BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW AND SAMPLES

Here is a sampling of some of the subjects that are dealt with in this course:

	PROVE ALL THINGS - Christ warned that great deception would be one of the signs of the end times. In this book, instruction is given on how to recognize false prophets and teachings. Clear Scriptural guidelines are given on discerning the Spirit of truth versus the spirit of error. You will learn how to judge without being judgmental.
	THE TRUE GOD - This is a teaching on the character of God, explaining why God does certain things, and why it is against His nature to do other things. You will learn to differentiate between the things for which God is responsible and the things for which the devil is responsible. Our responsibility as Christians destined to overcome is made clear so that we can live victorious lives.
	THE WILL OF GOD - The first step to doing the will of God is knowing the will of God. Learn how to know the will of God for your personal life, your family, your ministry and your finances. Find out why God allows sin, sickness and suffering in the world. As overcomers, Christians are not supposed to suffer under many of the things which have been accepted as normal.
	KEYS TO THE KINGDOM - These lessons will give you instruction on how to gain authority in God's Kingdom through prayer. Many principles and methods of prayer are covered, such as praying in the Spirit, fasting and prayer, travailing prayer, praise, intercession and spiritual warfare.
	EXPOSING SATAN'S DEVICES - These studies are a powerful expose` of Satan's tricks, tactics and lies. Cult and occultic methods are listed so Christians can detect their activity. Demon activity is discussed and deliverance and casting out demons is dealt with in detail. Satan's kingdom is uncovered and the Christian is taught to overcome through spiritual discernment and warfare. Equip yourself to overcome the onslaughts of the enemy.
	HEALING OF THE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY - Learn how to receive divine healing and overcome emotional problems, as well as physical ones. When you discover how to renew the carnal mind and walk in the spirit of Life, you will overcome depression, loneliness, fear and other attacks of the enemy.
	NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE - What is the woman's role in the church? Who is a woman's spiritual head and covering? Learn what God's Word says about true submission. Does God call women to the five-fold ministry? Learn the qualifications for the offices of the five-fold ministry. Find out what God's Word says about divorce, celibacy and choosing a marriage partner? These and other related topics are scripturally examined.
	EXTREMES OR BALANCE? - Many Christians have hurt the cause of Christ through "out-of-balance" teachings and demonstrations. Learn how to avoid these areas and walk in balance. These teachings also deal wisely with the excesses and extremes in the body of Christ.
	THE PATHWAY INTO THE OVERCOMER'S WALK - These studies answer the questions an overcomer faces as he presses toward the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. How can we be conformed to the image of Christ? How does the Holy Spirit work with the overcomers in the end times? What are the overcomer's rewards?

SAMPLE MATERIAL FROM A BIBLE STUDY BOOK IN THE SERIES

PROVE ALL THINGS

Learning From the Word

The Lord teaches us by His Word, or His Book, the same way teachers teach their children in school, by the book. The word chastise in the Greek primarily denotes to train children. It suggests the broad idea of education by correcting with words, reproving, admonishing and instructing. When we can grasp this, we can then know that God is not the author of evil, but it is our wrong decisions that produce evil and its consequences. If we are walking defeated Christian lives, it is not God s fault. He made a way for us to overcome by obeying His Word. When the trials of life overwhelm us and we are defeated, it is because we did not pass the test. In school, when a child fails a test, we do not blame the teacher, as the fault lies with the child who did not do his lessons and homework well. However, when Christians fail the tests in life, may times it is God who is blamed. He gets the blame for taking little children's lives in accidents, for sending sickness upon His children, for burning down houses, for earthquakes, storms, etc. Could it be that if we did our homework by praying and studying the Bible, that many of these things could be prevented? Yes, they could; the lack is ours, not God's.

