The Letter God Wrote
to You
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1
Let's ask God to guide us during this lesson:
Our Lord,
We now want to look into the subject of the inspiration of the Scriptures.
We thank You for hearing our prayer, and we humbly ask You to clearly show us why we
should believe that the Bible is really what it claims to be, that is, the Word of God.
We pray in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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Psalm 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried
in a furnace.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Such is the claim of the Bible: this book, printed in more than half a billion
copies since the invention of printing, states that its content deserves the greatest
attention because its author is none other than God Himself.
Could such a statement be believable?
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2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men
of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Forty authors participated in the writing of the 66 books of the Bible, a work
which spans 1500 years.
Most of these authors never became acquainted, living in different times and places:
nevertheless, this collection of 66 books presents a remarkable unity.
Such harmony reveals the presence of a common inspiration: God.
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1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing,
because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as
the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in
you who believe.
The apostle Paul, writing to the people of Thessalonica, strongly confirms the
divine inspiration of the Scriptures.
The Bible is not simply a book speaking to us about God: it is God speaking to us through
this book! It is like a recorder making us hear the voice of God.
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Psalm 119:160
The entirety of Your word is truth.
John 17:17
Your word is truth.
Jesus Christ Himself asserted the divine inspiration of the Scriptures: He
attributed superhuman authority to them, using them to refute error and to repel the
Tempter.
«It is written», said Jesus, quoting from the Scriptures.
Christ's example constitutes for us an invaluable guarantee of the divine inspiration of
the Bible.
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1 Peter 1:25
«But the word of the Lord endures forever.» Now this is
the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
John 10:35
The Scripture cannot be broken.
Despite centuries of attacks, tribulations, and attempted destruction, the
Bible stays unshakeable, unchanged, as several archaeological discoveries reveal.
God has personally made sure that the message of the Bible was protected throughout the
ages.
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Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.
The transforming power of the Bible's message, hidden but still effective,
testifies to the Scriptures' divine inspiration.
We encourage you to experience this power through these lessons: every sincere heart will
feel the indisputable influence coming from the study of this Book.
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Jeremiah 23:29
«Is not My word like a fire?» says the Lord, «and like
a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?»
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Our next lessons will clearly demonstrate these Scriptural properties.
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Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His
secret to His servants the prophets.
2 Chronicles 20:20
Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be
established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.
Speaking through His prophets, God not only foretells the future with a
rigorous accuracy, but also warns us of His future interventions, that we may plan
accordingly.
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Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
To adopt the Bible as our guide on the path of life is the most important
decision that we can make in the course of our lifetime.
We will see that life is strewn with pitfalls, but also that the Scriptures can teach us
how to bypass many of those pitfalls, increasing our peace and happiness.
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2 Peter 1:19
We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you
do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place.
Note how the apostle Peter highly recommends the reliability of Scripture as
the only guide we can trust.
By the end of this set of lessons, we pray that this fact will be firmly established.
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Ephesians 6:11,17
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. (...)
Take (...) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The apostle Paul, describing the armor we need to fight the devil, lists
several defensive weapons: the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the
helmet of salvation, etc.
He ends the list with the only offensive weapon: the sword, which is the Word of God.
Our fighting ability will be directly affected by how often we «train» with our sword.
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Jeremiah 6:10
To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may
hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed.
Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.
Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys studying God's word.
Some think that the Bible is a boring book, while others believe that no one can
understand it, that it is interpreted without rhyme or reason.
Yet, God gives us some advice regarding how to study it.
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1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
First of all, our frame of mind can make all the difference.
Do we really wish to deepen our knowledge of the Scriptures, or do we approach the Bible
in a spirit of opposition, or hostility?
Screen 15
Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek
the Lord understand all.
Our understanding of the message God wants to give us depends partly on the
sincerity of our heart in our search for truth.
As a famous proverb says, «there is none so deaf as he who will not hear». Nothing will
be understood by those who don't wish to understand.
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1 Peter 5:5
Be clothed with humility, for «God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.»
Second essential point: we must recognize that we need God's help to understand
the message contained in His book.
There is no one better than the author of a book to explain its content! If we leave God
out, and try to understand the Bible on our own, our efforts will be doomed to failure.
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Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your
law.
Luke 24:45
[Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might
comprehend the Scriptures.
We can now understand better why we always begin and end each lesson with a
prayer.
It is essential to rely on God's Spirit who will enlighten us while we go through the
pages of the Bible.
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Isaiah 28:9,10
Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to
understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.
When we want to know what the Bible teaches on a particular subject, we must
consult all the Bible verses speaking of this subject.
