Thornbury Churches Together

Lent 2011

The Bible

400th anniversay of the King James Version

Session 1

The Authority of the Bible.

This year we are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Authorized Version.

In 1611 ―Authorised‖ meant it was the one that was approved by the Church of England and King

James, and so was the one you ought to read, rather than other versions; e.g. the Geneva Bible

(favoured by the Puritans) or the Douai-Rheims (the Catholic translation). The authority of the Bible,

then, was guaranteed by the authorities in Church and State.

Today, not least because there are so many versions (and more coming out every year!) people are

much less likely to defer to any authority on what Bible they read, if they ever read one. However,

of course, Christians believe that the Bible is ―authoritative‖; that its words are trustworthy and can

be relied upon to guide and correct us. The Bible‘s own testimony gives us good grounds to believe

this: ―All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof and for correction, and

for training in righteousness…‖ (2 Timothy 3:16 - in a passage we look at it in more depth later in

the course).

But for many Christian people there is a problem with the word ―all‖ in that verse. Do we really

agree with the Rev Timothy Lovejoy in the ‗The Simpsons‘ when he tells Principal Skinner that ―it

[the Bible] is all good‖!

―Canon‖ comes from a Greek word for a measuring rod. So the canonical books ―measure up‖

spiritually; they are recognizably God‘s word—but in whose opinion? Well, that of the Christians of

the first centuries. They adopted the Hebrew Scriptures, already recognized by the Jews as inspired,

and also honoured the Greek works that Protestants call ―The Apocrypha― and Catholics the

―Deuterocanonical books‖. The New Testament was added to form our Bible.

The process through which this was done is a matter of debate among scholars. Church leaders and

synods played a role, particularly in deciding the status of some books, like Revelation, which some

held to be of dubious value. However, most books ―authenticated themselves‖; they spoke so clearly

to ordinary Christians about Jesus, about God‘s Kingdom and its values, that no Bishop or Emperor

could have stopped them reading them had they tried to!

Session 1

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God‘s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living

sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

(New International Version, 2010)

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping,

eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing

what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

(The Message, 2002)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living

sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

(Authorised Version, 1611)

Which of these do you like personally? Why?

Do any of these sound more ―authoritative‖?

In practice, don‘t we value some scriptures very highly, find others less helpful and regard

yet others as difficult, even repulsive?

Don‘t we all have a ―canon within the canon‖? If so, why?

Well, sometimes we find texts, or even entire books, difficult because they complicate what we think

of as crucial doctrines. On the other hand, we value some scriptures more highly than others

because they agree with our understandings—so, on the Alpha course videos, Nicky Gumbel

memorably describes Romans as the ―Himalayas of the New Testament‖ and Romans 8 as ―Everest‖!

Other scriptures offend our modern values and understandings—Exodus 22:18 for instance—―Thou

shalt not suffer a witch to live‖ (Authorised Version).

Session 1

More often however, subtle prejudices, often traceable back to what Ministers were taught in

theological college, limit what is offered to the people. Think, for instance, of the way that

lectionaries (in the churches that use them) focus our attention on some passages and neglect

others. For instance, in my own Methodist denomination we hear a lot from Genesis, the Prophets

(particularly Isaiah), the Gospels and some letters of Paul. There are much fewer readings from

books like Leviticus or Proverbs.

The New Testament is clear that God‘s most important way of speaking with us is through his Son,

Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-2). To him, the written word, the Bible bears

witness. And yet, were we to think about our own picture of Jesus, we might be surprised how

much we choose which passages make up our picture of him. Typically, nowadays, people

concentrate on some of the more sentimental parables and actions of the Lord, and neglect the

accounts that speak of his passionate anger against injustice, not to mention the texts that speak of

his coming to be our Judge.

This is one reason why ―it‘s all good‖. The Bible is

a human book—written by ancient scribes,

recognized as God‘s word by fallible humans,

imperfectly translated—but it is also a divine

book. We do not stand over the word of God in

judgment; it judges us. So we need to wrestle with

the difficult, mysterious verses that don‘t seem to

have much meaning—perhaps they have more to

teach us than the ones we have ―domesticated‖!

