2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21
OPEN IT:
What is the best book you have ever read, other than the Bible? What made it the “best”?
Case for Christ, On Being a Preacher, Total Forgiveness
DIG INTO IT:
1. Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and answer the following questions:
16. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17. so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
a) In your own words, explain what “God breathed” means as pertaining to the Scriptures.
God breathed, means that God, through the Holy Spirit, God wrote all of the Bible through people that he chose. A great example is the breath of life in Genesis. God forms Adam out of the dust on the ground. At this point every part of Adam can be found in the earth in particles and minerals. It isn’t until God then breathed life into his lungs that he became human. The entire Bible is held together through God’s breath of life.
b) Is Timothy referring to the Old Testament, New Testament or both? Explain your answer:
Timothy is referring to both the old and New Testament when he says all scripture is God breathed…
c) List the four areas Scripture is “useful” for:
Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness
d) In which of the four above areas would you say Scripture has been most helpful to you and why?
e) In what practical ways does God “equip” us through His Word?
2. Read 2 Peter 1:20-21 and answer the following questions:
20. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
21. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
a) What role did the prophet play in writing Scripture?
The prophet was the instrument that God used to write the Scriptures. The prophet did not write of his own interpretation, but of God’s will.
b) Would it be more accurate to say – “God literally wrote every word of Scripture” or “God oversaw the writing of Scripture through men that He chose”? Explain:
God did not literally write the scripture, God oversaw the writing of scripture through the men that he chose. It was through divine inspiration that the prophets wrote, my God wanted to be said.
c) Did the Holy Spirit include the individual writer’s personality, style, etc…in the writing of Scripture? Explain:
The Holy Spirit did use individual personalities in the style of the writings. God did this intentionally which makes a beautiful melting pot of writing styles, while following one perfectly consistent storyline. The Bible was written over 1600 years by 40 different authors. It would be absolutely impossible for man to accomplish this feat. The writers were different ages, different, professions, different intellectual levels, spoke different languages, etc. How could all of these different authors write one continuous beautiful story? They couldn’t. Only through God’s holy spirit, and divine leading could this happen.
d) What does it mean to be “carried along” by the Holy Spirit?
REFLECT ON IT:
1. What is the greatest benefit that Scripture has had for you personally? What is the detriment?
John, 8:32 says, “…and they will know the truth, and the truth shall set them free.”
The greatest benefit the scripture has shown me is the truth. We live in a world surrounded by lies at every corner, through every medium. The Bible is always the truth. It is the one thing in this world that you can trust fully.
2. Do you find it difficult to spend time reading the Bible? Why or why not?
Many answered this question with a “yes.“ They knew that it was good for them to read the scripture. They wanted to read the scripture, but, admittedly, they found it boring. For some reason, their hobbies were so easy for them to tear into, but getting to know, the creator was difficult. It was discussed that, a great solution to this is to bring God into our hobbies. It is easier to invite someone to watch a football game, than to come to a men’s Bible study.
3. The Bible claims God as its origin. When you read the Bible do you feel as if God is literally speaking to you?
God probably doesn’t audibly speak to us, although he could, and does to some people. But mostly, God speaks to us through his living word. We can read a passage over and over, and nothing significant is said to us. Then, all of a sudden, we read the same passage, and it has deep meaning. This is God speaking to you through his word. His word is perfect and is always available to those who seek it.
4. If all Bibles were suddenly taken from the face of the earth, how long would it take you to realize yours was missing? What would be different about your life?
If all Bibles were taken from the face of the earth, it would be realized very quickly in this group. However, it was pointed out, that God’s word could never be taken from this earth, unless he wanted it to be taken. Even if all the paper copies and electronic copies of the Bible were gone, his word would live on in his church people. They would collaborate and share the Bible stories they had memorized. There is no evilness on earth that can take away gods word.
5. How can we pray for you today?
PRAY ABOUT IT:
“The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray.” ~ S.D. Gordon
Davis, Barry L.. Instant Bible Studies for Small Groups (pp. 23-24). GodSpeed Publishing. Kindle Edition.