Bible Basics

1. The Bible is really a collection of books. It was written over
1600 years by 40 different men. These men came from all walks of life: they were doctors, fishermen, princes, herdsmen, poets, and laborers.

2. There is harmony and unity throughout the Bible because all of the writers were inspired by God’s Holy Spirit.

それは、これら神様を敬う人の心に住まれる聖霊様がお授けになった、混じりけのない神様からのことばなのです。 (2 Peter 1:21)

They all wrote about the same message: Salvation through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This message is for all people of all nations.

3. Studying the Bible will change you. God will speak to you through His Word.

１２神様のことばは生きていて、力にあふれています。それは、鋭い刃物みたいに切れ味がよく、心の奥深くに潜んでいる思いや欲望にまでメスを入れ、私たちの赤裸々な姿をさらけ出します。(Hebrews 4:12)

4. The Bible has 2 main parts: The Old Testament and The New Testament. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. The Books are divided into chapters. The chapters are divided into verses. These numbers aren’t divinely inspired. They were added later for our convenience.

5. The Old Testament writers were inspired to prophesy about the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The New Testament writers were biographers and witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on earth. Both testaments reveal that Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was written about Him—even the ones that were written hundreds of years before His birth.

6. The Old Testament has 3 main sections:
History—Genesis to Esther
Poetry—Job to Song of Solomon
Prophecy—Isaiah to Malachi

7. The New Testament has 4 main sections:
The Gospels (“good news”)—Matthew to John
History—Acts
Epistles (letters)—Romans to Jude
Prophecy—Revelation

Why should we trust the Bible? How can we know it’s true?

8. The Bible claims that it is the word of God.

１６全体が神様の霊感によって書かれた聖書は、何が真理であり、何が悪であるかをよく教えてくれます。また、私たちの生活をまっすぐにし、正しいことを行なう力を与えてくれます。１７こうして神様は、私たちをあらゆる点で整え、すべての人に善を行なう力を、十分に授けてくださるのです。(2 Timothy3:16-17)

9. The Bible is a harmonious, unified book. The Bible was written by 40 different men who lived in different generations. If God didn’t inspire these 40 men, how could they write such a unified book?

10. There is archaeological, historical, and geographical evidence that supports the Bible. Archaeologists have found artifacts and ruins from Biblical cities. The history in the Bible matches the history of the world. The stories in the Bible are about real people who lived on this earth. The maps in the Bible are very similar to the maps we use today. (Some of the names have changed, but the geography is the same.)

11. The prophecies in the Bible have been (or will be) fulfilled with 100% accuracy. Many of these prophecies were about the Savior, but there are prophecies about other events in history. For example, the situation in the Middle East was prophesied in Genesis. The ability of the Bible to see into future supports that the Bible is not an ordinary book. There have been many attempts to destroy or disprove the Bible, but no one has ever been able to do so. Even this is a fulfilled prophecy.

天地は消え去りますが、わたしのことばは永遠に残ります。(Matthew 24:35)

Discussion Questions:

What did you learn about the Bible in Japan?
What did you learn about Jesus in Japan?
Do you think the Bible is a trustworthy book?
What would you like to study in the Bible?