Covenant Treasure Institute
THE BIBLE I SERIES
LESSON 1, INTRO, THE “LIVING” WORD
By Patricia Smith
Chronological controversy over the writings of John:
Some contend that the gospel of John was written first, then his letters (1, 2 & 3 John) and finally his revelation on the isle of Patmos.
Others feel that his letters were first penned, then his gospel and finally revelation.
Some scholars who believe that Revelation was the first book that John actually wrote his letters later and finally in his old age, he was asked by other Christians to write his account of the life of Jesus on earth.
John explains things the other gospels do not, which lends credence to the fact that his gospel was the last one written.
John gives the account of Jesus at the “last great day of the feast” standing and saying that those who believed on Him, “out of their bellies, living waters” would flow. Then he clarifies the statement by adding that Jesus had been speaking about the Holy Spirit which at that time had not yet been given. (John 7:37-39)
John saw a vision of Jesus’ second coming as written in Revelation, chapter 19, beginning with verse 11. He describes Him as riding upon a white horse, and his description of Him is truly majestic. But he then makes a statement of something he saw about Jesus that would ever after color his whole way of thinking, his entire life, his total Christian experience. He says, in verse 13, “He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is, The Word of God.” (Amplified Bible)
This so impressed John, that when he wrote his epistles, he begins 1st John by saying: “We are writing about the Word of Life…Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our own eyes, Whom we have gazed upon for ourselves and have touched with our own hands…” (1John 1, 2 Amplified Bible)
In his old age, when asked to pen the account of the life of Jesus on earth, what was it he most wanted people to understand about Jesus? His mind went back to that vision and “the name” and he began to write: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 KJV) Then the awesome revelation (vs. 14)…”and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory...”
John saw Jesus in many forms and aspects:
Lion of the tribe of Judah
Lamb of God
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Bread of Life
Light of the World
the Way, the Truth, the Life
the Good Shepherd
the Door
Why was he compelled to open up his dissertation as to the person of Christ by giving witness to the fact that Jesus was “The Word”?
John believed that if his readers could know what he knew about Jesus, if they could see Him as the Word of God, they too would be forever changed.
Since man’s separation from God in Eden, we have sought to “know” God. People throughout history have developed
behaviors, rules and methods whereby we could “know” God.
this is what we call “religion,” or man’s search for God.
we simply cannot “know” or understand Him.
He is High, He is Holy, He is unattainable.
we could know nothing of Him unless He were to start speaking to us, revealing His innermost thoughts and His heart.
The cardinal rule of communication:
THE BURDEN OF COMMUNICATION RESTS ON THE HIGHER INTELLECT.
We illustrate thus:
Let us suppose that you want a puppy and your neighbor happens to have a dog with a litter of seven pups. You go to visit and look them over. You pick up first one, then another, looking at them for some redemptive quality, something about them that makes them appealing to you. Over in the corner, you see one looking up with baleful eyes, not as large as the rest, not as lively, rather pathetic. His very helplessness, his condition as the “runt” stirs something in you, and you pity him so much that you “CHOOSE” him. Now that he is “chosen,” you take him to your home. There his lessons begin. If he is to learn that you love him, he does so by
your communication because you are the higher intellect, therefore the burden of communication rests with you.
you picking him up, giving him a name, talking to him; you teach him words….”no” “good dog” “sit” “lie down” “outside?” He soon learns what pleases you and what doesn’t by your communication.
Jesus said, “you did not choose me…I CHOSE YOU.” How amazing! Before the foundations of the world, God walked through the orphanage of this world and for some reason known only to Him, (perhaps the very wretchedness of our condition?) He laid His hand on you and said, “this one’s mine…I choose you.” (Eph. 1:4; John 15:16)
There had to be communication, and the burden of it rested solely on God as the higher intellect.
So God, according to Hebrews 1:1-2, spoke all through the centuries
in different ways through
different means
revealing only small glimpses of Himself
Finally
chose to trust us completely and reveal every single thing that was in Him
in His mind
in His Heart
He did so by
taking every word that could communicate every thought
wrapping it in flesh
“and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”
“We beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father”
“in Him, dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”
Because everything about God
every thought or purpose
every attribute
every ability
every quality
EVERYTHING that was in God
was given to us in the form of a little pink, squinting, wriggling piece of human infant flesh.
He grew to an adult and began His “communication” with us.
Everything He said was only some of the words of the Word.
The words in your Bible are only some of the words of The Word.
They have a life of their own.
Because:
Jesus came to reveal all of God to us.
He revealed His unfathomable love by bearing all of our sins and the penalty for them in His own body.
He died and rose again in our place for total redemption and eternal life!
After His resurrection,
He poured out His very own spirit on us.