An Exercise:

If your church uses a lectionary, look through it and see which bits of the Bible are favoured and

which are not;

Or (over a period) monitor what text or passage is chosen by those who preach and lead

worship.

How often:

Do they expound an Old Testament passage?

Choose one that is difficult or obscure?

Show any awareness of problems people might have with the Bible?

In the next few weeks the course will ask

you to reflect on many passages of

Scripture. Some you will find immediately

helpful; others may challenge or even upset

you.

Do others in the group feel the same

about the same passages?

Or do they see things that might open

up a book or passage that was closed

to you?

Session 2

The Big Story

The Bible is made up of many different books written by many different people from very different

cultures and backgrounds using different styles of writing and written over many centuries. The

Bible is a collection of writings gathered together rather than one complete manuscript. Often when

we come to the Bible we focus on a few verses of a particular chapter, either in isolation or with

reference to one or two verses from other books. This can be very helpful in studying certain

themes but not so helpful in discerning a bigger picture.

Does the Bible sometimes feel too big, too complicated or overwhelming? How well do you

feel you know it?

How do you view the Bible? In particular, is it authoritative? If so, how?

We often look in detail at individual stories that make up the Bible, but the theme we will look at

today is: Is there a bigger story? And, if so, how are our lives shaped by that story?

At school we were probably taught that all good stories should have a beginning, middle and end.

New Testament theologian N.T. Wright has suggested that the Bible can be viewed a 5 Act Play:

Act One: (Creation)

Whatever means God uses to create the world it‘s a crucial feature of the story that creation is

good and that humans are created in God‘s image.

Act Two: (Fall)

God‘s good creation is full of rebellion: evil and idolatry become real features of the world.

Act Three: (Israel)

The story of Israel as the covenant people of God for the world. This act begins with the Abrahamic

covenant and ends with the Jewish anticipation of an event in which God will liberate Israel from

spiritual exile and reveal himself as the world‘s true King.

Act Four: (Jesus)

The story of Jesus‘ life, death and resurrection. As the climax of the narrative it represents the

inauguration of a new kingdom in which death and sin are being reversed throughout all of

creation.

Act Five: (New Testament and the people of God).

The New Testament forms the first scene of this act. The church is the people of God, in Christ, for

the world; their job (our job) is to act in character: to live out Act Five by showing the world the

true way of being human and to bring about God‘s victory over evil on earth. This largely involves

living out (―improvising and retelling‖) God‘s story and gospel – namely that Jesus is Lord and that

God raised him from the dead to ‗put the world to rights.‘

What comments do you have on this view? Is it helpful?

Session 2

For the sake of time today we will only look in any depth at the beginning and the end of the story.

In the beginning...

Look briefly at Genesis 1 and 2 where we have the two creation accounts.

What word is most often used to describe the things God creates?

What is different about humans to all the other created things?

What is the relationship between the first humans and God like?

What was planted in the middle of the garden? (Gen 2:9)

...And the end

Read Revelation 21:1-5 and Rev 22:1-5

What similarities are there between these passages and the ones in Genesis?

What is the hope for the future expressed in these passages?

Hope for our future

Most Jews in Jesus time did not have a strong concept of ‗going to heaven when you die‘. In fact

the idea of disembodied souls going on to another realm was associated with pagan beliefs.

The Christian hope is that, through Jesus, sin and death have been defeated and that relationship

between God and creation has been restored. Jesus‘ bodily resurrection is the first fruit of this.

Read 1 Cor 15:12-19 (if you have time read further)

Why was Jesus‘s physical resurrection so important to Paul?

According to v19, why should we be pitied more than any other people if ‗only for this life

we have hope in Christ‘?

What story do you put your hope in?

How does the bigger story of the Bible shape our lives today? (I.e. In what way is it

authoritative?)

How might this ‗big story‘ change the way you celebrate this Easter?

Session 3

Is it all "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16)?

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you

know those from whom you learned it, 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. 16 All

Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in

righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

When Paul spoke these words to Timothy, what did he mean by ‗Scripture‘?

