1. KNOWING GOD’S WORD Part 2 © 2003 David K. Bernard Psalm 119:11

2. E. We Have God’s Word 1.God seeks to communicate with us, for we are created in His image for fellowship 2.God has communicated to us in writing, the historic medium best suited for: a. Precision b. Preservation c. Propagation

3. F. The Bible Is God’s Word 1.The Bible’s own testimony 2.Unique character of the Bible 3.Historical and scientific verification 4.Fulfilled prophecy 5.Witness in human society 6.Witness in individual lives

4. G. Trustworthiness of the Bible 1.Inspiration, II Peter 1:20-21 2.Canon (acceptance of books) a. OT: Jews, Jesus, apostles b. NT: Jesus, apostles, early church 3.Text (reliability) a. OT: Jewish scribes, Dead Sea Scrolls b. NT: Age and number of manuscripts

5. H. Translations 1.Use a relatively literal translation: KJV, NKJV 2.Modern English: NKJV, NIV 3.Be cautious of most modern translations: “dynamic” or “functional equivalence” 4.Avoid use of paraphrases except as a commentary or a Bible story book

6. I. Application and Conclusion 1.Read daily; read entire Bible 2.Start: Luke, Acts, Psalms, Proverbs 3.Study: topics, characters, books, color codes, cross references, notes and outlines 4.Study aids: Bible dictionaries, Bible handbooks, commentaries, word studies 5.Meditate and memorize 6.Psalm 19:7-14