Scripture is always the key—or is it?

1. How does disregard for what the Bible says affect you? Millions of honest, true-hearted, loving Christians don’t accept the Bible Sabbath. Does that upset you? Should it? Here are the five sources the lesson guide assures us that have the final authority over how we understand what God us to study and follow: tradition, experience, culture, reason, the Bible. We’ll discuss them in more detail this week.
2. “It’s a tradition in our family to…” Family traditions probably play a major role in how you live and what you believe.Is there anything wrong with that? Is it acceptable to adopt traditions that don’t exactly agree with what the Bible says? If you said “no,” then explain why we humans seem so eager to accept non-Biblical traditions that are so well-established today. Has the church you attend adopted any traditions that are not based on Scripture? Should we work to identify, modify and “convert” all such traditions? How should we do that/
3. What is dangerous about a spiritual life that depends on experience to establish what is good and faithful and true? What happens inside your mind when a fellow believer waxes eloquent with words such as “It’s been my experience that…” or “You wouldn’t say that, Brother (or Sister)if you’d What about a religious life that is based on belief but ignores experience? Is it possible to love God without applying that love to our daily experience? Why or why not? Can you think of an example or two?
4. You can easily describe your nationality, but what about your culture? Share what you think about the way God’s people of the Old Testament readily borrowed aspects of the culture of nations that had never experienced life under God. Aren’t you glad that fellow Christians today never rely on culture for their life standards and goals? Wait a minute, you might say. They do! Give some examples of cultural practices and beliefs we can easily adapt into our lifestyle—but don’t belong there! How can we encourage a godly culture in our church, family, and community?
5. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.” Do you agree that reason is a great Christian trait? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Proverbs 9:10) should be read with emphasis on the word, “the beginning.” What are the characteristics of a reasonable Christian? Is it a natural trend for us humans to be reasonable? How are people who do not choose to follow Jesus affected by warped reasoning ability?
6. The Bible. You may own half a dozen Bibles and have access to Scripture as well on the Web and other sources. What is the best cure for a tendency to pick and choose what we believe about what the Bible teaches rather than accepting the Bible as the Word of God? How does the Bible guide us in developing a belief system? A worship method? A dedication to God and His working with us and for us?

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