1. The Bible
An Introduction to God’s
Grand Story
Week 1

3. What is the Bible?
• What are some views of the Bible?
– Answer Book
– Owners Manuel
– Theological Text Book
– Tool for Manipulation
• What are the issues that come
with each of these views?

4. What is the Bible?
The Bible is not a book for the faint of heart
- it is a book full of all the greed and glory
and violence and tenderness and sex and
betrayal that benefits mankind. It is not the
collection of pretty little anecdotes mouthed
by pious little church mice - it does not so
much nibble at our shoe leather as it cuts to
the heart and splits the marrow from the
bone. It does not give us answers fitted to
our small-minded questions, but truth that
goes beyond what we can even know to ask.
from Thoughts and Reflections by Rich Mullins

5. What is the Bible?
• A working definition:
A collection of writings
containing the record and
revelation of God’s
interaction with man.

6. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
• Pentateuch
– Genesis
– Exodus
– Leviticus
– Numbers
– Deuteronomy

7. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
• Pentateuch
• Pre-Kings
– Joshua
– Judges
– Ruth

8. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
• Pentateuch
• Pre-Kings
• Kings
– 1 & 2 Samuel
– 1 & 2 Kings
– 1 & 2 Chronicles

9. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
• Pentateuch
• Pre-Kings
• Kings
• Captivity
– Ezra
– Nehemiah
– Esther

10. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
– Poetry
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Solomon

11. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
– Poetry
– Prophets
• Major Prophets
– Isaiah
– Jeremiah
– Lamentations
– Ezekiel
– Daniel

12. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
– Poetry
– Prophets
• Major Prophets
• Minor Prophets
– Hosea - Malachi

13. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
– Historical
– Poetry
– Prophets

14. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John

15. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
– History
• Acts

16. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
– History
– Paul’s Letters
• Romans –Philemon

17. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
– History
– Paul’s Letters
– Other Letters
• Hebrews-Jude

18. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
– History
– Paul’s Letters
– Other Letters
– Prophecy
• Revelation

19. A collection of writings…
• Old Testament
• New Testament
– Gospels
– History
– Paul’s Letters
– Other Letters
– Prophecy

20. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
Two extremes are to be avoided when
describing the Bible: Either by denying
or diminishing its divine characteristics
while affirming its human traits, or else
affirming its divine properties while
denying or diminishing its human
elements.
Systematic Theology by Norman Geisler

21. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
– Authors
– Literary styles and forms
– Reflects different human
• Perspectives
• Thought patterns
• Emotions
• Interests
• Culture
• Sources

22. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
But He answered and said, “It is
written, ‘Man shall not live on bread
alone, but on every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
Matthew 4:4

23. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
“Do not think that I came to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I did not come to
abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you,
until heaven and earth pass away, not the
smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the
Law until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 5:17-18

24. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
– Supremacy
And He answered and said to them,
“Why do you yourselves transgress
the commandment of God for the
sake of your tradition?”
Matthew 15:3

25. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
– Supremacy
– True
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your
word is truth.”
John 17:17

26. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
– Supremacy
– True
– Historical Reliability
• Matthew 12:40; cf. 16:4
• Matthew 24:37-38

27. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
– Supremacy
– True
– Historical Reliability
– Accuracy
• Matthew 19:4-5

28. …containing the record and
revelation…
• Record
• Revelation
– Divine Authority
– Imperishability
– Supremacy
– True
– Historical Reliability
– Accuracy

29. … of God’s interaction with
man.
• Actual people
• Actual places
• Actual problems
• Actual encounters
• Actually God

30. How did we get it?
All transmissions of the Bible
were handwritten until the
invention of the printing press
in 1450s by Johann
Gutenberg.

31. How did we get it?
• Old Testament
– Hebrew Bible
• Law (Torah) – Genesis – Deuteronomy
• Prophets
– The Former Prophets – Joshua – Kings
– The Latter Prophets – Isaiah – The Book of the
Twelve
• Writings
– Poetic Books – Psalms, Job, Proverbs
– Five Scrolls – Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecc, Lam,
Esther
– Historical Books – Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Chronicles
– Written in two related languages, Hebrew
and Aramaic

32. How did we get it?
• Old Testament
– Sometime around 250 BC the Jews
began to use Aramaic language.
– Septuagint (LXX): Greek translation
of the Old Testament translated
around 300-150 BC.

