scroll with transcription.

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Appendix D: Proofs that the Bible is inspired by God Below are 16 Facts that ancient man took by faith that have been proven by modern science. The only explanation for this is the divine inspiration of God. 1. The earth free-floats in space (Job 26:7). 2. There are fountains/springs in the Oceans (Genesis 7:11, 8:2, Job 38:16, Proverbs 8:28). It wasn’t until the 1970s that oceanographers discovered springs on the ocean floors with deep diving submarines. 3. Circumcision on the eighth day is ideal (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3; Luke 1:59). On the 8th day (for every normal and healthy male baby), the blood clotting chemical prothrombin is elevated far above normal—and thus is the safest day to perform surgery. 4. Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7; 3:19). The human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements – all of which are found in the earth. 5. Air has weight (Job 28:25). While at one time it was unknown that air had weight, now the periodic table of elements states that oxygen and nitrogen do have a molecular weight, though it is infinitesimal. 6. There are mountains on the bottom of the ocean (Jonah 2:5-6). In the last century we have discovered that there are in fact, enormous mountain ranges and deep trenches in the depths of the ocean. 7. The universe had a beginning (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:10-12). Science was at one time dominated by the theory of uniformitarianism, which stated that the universe is eternal, it has no beginning and no end, however science now completely rejects this. 8. There are ocean currents (Psalm 8:8). The first solid oceanography was not done until the 1700s. In the 19th century Matthew Maury – the father of oceanography – researched and charted ocean currents that follow specific paths through the seas. 9. Incalculable number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22). Today, astronomers (with the finest telescopic equipment) estimate there are ten thousand billion trillion stars, and scientists admit this number may be completely wrong. 10. The number of stars, though vast, is finite (Isaiah 40:26). Although man is unable to calculate the exact number of stars, we now know their number is finite.

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11. The Bible compares the number of stars with the number of grains of sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17; Hebrews 11:12). Amazingly, gross estimates of the number of sand grains are comparable to the estimated number of stars in the universe. 12. Incest laws established (Leviticus 18:6). By Moses’ day genetic errors had swelled. Today, geneticists confirm that the risk of passing on a genetic abnormality to your child is much greater if you marry a close relative. 13. Scripture proves a revolving earth (Luke 17:34-36). Jesus said that at His return some would be in bed, at night, while others would be working in the field, or in the mill, therefore daytime. This indicates a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously. 14. The universe is expanding (Job 9:8; Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 51:15; Zechariah 12:1). In 1929 astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. 15. The Earth is round (Isaiah 40:22). At a time when many (but not all) thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is circular. 16. The stars are much different from each other (1 Corinthians 15:41). While most stars look similar to the naked eye, they are each actually much different from each other in size, colour, intensity, and distance from the Earth. Below are a further 17 statements-of-fact declared by scriptures, while they could have been educated guesses, intelligent observations, or trial and error, they survive to this day and are completely supported by modern science as true. 1. God has given us the leaves of the trees as medicine (Ezekiel 47:12; Revelation 22:2). 2. Don't eat certain sea creatures (Leviticus 11:9-12). Bottom-feeders (those without scales or fins) are known to consume waste and are likely to carry disease. 3. Don't eat certain birds (Leviticus 11:13-19). Scientists now recognize that those birds which eat carrion (putrefying flesh), often spread disease. 4. Don't eat pigs (Deuteronomy 14:8). Not so long ago, science learned that eating undercooked pork causes an infection of parasites called trichinosis. 5. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy) explained (Psalm 102:2526). This law states that everything in the universe is running down, as © City Impact Church 2014

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disorder increases. Yet modern science verifies that the universe is “grow(ing) old like a garment” (Hebrews 1:11). 6. Weather cycle described (Ecclesiastes 1:7; Jeremiah 10:13; Amos 9:6, Job 36:27-28). Meteorologists now know that the hydrological cycle consists of evaporation, atmospheric transportation, distillation, and precipitation. 7. The difference between light and darkness (Job38:19) – light is said to dwell in a “way” and darkness is a “place”. Only in the 17th century was the wave theory of light proposed where light ‘travels’. 8. Wind currents (Ecclesiastes 1:6). It wasn’t until WWII that airmen discovered the jet streams encircling the globe. 9. Medical quarantine instituted (Leviticus 13:45-46; Numbers 5:1-4). It is now known to isolate those with a contagious disease until cured. 10. Laughter literally promotes physical healing (Proverbs 17:22). Laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. This brings balance to the immune system, which helps your body fight off disease. 11. Intense sorrow or stress is literally harmful to your health (Proverbs 18:14; Mark 14:34). Research shows individuals with no prior medical problems) showing symptoms of stress cardiomyopathy following a stressful incident. 12. Presence of microorganisms (Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 22:8). Animals who drop dead usually die of disease which can be passed on to people/ animals. 13. The Bible cautions against consuming fat (Leviticus 7:23). Only in recent decades has the medical community determined that fat clogs arteries and contributes to heart disease. 14. Do not consume blood (Leviticus 17:12, Gen 9:4, Leviticus 3:17, Acts 15:20, 21:25).Modern science reveals that consuming raw blood is dangerous. 15. The Bible describes dinosaurs (Job 40:15-24). No animal fits this description except a dinosaur. 16. Olive oil and wine useful on wounds (Luke 10:34). Wine contains ethyl alcohol and traces of methyl alcohol - both are good disinfectants. Olive oil is also a good disinfectant, as well as a skin moisturizer, protector, and soothing lotion. 17. Safe drinking water (Leviticus 11:33-36). It’s only in the last 100 years that science has learned that contaminated water can cause fatal diseases

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Hidden Mysteries

Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

Hidden Mysteries

Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

© City Impact Church 2014

Hidden Mysteries

Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

1.

In this session we discover: •

How Scripture is communicated from God to man.

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Hermeneutics and principles for studying the Bible.

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How to access useful Bible study resources.

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How to get the most out of our Bible study time.

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Practical implementation of hermeneutics – How to do: -

Word studies

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Character studies

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Place studies

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Topical studies

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Passage studies

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Book studies

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Bible Study Through Reading God’s Word we get a revelation of who God is so that we may know Him. It is vital that we know what the Word of God says because it is our instruction book for life. It gives us the principles by which we can live successfully. The Bible is our Maker’s handbook It gives us instructions, inspiration, insight, wisdom, knowledge, hope, joy, and peace. It helps us to better understand God our Creator. It transforms our attitudes and actions, and it encourages us and guides us. God speaks to us as we read and meditate on His Word.

The ‘Communication Gap’ The Bible is unique in its need for interpretation because it is communication from God to man – from divinity to humanity. In the Garden of Eden, God communicated freely with man. However, a ‘communication gap’ occurred between God and man when man sinned. God bridged this gap to the writers of the Scriptures by revelation and inspiration, resulting in the Bible. Currently, however, there remains a gap of language, culture, geography and time between the writers of Scripture and our current generation. The Context Principle Interpretation of every Scripture should occur with consideration of its context. This means taking into account: •

Where the word is placed in the verse.

•

The context in relation to the rest of the Bible.

•

Who the author is.

•

Who the audience is.

