Confirmation 3 & 4 done

The Bible
How do I read it?

INTRODUCTION
STUDYING GOD’S WORD

Why will I read the Bible differently
than any other book?

1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we also thank God continually
because, when you received the word of
God, which you heard from us, you
accepted it not as the word of men, but as
it actually is, the word of God, which is at
work in you who believe.

GOD IS TALKING. We listen to
our parents when we are children.
We listen when the president
makes a statement. How much
more should we listen when God
himself speaks to us? His Word is
worthy of our attention.

John 17:17; Numbers 23:19
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is
truth.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor
a son of man, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?

IT’S GOD’S WORD NOT MAN’S
WORD. Newspapers, magazines and
novels are all filled with mistakes,
false opinions and lies. And they all
have to do only with this life. The Bible
is God’s true Word about eternal
things.

I will read it differently because in
the Bible God himself is speaking
to me; everything he says is true
and meaningful.

What value does reading the
Bible have for unbelievers?

Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing
the message, and the message is heard
through the word of Christ.

GOD WORKS FAITH THROUGH THE
WORD. Doctors use medicine and
surgical equipment to bring health to a
hurting human heart. The Holy Spirit
uses his Word to bring faith into an
unbelieving human heart. To receive
the gift of faith unbelievers need to hear
the Word.

2 Timothy 3:15
and how from infancy you have known the
holy Scriptures, which are able to make
you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus.

GIVES THE WISDOM OF SALVATION.
The only way you can learn the history of
the United States is by reading history
books, listening to others tell you history,
etc. The only way to learn of God’s love
and mercy in Christ is through the Bible.
It’s the history of his love and mercy in
Christ.

Reading the Bible is valuable for
the unbeliever because through
that Word of God the Holy Spirit
can work faith in the heart of the
unbeliever.

Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful
things in your law.

DOING SO INCREASES OUR JOY. Do you
have a favorite book? Do you like to read
the book over and over? It’s the same with
the Bible. The message is so wonderful that
the more we hear it the more joy we will
have.

2 Peter 3:17-18
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you
already know this, be on your guard
so that you may not be carried away
by the error of lawless men and fall
from your secure position. 18 But
grow in the grace and knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and forever!
Amen.

THE WORD STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH.
Why do football players work out in the
weight room? To get stronger and play
better football. We “work out” with God’s
Word so that we are strengthened in our
faith and enabled more and more to do
those things God wants us to do and avoid
doing those things God doesn’t want us to
do.

CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY

Faith: Trust in Jesus Christ as my
Savior.

Reading God’s Word is valuable to
the Christian because it strengthens
our faith in Jesus Christ, increases
our joy in God’s forgiveness and
motivates and empowers us to live
better Christian lives.

GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE

FAITH
Strong Faith Believer A

Weak Faith Believer B
Unbeliever
No Faith
UNBELIEF

The point of this chart is to show that,
although believer A and B are both
going to heaven, we would rather have
the stronger faith of believer A so that
we are as far away as possible from
slipping into the predicament of the
unbeliever.

Evaluate: Someone says to you, ”It does
not matter if we read the Bible at home or
not, as long we go to church once and
awhile.”


When I sit down to read and study
the Bible what should I do first?

Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful
things in your law.

PRAY AND ASK FOR GOD’S BLESSING.
We pray before meals, sporting events,
bedtime and all kinds of other things. We
also need to pray before we study God’s
Word so that we get the greatest benefit we
can out of that study.

2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters,
speaking in them of these matters. His letters
contain some things that are hard to understand,
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as
they do the other Scriptures, to their own
destruction.

PRAY AND ASK FOR
UNDERSTANDING. The basic
message of God’s Word is so clear that
even a little child can understand it. But
there are some things in the Bible that
are hard to understand. We need to
pray for God’s help to understand those
things because they are important too.

I should pray for God to help me
understand and benefit from what I
am reading.