He filled us with Himself.
NOW the “spirit” that “searches out the deep and hidden things of God” has taken up residence in us.
BECAUSE WE ARE HIS “TRUSTED FRIENDS”
An open line of communication has been established between you and your Father because you are joined to Him through one Spirit.
The Bible you hold in your hand was written like this:
Holy men of old were moved upon by that same spirit (2 Pet. 1:21)
wrote from the mouth of God as it were, to the minds of men
that SAME SPIRIT, no longer moves upon and removes from you
dwells within you
When you open the Bible to read it,
the spirit that communicated it from God in the first place is there,
it opens your spiritual eyes,
you may read it as a living, powerful word of communication from God Himself.
When this occurs, it is called
a divine “revelation”,
Greek word for “revelation” simply means the “lifting of a curtain”,
curtain lifted by the Holy Spirit of God,
you see the real truth that is alive underneath the mere printed words.
In that instant, just as Jesus was The Word made flesh,
that particular portion of the Word is made flesh in you and you are changed.
that is why it is said that the Word is “quick” (alive) and “powerful”.
It can absolutely move in you to change
your situation
your thinking
your circumstances
everything about you
The entire Bible is a revelation just waiting to be experienced by the people of God “in the knowledge of HIM”.
It is all about Him in its entirety and can change you from being like you to being like Him in an instant.
Always read it preceded by prayer and asking Holy Spirit to “teach” you by “lifting the curtain and bringing you a revelation OF HIM.
Mere memorization is not divine revelation. The LIVING Word is underneath the page, waiting to be revealed by Holy Spirit and ONLY by Holy Spirit.
TITLES
400 years after the birth of Christ, the authentic collection of all the inspired writers began to be called “the Bible.” It is a word derived from the Greek “biblos” meaning simply, “book.”
We speak of the “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” This word “testament” is from the Latin “testamentum,” “covenant.”
New Testament writers call the Old Testament writings “the scripture,” “Scripture,” “the holy scriptures,” “the law,” “the law of Moses,” “the word of God” and “the word.”
DIVISIONS
The Hebrews divided their Scriptures (39 books) into only 3 parts . . .
The Law
the Prophets
the Writings
The Law is the first five books of the O.T. It is also called by the Jews
the Torah,
the Five Books of Moses
the Pentateuch, (a Greek word meaning (five books”).
These five books are:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The Prophets, a collection of:
21 books
included historical books
the prophetic books
The Writings are 13 books also known as:
the Hagiographa
They include all other books, devotional and historical
THE ENGLISH BIBLE consists of two divisions:
Old Testament with 39 books
New Testament with 27
14 Apocryphal books (considered to be uninspired) some of which are included in the Catholic versions of the Bible (Book of Enoch, 1 & 2 Maccabees, etc.)
English Bibles divided the Old Testament into four categories:
Law
History
Poetry
Prophecy
The New Testament also into four parts:
the Gospels
The Acts of the Apostles
the Epistles (most of which are Paul’s)
Apocalypse (Revelation)
The Bible originally had no chapter and verse divisions. Not until the 9th century after Christ died, did the Jewish Masoretes put verses in the O.T. It was not until
1528 scholars put both chapter and verse division into the Bible
TEST REVIEW
The Bible I Series, Lesson 1, Intro, The “Living” Word
1. Why is Bible study important to the Christian believer? _______________________________
2. What controversy exists as to the writings of the apostle John? ________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Name some of the titles that John knew applied to Jesus. ____________________________
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4. Assuming that John saw his vision of “the Word of God” as recorded in Revelation, prior to his other writings, why do you think it was so important to him that he began both his gospel and his first general letter (1st John) with reference to ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. True or false: The burden of communication rests upon the higher intellect_________________
6. Jesus was the _____________ made ______________ .
7. The Bible contains ____________of the words of the ____________________.
8. Revelation means the lifting of_____________________ .
9. Who is the agent on earth today that can give us revelation of the things of God as written in the Bible? _________________________
10. In your own words, describe what it means to have a revelation and how it occurs? ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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11. The word “biblos” is derived from the _________and translates into English as __________it simply means _____________.
12. The Hebrew Scriptures are what we call the _________________ . In Hebrew it is called the ________________ .
13. The Hebrews divide the Old Testament into __________sections. These are:
1) ________________________ 2) ________________________ 3) ______________________
14. English speaking scholars have divided the Old Testament into __________sections. These are: 1) __________________________________ 2) ___________________________________
3) __________________________________ 4) ___________________________________
15. When was the Bible actually divided into chapter and verse? ________________
16. What are the two divisions of the entire English Bible? ___________________________________________________________________________
17. How many books in each division? ________and ________ total of _________