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Question b - Scriptures

W.4.0404 b. Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you? (Slide 14)

 

REVIEW

Illustration of the books of the Bible 1.     (Slide 15) Review the types of literature found in the Bible. A variety of visual images may be found on the internet or you may wish to print the image on Slide 14. After a brief review, ask participants which part of the Bible they know best and which one is less familiar?



The bible=scripture=the canon The canon is the term used to refer to the universally accepted books of the Bible based on criteria such as… Ancient and apostolic authorship: authored by an apostle or a close associate Theological orthodoxy: supports a majority perspective of the faithful and consistent with other scripture Universality: accepted by a majority of the faithful and was helpful, inspiring, and instructional, frequently read and used

2.     (Slide 16) Briefly review how the canon was formed, emphasizing the some of the criteria used to establish whether an ancient text belonged in the canon. You may wish to mention that some of the books that did not make it into the canon can be found in a section of some Protestant Bibles called the Apocrypha.


How is the bible a unique and authoritative witness to jesus Christ? God’s Spirit guided the ancient writers and God’s Spirit continues to guide contemporary readers. 3.     (Slide 17) What does it mean to say the Bible is the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ? It means (1) God’s Spirit guided the ancient writers and (2) God’s Spirit continues to guide contemporary readers. The 123rd General Assembly (1983) of the PCUS published a statement on Presbyterian Understanding and Use of Holy Scripture that affirms the church has had a long tradition of interpreting scripture according to the ‘rule of faith’ and the ‘rule of love’ including that the witness of scripture must be consistent with the basic teaching of the church through history and the interpretation of scripture must never conflict with the commandments to love God and neighbor.


What is the word of God? In the beginning was the Word…..4.     (Slide 18) What is the Word of God? The Gospel of John uses the word “logos” to describe the Word of God, meaning the rational principle that gave order to the cosmos—God. For John, the logos is Jesus himself, God’s wisdom incarnated.

Summarize Barth’s idea of the Threefold Word of God: revealed, written, and proclaimed. The Word of God is revealed in Jesus Christ and in the written word of scripture and in the word proclaimed and taught. If we want to know God’s Word, we look to Jesus; to the Bible, which provides us the best and most reliable witness to Jesus, "a witness without parallel" (BOC, The Confession of 1967).

REFLECT

What does it mean to you to affirm this constitutional question?

RESPOND

If you are using the PowerPoint slides, use Slide 19. If you are not using the slides, print copies of the slide for each participant or write the content on a board or flipchart for all to see. Invite those gathered to say these words taken from The Confession of 1967as an affirmation of the witness of scripture in our lives:

“The one sufficient revelation of God is Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate, to whom the Holy Spirit bears unique and authoritative witness through the Holy Scriptures, which are received and obeyed as the word of God written. The Scriptures are not a witness among others, but the witness without parallel. …” (BOC, 9.27)


As a way of introducing the topic of the next session focusing on the Essential Tenets of the Reformed faith, you may share the link to Jack Rogers class on YouTube prior to the next session—


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