Evaluate the following
prayer:
Dear Lord God, give me your grace that I
may rightly understand your Word, and
more than that, do it. O most blessed Lord
Jesus Christ, see too it that my search after
knowledge leads me to glorify you alone. If
not, let me not know a single letter. Give
only what I, a poor sinner, need to glorify
you. Amen.

SOME MORE TIPS TO HELP YOU GET THE
MOST OUT OF YOUR BIBLE READING

Nehemiah 8:7,8
The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin,
Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—
instructed the people in the Law while the
people were standing there. 8 They read from
the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and
giving the meaning so that the people could
understand what was being read.

1. Use one translation written in
clear, understandable English.

Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had
been published, he went home to his upstairs
room where the windows opened toward
Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on
his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his
God, just as he had done before.

BIBLE STUDY NEEDS TO BE A
HABIT. Think of some things you do
out of habit. (brushing your teeth,
taking a shower, eating supper at a
certain time, etc.). A habit is something
you do regularly and automatically.
Bible study needs to be the same. We
eat supper regularly to feed our bodies.
We also need to feed our souls
regularly.

2. Set a regular time for prayer and
study; get into a habit.

OBJECT LESSON: Popcorn and Ping
Pong Ball

EXAMPLE: Matthew 19:16-23
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked,
“Teacher, what good thing must I do to get
eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about
what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One
who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the
commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man
inquired. Jesus replied, ”‘Do not murder, do not
commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false
testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’
and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

EXAMPLE: Matthew 19:16-23
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said.
“What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If
you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the
young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said
to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Was Jesus telling this man how to get
into heaven? What was he telling him?
How do you know?

3. Always pay attention to the context.

4. Always pay attention to cross references

EXAMPLE: James 2:20 vs. Ephesians
2:8,9
James 2:20 - You foolish man, do you want
evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Ephesians 2:8-9 - 8 For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by
works, so that no one can boast.

5. Take a passage literally unless the
Bible makes clear that it is figurative.

Matthew 13:24
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom
of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in
his field.

Is the kingdom of heaven really a man who
sowed seed in his field? No, it’s like him.
Look for words like like or as that indicate
a figurative meaning (simile).

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light
for my path.

Is your Bible really a lamp or light? No.
But in what way is it like a lamp or light?
What does a lamp or light do for you
when you are lost in the dark?
(metaphor)

Matthew 19:24
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man
to enter the kingdom of God.”

It’s impossible to get a camel through
they eye of a needle! Jesus uses an
exaggeration (hyperbole) here to make
a point. What point does he make?

Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made the
heavens and the earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, but he rested on the
seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed
the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Is there anything here to indicate that
this is figurative language? No. We must
take it literally then. How long did it take
God to create the world?


Context: The thoughts, words and
circumstances surrounding the passage you
are studying.

Literal: Means just what it says.
says = means

Figurative: Means something beyond what
it says. Has a symbolic meaning.
says = means2

6. Meditate on what you read.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts
and attitudes of the heart.

Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the
counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of
sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his
law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a
tree planted by streams of water, which yields its
fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

When you read the sports page do you sit
down and think about the deep meaning
that big trade has for your life? No. The
Bible isn’t like the newspaper. It does have
meaning for your life. Focus on every
word. Pray. Ask questions about what you
read.

A VARIATION OF LUTHER’S FOUR
STRANDS

What is God saying to me here?
What makes me sad?
What makes me glad?
What should I do?


Evaluate: Your friend says to you, “You
believe the world was created in six
days; I believe it was created in six
long periods of time, each lasting
millions of years. Neither of us is really
wrong. It’s all just a matter of
interpretation.

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME

REVIEWING THE LESSON
1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words!
2. Make a flashcard for and memorize Psalm 119:105. Be able to put the passage
into your own words.
3. Journal Writing: Write a page in your journal about something currently going on in
your life.
4. Complete Bible Worksheet #3. Tell which passages are law and which are gospel.