33. ‫‪Old Testament‬‬
‫)‪Genesis 1:1-2 (BHS/WIVU‬‬
‫1 בראׁשיה ת ברא אלהי ם אה ת הׁשמי ם‬
‫ּ ֵ ו םִ ּ יַ֖מָ לֱ ִהֹ ו םִ ֵ ַ ּ ַו םִ‬
‫ּׁ ו םִי֖‬
‫יַ֖מָ‬ ‫ םי֑ ת֥‬ ‫ֵרְ ּׁ יַ֖מָ ֱא א֣‬ ‫ו םִי֖‬
‫ואה ת האר׃ץ׃‬
‫ֵרְ ֵ יַ֖מָ יַ֖מָ ׃ץֶ‬
‫ץֶרֽ‬ ‫ ת֥‬
‫ֵרְ יַ֖מָ יַ֖מָ ׃ץֶ יַ֖מֵָרְ יַ֖מָ ִהֹ ּ יַ֖מָ ִהֹ ּ ֵרְ ִהֹ ּׁ ֵרְ‬
‫2 והאר׃ץ היה תה ה תהו ובהו וחׁשך‬
‫ו םִי֖ ׃ץֶ‬ ‫ ת֥ וה֨ ו ֙ ּוה֔‬ ‫ץֶר֗‬
‫על־פני ה תהו ם ורוח אלהי ם מרחפה ת‬
‫ַ ֵּ ֵרְ םיִ֑הֹ ֵרְ ֱא אּ֣ ַ לֱ ִהֹ ו םִ ֵרְ ַ ׃ץֶ ׃ץֶ‬
‫ו םִי֖‬ ‫ּוה֔‬ ‫ֵרְֱא א֣‬
‫על־פני המי ם׃‬
‫ַ ּ ת֥ ַ יַ֖מָו םִ‬
‫ץֶרֽ‬
‫ֵרְֵ ּ‬

34. Old Testament
Genesis 1:1-2 (LXX)
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν
οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. 2 ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν
ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ
σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ
πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ
ὕδατος.

35. How did we get it?
• New Testament
– The New Testament was originally
written in Koine Greek between the
years 40-100 AD.
– 80% of the OT quotes in the NT are
from the Septuagint.

36. How did we get it?
• Chapter Divisions
– Stephen Langon in the 12th century
– Robert Estienne in Geneva in 1557

37. Geneva in 1557

38. How did we get it?
• Canonization
A collection or list of books
accepted as an authoritative
rule of faith and practice.

39. Canonization
• Jesus ben Sirach’s grandson,
writing about 132 BC, references
scripture.
• Josephus (90-100 AD)
• Jewish tradition claimed that
prophecy had ceased about 400
BC.
• Jesus in Luke 11:49-51

40. Luke 11:49-51
“For this reason also the wisdom of God
said, ‘I will send to them prophets and
apostles, and some of them they will kill
and some they will persecute, so that the
blood of all the prophets, shed since the
foundation of the world, may be charged
against this generation, from the blood of
Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was
killed between the altar and the house of
God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged
against this generation.’”
Luke 11:49-51

41. How did we get it?
• John Gutenberg (1398-1468) published
the first Bible.
• Wycliffe’s first version of the New
Testament in Middle English appeared
in 1380.
• Tyndale’s Bible was printed in 1526.
– went back to the original Hebrew and
Greek.
– printed in and used modern English.
• The Geneva Translation had marginal
notes that were Calvinistic (1556).

42. John Gutenberg

43. Wycliffe’s Bible

44. Geneva Translation

45. How did we get it?
• King James I of England (1604)
– 54 biblical scholars
– Six groups
– 1611 the work was complete
– Used for over three centuries

46. In
Most
Literal
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V ar
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Pa
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Translations
Bi as
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St
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Least
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47. Translations

48. Translations
John 3:16 John 3:16 (The John 3:16
(NASB95) Message) (NLT)
“For God so “This is how “For God
loved the world, much God loved the
that He gave loved the world: world so
His only He gave his much that he
begotten Son, Son, his one gave his one
that whoever and only Son. and only Son,
believes in Him And this is why: so that
shall not perish, so that no one everyone
but have need be who believes
eternal life.” destroyed; by in him will not
believing in perish but
him, anyone have eternal
can have a life.”
whole and
lasting life.”

49. Interlinear

50. Why is it important to me?
• Considered authoritative
• Used to determine beliefs and
doctrines
• Claims to be the Word of God
– 3800 times the Bible declares “God
said” or “Thus says the Lord”
– Paul’s confession (1 Corinthians
14:37)
– John’s confession ( 1 John 4:6)

51. Why is it important to me?
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God
and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for training
in righteousness; so that the man
of God may be adequate,
equipped for every good work.

52. Why is it important to me?
• Teaching
– Instructing believers in God’s truth
– Standard
• Reproof
– Changing behavior
– Behavior not matching standard
• Correction
– Changing thinking
– Thinking not matching standard
• Training
– Modeling behaviors
– Guiding toward standard

53. Summary
• God desires to be in relationship
with us and the Bible is an
important tool in the development
of that relationship.
• It is important that we do not
replace a love for the Bible for a
love of God.