COP Bible Study Lessons and Discussions: COP 2018 BIBLE ...

The Church of Pentecost
has been founded on and is shaped by certain core beliefs which are referred to
as the tenets of the church; one of these is The Bible. As a Church, we
believe in the infallibility of the Word of God. To say that the Bible is
infallible is to confess that the Scriptures are incapable of teaching any
error. This therefore, strongly presents the Bible as perfect in its
declaration. When we say the Bible is God’s word, it does not mean that any
statement in it was spoken by God. Rather, it only means that, God guided every
word to be written.
Questions for Discussion
1.
How was the prophecy of the Scriptures received? Verse 21
2.
How do you understand the infallibility of the Bible?
3.
Why should the Bible be considered infallible? Verse 20, 21
4.
What are some of the challenges people have with the infallibility of the
Bible?
5.
What have you learnt from today’s study?
Conclusion
Some critics of the Bible
say it is simply a collection of human writings. Others believe it is a great
literary masterpiece but not the Word of God. Some also believe that God’s Word
is in the Bible but the entire Bible is not God’s Word. Our study today gives
us a strong proof that the Bible is not a mere compilation of the writings of
men. Rather, it is the product of God’s breath, direction and guidance. The
Bible is proven to be accurate in its record of historical events that have
been documented elsewhere, and as believers, we uphold its infallibility. Even
if none of the books of the Bible had any secular evidence, we still should
believe it. The Bible is the most accurately preserved text. The discovery of
the Dead Sea scrolls in 1948 goes a long way to prove the infallibility of the
Bible.
The word “final” means an
end to something or the conclusion of a matter. Authority on the other hand is
the power or right to give orders or make decisions. This implies that the
Bible as “final in authority” is an “all-in-all weapon” for the human race. In
other words, it has the final solution to all our issues. The book of Hebrews
also accounts that, God’s Word (Bible) is alive and working and is sharper than
a double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). Its judgement is final and unquestionable. In
today’s lesson, we shall look at how Jesus Christ overcame the devil by the
authority of the word (Bible).
Questions for discussion
1.
How do you understand Hebrews 4:12?
2.
When was Jesus tempted? Matthew 4:2
3.
How did Jesus respond to the temptation? Matthew 4:4, 10 & 11
4.
What happens when we read the Bible every day?
5.
What have you learnt personally?
Conclusion
The Bible is full of
accounts where many crowds were amazed with the power and authority which
backed the messages of Jesus and His disciples. We are not talking about basic
authority; we are talking about power! There is power in the words of the
Bible. When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus overcame him with
the Word of God. Even Jesus who was full of the Word was tempted at a time when
He was in the spirit. This means that the devil is not a respecter of persons
and can come to us at any time. We need to follow the example of Jesus by
studying the Bible. As we do that, we will gain more understanding and power.