Discipleship 101 – Lesson 3 – HOLY SCRIPTURE | dc20261018

Discipleship 101 

LESSON 3  

HOLY SCRIPTURE    

What does the word “scripture” mean?  

• • The word comes from the Latin word scriptura, which means “writing” or “something written“.
  • When capitalized, the English word, Scripture (or the phrase the Scriptures) usually refers to the Christian Bible, which includes the Old and New Testaments.

What does the term “Holy Scripture” mean to you?  

• • According to Google AI …
    • the sacred, divinely inspired  written texts  of a religion that are venerated as the authoritative Word of God.
  • According to biblehub.com … 
    • the sacred, authoritative  writings  of a religious tradition that are viewed as divine revelation or inspired by God. 

How is the Holy Scripture different from regular scripture? 

• • In most cases, “Holy Scripture” is considered sacred and from God, whereas “scripture” is not necessarily so. 
  • Believers view the “Holy Scriptures” as “God-breathed” or inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by human authors who were guided by God. 
  • The “Holy Scriptures” are considered “holy” because of God’s involvement in their writing. 
  • The word “holy” means “sacred” or “set apart“.  

What do you think is the purpose of Holy Scripture? 

• • To help Man get to know something about God, so that Man can have a relationship with God. 
  • Psalm 100:3  He has made us, and not we ourselves.   
  • Because it is God who has made us, we would expect that He had a reason for making us … and would have given us some way of knowing WHY He made us, HOW He wanted us to live, etc.  
  • The Holy Scripture would be that way … and would include those instructions.    

What is the Bible? 

• • The word Bible means “the books” or “the scrolls.” 
  • The English word comes from the Koine Greek expression ta biblia, which means “the books“. 
  • The root word is biblion (scroll or small book), which traces back to Byblos — the ancient Phoenician seaport where Egypt exported papyrus for writing.  
  • Because it is an anthology, with many different texts written over centuries, calling it “the books” reflects its nature as a library, rather than a single volume.  
  • In Christianity, the Holy Bible is the sacred collection of 66 books divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. 
  • Believers view the Bible as dedicated entirely to God and distinct from ordinary literature. 
  • What some have said (in summary) … 
    • The Bible is a book of books … referring to the fact that it contains 66 books. 
    • The Bible is THE Book of all books … suggesting that it is the most important book ever written (given that it was inspired by God).   
    • The Bible (as a whole) is a book that has been written by 40 different writers (from a variety of backgrounds) … over a period of about 1600* years … across 3 different continents … and yet there is a thread of consistency that runs through all 66 books that suggests there is only 1 author (God). 
      • * some say 1500 

Is the Bible the same as Holy Scripture?

• • Catholics, like most Christians, would say YES 
  • … BUT, technically, it is not. 
    • • Holy Scripture was written in Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic. 
      • The Bible is written in English (or some other modern language) … and therefore has words that were not inspired by God. 
      • In addition, there are many versions of the Bible … and the words in those versions vary from “Bible” to “Bible”.   
  • That being said … the Bible is derived from Holy Scripture, which was “God-breathed” (inspired by God) … so it contains truth from God (as will be explained below). 

Is it necessary for a believer to read the Bible? 

• • Yes. 
  • The Bible, technically, is NOT the word of God …
  • BUT the Bible contains the word of God. (By “word” we mean things (information) that God wants us to know and believe … in order to understand Him … and have a relationship with Him … and witness of Him.   Those things (which we believe are the product of divine revelation)  are contained in the pages of the Bible.
  • The Bible, therefore, is profitable for a believer’s faith and practice … and should be read by believers, so they can know what to believe and how to live. 

Why? Why is the Bible profitable for faith and practice? On what basis?  

• • 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, 
  • 2 Peter 1:19-21 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.  
  • The Bible contains the word of God.   
  • That “word of God”, however, must be spiritually discerned … given that the versions of translations that are in most “Bibles” have been corrupted by translators (and even copyists). 
  • 1 Corinthians 2:12-14    Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.    ¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 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. 
  • So, the Bible is profitable for faith and practice on the basis that it contains the word of God … in writing that is the result (directly or indirectly) of inspiration by God.