What does Paul believe is the origin, the usefulness and the purpose of Scripture?

Why do you read the Bible?

It is easy to agree with Paul when we think of passages like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-

7) or the beautiful Psalm 23. However, if we are honest, there are many passages which we find

obscure, puzzling or completely incomprehensible and some which we wish we could remove from

the Bible completely. We are not alone in this. Peter said of Paul‘s writings, ―His letters contain

some things that are hard to understand,‖ (2 Peter 3:16) and Martin Luther believed that different

books of the New Testament were of different value depending on how much they proclaimed the

gospel. He famously said of the Epistle of James, ―The epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw,

because it contains nothing evangelical.‖

Are there any Bible passages which spring to mind which you consider particularly difficult

to understand why they are included? Why do they make you feel this?

Read Joshua 6:15-21, part of the instructions to Joshua and the Israelites when they arrived at the

Promised Land at the city of Jericho.

What questions does this passage raise for you in the light of Paul‘s teaching to Timothy

about the Scriptures?

Do you think God really asked the Israelites to slaughter all the citizens of Jericho (except

Rahab, who had helped the Israelites - see Joshua chapter 2)? If so, why would he want this,

surely he loves all people equally? You may want to consider verses such as Exodus 19:6;

Leviticus 20:1-7, 26; Deuteronomy 7:1-10.

How did the coming of Jesus change this position? Galatians 3:28; 2 Peter 3:9 may help you.

What does this tell you about the dangers of reading passages from the Bible in isolation

from each other?

Session 3

Read Psalm 137. This Psalm was written when the Israelites were in exile in Babylon in the 6th

century BC. It seems that they were being goaded by their captors to pretend to be joyful and sing

their songs of praise from home, which only made their misery worse. It may even have taken place

as they were being marched to Babylon from their homes, as a wall sculpture from about that time

has been found showing three prisoners of war playing lyres as they are being marched along by

an armed soldier. For similar laments speaking of judgement and destruction to Babylon (see

Jeremiah 50-51; Isaiah 47).

Verse 9 of the Psalm is very shocking, (although there is evidence that such treatment of infants by

a victorious army was known and it is also clear that the Babylonians - aided by the Edomites)—

showed little restraint when they destroyed Jerusalem in 587BC) so it may tie in with the previous

verse.

Why do you think that verse 9 of the Psalm was included when the Bible was put

together? How does it fit into Paul‘s teaching on the purpose and usefulness of

Scripture?

Can Christians ever pray in this way either in personal matters or in world events,

particularly those surrounding cruel regimes?

Why is it important when looking at Scripture to understand the genre and background

to the passage?

If you have time you may like to identify some of the different genres found in the Bible and

discuss the problems caused if we try and read a parable as straightforward history, for example.

A prayer

Lord Jesus, we don‘t always find what we read in the Bible easy. Give us the wisdom to know how

to read and understand it and the courage to follow its teachings. Amen

Session 4

Jesus and the Law

John 18.37-38 (Papyrus P52 verso,

John Rylands Library Manchester.)

The picture on the left above, shows one side of the earliest surviving fragment of the New

Testament from around 125 AD. Scripture has been treated with deep respect and awe by

Christians. The books which told the good news about Jesus were painstakingly copied and re-

copied through the years. The law, prophets and writings of the Hebrew Bible, which the Church

called Old Testament, are just as much part of our Bible as the Gospels and the letters.

Read Matthew 5:17-20:

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish

but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke

of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the

least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the

kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom

of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you

will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Discussion points

How often have you heard the phrase or perhaps said yourself: ‗The Bible says…‘ ? What

does this mean?

The Qur‘an for Muslims is the Word of God, which literally came down from heaven. Should

we treat our scriptures like this?

Is there ever a danger of making an idol out of the Bible?

… a King I am. For this I have been born

and I have come into the world so that I would

testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth

hears of me my voice." Said to him

Pilate, "What is truth?" and this

having said, again he went out unto the Jews

and said to them, "I find not one

fault in him." …

Session 4

Now read Matthew 5:21-48 (Six ‘antitheses’ or contrasts)

21 "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever

murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or

sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the

council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering

your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24

leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then

come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to

court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and

you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last

penny.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that

everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If

your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of

your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes

you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for

your whole body to go into hell.

