Teaching Notes

What Should I Know About the Bible?

1 John 1:3-4 (The Message)

3-4 We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

Notes: Another belief about the Bible is the things written in it are fiction.  They are great stories, but they truly could not be true.  If you every begin to study about Jesus, you will find that many words were written about him in the Old Testament (books written before Jesus was even born).  When Jesus was born and his life recorded in the New Testament, many words were fulfilled that had been spoken before (look up the prophet Isaiah, he said things that were fulfilled when Jesus was born).

Question: What is the writer trying to tell us about Jesus?  Was this something he only heard?

Answer: The writer wants his audience to enjoy the presence of God through His Son, Jesus that is the purpose for his writing.  He tells his audience that I am not simply telling you something I heard, but I have been a witness to this myself. He says "we" heard it, we say it.  So even as he was speaking he is also confirming that there were others that also saw and heard.  The Gospel's (first 4 books of the New Testament) give eyewitness account of the life of Jesus.  Some may read and say they sound different or the words are slightly different.  That is not a sign that the Gospel are not giving the same message.  It is the same if four people say an accident.  One person might pay more attention to the injuried.  That would be because they are concerned about what happens to the people. Someone else may pay more attention to the cars that are in the accident.  They know the make, the model the year and even the color of every car.  That just happens to be a hobby of that person, knowing about cars.

The next person may pay more attention to the area surrounding the accident.  Was there anything in the rode, did the light change and someone try to run it?  The last person may take a quick overlook at everything.  So when you get the four stories even though they seem different, when you put them together you have a more complete picture.  That is how the Gospel account of Jesus is.  It is four different views that add up to make a better picture.  God's word is not faulty.

Prayer: God, we take you for the truth of your word.  We know that the devil wants to discount your word as being true and discourage us from seeking to understand what is true, pure and lovely.  Help us to know your truth more fully.