Friday, April 10
Read the following pages from the document “Methods of Bible Study”: “2. Presuppositions Arising From the Claims of Scripture”, part a. Origin, and part b. Authority. (“Methods of Bible Study” can be found at www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/bible-interpretation-hermeneutics/methods-bible-study).
As essential as the Bible is to our faith, it alone would be of no real spiritual value to us were it not for the influence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds as we read and study it.
“In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience. … Yet the fact that God has revealed His will to men through His word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour, to open the word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the Spirit of God that inspired the Bible, it is impossible that the teaching of the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the word.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 9
Discussion Questions:
1. Why does God reveal Himself and His will to us? Why do we need revelation?
2. How does God reveal Himself? God uses different means to reveal something about Himself. He does so in a more general way through nature, but more specifically through dreams (Daniel 7:1); visions (Genesis 15:1); signs (1 Kings 18:24, 38); and through His son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1, 2). Has God revealed Himself to you personally? Share your experience.
3. Some Bible scholars reject many of the teachings of the Bible, seeing them as mere myths. Teachings like the Creation story, a literal Adam and Eve, the Exodus, and the stories of Daniel are just a few examples (from the Old Testament) of teachings that are dismissed as nothing but made-up stories designed to teach spiritual truths. This is what happens when humans pass judgment upon God’s Word. What should this tell us about how dangerous such an attitude clearly is?
4. God has revealed His will in a powerful way in the Bible. Yet, God desires your help in spreading His will and the good news of His salvation in Jesus Christ alone. When people observe you, what kind of God do they see in you and through your behavior?