We believe in the motto, "Prayer Changes Things," yet how much quality time do we spend in prayer? How many hours do we devote to Bible study as compared to the hours we watch TV or devote our time to other time wasting endeavors? Yet, when something bad happens in our lives, we do not take the blame to ourselves because it is so much easier to blame God. God gave us mighty weapons in His Word to overcome the devil and defeat him at every turn. Is it His fault we are not aware of these weapons? We have the book that tells us how to be an overcomer. That book is the Holy Bible. I would say few people reading this would not have access to a Bible. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and His operation manual for living in this world is the Bible. If we have Him in our hearts and read His manual, there is not one problem that we cannot overcome. We find few overcomers because we find few apt students. We find a lot of people that know the Word of God but they do not apply it to their lives. In school we must apply what we know to pass the exams. If we do not know our subject, we are doomed to fail from the start. That is why we must know Him first, for in Him is all knowledge and wisdom.

If we are walking with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will always do His job of reproving us for sin. (John 16:8: And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment....) Sometimes we suffer under Satan's false accusations when we are not guilty at all. How can we determine when it is the Holy Spirit that is convicting us and when it is the enemy that is condemning us? When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He always shows us the way out and always extends to us pardon. When the devil is condemning us, he never leaves us a way out, he accuses us, and he condemns us to failure. He would whisper to us, You will never change; you can never overcome this weakness. God is angry with you and He will punish you for this. You might as well go back into the world. God's way is too hard. You are doomed to hell, anyway. Why, you have committed the unpardonable sin, etc. These are a few of the lies Satan tells us when we have failed and sinned, and every one of them brings condemnation and fear. God always lifts us up and helps us when we have failed Him, and shows us there is a better way. He enables us to overcome if we do it His way.

If we forsake evil and turn to Him, we are never condemned; but if we continue to sin, we are condemned along with the world.

John 3:18-21, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. If we judge ourselves, we shall not be condemned with the world because we are a part of a new world.

The Lord gave a parable in Matthew 5:25-26 that gives us a guideline as to how we can judge ourselves and remain free from Satan's condemning lies. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. The Amplified Version of the Bible makes this even a little easier for us to understand. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; Truly, I say to you, you will never be released until you have paid the last fraction of a penny. We know that Satan is our accuser and our adversary (Revelation12:10), so when we are walking with him, or keeping company with him by sinning, and he accuses us of that sin, we are to agree with him. If we have lied, and he says to us, You are a liar and all liars go to hell, we are to agree with this statement, when guilty. We must not stop here, however; we should then ask God's forgiveness and tell the devil, Yes, I have sinned, but I have asked God to forgive me and His Word also says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness ( I John 1:9). If we do not confess our sin, then we come under the judge's jurisdiction. We find that the judge is the Word of God, and the Word of God does declare that all liars end up in hell. (Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.) So the judge (God's word) takes us to the officer or the guard. The guard is representative of the Holy Spirit, as He guards the Word. If the Holy Spirit does not know us, then we must pay the price for our sin.

By agreeing that we are guilty and asking the Lord for forgiveness, we can avoid the condemnation and the penalty. When Satan then accuses us, the Holy Spirit will have pardoned us because Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we do not have to pay it. Praise God! Even as Christians we can come into bondage and be held prisoner in our bodies, our emotions and our minds if we fail to ask for forgiveness of our sins. Satan has a legal hold when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. We should also ask the Lord to forgive us for those things that we do not, as of yet, recognize as sin, even as David did in Psalm 19:12: Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. The more of God's Word that we know, the more we shall be able to recognize our sin and be cleansed of it. Ephesians 5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the word... Yes, the more of God's Word we have in our hearts, the more we shall be able to prove and test all things. To know and understand the Word of God is to know the truth, and in knowing the truth we indeed shall be free.

We then, being free, will not have to stand before God's judgment for sin. What is God's judgment on sin? It is the penalty for broken spiritual laws. This penalty is brought on by our own sins (unless we receive Jesus, as He took the penalty for us on Calvary). The judgment of God can be averted by repentance and prayer. Disasters come to cities, and most of the time it is spoken of as "the judgment of God coming upon the people because of their wickedness. If Christians were praying for their cities and asking God to be merciful and to deliver and touch the people of that town, we would see fewer disasters. Christians should be in prayer daily for their communities, seeking God on behalf of the city officials and praying for truth and peace to reign in their local areas. We, as Christians, have been failing, thus allowing Satan to bring disaster to areas because there are no interceding Christians.