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Also, to understand what each Bible writer was communicating, and accurately interpret the Bible in our modern times, four areas must be considered: 1. Linguistics 2. Culture 3. Geography 4. History The art and science of interpreting the Bible is called Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is how we bridge the gap to correctly understand the meaning of the Scriptures.

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Bridging the Gap 1. Linguistics Words: Researching the etymology, the cultural use of the day or comparing other mentions of that word in Scripture. Etymology is the derivation of a word, which typically involves looking up a word in the original language, e.g. Greek. For example, the Greek language has multiple words that translate to the English word ‘love’. Depending on which verse you are reading, you will find a different Greek word (e.g. agape, eros, phileo). (For further information, refer to Appendix B at the end of your notes for this session.) The Cultural use of a word can be important in understanding the meaning it had in Bible times. For example, the word ‘adoption’ in Biblical times referred to a child’s ‘coming of age’ or becoming an adult. Today, that word means transferring a child from one family to another. (For a further example refer to Appendix C at the end of your notes for this session.) Comparing every mention of one word in Scripture also gives a fuller understanding of its meaning. Grammar: Different languages stress different structures and orders of words in a sentence. Genre: This refers to the style of the writing. Some books of the Bible are historical, while others are poetic or contain parables, psalms, metaphors, and idioms. 2.

Culture Researching the customs of the day and what materials or objects represent can often provide further insight into passages. For example, in the parable of the wedding feast, where a wedding garment was required (Matthew 22:11-12), it is helpful to know that the cultural custom was for kings to store up clothing that was freely provided to the guests to wear at the wedding ceremony.

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3. Geography This involves the place and political nature of the place of writing (e.g. Paul writing from Rome, Moses in the wilderness). It is important to note that some names of cities or places in the Bible have been renamed over time. We rely on archaeological evidence to guide us in locating where these cities are. 4. History This refers to researching the political, economic, and religious influence at the time of the writings. Each of these provides a setting for the writers of the Bible.

The 17 Principles of Hermeneutics Definition Webster’s dictionary defines hermeneutics as, “The science of interpreting, or of finding the meaning of an author’s words and phrases, and of explaining it to others; exegesis; particularly applied to the interpretation of the Scriptures.” -

The Context Principle That principle by which the interpretation of any verse is determined upon a consideration of its context.

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The First Mention Principle The first mention principle is that principle by which the interpretation of any verse is aided by considering the first time its subject appears in Scripture.

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The Comparative Mention Principle The comparative mention principle is that principle by which a certain verse or group of verses may be interpreted by comparing and/or contrasting it with another verse or group of verses.

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The Progressive Mention Principle That principle by which the interpretation of any verse is aided by a consideration of the progressive mentions of its subject in Scripture.

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Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

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6.

The Complete Mention Principle That principle by which the interpretation of any verse is determined upon a consideration of the complete mention of its subject in Scripture.

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The Election Principle That principle by which the interpretation of any verse or group of verses is determined by considering its relation to the election involved in the purposes of God.

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The Covenantal Principle That principle by which the interpretation of a verse or group of verses is determined by a consideration of its covenantal setting.

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The Ethnic Division Principle That principle by which the interpretation of any verse or passage of Scripture is determined upon a consideration of God’s appointed ethnic divisions.

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The Chronometrical Principle (or the Dispensation Principle) That principle by which the interpretation of a verse or passage is determined upon a consideration of its chronometrical setting.

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The Breach Principle That principle by which the interpretation of a certain verse or passage of Scripture is aided by a consideration of certain breaches of promise or breaches of time.

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The Christo-Centric Principle That principle by which Scripture is interpreted in relation to its centre, Christ.

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The Moral Principle That principle by which the interpretation of a verse or passage is determined by discerning the moral(s) it contains.

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The Symbolic Principle That principle by which the interpretation of a verse or passage in Scripture containing symbolic elements can be determined by a proper interpretation of the symbol(s) involved.

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7.

The Numerical Principle That principle by which the interpretation of a verse or passage in Scripture containing numbers is aided by a recognition of the symbolic significance of the numbers involved.

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The Typical Principle The principle by which the interpretation of a verse or passage of Scripture containing typical elements can be determined only through a proper interpretation of the type(s) involved.

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The Parabolic Principle That principle by which any parable is interpreted by discerning its moral(s) and interpreting its elements.

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The Allegorical Principle That principle by which any allegory is interpreted by discerning its lessons and interpreting its elements.

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Principles of Scriptural Interpretation

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Approaches to Studying the Bible “One of the noblest pursuits a child of God can embark upon is to get to know and understand God better. The best way we can accomplish this is to look carefully at the book He has written, the Bible, which communicates who He is and His plan for mankind.” Jim George Th.M. Bible Reading Tips - SOAP •

Keep a journal and write down the things God tells you.

•

Try the ‘S.O.A.P’ method. S

Scripture: Write down a Scripture that stands out to you.

O Observation and Interpretation: What does the passage say? Write down what you observe about that Scripture. What does the passage mean? Write down what you note about how the passage should be interpreted. A Application: Write down how it applies to your life. P

Prayer: Finally write down a prayer asking God to help you apply the Scripture.

•

When you find something interesting, use the cross references in your Bible to follow the theme as the Holy Spirit leads you.

•

Write over your Bible.

•

Ask questions: Visit www.precept.org and get inspired to read the Bible by asking good questions.

•

Use colour codes to find key words in order to see the themes throughout each book.

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Observation Observation is the first and most important step in the process. As you read the Bible text, you need to look carefully at what is said, and how it is said. Look for: •

Terms, not words. Words can have many meanings, but terms are words used in a specific way in a specific context. (For instance, the word trunk could apply to a tree, a car, or a storage box. However, when you read, “That tree has a very large trunk,” you know exactly what the word means, which makes it a term.)

•

Structure. If you look at your Bible, you will see that the text has units called paragraphs (indented or marked ¶). A paragraph is a complete unit of thought. You can discover the content of the author’s message by noting and understanding each paragraph unit.

•

Emphasis.

The

amount

of

space

or

the

number

of

chapters

or verses devoted to a specific topic will reveal the importance of that topic (for example, note the emphasis of Romans 9 and Psalms 119). •

Repetition. This is another way an author demonstrates that something is important. One reading of 1 Corinthians 13, where the author uses the word “love” nine times in only 13 verses, communicates to us that love is the focal point of these 13 verses.

•

Relationships between ideas. Pay close attention, for example, to certain relationships that appear in the text: −

Cause-and-effect: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21).

−

Ifs and thens: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

−

Questions and answers: “Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty” (Psalms 24:8).

•

Comparisons and contrasts. For example, “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…” (Matthew 5:21).

•

Literary form. The Bible is literature, and the three main types of literature in the Bible are discourse (the epistles), prose (Old Testament history), and poetry (the Psalms). Considering the type of literature makes a great deal of difference when you read and interpret the Scriptures.

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10.

Atmosphere. The author had a particular reason or burden for writing each passage, chapter, and book. Be sure you notice the mood or tone or urgency of the writing.

After you have considered these things, you then are ready to ask the “Wh” questions: Who? What? Where? When? •

Who are the people in this passage?

•

What is happening in this passage?

•

Where is this story taking place?

•

When in time (of day, of the year, in history) is it?

