The Bible is the number one best seller of all time. There is nothing like the Bible. It has no equal. It is like no other book in history. Though the world is filled with books, the Bible stands alone. N.T. Wright said, “The Bible is the book of my life. It's the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by.”

1. What makes the Bible special, unique, and valuable?

2. Why is the Bible the first topic covered in this series? 

Norman Geisler said, “The inerrancy of Scripture is the foundational doctrine in which all other doctrines rest, and the Psalmist rightly said, ‘If the foundation be destroyed, then what can the righteous do?’”

God has revealed Himself in three main ways. First, He has revealed Himself through nature (Romans 1:19-20). Second, He revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus (John 14:9). Third, He revealed Himself through His Word, the Bible.

3. Are there other ways in which you believe God reveals Himself?

It is vital that we understand why we can trust God's Word. It is necessary in order to comprehend all other disciplines. Inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy are all part of understanding the power, particularity, and perfection of God’s Word.

INSPIRATION

The Bible is from God (breathed out by God) through human writers. It is not just “inspired” by God, it is directly from Him. He breathed out the words.

2 Timothy 3:16 expresses this truth, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

4. How should the Bible be used? 

2 Peter 1:20-21 adds insight into this discipline, “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

5. How did the men who wrote the Bible get their words? 

1 Thessalonians 2:13 continues this concept, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

6. Since God cannot lie, what does it say about His Word? 

INFALIBILITY

The Bible cannot fall or fail. The Bible is clear; God is all-knowing and all-powerful, so His Word will stand.

Matthew 5:18 points out, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

7. According to this verse, how precise is God’s Word? 

Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

8. How can these verses challenge us?

9. How can these verses comfort us? 

“Even though the Bible is an ancient document, every person in every situation in every society that’s ever existed can find in this book things that endure forever. Here’s a book that never needs another edition. It never needs to be edited, never has to be updated, is never out of date or obsolete. It speaks to us as pointedly and directly as it ever has to anyone in any century since it was written. It’s so pure that it lasts forever.” John MacArthur

INERRANCY

The Bible is without errors. There are no discrepancies. It never contradicts itself. It not only contains truth, but it is also the truth. 

John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

10.  If the Bible has errors, does it make God (and Jesus) a liar? 

11.  What problems arise if God (and Jesus) is a liar? 

“To forsake the inerrancy of Scripture is to snuff humanity’s only candle of truth. Inerrancy is the ship’s rudder, the traveler’s compass, the lamp to our feet and light to our path.” Ray Comfort

The Bible gives an accurate account of history, but it also tells the future. One of the strongest points expressing the uniqueness of the Bible is fulfilled prophecy. The Old Testament contains prophecy, and some of it has already been fulfilled.

Here are twelve (of some 330) fulfilled prophecies that help show the truth of God’s Word. Note how much earlier the prophecy was written and describe the event.

Franklin Graham said, “History and human nature prove the truth of the Bible every day, but the greatest evidence is seen in changed lives that cannot be denied. This infallible Book is its own great commentary: ‘The entirety of Your word, Lord, is truth’ (Psalm 119:160).”

12. How should the inerrancy of Scripture affect our lives? 

13. Why does this discipline need to be one of The Majors? 

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” Charles H. Spurgeon