A single verse could be misinterpreted, but the entire collection of verses will clearly
demonstrate what is to be understood.
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Revelation 22:18,19
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy
of this book:
«If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this
book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book.»
When we study the Word of God, it is important not to twist the meaning of
Bible verses, or to hide some of them, simply because we do not like them: that is why we
must always be open-minded.
Screen 20
2 Corinthians 2:17
For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God.
2 Corinthians 4:2
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not
walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully.
The apostle Paul avoided twisting the meaning of the Scriptures. But he knew
that many were not doing so.
For example, how can you be sure that the present set of lessons is not a bunch of lies?
How can you know that we have not tampered with the Word of God before presenting it to
you?
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Acts 17:11
[The Jews from Berea] were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the
Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
God invites us to adopt His Word as our supreme rule of faith, our criterion of
truth, our infallible standard.
Don't trust either our word nor any other individual's. We must always verify for
ourselves whether the teachings presented to us are in accordance with the Scriptures.
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Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was
to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Conscientious study of the Bible provides incomparable blessings to those who
invest time in it.
This could be the opportunity to get precise and satisfying answers to questions we have
been asking ourselves for a long time, like:
- Where do we come from?
- Where are we going?
- What happens after death?
And many other questions...
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Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for
our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Far from being a boring book, the Bible can give real meaning to our life here
on earth. The answers it gives to fundamental questions bring hope back to its students.
We will soon discover why the friends of the Bible are overflowing with hope in a world
which sinks into despair.
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Matthew 4:4
[Jesus] answered and said, «It is written, "Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God".»
Isaiah 34:16
Search from the book of the Lord, and read.
May God guide us while we study His Word.
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Let's pray together:
Our Father in heaven,
We can not be grateful enough for Your Word, the Bible, and we want to adopt it as a lamp
for our feet, a light for our path.
Give us sincerity and humility of heart, that we may be guided by Your Spirit, and thus be
able to understand the message You keep in reserve for each one of us.
We pray in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 1» by Media
Graphics International, 037_200.JPG. Screen 2: CRUZ, Nery.
In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (March 1984), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.1. Screen
3: AYRES, Robert. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (September 1991), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, p.8. Screen 4: Used by permission. Copyright ©
1959, 1987 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved.
CRANDALL, John. In: «Votre Bible et vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.8. Screen 5: Used
by permission. Copyright © 1956, 1984 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. LEE, Manning de V. In: «The Bible Story, volume 7» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), p.117. Screen 6: «A blacksmith shapes a rod of red-hot iron on an
anvil.» In: «Deluxe Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 1998 Edition», Compton's
Home Library, 1997. Screen 7: In: «Questionnaire Adulte de l'Ecole du
Sabbat», Pacific Press Publishing Association, First Quarter, 1996, front cover.
Screen 8: Photo by BLUE, Betty. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (October 1996),
Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.11. Screen 9: Used by permission.
Copyright © 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1968, 1996 by Review and Herald® Publishing
Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald Publishing Association, p.272. Screen 10: Used
by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. BERRAN, Robert. In: «Votre Bible et vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.),
p.4. Screen 11: Photo by P. BLEECKX. In: «Le Moniteur», Pacific Press
Publishing Association, First Quarter, 1999, front cover. Screen 12: Used
by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. HARLAN, Russell. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.),
p.152. Screen 13: STEEL, John. In: «The Triumph of God's Love, volume
2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald
Publishing Association, 1950, p.529. Screen 14: Used by permission.
Copyright © 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1976 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association,
USA. All Rights Reserved. NYE, Vernon. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, volume 2»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.98. Screen 15: LAUNE, Paul. In: «The Living
Bible Encyclopedia in Story and Pictures, volume 7», New York, H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc.,
1968, p.912-d. Screen 16: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (February 1,
1990), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.3. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry.
Screen 17: Comstock Photo Library, London. In: «Revelation» (LORIE, Peter),
Simon & Schuster, Labyrinth Publishing Ltd, 1994, p.75. Screen 18: Picture
by EASTMAN, Bryant. Unknown source. Screen 19: CONVERSE, James. In: «The
Triumph of God's Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association
and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.460. Screen 20: In:
«La Tour de Garde» magazine (November 15, 1989), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society,
p.7. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 21: Used by
permission. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA.
All Rights Reserved. HARLAN, Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), p.92. Screen 22: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (August 15, 1990),
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1. Screen 23: In: «Prophecy
Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #23 («The Day of Deliverance»), p.5.
Screen 24: Used by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Review and Herald®
Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL,
Arthur S.), front cover. Screen 25: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 1»
by Media Graphics International, 44_157.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 2 is waiting for you!