Asking these four “Wh” questions can help you notice terms and identify atmosphere. The answers will also enable you to use your imagination to recreate the scene you’re reading about. As you answer the “Wh” questions and imagine the event, you’ll probably come up with some questions of your own. Asking those additional questions for understanding will help to build a bridge between observation (the first step) and interpretation (the second step) of the Bible study process. Interpretation Interpretation is discovering the meaning of a passage, the author’s main thought or idea. Answering the questions that arise during observation will help you in the process of interpretation. Five clues (called “the five C’s”) can help you determine the author’s main point(s): •

Context. You can answer 75 percent of your questions about a passage when you read the text. Reading the text involves looking at the near context (the verse immediately before and after) as well as the far context (the paragraph or the chapter that precedes and/or follows the passage you’re studying).

•

Cross-references. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. That is, let other passages in the Bible shed light on the passage you are looking at. At the same time, be careful not to assume that the same word or phrase in two different passages means the same thing.

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11.

Culture. The Bible was written long ago, so when we interpret it, we need to understand it from the writers’ cultural context.

•

Conclusion. Having answered your questions for understanding by means of context, cross-reference, and culture, you can make a preliminary statement of the passage’s meaning. Remember that if your passage consists of more than one paragraph, the author may be presenting more than one thought or idea.

•

Consultation. Reading books known as commentaries, which are written by Bible scholars, can help you interpret Scripture.

Application Application is why we study the Bible. We want our lives to change; we want to be obedient to God and to grow more like Jesus Christ. After we have observed a passage and interpreted or understood it to the best of our ability, we must then apply its truth to our own life. You’ll want to ask the following questions of every passage of Scripture you study: •

How does the truth revealed here affect my relationship with God?

•

How does this truth affect my relationship with others?

•

How does this truth affect me?

•

How does this truth affect my response to the enemy, Satan?

The application step is not completed by simply answering these questions; the key is putting into practice what God has taught you in your study. Although at any given moment you cannot be consciously applying everything you’re learning in Bible study, you can be consciously applying something. And when you work on applying a truth to your life, God will bless your efforts by, as noted earlier, conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ. Content provided by OnePlace.com. Used by permission. Find this and more at http://www.biblestudytools.com/.

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Research Tools Dictionary A dictionary is a resource that lists the words of a language (typically in alphabetical order) and gives their meaning, or gives the equivalent words in a different language, often also providing information about pronunciation, origin, and usage. Recommended: Easton’s Bible Dictionary Concordance A concordance is an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text or texts, usually with citations of the passages concerned or with the context displayed on a computer screen. A Biblical Concordance lists every occurrence of every word used in the Bible. The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is considered by many to be the most accurate. It is the most complete, easy-to-use, and understandable concordance for studying the original languages of the Bible. It combines the text of the King James Version of the Bible with the power of the Greek and Hebrew Lexicons, enabling any student to gain a clear understanding of the Bible and to enrich their study. Encyclopaedia An encyclopaedia is a book or set of books giving information on many subjects or on many aspects of one subject, and is typically arranged alphabetically. Recommended: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Lexicon A lexicon is a language inventory – for example, a word book or dictionary especially of Greek or Hebrew.

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Study Bible Below are the tools available in the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible by Jack Hayford. 1. Introduction to each Book

2. References to related Scriptures

3. Scripture footnotes © City Impact Church 2014

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4. Word Wealth

5. Kingdom Dynamics

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6. Truth In Action

7. Concordance

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Online Bible Tools Apps 1. Bible Study Tools

2. Bible Gateway

3. Olive Tree Bible Reader

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4. Glo Bible

5. Holy Bible

6. Bible.is

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7. ESV Bible

8. Blue Letter Bible

9. The Daily Journey

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10. Audio Note

Websites •

Bible Study Tools - www.biblestudytools.com

•

Eliyah -www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

•

Bible Commentaries and Dictionaries – www.christianity.about.com/od/biblestudyresources/tp/Top4BibleSearc h.htm

•

Precept - www.precept.org

•

Blue Letter Bible - www.blueletterbible.org/

•

Christian History Timeline - www.christianhistorytimeline.com/

•

Bible Places - www.bibleplaces.com/

•

Bible History - www.bible-history.com

•

Open Bible - www.openbible.info/geo/

Books •

Interpreting the Scriptures, Kevin J. Conner & Ken Malmin

•

That May Know Him, Kay Arthur David Lawson

•

Methods and Principles of Bible Research ( Australian Edition, Kevin J. Conner

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Can we still believe the Bible?, Bryan Ball

•

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition Dictionary, Edit By: Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini and Bruce M. Metzger

•

Interpreting the Symbols and Types, Completely Revised and Expanded, Kevin J .Conner

•

The International Inductive Study Bible New American Standard, Published by: Harvest House Publisher

•

Which Bible? A guide to English Translation, David Dewey

•

The Indestructible Book, Ken Connolly

•

Talk Thru The Bible, Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa

•

The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament, George V. Wigram

•

The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.

20.

Series by Kevin J. Conner

•

Mystery Parables of the Kingdom

•

The Epistle to the Romans

•

The Epistles of the Jude

•

The Book of Acts

•

The Book of Daniel an exposition

•

The Book of Hebrews

•

The Book of Revelation (An Exposition )

For more information on being a faithful steward of God’s Word refer to Appendix A at the end of your notes for this session.

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Types of Bible Studies Word studies Character studies Place studies Topical studies Passage studies Book studies

Word Study In a Word Study a student chooses just one word from Scripture and proceeds to discover all he can about it – gaining a comprehensive understanding of that word to then better understand the truth it represents and each verse it is used in. A Word Study comprises three stages: 1. Definition of the word, using Strong’s Concordance to find the original Hebrew/Aramaic (for Old Testament) or Greek (for New Testament) meaning of a word. 2. Scripture analysis (observation and interpretation). This includes how the word is used in the verse, the context of the passage and related terms that are connected to the word, insights into the verse, and significance to the topic as a whole. 3. Organisation for presentation.

What, Who, Where, When, How, and

Why (not all will be used necessarily).

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Example 1 - Gift



Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.

The English Word

Gift

Strong’s Concordance Number

4976

Transliteration

Mattan

Pronunciation

Mat·tän’

Etymology and definition

Gift, offering, present. From H5414: A primitive root – to give, put, set.

Ways that the word is translated

Gift, offering, present

This shows the importance of conducting a Word Study – whilst many might take the word ‘gift’ in this Scripture to mean ‘talent’ or ‘skill’, studying the original Hebrew word shows it means an actual gift, offering or present. Example 2 – Fellowship 

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Stage 1 – Define the word using Strong’s Concordance The English Word

Fellowship

Strong’s Concordance Number

2842 koinōnia

Transliteration Pronunciation

koy-nohn-ee’-ah

Etymology and definition

Partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction.

Ways that the word is translated

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Communicate, communion, distribution, fellowship.

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23.

Transliteration Greek

2842 κοινωνία

Pronunciation

koinōnia, koi-nō-nē'-ä; from κοινωνός

(G2844);

Etymology and definition

fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse, intimacy, contribution

Translation of word

fellowship, communion, communication, contribution, to communicate

distribution,

Stage 2 – Scripture analysis – Observation and interpretation Scripture

Acts 2:42

Observation

After the day of Pentecost, converts continued in many Christian activities, fellowship being one of these.

