The Holy Spirit is instrumental not only in giving us the Written Word of God but also in helping us understand it properly. Human beings are darkened in their understanding of truth; they are, by nature, alienated from God (Eph. 4:18). That’s why the same Spirit, who revealed and inspired the Word of God, is … Continue reading –>
While revelation is the supernatural act by which God reveals truth to chosen human beings, inspiration is the activity of the Holy Spirit that safeguards the truthfulness of what the human authors wrote, so that their words have the full approval of God. God hates false witness (Exod. 20:16) and cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). He … Continue reading –>
Inspiration is the term used to describe God’s influence through the work of the Holy Spirit in transmitting His message through human instruments. The work of the Holy Spirit in the process of inspiration is the reason we find a fundamental unity in all of Scripture in regard to truth. As the Spirit of Truth … Continue reading –>
How does God ensure that His will is faithfully transmitted to fallen human beings? He does this in two major related activities of the Holy Spirit: revelation and inspiration. In the process of revelation, human beings are dependent upon the help of Someone outside of themselves to reveal things to us that we, as created … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Pet. 1:19-21, 1 Cor. 2:9-13, Ps. 119:160, John 17:17. Memory Text: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, … Continue reading –>
Through the centuries, the book of Job has thrilled, enlightened, and challenged readers in Judaism, Christianity, and even Islam (which has its own variant of the biblical account). We say challenged because, as we have seen, in and of itself the book leaves many questions unanswered. On one level, this shouldn’t be so surprising. After … Continue reading –>
Bible students through the ages have sought to find parallels between the story of Job and the story of Jesus. And though Job is not exactly a “type” of Jesus (as were the animals in the sacrificial system), some parallels do exist. In these parallels we can find another lesson from Job: that of what … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: The book of Job is complex, but what stands out is that it points us to our Redeemer, salvation, and a life of faith. Lesson 14 for December 31, 2016 1. Have a volunteer read Job 1:8-11. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this … Continue reading –>
When we go through Job-like experiences and trials, we sometimes wish that Jesus was right here with us, so we could talk to Him face-to-face instead of just reading the Scriptures. We think Jesus would have something new to say to us outside of Scriptures, something that would fit our unique experience. However, let’s see what … Continue reading –>
Lesson 14. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. We don’t normally have fourteen weeks in a section of the Sabbath School calendar, but this time we do. Why not consider this 14-week time period as an opportunity to learn the virtues of endurance? Of persevering? Of sticking it out? Job did, and his faithful life has … Continue reading –>
As we all know, and some know too well, life is hard. Right at Eden, after the Fall, we were given some hints of how hard it would be, when the Lord let our first parents know what some of the results of their transgression would be (see Gen. 3:16–24). These were just hints though. … Continue reading –>
All through the book of Job, the three (and then four) men who came to speak to Job did so with good motives. They had heard what had happened to him, and they came “to mourn with him and to comfort him” (Job 2:11). However, after Job first started speaking, bemoaning the tragedies that befell … Continue reading –>