31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say

to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit

adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but

carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by

heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is

the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or

black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you,

Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if

anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to

go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse

anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' 44 But I

say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children

of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on

the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you

have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and

sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect,

therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.‖

Session 4

Discussion points

‗You have heard that it was said… But I say…‘ What was Jesus‘ relationship to the law and

the prophets? Does he deny the Jewish law? Does he fulfil it? Does he replace it? Does the

Bible make mistakes – or is it incomplete – or do we need to search for the Word in

amongst the human words?

Does Jesus expect us to read his explanation of the law, just as literally as the scribes and

Pharisees understood the original law? Look at verses 29-30, 36-37, 39-40.

Is it possible for people to keep the law at all if it is so demanding? Can God‘s law ever be

completely set out in words? Does Jesus make the law stricter or easier? Is there something

in Jesus‘ teaching about the spirit and the letter of the law?

Can you think of some contemporary examples of what Jesus teaches about human motives

and failings in these six ‗antitheses‘ ?

How does Jesus change the emphasis of the law? Look at the last ‗antithesis‘ in verses 43 to

48. What does Jesus say about God‘s relationship to the world?

Jesus says: ‗Be perfect.‘ Is this possible? The word for ‗perfect‘ in Greek, suggests being

complete, striving to the end. Are there ways we can begin to look at ourselves and others

with God‘s eyes? Compare Luke's version of this teaching, Luke 6:36

Does this part of the Sermon on the Mount we have read, help us to read the Bible as a

whole?

Prayers

Lord, you are great, and greatly to be praised.

Awaken us to delight in your praises,

for you made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless

till they find their rest in you.

(St. Augustine.)

Forgive us, Lord, when we break the law of love,

when we get consumed with pride and envy and

self-righteous anger,

when we try to justify ourselves,

when we do not know what decisions to make,

what words to use.

God of grace, eternal Trinity - Maker, Saviour,

Sustainer,

your forgiveness and your Spirit of truth is

always with us.

Give us the vision and the heart to recognize

your presence.

Give us your mercy and wisdom and love,

so we can love others as you love us.

In Jesus‘ holy name. Amen

Session 5

Temptation in the Wilderness Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the through the wilderness, being

tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was

hungry. Then the devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf" But

Jesus replied, 'Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone'.

Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the

world and said to him, 'I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has

been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.'

But Jesus answered him, 'Scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone'.

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. 'If you are the

Son of God,' he said to him 'throw yourself down from here, for scripture says: He will put his

angels in charge of you to guard you, and again: They will hold you up on their hands in case you

hurt your foot against a stone'. But Jesus answered him, 'It has been said: You must not put the

Lord your God to the test'.

Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed

time.

We are invited to study Luke 4:1-13 the passage about the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness.

What does the phrase ‗in order to be tested‘ mean? Who is doing the testing? Is this the

initiative of the Devil or is the Father somehow permitting the temptation to test his Son?

(cf Job 1-2)

The Temptation is a motif common to the three Synoptic Gospels but did it really happen?

After forty days without food it is not surprising that Jesus was hungry nor that it was

precisely then that he experienced the Temptation. Was it all just an hallucination? After all,

much of what occurs does not correspond to any normal human experience. Or should we

see it is a series of temptations tailored very specifically to the person of Jesus? Could this

incident be an invention of the Evangelists to highlight the ongoing battle between good

and evil, with the Devil presented as a personification of evil? Or should we be very cautious

about explaining away the existence of the Devil?

The forty days Jesus spent in the desert are often considered a parallel to the forty years

the Hebrews spent in the desert. This was also a period of testing. What differences do you

see? There are, of course, other references to fasting forty days in the OT such as Moses in

Exodus 34:28 and Elijah in 1 Kings 19:8. You may notice some further parallels.