Interpretation

New Testament believers had continual fellowship with one another after salvation. Fellowship was practical – they had teaching (apostles’ doctrine), prayer, worship, sharing possessions, and the visiting of one another. Growth occurred with power and fear of God.

Stage 3 - Organisation for presentation What:

Meeting together to worship, pray, give and receive teaching.

Who:

Believers / Followers of Christ.

Where:

Wherever they met with other believers. In the temple and from house to house.

When:

Continually.

Also, think of other Scriptures related to the topic that can further add insights. © City Impact Church 2014

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For example: 

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.



Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

Excerpts from the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible by Jack Hayford:

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Footnotes:

Blue Letter Bible - www.blueletterbible.org 1. Go to ‘blueletterbible.org’

2a. Either enter the Scripture/ word you are searching for,

2b. Or select the book of the Bible in the ‘Quicknav’ dropdown menu

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3. Results will be displayed as below

4. Choose which study tool you would like to use

Example 3 – Minister  1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Blue Letter Bible 1. Search for the word ‘ministers’

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2. Select the Strong’s option as shown below

3. Select the Strong’s number for ‘ministers’ under 1 Corinthians 4:1

4. Results displayed as below

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The New Strong’s Concordance of the Bible Ministers:

and the attendance of his m……………….. and the attendance of his m……………….. or m of this house of God, it……………….. us m for the house of our God……………. ye m of his, that do his pleasure……….… his m a flaming fire……………………………… shall call you the M of our God……………. the Levites the priests, my m………………. they shall be m in my sanctuary………….. priests the m of the sanctuary…………….. the m of the house, have for………………. where the m of the house shall………….. the priests, the Lord's m……………………… howl, ye m of the altar………………………… in sackcloth, ye m of my God………………. the m of the Lord, weep between………. eyewitnesses, and m of the word………. for they are God's m, attending………….. but m by whom ye believed, even……… of us, as of the m of Christ………………….. us able m of the new testament…………. ourselves as the m of God…………………… his m also be transformed as the……….. as the m of righteousness…………………… Are they m of Christ?.............................. spirits, and his m a flame of fire………….

1 Kin 10:5 2 Chr 9:4 Ezr 7:24 Ezr 8:17 Ps 103:21 Ps 104:4 Is 6:16 Jer 33:21 Eze 44:11 Eze 45:4 Eze 45:5 Eze 46:24 Joel 1:9 Joel 1:13 Joel 1:13 Joel 2:17 Lk 1:2 Rom 13:6 1 Cor 3:5 1 Cor 4:1 2 Cor 3:6 2 Cor 6:4 2 Cor 11:15 2 Cor 11:15 2 Cor 11:23 Heb 1:7

8334 8334 6399 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 8334 5257 3011 1249 5257 1249 1249 1249 1249 1249 3011

Huperetes (Hoop-ay-ret-ace) 5257.: ὑπηρέτης hupērĕtēs, hoop-ay-ret’-ace; from 5259 and a der. of

ἐρέσσω ĕrĕssō (to row); an under-oarsman, i.e. (gen.) subordinate (assistant,

sexton, constable):- minister, officer, servant.

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The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament George V. Wigram

Mat 5:25. 26:58. Mar 14:54. 65. Lu. 1:2. 4:20. Joh. 7:32. 45. 46. 18:3. Pharisees 12. 18. 22. 36. 19:6. Acts 5:22. 26. 13:5. 26:16. 1 Cor 4:1.

uJphrevthß, hupeeretees. 5257 the judge deliver the to the officer, and sat with the servants, (lit. (court officers) to see the end. and he sat with the servants, and the servants did strike him eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word ; and he gave (it( again to the minister, and the chief priests sent officers Then came the officers to the chief priests The officers answered, Never man spake received a band (of men) and officers from the chief priests and the band and the captain and officers stood there, And the servants and officers stood there, one of the officers which stood by struck then would my servants fight, chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, But when the officers came, and found them not Then went the captain with the officers, and they had also John to (their) minister. to make thee a minister and a witness Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ,

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Example 4: Power Undertaking a word study on ‘power’ shows that one word can have a variety of meanings, as shown below. Excerpts from the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible by Jack Hayford:

 Mark 3:15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

 Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

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Character Study This is a very practical study which considers the life of a person mentioned in the Bible. It is the least academic and most-life oriented means of study, and can be a personally meaningful means of study. The word ‘character’ comes from a Greek word which means an impress, mark or likeness. It is used of both God and Satan in Scripture. Thus, in any person’s life we will either see the likeness of God and the impress of His dealings or the mark and likeness of Satan. Those who served God gave an example we should follow, while those who did not set a pattern we should avoid. There are many characters in the Bible that can be chosen. However, be careful not to confuse mentions of different people with the same names (e.g. there are fifteen people named Jonathan and five people named James). Also, make sure you include mentions of persons that have had their name changed (e.g. Abram to Abraham; Simon to Peter). There isn’t one correct way to go about doing a character study, but the following is a guide that can be useful: 1. Definition of person’s name. 2. Ancestral background. 3. Political, religious and cultural situation of the day. 4. What positive and negative character traits do they reveal? 5. Prominent events that took place in their lifetime. 6. What spiritual or practical lessons can you learn from them? Points 1, 3 and 5 can be answered from information found in Bible dictionaries, ancestral accounts in Scripture, and reference books. Points 2, 4 and 6 can be answered by the following: 1. Looking up the name in your Strong’s Concordance and then documenting the main insights gained from each mention of that person’s name in Scripture. 2. Combining the insights and drawing out character traits and practical/spiritual lessons from that person’s life.

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Example: Paul Scripture

Brief verse quote

Insights/details

Acts 13:9

Paul…filled with the

Saul had a revelation of God and was

Holy Ghost

given a new name and filled with the Holy Ghost.

Acts 13:13

Paul…came to

Paul and his company were released by

Perga in Pamphylia

the Holy Spirit to leave Paphos and then came to Perga, where John departed them.

Acts 13:16

Paul…said…ye that

Paul

reached

out

to

the

crowd,

fear God, give

specifically addressing ‘Men of Israel’

audience.

and those that ‘fear God’, to implore them to give audience and heed to his words.

Acts 13:43

many…followed

Despite the congregation breaking up,

Paul and Barnabas

Paul

and

Barnabas

carried

the

influence, authority and discernment to persuade Jews and religious proselytes to continue following Christ.

Note:There are 155 occurences of ‘Paul’ in the King James Version, only the first 4 have been shown above as an example. Name: Hebrew name Saul. Roman name Paul. Definition of the person’s name. Saul – ‘asked’

Paul – ‘little’

Ancestral background. A Benjamite, a Pharisee trained under the famous Gamaliel, circumcised the eighth day, a Roman citizen. Extremely zealous follower of Judaism (Php 3:5-6). Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Political, religious and cultural situation of the day. Roman rule, early church, prevalent persecution of the messianic movement.

