Understanding the Bible

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CONTENTS OF THE PAGE

About us

 

Details of the background of the site and of the author.
What is the Bible? A careful description of what is found in the Bible, designed for someone who has had no previous experience of the Bible. 
What is the Christian Faith? Three pages setting out to explain to an enquirer the three propositions of the Christian Faith

PROPOSITION 1: Jesus was the Son of God  

PROPOSITION 2: Jesus Christ's death was sacrificial and paid the penalty for our sins so that we can be forgiven and  reconciled to God  

PROPOSITION 3 : Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave to be Lord of All, and so that we can have Eternal Life through him.  

 

What is the Christian Gospel? This page explains what is the central message of the Christian faith; the Good News or 'Gospel'.
Bible Overviews

Two major overviews of the message of the Bible: one based on the revelation of the Kingdom of God  

the other is based on the Covenants of the Old Testament and their fulfilment in Christ   .

 

Bible Studies

1. A series of five studies in 1 Peter. 

2. Four (Lent) studies on what the Cross achieved for believers.  

3. Eight Studies in Colossians  

4. Four studies on Christ's second Coming.  

5. Isaiah - references to the first and second Coming of Christ  

6. Three introductory studies for new Christians  

7. Three studies on the Christian's use of time, gifts, money and possessions. 

8. A One Session Study on Christian giving from 2 Cor.8.9.  

9. Mark's Gospel in One Session  

10. A seven-part series of group studies in Philippians.  

11. The Mission and Experiences of the Apostle Paul  

Bible Time Line A comprehensive time-line describing the continuing story of the Bible and its revelation of God with interpretation of events in terms of biblical theology.  
Bible Gym

 

Multiple exercises in the exegesis of short passages of the Bible with a page of suggested answers to the questions posed.  
Bible Quiz

A stretching quiz of 24 questions testing knowledge of the Bible's teaching about salvation and its consequences. The quiz may be copied onto 4 sides of A4. An answer page is provided.  

 

Devotional Articles  A series of devotional articles written by a guest author:

1. Changed by Christ's love  

2. Looking for God - Job finds reality  

3. Temples, Priests and Truth  

Devotional Doctrine A series of articles considering aspects of believing and living the Christian faith designed to both inform and motivate.

1. By Faith from First to Last  

2. A Redeemed 'People'  

3. The Sunbeam in the Toolshed  

Doctrine for Everyone

 

 

 

 

1. Confidence in the Gospel and Scripture (1) The Gift of Righteousness (2) Living under the Power of the Gospel (3) Confidence in the Bible.  

2. The Nature of the Trinity - explaining clearly the nature of the Trinity as a unity and the work of each person of the Trinity in our salvation.  

3. How Roman Catholic Belief on Justification differs from Protestant Belief  This is the key issue which divides Christendom: this article uses documentary evidence to explain exactly what the Roman Catholic Church teaches in answer to the question "How is a person saved?". It also clarifies the answer to the question for all Christians.  

4. Augustine's Mistake and Luther's Rediscovery   The mistaken belief on Augustine's part that the Greek word for 'to justify' meant 'to make righteous' instead of 'to declare righteous' led to a major misunderstanding that persists to this day. It wasn't until the Reformation that the true meaning was rediscovered.  

5. What is the Gospel? (1) The Gospel is Christ's perfect and complete work FOR US (2) How Scripture describes the Gospel (3) What is not the Gospel?  (4) The Gospel is the power for salvation  (5) The Content of the Gospel - Outline by Dr J.Packer  

6. The Words of Institution (at the Last Supper) What did Jesus really mean?  

7. Christ - the Wisdom of God In what way is Christ wisdom from God - is it just that he spoke God's wisdom or is there more to it than that?  

8. Four Sessions of Preparation for Anglican Confirmation (1) What is the Gospel? (2) Becoming and Being a Christian (3) Growing as a Christian - the Holy Spirit and the Church (4) Growing as a Christian - Confidence in the Authority and Use of the Bible.  

9. The Importance of Biblical Theology    A brief article explaining what Biblical theology is and giving examples of how it helps us to put together a fuller understanding of the interpretation of biblical events.  