Sins of Omission

There are two kinds of sins. One is that of commission (sins that we commit) and the other of omission (things we omit). The sin of omission is the failure to do the things we know we should do. It is being committed every day when we fail to pray for our cities and governments (James 4:17). We might ask ourselves this question, If it were up to us to be responsible in prayer for our city's welfare, would our prayers be sufficient for that task? This will reveal to us that the lack is not on God's part, but on our part, in that we do not pray diligently. It will take more than a few times of praying, "God bless America," for our country to have a real revival and turn from its wickedness. It will take real intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare for the victory to be won.

God is not responsible for the tragedies in our homes, cities and country. We are responsible. Ezekiel 22:30-32 says, And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God. From this verse we can see that it is our own ways that bring destruction, not God. Destruction is simply the result of sin. How terrible to blame God for tragedy and disaster: It is man's nature to do this, because it is much easier to blame God than to take responsibility for his own failures and sins. Ezekiel 33:20 states, Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. We see the Israelites were guilty of the same sin of blaming God for His alleged injustice, instead of seeing their own sins. They were God's people, yet they were full of sin. Today we find the same scene. Many of God's people are the very ones blaming God for their tragedies, losses of loved ones, sicknesses, sorrows, etc. They are blinded to their sin, as it has taken a subtle form of self-righteousness. They feel if they attend church regularly and give their tithes, they have fulfilled their obligations to God. They do not recognize their complacency and their love for the world, as the clergy has allowed them to bring the "world" into the church.

One of the greatest ills in the church today is the mixture of the church and the world. The church is no longer separated from the world, but looks just like the world. The world does not recognize Christians because they do the same thing the world does. They eat and drink the same things, go to the same places, etc. In Exodus 12:38 we find an account of a people called the mixed multitude.

The background of this account tells about Israel being led out of Egyptian bondage by Moses. When they left, some of the Egyptians who had married the Israelites left with them. Also there were those that were half-Egyptian and half-Israelite. The Old Testament has many accounts of "types" that are lessons for us today. I Corinthians 10:5-6 says, But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. The example we are to see here is a lesson of what happens to those who are not true Israelites at heart. We see in Numbers 11 that after the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness awhile, they began to gripe and complain. This spirit spawned from those that were of the mixed multitude. The mixed multitude were those in the outermost part of the camp. They didn't come to the center of the camp where the tabernacle was pitched, as they didn't want to be exposed by the glory of the Lord. Their allegiance soon waned under trial and persecution, and they longed to go back to Egypt where the fish, cucumbers, melons, garlics, leeks, and onions were. Soon their lust for these things overcame them, and they were destroyed by the fire of God and the wrath of the Lord.

Today we find the same problem in the church. The lust for the things of this world, plus uncommitted hearts that contain a mixture of this world and the Lord's kingdom, will ultimately bring the judgment of God. It was not God's intention for Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, as He wanted to bring them to the promised land that was flowing with milk and honey. It is the same today; He wants to bless His children, but their rebellion and lack of commitment do not allow Him to do so. The Word of God proves we have a loving and just God. As we seek Him and grow in His Word, we will not suffer His judgment on sin. The judgment of the wrath of God comes only upon sin in this world. If we have Jesus in our hearts and have been forgiven of our sins and have renounced the things of this world, then we have no need to fear the wrathful judgment of God. It will not fall on God's children who are striving to follow Him. Praise God!

In concluding, let us look to God to prove all things. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:10). Only by coming before Him with a teachable spirit can we be taught the truth and recognize error. As we become more acquainted with the real, we will be able to better discern the counterfeit. The devil has a counterfeit for every truth of God. However, we need not fear being deceived if we are in fellowship with the Lord, for He will deliver us from every evil as we continue to follow Him.

Our daily prayer should be "Lord, cleanse me from all error and renew my mind. Lord, I desire to know the truth even if it means correction and embarrassment for me. Change my thoughts and heart to be your thoughts."