Session 5

The temptations are all about the exercise of power –to turn inanimate stones into bread,

political control of kingdoms and the capacity to force God‘s protection. Jesus already has

these powers but the Devil is inviting him to exercise them in disobedience; trying to put a

wedge between Jesus and the Father. Is this what temptation in our lives is about, us being

tempted to separate ourselves from God?

The appointed time referred to in the last verse could refer to Luke 22:3 when ‗Satan

entered into Judas.‘ But perhaps we should see the work of Satan in a more general sense

continuing throughout time until Christ‘s second coming when we will all face the final

judgement. What are your thoughts on the role of evil in the world and it being finally

overcome?

In this passage we see the Devil quoting Scripture for his own purposes. But sometimes we

Christians do the very same thing and rely overmuch on particular scriptural texts to suit our

own specific doctrines. Consider the use by Catholics of texts about the authority of Peter

(Mt 16:18) and the Protestant reliance on those stressing justification by faith alone (Eph

2:8-10). How should we use the Bible in the underpinning of doctrine?

Session 6

Hope in Scripture 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11

Thessalonica, the principal city of Macedonia, and situated on the main route from Italy and the

Aegean to the East and the Danube, is still a major city today. The two letters to the Thessalonians

were written by Paul soon after he left there. Unfortunately Paul and his companions had to leave

rather hastily in AD 50 and there was concern they had not given the church there enough basic

teaching. So when Timothy went back at the earliest opportunity, he reported that there were

several problems and questions - and this brings us to chapter 4 and v. 13.

The title could be: ‗Instruction and encouragement about Jesus‘ Second Coming‘. Paul had taught

about this but there had been some misunderstanding, namely, the question: ‗What becomes of

believers who die before the second coming?‘ Paul sought to reassure them that they would not

miss it and rise to meet Christ. This leads to a consideration of ‗death‘ as a subject and at this point

it should be noted that the typical attitude to death then was one of ‗utter hopelessness‘.

How do you react to death? Share your thoughts and your feelings.

What was Paul‘s attitude?

Is the statement below one you are comfortable with? ‗Those who have died, have simply

fallen asleep in Christ and will awake with him, thus there is no reason for despair.‘ Give

your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing.

Paul then goes on to outline in brief how the second coming will actually happen.

What three things from the passage signal Christ‘s Second coming?

Then the dead in Christ will ‗rise‘ first and then those who are alive will follow. It is important to

note the imagery here. The picture is of a group of citizens going out from a city to meet a visiting

dignitary and accompanying him back to the city. This implies that The Lord returns with his people

to the earth. Though Paul is describing things in language that go beyond words; the key point is in

V. 17, and ‗we shall be with the Lord forever‘ - this is of great comfort to the church.

A general question – What do you believe about the Second Coming of Christ, these verses

seem to indicate ‗a rapture‘, is that something that you believe in?

Moving on to Chapter 5 and the first 11 verses, the same theme continues. Look at verses 1-6,

there is a clear echo of what Jesus said in Matt. 24:44-45. (If you are not sure what those verses say,

look them up and read them out.)

Is the point of these verses that we need to be ready or awake and alert? If so, how do we

do that; how do we keep awake and ready for his coming?

Session 6

Final Section: Living as Children of Light

Read verses 7–11

Verse 8 in the Greek reads: ‗But we, being of the day...‘ This could be translated as ‗daytime people‘.

What does it mean to be a daytime person? And; how could we the people of the

Thornbury churches be more daytime people?

Thankfully the rest of a verse gives us a clue but it also poses more questions! Practically, Paul

encourages us to put on the armour of God, specifically 2 pieces, a breastplate of faith and love;

and as/for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Look at the two pictures above (typical of Roman Soldiers of the day).

How do we ‗put on the breastplate and helmet‘ as Christians?

Finish by praying into the ideas you have come up with for the last question.

(Hint: The breastplate covers the heart and the helmet covers the mind.)

2011 is the 400th anniversary of the Authorised or King James

Bible.

This lent we come together as churches across Thornbury to

focus our attention on the Word of God. Our hope is to

encourage a greater confidence and passion for Scripture

across the Church.

This guide has been put together by contributions from

members of various churches across Thornbury.