The Bible In One Lesson

[prisonchaplain]

Roughly 40 authors from vastly different backgrounds, in three different languages, write 66 books in the course of 1500 years. What kind of theological mess should be expected to come out of that??? And yet, instead we find an incredible flow. Below is a single lesson, usuing the panorama of the Holy Bible (KJV).

1. God creates the world, and humans, thus demonstrating his ultimate power and goodness. Genesis 1:1, 27, 31

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ... 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ... 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2. As with any good story, once the beautiful setting is displayed, a problem arises. God's creation choses rebellion over obedience, and sickness and death enter the world. Genesis 3:3-6, 16-17, 19

3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ... 16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; ... 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

3. Sin accelerates, and God finally repents of ever making the world. Yet, there is one righteous man to be found. Through Noah, humanity is saved. Genesis 6:5-8, 13-14, 22; 7:23

5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ... 13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. ... 22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. CHAPTER 7 ... 23And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

4. Eventually God expands his favor from one man to what would become a nation. Through the history of Israel, we learn the fruits of obeying God, disobeying God, and of repenting when convicted of our sin against God.

a. We learn the fruit of obeying God from Abram's encounter. Genesis 12:1-2, 4

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ... 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

b. We learn the fruit of disobeying God from Israel's example. Judges 2:10-15

10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

c. We learn the fruit of repentence towards God, again from Isreal. 2 Chronicles 30:6-9, 26-31:1

6So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. ... 26So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. 27Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven. CHAPTER 31 ... 1Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

5. As wonderful as the hope of repentence is, the cycle of obedience, disobedience, punishment, repentence, and back to obedience repeats itself far too often in Old Testament history. Additionally, Abram was promised that through him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Thus, the Savior comes. John 1:29

29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

6. The various letters of the apostles to the churches and their leaders teach many practical truths. Three stand out as overachring: God's offer of forgiveness, the call to holiness, and the mission of spreading faith in Jesus.

a. God's offer of forgiveness. 1 John 1:8-9

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

b. The call of Christians to holiness. Glations 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

c. The mission of spreading faith in Jesus. Acts 1:8; 2:41

8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. CHAPTER 2 ... 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

7. The conclusion of the matter; Satan and those who rebel against God suffer. God's people receive rewards.

a. Eternal judgement. Revelation 20:13-15

13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

b. Eternal joy with God. Revelation 21:3-4

3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

May God forgive us of our sins and empower us to live His way!

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

Cliff Notes?

[prisonchaplain]

Cliff Notes?

Trying to discern if mom is being complimentary or not. I guess all I can say is that the middle initial in my name ( C. ) doesn't stand for "Cliff."

[Ray]

The Bible truly is a great book, prisonchaplain. I only have a problem with people who think that because the Bible is such a great book, we really don't need any other book, or any other revelations from God.

And btw, if you truly know how wonderful the Bible is, by personal revelation from God, you should also have no problem seeing the marvelous work and wonder in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and many other great and wonderful books written by many other prophets of God.

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

Sorry, PC. I just meant that the Bible is way too much to condense into a half hour. I think you did a pretty good job of trying, though.

[prisonchaplain]

The Bible truly is a great book, prisonchaplain. I only have a problem with people who think that because the Bible is such a great book, we really don't need any other book, or any other revelations from God.

And btw, if you truly know how wonderful the Bible is, by personal revelation from God, you should also have no problem seeing the marvelous work and wonder in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and many other great and wonderful books written by many other prophets of God.

I hope you enjoyed the post, and I'm glad you see no "competition" between the Bible and the Triad. If they are all true, they should mesh perfectly.

Sorry, PC. I just meant that the Bible is way too much to condense into a half hour. I think you did a pretty good job of trying, though.

Theologians spend their whole lives delving the mysteries of the Bible, and barely scratch the service. Yet, the Good News is so simple a child can understand. You baptize at 8, correct?

Likewise, I've spent 2.5 years teaching an adult Sunday School class the Book of Revelation. We're just starting chapter 13! Yet, I have taught the "Bible in a Lesson" several times. It helps sometimes to take a very wide-angle snap shot--to get the lay of the land, so to speak. Of course, huge details, and huge themes are missed. Nevertheless, sometimes it helps to see the forest from the trees.

God is love. Jesus Saves. John 3:16--three examples of attempts to put the whole Bible into one phrase. Incomplete? Perhaps. But, again, useful.

How about Jesus' summary of the 613 laws of Moses? Love God. Love your neighbor.

Anybody up to giving us the BoM in one lesson?

[Ray]

Anybody up to giving us the BoM in one lesson?

THE

BOOK OF MORMON

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY

THE HAND OF MORMON

UPON PLATES

TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, JUN.

And further:

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel.

The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.

The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.

In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God. The record is now published in many languages as a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that all who will come unto him and obey the laws and ordinances of his gospel may be saved.

Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

In addition to Joseph Smith, the Lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Their written testimonies are included herewith as “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” and “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses.”

We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10: 3-5.)

Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah.

[prisonchaplain]

<div class='quotemain'>

Anybody up to giving us the BoM in one lesson?

THE

BOOK OF MORMON

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY

THE HAND OF MORMON

UPON PLATES

...

Thank you. Your compilation is a helpful overview.

[Ray]

Heh, it's not my compilation. You'll find those words by opening the pages in the Book of Mormon. :)

[prisonchaplain]

Heh, it's not my compilation. You'll find those words by opening the pages in the Book of Mormon. :)

Well, hey...you found the right address. So, enjoy your well deserved kudos.