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What positive and negative character traits do they reveal? Negative -

Thorn in his flesh (2 Cor 12:7) – potentially a hot temper or pride

Positive -

Whole-hearted, zealous

-

Endurance and perserverance (Acts 13:47)

-

Gave all glory to God

-

Boldness (Rom 1:16)

-

Contentment (Acts 16:19-31, Phil 4:11-13, 2 Cor 11:23-28) He was severely persecuted yet didn’t complain but praised God

-

Sincere love and a sensitive heart (Acts 17:16, Rom 9:3)

-

Industrious (Acts 18:1-3)

-

Leader/ strategizer

-

Sharp minded (Acts 23:6) –he knew how to give a good defense

Prominent events that took place in their lifetime. -

Conversion (Acts 9) Radicaltransformation from a zealous persecuter of Christianity to a zealous Christian

-

First missionary journey (Acts 13:2 – 15:35)

-

Second missionary journey (Acts 15:36 – 18:22)

-

Third missionary journey (Acts 18:23-21:14)

-

Martyred for Christ

What spiritual or practical lessons can you learn from them? -

No-one is ‘too lost’ or too hard for God to convert.

-

God sends trials into our lives for a purpose.

-

Paul kept clear focus in life on what was really important – things like money, esteem, fame, and power are all secondary to serving God.

-

Paul strove to become like God – we aren’t perfect but should constantly reach for perfection.

-

Contentment – we must learn to be content in our present situation before we can expect to be content in a future situation.

-

Make use of every change to share the gospel – Paul even shared in prison in the middle of the night.

-

Paul was ‘all things to all men’ – as long as he could do so within Scripture. Live in a way that doesn’t offend others by our habits or actions but, if anything, offend them by Christ in you and Christ preached through you.

-

Paul drew respect of both those above and under him. He could do this by walking with Christ, and showing compassion and respect to others. Be

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clear before God and man.

Place Study

Example: Corinth - The Vegas of Biblical Times Studying the ancient history of Corinth, Greece brings a whole new perspective to the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. Corinth was a city of much idolatry. Out of the many “gods” that were worshiped, Aphrodite — the goddess of “love” and fertility — was the most prevalent. Her image appeared on all Corinthian currency and at least three temples were built in the city for her commemoration. Thus, Corinth became known for its rampant fornication. Many people came to the city to participate in its “attractions,” much like Las Vegas today. Corinth was a hub of commerce and loved the pursuit of “pleasure,” wealth and even drunkenness. It is said that there were approximately one thousand prostitutes that would “work” at the temples of Aphrodite and at the harbors in order to lure the merchants that were arriving by sea. A number of professing Christians in Corinth struggled with the pull of sexual sin because of the influence of their culture. Hence, the Apostle Paul wrote letters to the Corinthian Church — a growing light in the darkness — to exhort them to refrain from the fornication that was so prevalent in their city. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid. What? Know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two, saith He, will be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man committeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Paul, however, had been receiving reports during his stay in Ephesus that incest was even being committed among professing Christians in Corinth. In one of his letters to the Church he wrote, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you — and such fornication as is not so much as named © City Impact Church 2014

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among the Gentiles — that one should have his father’s wife.” He then exhorted the Corinthian Christians that they should not only flee fornication, but should also not keep company with any professing Christians that engaged in the sins of their city: “I have written unto you not to keep company if a man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one, no, [you are] not to eat.” (1 Corinthians 5:1,11) Paul likely saw many of the atrocities of Corinth first hand as he had lived in the city for approximately a year and a half, beginning around 51 A.D. According to Acts 18, during his stay, Paul lived with Acquilla and Priscilla, two fellow believers who had been booted from Rome because they were Jews, and worked with them as tentmakers. Every Sabbath, Paul would “reason in the synagogue … persuad[ing] the Jews and the Greeks” about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the preaching of Paul angered the Jews, who falsely accused him of turning the city against the Law of God. He was soon arrested and brought to judgment before Gallio, who refused to hear the case. Instead, it was the chief ruler of the synagogue who was beaten at the judgment seat. Paul continued to live and minister in Corinth for a while before moving on to the city of Ephesus. Corinth still exists today in Greece, although a section of the city is in ruins. One of the ruin sites includes the Temple of Apollo, one of the “gods” that the Corinthians worshiped alongside Aphrodite. Geography - Corinth Area

Corinth Plain The Corinth area here is visible from the Acrocorinth above. The remains of the ancient city are located in the centre of the photo (in the midst of a modern village), the ancient harbor is roughly in the centre of the visible shoreline, and the isthmus is out of view to the right. © City Impact Church 2014

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Isthmus One of the great crossroads of the ancient world because of its location on the isthmus linking the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, Corinth was a thriving Roman colony from the time of Julius Caesar. The city is always described as "wealthy" in the ancient sources and this prosperity was due in part to the city's taxation of the north-south and east-west trade routes. This is a view to the north from the Acrocorinth. The ancient city of Corinth is just out of view to the bottom left side.

Corinth Canal The isthmus connecting the Peloponnese and mainland Greece is four miles wide and as early as the 6th century BC, work was begun to dig a canal connecting the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs. This project failed but a paved road (the diolkos) was constructed about 600 BC to allow light ships to be hauled overland. The modern canal was completed in the late 19th century.

Corinth Diolkos Instead of a canal, the ancients constructed a road across the isthmus to connect the two gulfs. This road, known as the "Diolkos" was built in about 600 BC, and allowed light ships to be hauled overland. Portions of this road are visible on the western side of the isthmus. © City Impact Church 2014

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Corinth Harbor Ancient Corinth had two harbours on the Gulf of Corinth. The northern port was known as Lechaion and is today silted up and a few hundred meters from the modern shoreline.

Cenchrea Cenchrea was the port for Corinth on the eastern side of the isthmus, and remains of the ancient harbor are visible in the water today. Paul had his hair cut here because of a vow, and then set sail from the harbor, concluding his 18-month stay in Corinth (on his second journey; Acts 18:18). Sources: “Ancient Corinth,” Wikipedia “Corinth,” Bibleplaces.com “Corinth,” The Bible Church Online “In the Footsteps of Paul; Corinth: The Aphrodite of Cities,” PBS

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Topic Study Example 1: Symbolic Objects Key Authority,, power to bind or loose, lock or unlock. Is 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19, 18:18, Luke 11:52, Rev 9:1, 20:1 •

Key of David

•

Death and Hades

•

Kingdom

•

Bottomless Pit

•

Knowledge



Luke 11:52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Leaven: Evil doctrine, practices, life, teaching. Fermented. Action arrested by fire. Mat 8:15, Ex 12:15, Lev 2:11, Mat 16:6-12, Deut 16:3-4, 1 Cor 5:6-8 Source: Interpreting the Symbols and Types, Kevin J. Conner

Example 2: The Significance of Mountains Mountains are mentioned 573 times in Scripture.

There are 38 mountains

mentioned in total.



Psalm 48:1-2 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

2

Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the

whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. 

Isaiah 56:7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.

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In the Old Testament, God dwelt symbolically and often literally on a mountain. Facts on Biblical Mountains •

Each mountain has symbolic meaning.

•

Lucifer ruled from God’s holy mountain before he fell (Ezekiel 28:14).

•

Mountains are often places of Satanic worship today (Satan always mimics God’s ways when seeking worship).