10. The Cross of Christ  This comprises three major seminars  (1) Rediscovering the centrality of the Cross. (2) At the heart of the Cross. (3) Our life under the Cross. With three  accompanying resource studies (1) 'The Cross as Rejection and Sacrifice' - a study in Mark's Gospel. (2) 'Our Saviour King' - a study in John's Gospel (3) 'Priest and Sacrifice' - a study in Hebrews.  

11.  The BIG Words of Salvation Pithy explanations of Grace, Atonement and Propitiation, Regeneration and the New Birth, Justification, Redemption, Reconciliation, Adoption, Sanctification, and Glorification.  

12. A Difficult Verse for Jehovah's Witnesses. There is a verse in Hebrews that challenges the JW's belief that Jesus was not divine.  

13. Notes on the Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ. A summary of the answers to the main arguments which are used to try to refute the resurrection.  

 

How to Prepare and Lead

 

Articles with advice, firstly, on how to prepare a passage of the Bible for leading a group study or for presenting in a talk or sermon, and secondly on how best to lead a small group, house group or Bible study.
Information and Application

 

 

 

 

1. Hasn't science disproved Christianity? The theory of evolution still has some major problems which evolutionists are reluctant to acknowledge. They seem determined to keep a Creator out of the picture. But Christians must think clearly.  

2. Early Non-Christian References to Christ or Christians by Roman and Jewish writers.  

3. Estimated Dates of the New Testament Books Paul's letters all written before the Gospels (!) and all the New Testament written by 100 AD.  

4. Jesus' Use of the Old Testament   Jesus quoted the OT authoritatively and quoted it extensively.     

5. Types of Revelation Christianity is a revealed religion: no one made it up. God revealed it.                     

6. If we do not read the Bible  To deny ourselves the Bible is like going without food. We will be of little use to God and wither and die spiritually.    

7. Home, Work and Church - Fragmented or Integrated? How can we live our lives so that the different parts do not clash, but work together? This article includes a seminar and group work. 

8. Fellowship in the local church - pretence or open-ness? How can we live harmoniously together in the church fellowship? This article includes a seminar and group work.  

9. Biblical References to Homosexual Practice Christians must be clear that God has spoken strongly against homosexual practice, but holds out hope of change for those who submit to Christ. The church must find ways to welcome and help those struggling with this issue. 

10. The Appearances of Jesus after his Resurrection Have you ever seen the complete list of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances? - well, here it is. 

11. The Old Testament according to Josephus. A strong statement of the Jew's commitment to the authority of the Old Testament. 

12. The Principle of the Renewed Mind  A major and significant article tracing the Bible's insistence that our minds must be changed by the Gospel before our hearts will be fully committed. 

13. Does James 5:14-16 apply today? There appear to be different views around today about how what James describes can be used today - if at all. The work of several well-know commentators is consulted. 

14. Answering Frequently Asked Questions Ten frequently asked questions about the Christian faith are discussed and suggestions made for an approach to the answer. 

15. The Number of OT Quotations in the NT  

16. The Bible spells out the 'Good News' for helping someone to understand in what way they need to believe in Christ for salvation.  

17. Genesis Origins - a chart showing the relationships between the early Bible characters and demonstrating the covenant family as it progressed from one generation to the next.  

18. How Does God Guide Us? - Are we prepared for God to guide our future? Does He want to guide us?  What does the Bible say about that? How can we exercise discernment in this matter?  

 

Leadership Training  

Extensive discussion and advice on the matters to be considered when planning a training course in leadership (Ministry) for lay people in the context of the local church. Suggestions are made for programmes and curricula in basic doctrine and biblical literacy.  

 

Talk/Sermon Outlines

 

Over fifty outlines for speaking/preaching on a wide variety of passages of the Bible, including a series on the Servant Songs in the Book of Isaiah- all separated into three pages; OT , Gospels , and Acts to Revelation   (click to go there). 

Texts for Meditation

 

Nine pages of pictures and texts to guide our minds into meditating on the glory of God and his work for us in Jesus Christ.
Links 

Useful information and web links to organisations, publications and other websites devoted to understanding the Bible.

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