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON
Ask your parents to help you with the following activity:
2. Read Genesis 3:1-19 in your Bible.
3. Complete Bible History Worksheet #3.

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Memorize the books of the Old Testament: Genesis - Song of Songs

4 Key Christian Concepts:
SIN
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever broken or ruined something
valuable to another person? (stained,
broken, lost) You wish you could go back
and change it. If you had a second chance
it would not have happened. But there is
no second chance—it’s ruined.

What is Sin?
Literally sin means - “missing the mark”.
Think of an archer that is aiming for the
bulls eye, but no matter how hard he tries,
he always misses. That is just like us—we
try to do and keep God’s commandments,
but no matter how hard we try, we always
miss the mark of God’s perfection.

How did sin enter the world?

1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.

THE DEVIL, GOD’S ENEMY, SEEKS TO
DESTROY PEOPLE AND TAKE THEM
TO HELL - The devil won’t come up to
people and say, “Hey look out for me, I
want to take you to hell!” No, instead, he
makes all the things that go contrary to
God’s will seem like a lot of fun - while he
entangles you all the more in the spider
web of hell with him.

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you
want to carry out your father’s desire. He was
a murderer from the beginning, not holding to
the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a
liar and the father of lies.

THE DEVIL USES LIES TO DO HIS
WORK - Along our many highways,
there are billboards that advertise all
kinds of things to get people to leave the
highway. “Last stop” to buy food,
gasoline, shopping or gambling. The
devil’s billboard is filled with all kinds of
lies to get us to leave the highway of
God’s truth.

Genesis 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any
of the wild animals the LORD God had
made. He said to the woman, “Did God
really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree
in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the
serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in
the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must
not eat fruit from the tree that is in the
middle of the garden, and you must not
touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not
surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.

Genesis 3:1-6
4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said
to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when
you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit
of the tree was good for food and pleasing
to the eye, and also desirable for gaining
wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also
gave some to her husband, who was with
her, and he ate it.

BY A LIE THE DEVIL DECEIVED EVE
AND LED HER AND ADAM INTO SIN -
One little lie! That was all it took to lead
Adam and Eve to give up the perfection
God gave them to enjoy. Before we
blame them too much, think of how the
devil’s lies lead us to covet, hurt,
become angry... The devil does the
same thing to us—we are fools just like
Adam and Eve.

Sin entered the world by the devil,
God’s enemy, who lied to Adam and
Eve and deceived them into sinning
against God.

Who is guilty of sin?

Psalm 51:5
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from
the time my mother conceived me.

SIN IS PASSED ON AT CONCEPTION - A
tiger shark kills for food because it is its
nature to do so. A newly spawned tiger
shark is a born killer, even though it has not
killed yet. This is its nature to do so. A
child is a sinner at birth. A child does not
need to be told how to lie, but does need to
be taught to tell the truth. A child is a
natural born sinner, it’s his nature.

Genesis 6:5
The LORD saw how great man’s
wickedness on the earth had become, and
that every inclination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil all the time.

ALL OUR THOUGHTS ARE EVIL ALL THE
TIME - Imagine seeing an elderly person
needing some help when you are in a hurry.
You go and help that person and they
thank you profusely, but the whole time you
are thinking - “Would you hurry up granny,
I’ve got more important things to do.” God
knows our thoughts even when our actions
look good on the outside.

James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law and
yet stumbles at just one point is guilty
of breaking all of it.
GOD DOES NOT ALLOW EVEN A SINGLE
SIN - What would you say if you got one
wrong on a test and therefore failed the
test? “That’s not fair!” God is perfect and
fair and he expects no less from us. We fail
completely by sinning even once. With God
it is all or nothing. What else can a perfect
God expect?

Sin is passed on to us at
conception and we are guilty
of sin in our thoughts and in
our actions.