•

God gave His laws from a mountain.

•

In the Old Testament, people built altars to God on mountains.

•

Moses encountered the burning bush on a mountain.

•

Moses saw God pass by on a mountain.

•

David worshipped on a mountain.

•

Elijah went up the mountain to meet God.

•

Elijah performed an incredible miracle and then slew 850 pagan priests on a mountain.

•

God chose a mountain as the site for the earthly temple.

•

Mountains have always been the favourite places of refuge.

•

The capital of Israel was on a mountain.

•

Some of the greatest revelations were received on mountains (e.g. Exodus 19, Revelation 21:10).

•

Christ’s greatest sermon was given on a mountain.

•

Christ’s temptation was on a mountain.

Facts on Biblical Mountains cont... •

Christ’s transfiguration was on a mountain.

•

Christ’s seven prayers to the Father were from a mountain.

•

Christ’s greatest prophecy was on a mountain.

•

Jesus chose the disciples on a mountain.

•

Jesus gave the disciples power over demons and disease on a mountain.

•

Christ withdrew to the mountain when He was sought after by the Jewish authorities.

•

Christ’s crucifixion was on a mountain.

•

Christ’s ascension was on a mountain.

•

Christ’s Great Commission was given on a mountain.

•

Christ’s return will be to a mountain.

•

A mountain is the site of eternal earthly capital.

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Scripture repeatedly says: •

My Holy Mountain.

•

The Mountain of the Lord.

•

Christ “went up the mountain to pray”.

Israel and David sang “Come and let us go up to the Mountain of our Lord.” Modern Day Mountains Our mountains are no longer literal, but spiritual, although they are still significant. Are you a mountain climber? God’s greatest desire is to meet you on the mountain. 

Hebrews 12:18, 22-24 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,...

22

But you have come to Mount Zion and to

the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

23

to the general assembly and church of the

firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24

to Jesus the Mediator of the

new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.



John 4:20-24 “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when

you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22

You worship what you do not know; we know what we

worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23

But the hour is coming, and

now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24

God is Spirit,

and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

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41.

Mount Zion

Old Covenant Law – brought people into relationship with God

•

New Covenant

•

Tabernacle of David

•

Worship in spirit and truth

Last Days Mountains 

Micah 4:1-2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.

2

Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go

up to the mountain of the LORD...” 

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God.

Example 3: Places in Scripture Places are symbolic and significant in Scripture, as we can see from the life of Elijah. Cherith means ‘a cutting off’ or ‘separation’ (1 Kings 17:1-4). •

Cherith was the brook where Elijah stayed during the first portion of the three year drought he had prophesied over idolatrous Israel. Here, God fed him miraculously by ravens.

•

This was a time of preparing Elijah for his upcoming ministry – maybe you are in this place right now.

Zarephath means ‘refining’ or ‘smelter’ (1 Kings 17:8-24). •

When the brook at Cherith dried up, God told Elijah to go to this brook, where a widow fed him. Elijah caused the widow’s oil to be plentiful and resurrected her son from the dead.

•

This was his next stage of development.

Mount Carmel denotes faith and authority (1 Kings 18:19-40). •

Mount Carmel represents Elijah’s great mountain-top experience. Here, he challenged 850 pagan priests and he demonstrated beyond question the unlimited power of the one true and living God of the universe. Elijah helped Israel to remove, rebuild, and refresh.

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Immediately after this great demonstration of God’s power, Elijah showed himself to be like other men of God who come down from ‘mountain-top’ experiences only to face self-doubt and forget that what they have just achieved was done in God’s strength, not their own.

•

After calling down fire, killing 850 pagan priests and outrunning the King’s chariot, he then ran off scared when Jezebel – a woman threatened him. He had run out of reserves, and did not look to God.

Beersheba means a well which symbolises refreshment (1 Kings 19:1-3). •

At Beersheba, God sent an angel to feed Elijah, telling him he needed it because the journey was too great for him.

Elijah needed

refreshment. •

He then got up and went a distance, the equivalent of going from Cape Reinga to Wellington, in forty days, arriving at Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai -God’s holy mountain – the place of the Old Testament covenant). Mount Sinai was where God symbolically dwelt.

Topic Study Example: Faithfulness Definition of Faithful: Strong’s #539: To build up or support, to foster as a parent or nurse. Figuratively: to render or be firm, faithful, to trust or believe, be permanent or quiet, be true or certain, go to the right hand – assurance, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, verified), turn to the right. First mention: God calls Moses faithful (Numbers 12:5-8) when rebuking Miriam and Aaron for not honouring him as their leader. God speaks from a cloud and clarifies that He is very close to Moses, and speaks face to face with him, because ... 19 he is “faithful in all my house.” This is repeated in Hebrews 3:2-5. God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9): ... Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. David rewards faithfulness (Psalm 101:6): This man after God’s heart also understood that faithfulness is demonstrated by obedience and servanthood and that the faithful are rewarded with the privilege of dwelling with and serving God and the person they are honouring. ‘Dwell with’ often refers to the abode of God and comes from the same root word as ‘shekinah glory’ © City Impact Church 2014

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(the abiding presence of God). For further study see dwell, dwelling place, shelter, refuge, sanctuary. David is faithful (1 Samuel 22:14): So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s sonin-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house?” David is also found to honour the house of Saul in his faithfulness. Summary •

When a person is faithful (steadfast and sure in their commitment, giving honour, desiring to care for the other as a parent), they are given position close to the other (at the right hand – symbolising the receiving of honour).

•

That faithfulness is demonstrated in serving and being committed to the house (the heart of the other person’s priorities).

•

God keeps his promises to generations if they love Him and obey Him.

•

Faithfulness is demonstrated by:

Love, obedience, servant hood, and

commitment to the House of God or a person. •

Faithfulness is rewarded by: Closeness (dwelling with), being given a place of honour (right hand), receiving faithfulness in return.

Parable of the Faithful Servant (Luke 12:35-40) •

He is found serving in his master’s house even though he doesn’t know when he will return.

•

He is rewarded by fellowship with Christ.

•

He will be given more (Luke 16:10 ‘he who is faithful with little will be faithful with much.’)

•

From those to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48)

•

Jesus is called ‘Faithful and True’ in Revelation 19:11 and also in several other passages including Hebrews 3:2 and 10:23.

•

Those who are with the lamb are called ‘chosen and faithful’ (Revelation 17:14)

We want to be described as a good and faithful servant when we stand before God (Matthew 25:21; Luke 19:17). Sub-topic ‘The Right Hand’: The use of the phrase "right hand" in the King James Version of the Bible may refer to several things depending upon the context in which it is used. •

The right hand is a place of distinction and favour (Genesis 48:13-19) as opposed to that of judgment or punishment (Matthew 25:33).

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The right hand is a place of wisdom as opposed to foolishness (Ecclesiastes 10:2).

•

The right hand signifies the direction of the south and the left hand the north when facing the sun (2 Samuel 24:5).

•

The right hand is a place of honour (1 Kings 2:19; Psalm 45:9); because of this, it is raised in swearing (Galatians 2:9).

