Short Answer
Who wrote the Bible?
God wrote the Bible, and people such as the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul also wrote the Bible.
What kinds of writing are in the Bible?
The Bible contains Books of the Law, the Old Testament Historical Books, Books of Wisdom and Poetry, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels, a New Testament Historical Book, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and an Apocalyptic Book.
Identify the traditional northern boundary of Israel, the place where the first King Jeroboam built a golden calf to keep the people from worshiping in Jerusalem.
Dan
How were God’s promises fulfilled in the New Testament?
Jesus was born, lived a sinless life, ministered to people, died on a cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.
Compare and contrast the reasons for the New Testament being written in Greek with the impact of the Bible being translated into English today
The purpose of the New Testament was to spread the gospel to the greatest possible number of people, to the masses. Since Greek was the most commonly spoken language of the New Testament time, it was important that the New Testament books be written in that language, so that as many people as possible could read about or hear the Word of God. Since English is a major language today, and people in many countries are fluent in both their native tongue and in English, it is important that the Bible is translated into English (and into all other languages), so that the masses in our own time may hear the good news of Christ and understand God’s love story.
Why is the Bible called God’s story?
The Bible was written to show us who God is and to reveal his salvation plan.
Name two important places in the story of God’s people. Give reasons for their importance.
Answers will vary. Possibilities include Shechem, where Joshua reminded the people of Israel of the covenant; and Haran, where Jacob found safety with his Uncle Laban.
What is chronology?
Chronology is putting events in the order in which they occurred.
What promises did God make to Abraham?
God promised that through Abraham’s family great blessing would come to all people. He also promised that Abraham’s family would be great and would inherit land.
In your own words, write an abbreviated version of God’s story from Adam and Eve to Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Be sure to highlight the promises God made and how he kept those promises
Genesis tells us that God created the world and the first people, Adam and Eve. God’s creation was good. But soon Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Their disobedience brought sin and death into creation. The world as we now know it, although still in many ways beautiful, isn’t the perfect world God created. But the story doesn’t end there. Very early in history, God promised that one day a Savior would come, through whom God would rescue his creation.
After the fall, people grew more and more sinful, until finally God was sorry he had made them. He sent a great flood to destroy the Earth and its people. But God saved one family, the family of Noah, in the ark. When the flood was over and all of the animals and people trooped out of the ark, God made another promise that he would never again send a flood to erase humankind.
Years later, God took a dramatic step to get his plan moving. He chose Abraham and promised to make him and his family a great nation and a great blessing. God renewed those promises to Abraham’s son, Isaac, and to Isaac’s son Jacob. When Jacob acknowledged that God was the source of blessing, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Then God’s promise was passed on to Jacob’s 12 sons. When Jacob was an old man, he and his sons and their families went to live in Egypt to escape Israel’s famine. In Egypt, their descendants multiplied into the nation of Israel.
After hundreds of years, the Israelites became slaves to the Egyptians. God called Moses to lead them out of Egypt back to Canaan, the Promised Land. But to reach the Promised Land, the Israelites had to travel through the desert. God taught them there to rely upon him alone and showed them at Mount Sinai, where he gave them his Law, how he wanted them to live. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, God’s people entered and conquered Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. As he neared the end of his life, Joshua reminded the people of God’s faithfulness and challenged them to keep their promises to God.
Generations later, God appointed Israel a king, Saul, but when Saul was unfaithful to God, God took the kingdom away from him and anointed David king. David was such a great king that God made a special promise to him: David’s descendants would be kings forever. David was succeeded on the throne by his son Solomon. Because Solomon was not totally faithful to God, however, his kingdom was divided into two parts: Israel and Judah.
Over and over, God sent prophets to warn his people to keep their promises and to change their ways. Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria, and later Judah was carried into exile by Babylonia. Despite the people’s unfaithfulness, God remained faithful. Still, for nearly 400 years after Jerusalem was rebuilt, God kept silent. No prophets spoke of God’s love. About 100 years before Judah had gone into captivity, however, the prophet Isaiah had already foretold the coming of the Lord.
Centuries later, in New Testament times, John the Baptist prepared the people’s hearts for the coming of the Lord Jesus. God worked out his plan in a surprising way when he sent his own Son to be the world’s Savior from sin. Even more astonishing, God’s Son entered into the world not as an all-powerful king but as a helpless baby. Jesus of Nazareth was God’s Son. In him, God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and later to David. A son of David came to rule in the hearts of all people.
But many people rejected Jesus, and ultimately they killed him. Then came the biggest surprise of all: On the third day after his death, Jesus came to life again. Jesus, the Savior, had won the battle over Satan, sin, and death. The risen Lord Jesus showed himself to his disciples and to other followers. He explained to them why he had to suffer and die on the cross and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. Finally, Jesus ascended into heaven, where he reigns with God the Father. One day he will come back to pronounce judgment upon the wicked but to claim his own for eternal life in God’s presence.
How was the Bible written down?
Bible writers probably wrote on scrolls of papyrus or parchment, using pen and ink. Pens were commonly split reeds; ink was in cake form and had to be moistened before use.
If God wants all people to be blessed, how should we act toward people living outside our own community and nation?
Answers will vary but may include that we shouldn’t act as though we are better than they are. We should help people even when we don’t know them. We should be willing to show God’s love to all people, particularly to those in need.
Where did God first appear to Abraham?
God first appeared to Abraham in Ur of Chaldea.
How did God keep his promises to Abraham?
Jacob’s 12 sons had many descendants, who grew into the Israelite nation that settled in Canaan, the land God had promised. Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, was the greatest blessing God gave the world as part of his promise to Abraham.
Compare your home town or region to Israel, perhaps including Jerusalem if you live in a city. Include aspects these two places may have in common and other features that may be quite different. Discuss the various points of interest, famous people from both places, and important geographical surroundings
Answers will vary.
In what languages was the Bible written?
The Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek.
Where did the Bible story take place?
Much of the Bible story took place in Israel.
How do we fit into God’s plan?
God’s plan is still unfolding. God’s timeline stretches out into eternity, and we are still creating history every day.
What is surprising about how God worked out his plan for salvation?
Answers may vary but should allude to the fact that God sent his own Son to be the Savior—a Son who entered into the world not as an all-powerful king but as a helpless baby.
Recite (2 Timothy 3:16–17) (Our memory verse from this unit)
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
Why were different languages used?
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew because the Israelites spoke Hebrew at the time it was written. The New Testament was written in Greek because it was the universal language at the time of Christ, who came for all people.
Describe Beersheba’s location and what it was known for?
Beersheba was Israel’s southernmost boundary; the trade routes to Egypt and the Mediterranean met here
What is God’s ultimate plan for the whole world?
God wants to bring all people into his kingdom and to restore his relationship with humankind.
Describe humankind’s relationship with God after the fall.
People turned away from God, ignored his requests, and turned to false gods.