SAMPLE MATERIAL FROM A BIBLE STUDY WORKBOOK IN THE SERIES

PROVE ALL THINGS WORKBOOK

Expository Introduction

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: THE MATERIAL IN THIS SECTION IS TAKEN FROM ONE OF THE BOOKS IN THE OVERCOMING LIFE SERIES, PROVE ALL THINGS.THIS EXPOSITORY ALSO CONTAINS ADDED MATERIAL ABOUT THE BIBLE ITSELF AND HOW TO USE IT TO BEST ADVANTAGE. THE ANSWERS ARE PROVIDED AT THE END OF THE WORKBOOK AND DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE EXACT WORDING IN MANY CASES. YOU SIMPLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE CAUGHT THE CONCEPT OR PRINCIPLE FROM THE WORD OF GOD.]

Interpretation of the Scripture should be done in the light of certain principles.

We must view parts of the Bible in relation to the whole, or otherwise the Bible will seem to contradict itself in certain places. Since the Bible is the work of one mind the mind of the Lord it does not in actuality contradict itself. When we cannot understand something that seems to be a contradiction, it is because of human limitations or a lack of full knowledge.

The first principle and primary rule of Biblical interpretation is:
We must interpret any scripture by other scriptures

By referring to other verses about the same subject, we can get a more complete picture of that subject.

A good concordance is a great help in studying the Bible. The most well-known one is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance; however, Young's and Cruden's also are good reference works.

The science of interpretation is called hermeneutics from the Greek word hermenuo, which means to interpret or explain .

Let us use the incident in Acts 4:18-20 as an example of how to use scripture to interpret scripture where there seems to be a contradiction:

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

This scripture describes the day when the council of elders in Jerusalem, which had authority over all religious matters, ordered Peter and John not to speak any more of Jesus or of the things He had done. The apostles knew the Old Testament writings told them to submit to authority. Yet, we find them saying they have to speak about the things they saw and heard to be right in the sight of God!

Looking at 1 Peter 2:13-15, it also seems to contradict what Peter and John did that day in Jerusalem.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

However, by studying the rest of Scripture, we see that Peter 's instructions in his first epistle do not really contradict his actions as recorded in Acts. We find from the rest of the Bible there are limitations to submission to earthly authority. We will find that we are not to obey earthly authority, civil or religious, if it contradicts God's authority (Colossians 1:16-18).

Other scriptures that show us how to know when to obey earthly authority and when not to are found in:

• Words spoken by Jesus and later recorded in Matthew 22:36-38, which told them to love the Lord above all things and all people. Along with that were Old Testament admonitions that the apostles knew well, which said that, if someone loves God, he will obey Him.
• Peter's words in Acts 5:29-33, where it is recorded that he told the authorities that they ought to obey God rather than men.
• The words of Gamaliel, one of the religious authorities presiding at the hearing, when the apostles continued preaching about Jesus. The wise priest and scholar said the men should be left alone, because if something is of God, it will stand (Acts 5:38,39). In other words, if what Peter and John were saying was not of God, it would not last but die away.

(Please read the three passages of scripture mentioned above before continuing with this lesson. In fact, it would be good to find and read all of the Scripture references mentioned in these lessons.)

Other Principles of Interpretation

A second principle of interpretation then is to establish a fact or truth in the mouth of two or three witnesses in referring to Scripture. This means there should be at least two or three scriptures verifying a doctrine, or principle (Deut. 17:6, 19:15; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). It takes more than one scripture to prove a doctrine, a point, or a principle.

Another good way to use your concordance is to make a topical study of any subject to see what God s Word has to say in different places on a particular subject or topic. Most Bibles have small concordances in the back of them so you can look up different topics to get a broad view of that subject. However, you need a larger one, such as Strong's, to research a topic thoroughly.

The third important principle of interpretation is known as: "The Law of First Mention ." In testing Scripture by Scripture, it is important to look for the place in the Bible that a subject, attitude, or principle is mentioned for the first time and see what it meant there. "The Law of the First Mention" states that wherever a concept or topic is first introduced in Scripture there are certain foundational principles laid down by that first mention which govern and fulfill it. It is like a legal case that is settled in the Supreme Court. Once a decision is reached on that case it becomes a "land mark case." "Land mark cases" then set a precedent for future cases. In the study of any topic in scripture we should find where that topic is "first mentioned" and build our study on that foundation. Again, this requires looking up words or phrases in a concordance.