•

The relation of the right hand in hand-to-hand combat is especially important as it is of greater value when holding a weapon and, thus, would be more important to protect (Psalm 16:8; 73:23; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5); would be the hand more targeted by the enemy (Job 30:12; Psalm 109:6; Zechariah 3:1); and, since it would be the most vulnerable with the shield being held in the left hand, would also be the place of greater danger and honour. Giving the right hand after a battle symbolized submission to the victor (Ezekiel 17:18; Jeremiah 50:15).

•

The right hand is the place of power and strength (Psalm 60:5; 63:8; 108:6; 118:15-16; 110:1; Isaiah 28:2; Matthew 22:44; Matthew 20:21, 23).

•

When mentioned together with the left hand, it denotes close association or intimacy (Mark 10:37).

Passage Study A passage study involves selecting a certain passage (sometimes a whole chapter) of a book in the Bible, and exploring and examining its theme and content, verse by verse. It is important to ensure the complete passage is selected. Passages often flow from one into another, however it is generally possible to find where one theme begins and ends. Passage study is expositional study and ultimately leads to a Book study. Example: James 3:13-18 Key word/ theme: Wisdom Key thought: Two Kinds of Wisdom Outline: Wisdom1 = Heavenly - from above Wisdom 2 = Earthly - sensual, devilish Exegesis: Characterisitics of Earhtly Wisdom •

Bitterness (v.14)

•

Envy(v.14,16)

•

Strife (v.14)

•

Glory/ boasting (v.14)

•

Lying against the Truth (v.14)

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•

Earthly (v.15)

•

Sensual, meets the desire of the flesh (v.15)

•

Devilish (v.15)

•

Confusion, tumult, disquiet, panic (v.16)

•

Every evil work – everything that is evil comes from this wisdom (v.16)

•

Partiality (v.17)

•

Hypocrisy (v.17)

Characterisitcs of Heavenly Wisdom •

Good conduct (v.13)

•

Meekness (v.13)

•

Pure (v.17)

•

Peaceable (v.17-18)

•

Gentle (v.17)

•

Easy to be entreated (v.17)

•

Full of mercy (v.17)

•

Full of good fruits (v.17)

•

Without partiality (v.17)

•

Without hypocrisy (v.17)

•

Fruit of righteousness (v.18)

•

Sown in peace/ make peace (v.18)

Additional Scriptures/ Illustrations: •

Proverbs 3:7, 13-30, 35

•

Proverbs 4:5-7

•

Proverbs 24:3-6

•

Exodus 31:6, 35:31, 36:2

•

Joshua was full of heavenly wisdom (Deut 34:9)

•

It was through heavenly wisdom that Israel was to be known as a great nation and wise people (Deut 4:5-7)

Practical Application and Conclusion: We need heavenly wisdom and must understand its value. It is integral in doing God’s will and bearing good fruit. Our lives should show heavenly wisdom as a stark contrast to the earthly in the world.

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Book Study A book study is essentially the ‘ultimate’ of all methods of Bible study and is a combination of the other types of study – word, place, characters, textual, topical and passage. It requires the skill to undertake each of these methods and results in the exposition of a whole book. Below are 2 approaches to completing a book study. Kevin J. Conner’s Approach: 1. Read the chosen book 2 or 3 times 2. Define whether the book is doctrinal, petical, personal, historical, prophetical or eschatological. 3. Discover what are the main themes of major theme of the book. 4. Study the background of the book – time and place. 5. Study the background of the city – geographically, culturally, politically, historically, religiously. 6. Undertake character studies – the writer, the recipients, other prominent persons. 7. Check the book’s problems / solutions. 8. Note any Old and/ or New Testament connections 9. Identify keys to expose the book – key words, key phrases, peculiarities. 10. Compose an outline of the book – main title, chapter titles, chapter sections or sub-headings. 11. Compose a summary of the discovered information. The International Inductive Study Approach: 1. Begin with Prayer 2. Ask the “5 W’s and an H” As you study any passage of scripture, any book of the Bible, train yourself to constantly ask: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? These questions are the building blocks of precise observation, which is essential for accurate interpretation. Accurate answers to the following questions will help assure correct interpretation. Who is speaking? Who is this about? Who are the main characters? And, to whom is he speaking? © City Impact Church 2014

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What is the subject or event covered in the chapter? What do you learn about the people, the event, or the teaching from the text? What instructions are given? When do or will the events occur? When did or will something happen to a particular person, people or nation? Where did or will this happen? Why is something being said or mentioned?

Why would or will this

happen? Why at this time? Why this person? How will it happen? How is it to be done? How is it illustrated? 3. Mark Key Words and Phrases A key word is one that is essential to the text. It may be a noun, a descriptive word, or an action that plays a part in conveying the author’s message. A key word or phrase is one which, when removed, leaves the passage devoid of meaning. Key words can be marked in several ways: •

Through the use of symbols:

•

Through the use of colours:

•

Through a combination of colours and symbols:

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4. Look for Lists 5. Watch for Contrasts and Comparisons Contrasts and comparisons use highly descriptive language to drive home significant truths and vital lessons. The word pictures they paint make it easier to remember what you have learned. 6. Note Expressions of Time 7. Identify Terms of Conclusions E.g. therefore, for this reason, and finally. When you see a “therefore” (or any term of conclusion), note what it is there for.

8. Develop Chapter themes This will centre on the main person, event, teaching or subject of that section of Scripture. 9. Discover lessons for life The Holy Spirit will bring to attention truths that God wants you to be aware of and live by in your own life.

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10. Complete the ‘At A Glance’ chart Example:

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Conclusion •

Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting the Bible. There is a gap of language, culture, geography and time between the writers of the Bible and modern day believers. It is essential to consider these factors when interpreting the Bible.

•

Using the 17 principles of Hermeneutics, we can experience the truth of the Bible at a deeper level than ever before.

•

The Bible itself is our greatest research tool. There are many other helpful tools available to us today.

•

Using the Strong’s Concordance, we can do word definition studies and gain a deeper insight into the meaning of any passage of Scripture.

•

Studying characters, places, topics, passages and books is another useful way to gain a greater understanding of God’s Word.

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Appendix A: God’s Word Faithful Stewards of God’s Word are to: 1. Crave the Word – 1 Peter 2:2 2. Believe the Word – John 2:22 3. Love the Word – Psalm 119:97, 127 4. Long for the Word – Psalm 119:20, 40, 131 5. Delight in the Word – Psalm 1:2; 119:35, 143 6. Rejoice in the Word – Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:111, 162 7. Treasure the Word – Job 23:12; Psalm 19:10-11 8. Esteem the Word – Psalm 138:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:13 9. Revere the Word – Psalm 119:161 10. Honour the Word – 2 Thessalonians 3:1 11. Trust in the Word – Psalm 119:42 12. Sing the Word – Psalm 119:54; Colossians 3:16 13. Meditate on the Word – Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8 14. Memorise the Word – Psalm 119:11, 16, 61, 128-129, 176 15. Abide in the Word – John 15:7; 1 John 2:23-25 16. Obey the Word – Deuteronomy 17:19-20; Joshua 22:5; Psalm 119:67; Luke 8:21; John 14:15, 17:6; 1 John 2:3-5, 5:2-3 17. Be Conformed by the Word – Psalm 119:133; 1 Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1 18. Not Be Ashamed of the Word – Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8 19. Contend for the Word – Jude 1:3; Titus 1:9 20. Defend the Word – Philippians 1:7 21. Suffer for the Word – 2 Timothy 1:8 22. Not Neglect the Word – 1 Corinthians 9:16 23. Be Empowered with the Word – 1 Thessalonians 1:5 24. Hope in the Word – Romans 15:4 25. Live the Word – Ezra 7:10; Philippians 1:27; James 1:22-25 26. Take Heed to the Word – 1 Timothy 4:16 27. Rightly Divide the Word – 2 Timothy 2:15; Nehemiah 8:8 28. Retain the Standard of the Word – 2 Timothy 2:13-14 29. Read the Word – 1 Timothy 4:13; Colossians 4:16 30. Share the Word – 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:1 31. Teach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:1-5 32. Exhort with the Word – 1 Timothy 4:13 33. Preach the Word – 2 Timothy 4:2 34. Tremble at His Word – Isaiah 66:2

