The Inspiration of the Scriptures

Basic Doctrinal Worksheets
for New Believers
Lesson 1

The Inspiration of the Bible

How We Know the Bible is True

1A. The Names of the Bible.

Just as we learn about God from the Names that are given to describe Him, so also we learn about the Bible from its various names. Here are some of them:

1B. The ___________ of _______ (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is not just man’s book filled with man’s ideas, thoughts and personal opinions. It is God’s Word. God is the Author of this amazing Book. Compare Romans 10:17.

2B. The ____________ of __________ (2 Timothy 2:15). This Book is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is completely trustworthy. There are no mistakes, no errors, no contradictions. If it is God’s Word, how can it contain error?

3B. The __________ of __________ (Philippians 2:16). The Bible is a "LIVING" Book (see Hebrews 4:12 where God’s Word is said to be "quick" or "living"). When the message of the Bible is understood and believed, then lives are changed (2 Cor. 5:17). The person who believes in the Christ of the Bible has everlasting ________ (John 6:47).

4B. The __________ ___________________ (Romans 1:2). The word "Scriptures" means "writings" and the word "holy" means that these writings are different and set apart from all other writings. There is no other book like the Bible. The Bible is totally unique. It is the only Book God has given to us. One man said, "I believe the Bible from cover to cover and I even believe the cover because it says ‘Holy Bible." May we ever treat God’s Word with utmost respect and reverence (see Isaiah 66:1-2).

2A. The Testimony of Christ.

No one knows more about the Bible than Jesus Christ. He is the foremost Authority on the Scriptures. What did the Lord Jesus Christ say about the BIBLE?

1B. John 17:17. The Lord Jesus said that the Word of God is ___________. Jesus said it and that settles it! We know that the Bible is true because the Son of God said so! The Bible is God’s Word and it must be true because....

In contrast to the above, notice what the Bible tells us about the Devil in John 8:44: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the _________, because there is no ___________ in him. When he speaketh a ______, he speaketh of his own: for he is a _________, and the father of it." In John 8:45-46 Jesus said, "And because I tell you the ____________, ye believe me not.. . .And if I say _____________, the why do ye not believe me?"

2B. John 10:35. The Lord Jesus Christ said that the Scripture cannot _____________________________ What God has said can never be annulled or destroyed.

3B. Luke 24:44 (compare Mark 14:49). The Lord Jesus said that the Scripture must be F____________

4B. Matthew 5:18. The Lord Jesus said that till heaven and earth pass (away), one ________ or one _______________________ shall in no way pass from the law, till ___________________________________________________ Therefore everything God says in the Bible will most certainly be F________________________. The "jot" (or "yod") is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet:

The word printed above is the Hebrew word for God ("Elohim"). It is the word that Moses wrote in Genesis 1:1--"In the beginning _______ created the heaven and the earth." Find the smallest letter in this word and circle it. You have just circled a "jot" (yod).

The "tittle" is a very small mark that helps you to tell the difference between two Hebrew letters that look almost the same.

Written above are 6 Hebrew letters grouped into three groups of two letters each. In each group the two letters look very much alike. In each group, one of the letters has a small part added to it which distinguishes it and makes it different from the other letter. Circle this part (and do it for each group of letters). You have just circled a "tittle."

We have something similar to this when we write English letters in script. If we don’t dot the "i" it could look similar to an "e." If we don’t cross the "t" it could look similar to an "I." If Jesus were speaking to us today in English, He might say it this way, "Every dotting of the ‘i’ and every crossing of the ‘t’ in the Word of God will be fulfilled." Every letter and every word in the Bible is important and is true. We need to understand God’s infallible Word, believe it and live it!

5B. Matthew 24:34-35. The Lord Jesus said that heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Words ________________________________________________________________________

3A. The Testimony of the Bible.

1B. 2 Timothy 3:16. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" can also be translated this way: "All Scripture is God-breathed." How much of the Bible is God-breathed? ______

Whenever we talk we are breathing out words. It is impossible to speak words without breathing them out. Try holding your breath and speaking at the same time. Can you do it? _____ The verse above tells us that God has breathed out certain words. God has breathed out the Scriptures. "All S ___________________ is God-breathed" and this means that the whole Bible is from the mouth of God! The whole Bible is God’s Word. "For the __________________ of the ____________ hath ________________ it" (Isaiah 40:5). Compare Psalm 33:6 where the expression "the ________________ of the _______________" is equivalent to the expression "the ______________ of His __________________."

Problem: "Wait a minute! You just said that all Scripture is God-breathed and that the whole Bible is theWord of God, but I thought men wrote the Bible (such as David, Moses, Paul, Luke and Matthew). How can the Bible be God’s Word if it was written by men?"

We find the answer to this problem in 2 Peter 1:21: "For the ________________________ (the Word of God) came not at any time by the will of man, but ___________ _______ ____ ________ (such as Moses and David and Paul) spoke as they were ____________________ by the Holy Spirit."

Illustration: David wrote Psalm 23:1 as he was moved (carried along) by God the Holy Spirit:

God was preparing David to write Psalm 23:1 even before David was born! The same was true of Jeremiah. God was preparing Jeremiah to be a prophet even before he came forth out of his mother's __________ (see Jeremiah 1:5).

David grew up and became a shepherd. One day as he realized the loving care and protection of the LORD, he wrote, "The ______________ is M____ S________________." God the Holy Spirit was moving David in such a way that the words that David wrote were exactly the words that God wanted him to write. Listen to what David himself said at the end of his life in 2 Samuel 23:2 – "The ______________ of the L__________ S_____________ by _____, and His ___________ was in _____ tongue." According to this verse, who was the One who really spoke?____________________ Whose Word was in David’s tongue?_________

God’s Word stands for how long? ___________________________ God’s Word is S____________________ in H______________________ for how long (Psalm 119:89)? _____________________

4B. Search through some of the writings of the prophets (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi) and notice how often you read such expressions as:

"THUS SAITH THE LORD"
"SAITH THE LORD"
"THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME SAYING..."