Posted in Bible, Biblical Literacy, Genesis, Uncategorized, tagged bible literacy, creation, Genesis 2 on January 17, 2016|
Read Genesis Chapter 2 and answer the following questions:
1. Why was Adam was put in the garden by God according to Genesis 2:15?
2. What did God command Adam concerning the Garden in Genesis 2:16-17?
3. What reason did God give for creating woman in Genesis 2:18?
4. What two characteristics does God give of woman in Genesis 2:18?
5. What did Adam conclude after naming all of the animals?
Posted in Biblical Literacy, Genesis, Old Testament, Uncategorized, tagged Bible, Biblical Literacy, creation, Genesis on January 6, 2016|
Read Genesis Chapter 1 and answer the following questions.
Day 1
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Day 2
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Day 3
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Day 4
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Day 5
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Day 6
What did God create?
How did God create it?
Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Biblical Literacy, Books of the Bible, Uncategorized, tagged Bible Basics, bible literacy, Bible Overview, Books of the Bible on January 5, 2016|
The Bible consists of 66 separate books written by 40 different authors over 1,600 years.
The Bible is divided into two parts, known as testaments. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek.
The Old Testament is divided into five sections, namely The Law, The History, The Wisdom and Poetry, The Major Prophets and The Minor Prophets.
The New Testament is divided into five sections, namely, the Gospels, the History of the early Church (the Book of Acts), the Pauline Epistles, the General Epistles and Prophecy (the Book of Revelation).
Knowing more about the Bible makes the Bible just a little bit easier to understand and study. This series of posts is designed to make the Bible smaller and more manageable for you to study day by day, line upon line and precept upon precept. (Isaiah 28:10)
1. What is the first book of the Bible?
2. What is the last book of the Old Testament?
3. What is the first book of the New Testament?
4. What is the last book of the Bible?
Posted in Bible, Biblical Literacy, Uncategorized, tagged Bible, Building Biblical Literacy, why study the Bible? on January 4, 2016|
WHY STUDY THE BIBLE?
As with anything, consider the benefits of becoming more Bible literate in 2016.
For each of the following scriptures, either copy the verse or summarize the benefit discussed in the verse in your own words.
1. Joshua 1:8
2. Psalm 119:9
3. Psalm 119:11
4. Psalm 119:24
5. Psalm 119:25
6. Psalm 119:28
7. Psalm 119:42
8. Psalm 119:49
9. Psalm 119:50
10. Psalm 119:105
11. John 15:7
From these verses, choose one which speaks to a need in your life. Perhaps you need hope–Psalm 119:49 promises hope.
Perhaps you need to know how to answer those who reproach you–Psalm 119:42 provides that.
Perhaps you need to be cleansed–Psalm 119:9 provides instruction on that.
Mediate on your selected passage. Allow God to reveal how He will keep His promise to work in you and your life through His word.
Posted in Bible, Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Uncategorized, tagged Bethlehem, Birth of Jesus on December 23, 2015|
When?
It is common to run into the non-believer who would point out that Jesus wasn’t really born in December. That is true–He was not. It is much more likely that He was born in a warmer part of the year, perhaps late Spring. The celebration of the birth of Christ is not based on remembering the day that He was born, but rather that He was born. That God was born a man is something certainly worth celebrating no matter when the day falls.
In this portion of our study, we will look at what the Bible says about when Jesus was born.
1. According to Luke 2:1-6, when was Jesus born?
2. What does Galatians 4:4-5 add to this?
Below see pictures of Bethlehem and the surrounding area I took in 2014 when I visited. Today Bethlehem lies in an area occupied by the Arabs. I imagine the hills where the sheep graze are still much as they were 2000 years ago. As I looked towards Bethlehem in the distance, a shepherd led his flock of sheep up a nearby hill.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He died on a hill not far away. He was buried, but He rose again, death could not hold him. The tomb is empty.
Posted in Bible Study, Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Jesus, Uncategorized, tagged Bible Study, Building Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Who is Jesus? on December 16, 2015|
Who is He?
The world has struggled with this issue since Jesus came on the scene more than 2000 years ago. Was Jesus simply a man? Was he a great prophet or teacher? Or was He the Christ–the Messiah–the Promised One, fulfilling hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament prophets?