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Compare that with the ways of the wicked: They willingly: 1. Corrupt the Word - 2 Corinthians 2:17 2. Reject the Word - Jeremiah 8:9 3. Disobey the Word - Psalm 119:158 4. Distort the Word - 2 Peter 3:16 5. Speak not its Truth - Isaiah 8:20 6. Hate its Instruction - Psalm 50:16-17 7. Do not Understand it - 1 Corinthians 2:14 8. Lay Aside the Word - Mark 7:6-9 9. Heed Doctrines of Demons – 1 Timothy 4:1-2 10. Promote Destructive Heresies - 2 Peter 2:1 11. Create Divisions - Titus 3:9-10 12. Proclaim Another Gospel - Galatians 1:6-9

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Appendix B: Word Study Template

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Appendix C: Word Study on the English word ‘Rejoice’ 

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.

1. Using your Strong’s Concordance, look up the word ‘rejoice’. 2. There will be multiple entries for rejoice, so move down until you find the reference for Philippians 4, and note the number in the margin. 3. This number is for the corresponding Hebrew or Greek word in the accompanying dictionaries (found towards the back). As the ‘rejoice’ we are looking at is in the New Testament, it will be a Greek word. Next, using the Greek dictionary, we can gain the following: The English Word

Rejoice

Strong’s Concordance Number

5463

Transliteration

Chairō

Pronunciation

Khah’ee-ro

Etymology and definition

To be ‘cheer’ful i.e. calmly happy or well off; Impersonal, especially as salutation on meeting or parting, be well.

Ways that the word is translated

Farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy, rejoice.

In your Greek dictionary, it will look similar to this:

Strong’s Number

Transliteration Greek

Pronunciation

5463 xalpw chairō, khah’ee-ro; a prim. verb; Etymology and definition

To be ‘cheer’ful i.e. calmly happy or well off; Impersonal, especially as salutation on meeting or parting, be well

Translation of word

© City Impact Church 2014

:- Farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting hail, joy, rejoice

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Appendix D: Word Study on the English word ‘Love’ The English word ‘love’ is translated from four Greek words, as noted on the diagram below from the concordance. There is no English word that is the exact equivalent of any Greek word.

It is not necessarily because the

translation is faulty. The diagram below shows how, for example, the word ‘Agape’ is translated in the Bible 86 times as ‘love’, 27 times as ‘charity’ and 3 times as another word.

CHARITY Agape, #26 86 times

LOVE

135 times

Agapao, #25

once 22 times

Thelo, #2309 Phileo, #5368

27 times 3 times 7 times 13 times 98 times 70 times 30 times 3 times

3 other words BELOVED DESIRE WILL WOULD 14 other words KISS

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Appendix E: Word Study on the English word ‘Thanksgiving’ Study for the word Thanksgiving:  Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Stage 1 – Define the word using Strong’s Concordance The English Word Strong’s Concordance Number Transliteration Pronunciation Etymology and definition Ways that the word is translated Stage 2 – Scripture analysis – Observation and Interpretation Scripture Observation

Interpretation

Stage 3 - Organisation for presentation What Where When Who Why -

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How -

Appendix F: Character Study on Enoch Scripture

Brief verse quote

Insights/details

Genesis 5:18

Jared...begot

Father is Jared - he was 162 when Enoch

Enoch.

was born. Jared was of godly line.

After he begot

Enoch is the firstborn of the godly line.

Enoch, Jared lived

He has brothers and sisters.

Genesis 5:19

800 years. Genesis 5:20

Genesis 5:21

Days of Jared were

Note the ‘death toll’ - each person after

962 years and he

Adam is recorded as meeting with

died.

death.

Enoch...begot

Enoch was married (by implication) and

Methuselah.

had a son at 65 years. His son’s death would mark the flood.

Genesis 5:22

Enoch walked with

Enoch was a family man. Enoch had a

God.

relationship with God after his son was born.

Genesis 5:23

Days of Enoch.

Enoch lived on earth for 365 years.

Genesis 5:24

Enoch walked with

He did not see death.

God...God took him. 1 Chronicles 1:2-3 Luke 3:37 Hebrews 11:5

Jared, Enoch

These three men were in a godly line.

Methuselah.

Enoch was the 7th man from Adam.

The son of Enoch,

He was in the genealogy of the Messiah,

the son of Jared...

Christ, through Joseph back to Adam.

By faith, Enoch was

By faith he was translated.

taken away.

He

had

a

testimony

before

his

translation and he pleased God. He couldn’t be found – people were looking for him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He that comes to God must believe He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Jude 1:14

Enoch...prophesied

Enoch was one of first to prophesy the

about these men.

second coming – the Lord comes with His saints to execute judgement.

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1. Definition of person’s name. Enoch – dedicated, disciplined, initiated. 2. Ancestral background. Godly line of Seth. 3. Political, religious and cultural situation of the day. Pre-Flood, Antediluvian age. 4. What positive and negative character traits do they reveal? Negative

-

None recorded.

Positive

-

Godly heritage.

-

Dedicated, disciplined, and initiated.

-

Walked with God (Genesis 5:24).

-

Man of faith and diligence (Hebrews 11:5).

-

Pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).

-

Had a good testimony (Hebrews 11:5).

-

Prophesied the Lord’s second coming and judgement on the ungodly (Jude 1:14-15).

5. Prominent events that took place in their lifetime. Enoch was translated from earth to heaven without dying – death was conquered. 6. What spiritual or practical lessons can you learn from them? -

Our lives must be dedicated to God.

-

We should walk with God. Our testimony.

-

Seek to please God.

-

Be a people of faith and diligence.

-

Be a prophetic people – speak of the Lord’s coming again.

-

We may be in that end-time generation that, like Enoch, will not see death but experience translation when the Lord comes again.

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Appendix H: Character Study on Abel Abel Scripture

Brief verse quote

Insights/details

1. Definition of person’s name. Breath, Transitory. 2. Ancestral background. Son of Adam. 3. Political, religious and cultural situation of the day. Pre-Flood. First generation after the Fall. 4. What positive and negative character traits do they reveal? Negative Positive

-

5. Prominent events that took place in their lifetime.

6. What spiritual or practical lessons can you learn from them?

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