The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our August 12, 2018 message, The 7: The Bible. This message is part of our series, "The 7." See other messages in this series.
Summary
What is your attitude toward the Bible? As we continue our series, “The 7,” we focus on the first of the seven essential beliefs of Christianity: The Bible. The Bible is God’s story anchored in the context of history. It is our authority, our conscience, and our guide. We are firm where it is firm, and we are flexible where it is flexible.
Key Takeaways
Here are a few reminders from the first week of our series, “The 7,” talking about the essentials of the Christian faith:
- The faith refers to the essential beliefs of Christianity, which are: The Bible, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Man, Salvation, and the Second Coming.
- The liberal church questions essentials and convictions.
- The fundamentalist church makes opinions and questions essentials.
Essential convictions make for a healthy, joyful, equipped, useful, fruitful Christ follower; and a church of Christ followers with essential convictions makes a healthy church.
The Bible is God’s story anchored in the context of history.
When you read your Bible, don’t ask, “What does this mean to me?” Instead, you must ask what the Authority meant, and you would do well to put yourself underneath it.
The timeless principles and truths of Scripture never change across time and culture.
Divine physician’s general warning: Ingesting false teaching WILL complicate your life, possibly eternally. Examine the Scriptures to see if the things you hear are True.
The Bible is our authority. It is our conscience, and it is our guide. We are firm where it is firm, and we are flexible where it is flexible.
To be a member at this church, you must hold to this conviction:
- We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, as well as the supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice.
You don’t read your Bible as an intellectual exercise so that you know facts about God.
When you read your Bible, you want to make sure you read it as one who is approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
If you accept some parts of the Bible and reject other parts, it’s not the Bible you believe in, it’s yourself you believe in.
“The world is always at peace with a lukewarm church, and a lukewarm church is always pleased with itself.” -Charles Spurgeon
“If you want to save men’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth.” -Charles Spurgeon
The Bible: read it in, pray it out, pass it on.
The reason God tells you what’s right and wrong in His Word is that He wants it to go well with you. (Deuteronomy 4:40)
“The more society drifts from truth, the more society is going to hate those who speak it” -George Orwell
Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth
The reason the church has so little influence on culture is because culture has had so much influence on the church.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- What is your attitude toward the Bible? Share your answer with your community group, and ask them to help you grow in your love for and application of God’s Word.
- If someone were to ask you, “What is the overarching and central message of the entire Bible?,” what would you say? Sign up for one of our Core Classes to better learn to study and understand the Bible.
- Do you have a Bible reading plan? Check out www.jointhejourney.com to join us as we read the Bible as a church together every day.
- Reading the Bible isn’t about information, but rather, transformation. For the next week, every time you read your Bible, write down a one-sentence application about how you are going to apply—in the 24-hours after you read—what you just read.
Mentioned or Recommended Resources
- Suggested Scripture Study: Acts 2:38, Romans 10:8-10, James 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Acts 20:28-31, 2 Peter 1:1-9, Colossians 1:28-29, 2 Peter 3:14-18, Ezekiel 3:1-11
- What We Believe At Watermark
- Can We Trust The Bible?
- How Badly Did the Early Scribes Corrupt the New Testament?
- Real Truth Real Quick: What Is An Easy Way To Memorize Scripture?
- Real Truth Real Quick: Is It A Sin Not To Read Your Bible?
- Real Truth Real Quick: What’s The Best Bible Translation?
- Real Truth Real Quick: What Book Of The Bible Should I Read First?
- “Living By The Book” by Howard Hendricks, available wherever books are sold.
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