Some other guidelines of interpretation are:

1. Scripture should always be accepted literally unless it is clearly figurative or symbolic. Spiritualizing too much can dilute God's Word, while literalizing too much can bring bondage and legalism. The Holy Spirit is our guide.
   For example, in Revelation 12:4, Satan is described as being cast out of Heaven with a third part of the stars going with him. To understand what this means, let us first apply "the law of first mention." Going to the concordance, we find the word stars first mentioned in the book of Revelation in Revelation 1:20. We see in that verse the interpretation for stars is angels, or messengers of God . We use the first mention in Revelation, instead of the first mention in Genesis, because Revelation is full of "symbolic pictures" of literal things, while Genesis is a book describing literal events. We now can understand the interpretation that one-third of the stars means angels, and therefore, they were cast out of Heaven with Lucifer (the dragon) to the earth.
2. We should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word to us before beginning any study. Then we can understand by revelation. The Lord at times may speak a direct message to us from His Word (which will be the application of His Word to our spirits).
3. However, avoid using the Bible like fortune telling . Some people open the Bible to a page, then point to a verse with their eyes closed, and use that for guidance and direction. Sometimes, for "baby" Christians, God will go ahead and give them a message that way, but continued use of that method amounts to fortune-telling, much like reading tea leaves, and the enemy will get involved sooner or later. In seeking God it is permissable to ask the Lord to lead you to a scripture in the Bible that will help you find an answer to your current problem. One of the best way to get answers from God is to spend time daily in prayer and studying the Word, then in our times of study, the Holy Spirit makes the Bible alive to us.
4. Trust God's Word above all else. We must believe fully in the integrity of God's Word and give it first place, if we are to know the God who wrote it. A new Christian will not understand the Word as well as a mature Christian, who has studied the Bible enough to get an understanding in his spirit of the way God thinks and acts.

Here are some scriptures from the Word written by four different men who were inspired of God. Their writings covered a period of time ranging over about 1,500 years, yet each of them verify the faithfulness of God's Word to us.

Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
. . . . . . .. . Numbers 23:19 (Moses)

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
. . . . . . .. . . Psalms 12:6,7; 138:2 (David)

I will hasten my word to perform it.
. . . . . . . Jeremiah 1:12 (Jeremiah)

The scripture cannot be broken. Thy word is truth.
. . . . . . . John 10:35; 17:17 (the Apostle John)

It takes trust that God wants to open up His Word to you, and faithfulness in studying it and waiting on Him to gain true understanding and knowledge (John 6:51,52,60,66; Hebrews 5:12-14). It does not make any difference what things look like, if God said it, He will do it. Although what we see happening is beyond our personal experiences with God, we should still choose to believe God s Word in spite of our lack of understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

In addition to the Bible itself, we can and should use and appreciate the writings and works of godly men and women throughout history. They were raised up by God to teach others the knowledge of His Word and to lead others in faith (Ephesians 4:11-15; 2 Timothy 2:2).

One example of a Christian work outside the Bible that has lasted for more than two hundred years and has been invaluable to many is the classic, Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. This is a very good book that gives a graphic picture of the overcoming Christian walk through this world.

However, even in listening to men and women of God or in reading their works, we must prove what we hear to be scriptural. That is a Christian s individual responsibility, as we saw in an earlier lesson. Some scriptures that tell us how to do this, in addition to the material in earlier sections, are: Mark 4:24, Matthew 7:20, and Matthew 12:33.

In addition, here are some practical guidelines for proving or testing those who teach or preach:

1. Notice the words of their mouths. Jesus said that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart (Matthew 12:34).
2. Notice their lifestyles (Matthew 12:33).
3. Notice the fruits of their spirits (Galatians 5:22,23)

On the other hand, do not expect perfection in any leader. No man or woman has all the truth or is to the place where God is not working in them any longer. There was only one perfect man: Jesus Christ. Men will fail at some time or other. Only God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus will never fail us.

