This is part 1 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Today we are beginning a new class called Read the Bible for Yourself. Whether you are new to scripture, or you’ve been reading it for years, this class will empower you to read and understand the bible like never before. You’ll gain key insights into the context, content, and application of scripture so you can take your reading and understanding to the next level.Today I want to begin with the question, "Why should you read the bible for yourself?" Why is this book even worth your time? For those of you who have been reading it for years, you get it, but how would you inspire a desire in someone else to go through the hard work of learning to read the bible proficiently? In this episode you'll see why everyone, even non-Christians, should put in the effort to read the good book.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://youtu.be/wXXnD1LLl-A
—— Links ——
- See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
- Check out the class How We Got the Bible
- Other classes are available here
- Check out Sean's book, Kingdom Journey
- Get the transcript of this episode
- Support Restitutio by donating here
- Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
- Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
- Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
- Who is Sean Finnegan? Read his bio here
Notes
The Bible survives in more manuscripts than other ancient documents.[1]
The Bible is available in more languages than other books.[2]
The Bible sells more copies than other books.[3]
Which two sayings are in the Bible?
- Cleanliness is next to godliness
- Am I my brother’s keeper?
- God helps those who help themselves
- This too shall pass
- A living dog is better than a dead lion
- God works in mysterious ways
- Moderation in all things
God inspired the Bible, resulting in an authoritative book for belief and practice.
2 Timothy 3.14–17 (NRSVue[4]) 14 continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Review:
- The Bible is a fascinating book because it has way more surviving manuscripts, it is available in way more languages, and it has sold way more copies than other books.
- The content of scripture alone should make you want to read it since it teaches about God, life, morals, and eternal life.
- This class will help you develop the ability to discern between the genuine and the counterfeit.
- God inspired scripture, making its contents useful for training and authoritative.
- Even recognizing the authority of scripture and studying it assiduously does not guarantee correct interpretation.
Footnotes:
[1] If we added in manuscripts of the Old Testament the number would jump up considerably, especially after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the documents recovered from the Cairo genizah.
[2] If we limit ourselves to only the New Testament, the number of language jumps to 2,191.
[3] See Guiness Book of World Records, “Best-Selling Book,” accessed Nov 10, 2023, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction.
[4] New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, National Council of Churches, 2021.