1. What does Isaiah 7:14 foretell about Jesus (the Messiah-the Promised One)?
2. What does Isaiah 9:6-7 tell us about the Messiah?
3. What additional information is given regarding the Messiah in Isaiah 11:1?
4. What do you learn from Isaiah 53:1-3
5. When did Isaiah live and give his prophecies?
6. What does the prophet Micah tell us about the birth place of Messiah in Micah 5:2?
7. When did the prophet Micah live and give his prophecies?
8. What does the prophet Zechariah tell us about the Promised One in Zechariah 9:9?
9. When did the prophet Zechariah live and give his prophecies?
10. When read these prophecies, given hundreds of years before the person they describe was born, by three different men, and you learn that they came true in the person of Jesus, what does that make you think about the Bible? God?
Closer to the birth of Jesus, months before, we are given additional information about Jesus.
Read Luke 1
11. What has Mary been chosen to do? Why?
12. What prophetic information is given about the child in this chapter? Provide a verse reference.
13. What happens when Mary goes to visit Elizabeth? What prophetic information does Elizabeth speak about the child Mary is carrying?
After Jesus was born, people were still speaking about His future and who He was.
Read Luke 2:8-15
14. What was spoken about the Messiah to the shepherds? Who delivered the message?
Read John 1
15. What do you learn about Jesus from this chapter? On what did John base his knowledge about Jesus?
16. What does Peter say about Jesus in Matthew 16:13-17? Who does Jesus say gave him that information?
17. What does Jesus say about who He is in the following verses?
▸ Matthew 9:6
▸ Matthew 26:63-64
▸ Mark 8:31
Posted in Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Uncategorized, tagged Bible, Christmas, Mary and Joseph on December 5, 2015|
Going to be counted
1. Why did Mary and Joseph have to go to Bethlehem?
2. Where was Jesus born? Why?
3. What did Mary do with Jesus after He was born?
4. What happened out on the plains outside of Bethlehem that night?
5. To whom was the first recorded announcement of the birth of the Christ Child made according to Luke 2:8-14?
6. What does Luke 2:15-16 tell us was the shepherd’s response?
7. What was the response of the shepherds to seeing Jesus in the manager? (Hint: Luke 2:17-20)
Posted in Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Literacy, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized, tagged Giving Thanks to God on November 22, 2015|
As part of my mission to help others and myself improve Bible literacy, this post is dedicated to a Thanksgiving Bible Study I prepared for my friends. I hope you enjoy working your way through it.
THANKSGIVING BIBLE STUDY
When we begin to give it serious thought, we can find many things for which to be thankful–family, jobs, income, homes, running water, good weather–all of which are gifts from God. This Thanksgiving season, it may be helpful to turn our focus to some other intangible things we received from God through Jesus Christ.
Read Ephesians 1:3-14
1. List at least five things that God had done for you from this section of scripture.
2. Copy Ephesians 1:4 here or into you journal or simply onto a blank piece of paper.
3. What does it mean to be chosen by God?
4. What do the following verses teach about God’s having chosen us?
▸ Deuteronomy 14:2
▸ Psalm 4:3
▸ Romans 8:30
▸ 2 Thessalonians 2:13
▸ 2 Timothy 1:9
▸ 1 Peter 2:9
5. Copy Ephesians 1:7a here or into you journal or simply onto a blank piece of paper.
6. What does it mean to have redemption (be redeemed)?
7. From what are we redeemed?
8. What do the following verses teach?
▸ Psalm 49:7-8
▸ Matthew 20:28
▸ Galatians 3:13
▸ Galatians 4:5
▸ Titus 2:14
▸ Hebrews 9:12
▸ 1 Peter 1:18-19
9. Copy Ephesians 1:7b here or into you journal or simply onto a blank piece of paper.
10. What does it mean that we have forgiveness of sins?
11. What do the following verses teach?
▸ Romans 3:23-26
▸ 1 John 4:10
▸ Revelation 1:5
12. Copy Ephesians 1:5 here or into you journal or simply onto a blank piece of paper..
13. What does it mean that God has predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ?
14. What do the following verses teach?
▸ Romans 8:14-17
▸ Galatians 4:4-7
15. As you consider this study, what does your heart long to tell the Father? For what are you grateful? Pour out your thanks to God for all that He has done, is doing and will do for you and on your behalf.
Posted in Bible Quiz, Biblical Literacy, Uncategorized on November 17, 2015|
The answers to the Quiz will be posted in tomorrow’s blog post. Try to answer without using any references including the internet or your Bible.
Rooted and Grounded 