If leaders are put up on pedestals as "stars" or "heroes and heroines", our expectations will sooner or later turn to disillusionment, and then we will be tempted to judge them. However, we may look to them as godly role models and as examples, when we see Jesus demonstrated in their lives.

Here are some more don'ts concerning our right attitudes to leaders:

• Do not exalt spiritual leaders as special persons, but do honor and respect their offices in Jesus and listen to them.
• Do not put them above God.
• Do not expect them to do our praying for us. Do not expect them to make decisions for us. Check out any counsel with the Word, and remember that we are individually accountable to God for our personal choices and decisions. They may help us come to right decisions based on the Word of God.
• Do not refuse all of a teaching or all of their advice simply because it is not possible to agree with part of it. We should accept what is right and throw out the rest if we know it is not right. However, if the part we cannot accept is something we may not yet understand, then we would be wise to lay it aside for the time being and study to understand it.
• Do not have an unteachable spirit so that truth cannot be received when it comes in different teaching or preaching styles or in a different type of word usage.
• Do not accept a teaching if it does not glorify Jesus and His kingdom. However, a hard word that glorifies God and His Word can be God's correction to us, when it is movtivated by love for us. Test the spirit (attitude) of the person delivering that word.

We also need to test or prove our calling from God. If we truly are called of God to do a special work for Him, we must know the answers to the following questions:

1. What has God called me to do?
2. When does He want me to do it?
3. How does He want me to do it? (In other words, what is His plan for doing this work?)

In conclusion, then, principles for interpreting the Bible are:

1. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.
2. Prove an interpretation in the mouth of two or three witnesses.
3. Find the first time a certain subject is mentioned in Scripture and study that for its fuller meaning (the law of first mention).
4. Take the Bible literally wherever possible and as it makes sense. Consider it from the standpoint of God's power, ability, and character.
5. Gain familiarity with the Bible as a whole. In other words, get to know the forest, not just what some individual trees look like.
6. Do not handle the Word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2). In other words, we should not make it say what we want it to or what someone else has told us it says. And, do not use it as "fortune-telling."

Lesson for Section Four

[Author s Note: All Scripture references that answer these questions have been given. Please do not look at the answer pages until the questions have been answered. This is an expository lesson to help Bible students learn more of the ways and Word of God.]

1. What is the primary rule of Biblical interpretation?
   ___________________________
2. Explain the principle to be gained from the examples used in the expository introduction about the Apostles Peter and John and their use of the primary rule of interpretating the Bible.
   (Matthew 22:36-38; Acts 5:29-33, 38, 39) ___________________________
3. What is the second main rule of Biblical interpretation?
   ___________________________
4. What is the third rule of interpretation that directs us to locate or find a topic or concept where it is first introduced in the Bible called?
   ___________________________
5. According to this method of interpretation, what would the "stars" of Revelation 12:4 be referring to?
   ___________________________
6. List the other four guidelines given in the expository introduction to this section:
   
   1. _________________________
      
   2. _________________________
      
   3. _________________________
      
   4. _________________________
      
7. What is one of God's plans for teaching us His Word, according to Ephesians 4:11-15 (especially verses 11,12)?
   ___________________________
8. In listening to men, what must we first do (Mark 4:24)?
   ___________________________
9. What is the Biblical test for "proving" men (Matthew 7:20,12:33-35)
   ____________________________
10. List the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23).
    
    1. ___________________________
       
    2. ___________________________
       
    3. ___________________________
       
    4. ___________________________
       
    5. ___________________________
       
    6. ___________________________
       
    7. ___________________________
       
    8. ___________________________
       
    9. ___________________________
       
11. What are some practical guidelines for proving or testing spiritual leaders?
    
    1. ________________________
       
    2. ________________________
       
    3. ________________________
       
12. What is the proper perspective to have of leaders? [See the don'ts in the expository introduction.]
    
    1. ________________________
       
    2. ________________________
       
    3. ________________________
       
    4. ________________________
       
    5. ________________________
       
    6. ________________________
       
    7. ________________________
       
    8. ________________________
       

    [Author s Note: For the rest of the Lesson, refer back to the Review Outline in Section One for Prove All Things, as well as to the book itself.]