1. Agree or disagree and why? God
can’t hold me accountable for my sinful
nature because it wasn’t my fault Adam and
Eve sinned.
2. Agree or disagree and why? God
promised a Savior for the world rather
than destroying it and starting over again
because he couldn’t stand to see Satan
laugh if he himself destroyed what he
created.

Devil - (means liar) fallen angel that
rebelled against God and was cast into
hell - he can’t defeat God so his goal is
to steal people from God into hell
Satan - (means enemy) - another name
the Bible gives to the devil.
Hell - place that God created for the
devil and all unbelievers. Hell is eternal
separation from God and all that is good.

UNDERSTANDING OUR SIN
Original Sin - The sinfulness that goes
back to the first sin of Adam and Eve
that is passed down to us from parents
to children. (Otherwise known as
“inherited sin”)
Actual Sin - The sins in thought, word
and action that we commit on our own.
Both types of sin bring upon us God’s
anger and punishment.

HYMNOLOGY # 396 - In Adam We Have All
Been One


What does sin do to us?

Ephesians 2:1-3
1 As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, 2 in which you
used to live when you followed the ways of
this world and of the ruler of the kingdom
of the air, the spirit who is now at work in
those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also
lived among them at one time, gratifying
the cravings of our sinful nature and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the
rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

WE ARE BORN SPIRITUALLY DEAD IN
OUR SINS - Have you ever seen a
corpse lying in a morgue sit up and give
itself CPR, mouth-to-mouth or grab the
shock paddles and get its heart pumping
again? Can’t happen. We are born
dead in our sins and everything we do
ultimately leads to death.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through
one man, and death through sin, and in this way
death came to all men, because all sinned—
ALONG WITH SIN, DEATH CAME INTO
THE WORLD - The next time you attend a
funeral or lose a loved one, remember why
every person faces death. If we remember
that fact, then any jokes about sin and the
devil won’t be funny anymore. The devil
and sins are nothing to laugh about.

Romans 8:22
We know that the whole creation has been
groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to
the present time.
ALONG WITH SIN, SUFFERING CAME INTO
THE WORLD - When you stub a toe, sprain an
ankle, are sick with the flu, break a bone or cry
because of pain - then remember why suffering
entered this world. Satan brought sin into the
world and continues to confuse people with his
lies

2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into
gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
WE DESERVE HELL FOR OUR SINS - Our
sins make us like a fly caught in a spider web.
The more that we try to get out on our own, the
more tangled we become. We cannot escape
God’s judgment and our sins sentence us to
eternity in hell with the devil and his angels.

Sin makes us spiritually dead,
subject to death and suffering
and ultimately an eternity in
hell with the devil.

Which of these items is a reminder to
you of the fact that the devil ruined God’s
creation by leading Adam and Eve into
sin? Why or why not?
- Thunderstorms and tornadoes
- The weeds that grow in lawns and
gardens
- Watching the sun set in the evening
- A bad cold
- Watching a hard fought football game
-Watching a program on television

SIN DOESN’T ADD UP
If you wanted to diagram God’s
perspective on things, you could do
it in the following way. What God
demands in His law is that we live a
perfect life... a life with NO sin.
However, what he sees is a life that
is tainted by sin, and falls short of
the perfection he demands.

We thank God that he doesn’t leave us in this
condition and we look forward to our next lesson on
God’s GRACE.

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME

REVIEWING THE LESSON
1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words!
2. Make a flashcard for and memorize 1 Peter 5:8 and Psalm 51:5 . Be able to put the
passage into your own words.
3. Journal Writing: Write a page in your journal commenting on the following:
Take some time to share some of the negative ways that sin
has affected your life and the world around you.

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON
Ask your parents to help you with the following activity:
1. Read Genesis 4:1-16
2. Complete the Bible History Worksheet.

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Memorize the books of the Old Testament: Genesis - Jonah

Confirmation 3 & 4 done

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Confirmation 3 & 4 done