Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

94 / CORNERSTONE CURRICULUM STUDENT WORKBOOK

God’s Word according to King James of England Serious disagreement and conflict has arisen in one of the church’s home Bible studies over which translations are okay to be used. One faction of older believers has asserted that the only Bible we should use in the group is the King James Bible, a tried and true translation that has long been revered and treasured in the church. A group of younger folk are insistent on using some of the “modern” translations, because they find them so much easier to study and memorize. To those of the older faction, when verses are read from the newer translation, it is as if the entire meaning of the verse has changed. Both sides know that the Bible was not written originally in English, but no one in either faction understands Hebrew or Greek. As pastor, how would you resolve this dilemma in the home group? You Need the Holy Spirit After hearing a teaching on television that said no one can understand the Bible without the aid of the Holy Spirit, one of the deacons at church is deeply concerned about his own lack of understanding of the Bible. While he understands that the Holy Spirit has indwelt and sealed him once he believed (e.g., Rom. 8.1-18; Eph. 1.13; Gal. 5.16-23), he doesn’t know what it means to be “taught” by the Holy Spirit. He is deeply skeptical of going through a lot of emotional exercises in order to say that he is being taught by the Spirit, and everyone recognizes this dear brother to be a mature, godly, and Christlike servant in the church. Still, he wants to understand what it means to be taught by the Spirit. How would you instruct this brother to understand the role of the Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry in his ongoing understanding of the Bible? The Holy Scriptures are the Word of God, a written record of the Lord’s own living and eternal Word. Because they are inspired by the Holy Spirit (literally, God-breathed) they are absolutely trustworthy and reliable in all they assert and claim. The Word of God provides us with God’s eternal purpose for creation, that is, that all things were made through God’s creative and life-giving Word for his ultimate glory. The Lord God identifies himself completely with the Word of God in Jesus Christ. He is the One through whom God reveals himself, redeems the world, and will restore the universe under his righteous rule. This Word by the Spirit creates new life in those who believe. True discipleship is abiding in this Word in the Church, which produces in the believer spiritual maturity, depth, and growth in God’s purpose and will.

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B i b l i ca l S tud i e s

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Restatement of the Lesson’s Thesis

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