13. A guideline for proving true or false doctrines can be found in 1 John 4:1-8. [Anti means "against" or "instead of" ; Christ means "the Anointed One". So the "spirit of antichrist" in those verses means someone or something that is against or is being offered as a substitute for Jesus, the true Christ, anointed of God as His only begotten Son (John 3:16).] False doctrines deny:
    
    1. ________________________
       
    2. ________________________
       
    3. ________________________
       
    4. ________________________
       
    5. ________________________
       
14. We can know if a doctrine is true, if:
    
    1. ________________________
       
    2. ________________________
       
    3. ________________________
       
    4. ________________________
       
    5. ________________________
       

    [When the Spirit of God ministers a strong word, it will have God's authority, stability, and love undergirding it.]

15. All supernatural manifestations, such as dreams, visions, revelations, prophecies, voices, and so forth should be tested or proved by the Word of God. We can know something supernatural is not of God, if it:
    
    1. ______________________
       
    2. ______________________
       
    3. ______________________
       
    4. ______________________
       
    5. ______________________
       
    6. ______________________
       Reference: James 3:13-18
    1. God's wisdom and His manifestations produce good ____________________________.
    2. List some other things from James 3:13-18 that God's wisdom produces:
       
       1. ______________________________
          
       2. ______________________________
          
       3. ______________________________
          
       4. ______________________________
          
       5. ______________________________
          
       6. ______________________________
          
       7. ______________________________
          
       8. ______________________________
          
16. Proving and testing our calling from God is a must. We must know without a doubt the answers to the following questions before stepping out into a fulltime ministry (Romans 12:7). If I believe I am called of God, I must know:
    
    1. _______________
       
    2. _______________
       
    3. _______________
       
17. Judging is also part of the testing and proving we are to do as Christians. Jesus didn't tell us not to judge, but rather how to judge (Matthew 7:1-5). How are we to judge?
    
    1. __________________
       
    2. __________________
       
    3. ___________________
       
    4. ___________________
       
    5. ___________________
       
18. Some people erroneously believe Old Testament saints were saved by works and New Testament saints are saved bygrace. But the law is the will of God, and grace is His undeserved favor and power to do His will. We do not obey the law to be saved, but because we are saved. The law points out sin. Grace saves from sin. Law and grace both are as valid today as in the Old Testament.

    Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

    
    Matthew 5:17

    An example of grace in the Old Testament is found in the story of how God dealt with David after he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed.

    And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

    
    2 Samuel 12:13

    1. How are saints of all ages saved? __________________________________
       _________________________
       _________________________
       
       1. Define mercy: ____________________
          
       2. Define grace: ____________________
          
    2. How are we to judge ourselves? _________________________
       
    3. Judging ourselves involves: _________________________
       _________________________
       
    4. Judging ourselves frees Christians from being judged by God.

       And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

       
       John 12:47,48

       Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God .

       
       Jeremiah 2:19

       1. The judgment of God on evil works can also be expressed as: ____________________
          (See page 16 of Prove All Things.)
       2. As Christians, who took our penalty for us? ____________________
       3. If Jesus took the penalty for us, must we still undergo it? ____________________
       4. How does God chastise His children who are rebellious? ____________________
    5. In judging ourselves, we must guard against Satan's false accusations, because a) The Holy Spirit reproves or convicts of sin, while b) Satan condemns and accuses.
       1. What is the conviction of God ? ______________________
          Reference: John 16:8; 1 Corinthians 10:13
       2. What is the condemnation of the devil? ______________________
          Reference: John 3:18-21
    6. In judging ourselves, we must not forget the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission.

       Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

       
       James 4:17

       1. Define sins of commission. ______________________
       2. Define sins of omission. ______________________
       3. Would prayerlessness be sin for a Christian? ______________________
          

Anything short of a total commitment to God is sin.

Overcoming Life Memory Verses

The suggested memory verses for this lesson are:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 )."

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)."

If you want to order the Overcoming Life Bible Study in hard copy books or discs go to the Chapel Bookstore.