The Bible – a manual about the art of living
The Bible is a unique book, consisting of 66 books, written over a period of about 1600 years by people from many different walks of life. Christians claim that the Bible is the word of God, revealing to us his will and way of salvation. Through today’s teaching you will come to know what the Bible means to a believer and how to approach the Bible with the right attitude.
Exercise:
What do you think is the most important thing about the Bible?
The Bible is the handbook about life that the creator himself has given us. The Bible is God’s written message to humanity. The Bible is the Word of God. This makes it a really fantastic book!
God’s best seller
Everyone can gain a lot from reading and studying the Bible. The Bible speaks to people of all races and classes. The Bible is up to date and raises universal issues and gives solutions that will help people of all cultures. It is not without reason that the Bible is the world’s best-selling book.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Matt. 24:35
A floodlight for the mind
The Bible is given to us to be a light that shows us which way we ought to go. It is like a lighthouse in dangerous waters that will lead us safely to the harbour. It is our guide to a good and pure life here and to eternal joy in the world to come.
God’s love letter
The Bible is God’s love letter to us. It expresses God’s care and concern and comforts us in difficulties and adversity. The Bible shows us that we are dearly loved and that God includes us in his great plan. It shows us how greatly God values us and gives us something to live and die for.
A handbook for life
The Bible is a handbook on life/how to live. It shows us how we can live in daily communion with God, how we can live in peace with others and how we can succeed in all we do. This handbook is indispensable for all who want/desire to have good days and a happy life.
The Bible will teach us how to live a pure and holy life. It will keep us away from sin and from all forms of wrongdoing. The Bible will lead us in the paths of righteousness and show us how we can walk straight ahead and proceed honestly and avoid the crooked paths.
Soap for the conscience
The Bible will clean up our thoughts, sharpen our attitudes and give us pure motives. The Bible will teach us to understand what is right and wrong, good and evil. It will help us to make the right decisions. It will make us firm and steady in our walk in righteousness. The Bible will keep us on the main road so that we don’t end up on a sidetrack or down a dead end. God’s word will help us to reach the goal that God has set for us. We will learn to get our priorities right. We will learn to avoid inessential things. We shall learn to be effective, result-oriented (was this “målrettet” i.e. goal-orientated?) and purposeful in all that we do.
Fertiliser for faith
The Bible will bring thoughts and life, theory and practice into harmony with one another. The Bible is the best fertiliser for faith and will make it strong and vital. The Bible will give us peace. This peace comes from a complete understanding of life according to God’s plan. Health and well-being are the practical results of God’s peace in Christian people’s lives.
Recipe for success
The Bible will give us wisdom and understanding. In this book we can draw on God’s wisdom and the experiences of wise people to help us in all aspects of life. The Bible is a unique book. It is packed full of generally accepted wisdom which applies at all times. This wisdom has the advantage that it always does things the right way and succeeds in what it does.
Food for the heart
The Bible gives joy to those who receive its message. The more we fill ourselves with God’s Word, the happier we shall be. God is a blessed God, a joyful God and his book makes us happy people. We are filled with delight and joy when we understand the Bible and live according to its teaching.
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. (Jer. 15:16)
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)
We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1. John 1:3)
“Safer than the bank of England”
Let the Bible rule your life and be quick to act upon it. Then you will build your life on solid ground and you will stand firm. The Bible “is safer than the Bank of England”, you can trust its teaching more than anything else! We all encounter difficulties and opposition in life and then it is important that we have the power of resistance which God’s Word gives us so that we do not collapse.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. (Matt. 7:24-25)
The right attitude and approach to the Bible
Respect
The Bible is God’s Word. Therefore we must show respect for the Word and take it seriously. God means what He says! When we realise that, we will tremble with fear or rejoice with holy joy (Isaiah 66:2; 2 Chron. 34:14-33)
Dependence
We must acknowledge our need for the Bible, we need to realise that we cannot manage without it. Without light from God’s Word we will go astray and be easy prey for the devil’s wily attacks. We must also recognise that we cannot understand and interpret the Bible aright without the help of the Holy Spirit who inspired the authors to write. We are totally dependent on the word and the Spirit of God.
First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, (2. Peter 1:20)
Hunger and longing for the Word of God
It is one thing to know that we need the Bible, but a completely different thing to have a hunger for God’s Word that drives us to read and study it. The fool goes empty away, says the Bible, but the poor and hungry shall be satisfied with rich gifts (Luke 1:53). Just as a newborn baby thirsts for milk so a Christian will long to hear, read and study God’s Word. When we read the Bible we are searching for treasure and therefore we read it thoroughly to make sure we get everything (1.Peter 2:2-3, Proverbs. 2:1-11).
Be careful to understand and act upon the Word
Whether we take a large or small passage from the Bible we must always try to be accurate and exact in our understanding of and acting upon it. Do not take anything in the Bible lightly. No word is without meaning. Be careful when you read not to miss anything. Take care to keep hold of what God shows you and put it into practice in everyday life.
Be willing to learn, submit to the Word
It is necessary that we are willing to learn as we read and study the Bible and that we willingly submit ourselves to God’s Word. We should not read and study in order to do something to the Bible, neither add to it nor take from it, but to let it do something to us. We will understand it when we have an open heart and mind (Luke 24:45). The Word keeps you on track, without the Word you will go astray.