CHURCH OF CHRIST BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE

                                    LESSON 1

                                 THE WORD OF GOD

         In this day of infidelity and skepticism, there is no lesson more im- 

portant than this lesson on the Word of God. Lesson 1 is designed to teach the

truth on the inspiration of the Bible. There are those who deny the Bible in

its entirety; these men are called infidels. There are those who deny the

verbal inspiration of the Bible; these men are called modernists. Then there

are those who deny any part of the Bible when it contradicts their

denominational creeds. The claim that the Living Oracles make for themselves is

that the word of God is perfect, converting the soul. (Psa. 19:7). Jude

declares that the faith has been once delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) and

Peter adds to this testimony when he declares that God has given us all things

that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that called

us to glory and virtue. (2 Peter 1:3,4) One of the last warnings of God to His

people is that they neither add to nor take from the Sacred Oracles. (Rev. 22:18).

         The conclusion to this is that the Bible and the Bible alone is the on-

ly creed for the church and to follow it and it alone is its only hope. This is

why churches of Christ dare not have any creed but Christ nor any book save the

Bible.

         1. "And God , let there be light: and there was light." (Gen. 1:3)

           This is the very first use of the Word of God mentioned in 

           the Bible.

         2. "By the word of the Lord were the made." (Psalms 33:6)

         3. "Through faith we understand that the were framed by  

            the of God."(Hebrews 11:3)

         4. "The word of God is and and sharper than any two-

            edged sword." (Hebrews 4:12)

         5. "The word of God gives and to the simple.

            (Psa.119:130)

         6. What is the word of God?

            (a) Jeremiah 23:29, "Is not my word like as a ? saith the

               Lord; and like a that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

            (b) John 6:63, "They are and they are life.

            (c) Luke 8:11,"Now the parable is this: the is the word of

                God.

            (d) Ephesians 6:17, "And the of the ,which is the

                word of God."

            (e) Psalms 119:105, "Thy word is a unto my feet, and a

                unto my path."

         7. Things that the word of God does for us.

            (a) John 17:17,

            (b) James 1:21, " your souls." Salvation of the soul is im-

                possible unless we receive with meekness the engrafted word.   

                 This shows the necessity of obedience to the word of God.

            (c) Psalms 19:7, "The law of the Lord is perfect, the

               soul". If the law of the Lord is perfect to convert the soul,

               then creeds, manuals,  disciplines and confessions of faith are

               not necessary!

8. How are we made clean? (John 15:3) Without   abed-  

   ounce to the word of God we cannot be made clean in the sight of God.

9. Men are born again when they obey the commandments of the incorruptible 

     which is the of .(1 Peter 1:23) The new birth cannot  

  be accomplished, according to the inspired Peter until the incorruptible  

  seed, or the word of God is planted in the heart and obeyed. How foreign  

  to God's word is the teaching that a man can be born again by some mys-  

  terious force acting on his heart before he has obeyed the dictates of God

  as expressed in His word.

10. Our attitude toward the word of God is one of being of the word  

    and not only. (James 1:22)

11. How  will we be judged? (John 12:48)

12. What will happen to those who take away from the Word of God? God shall take away:

    (Rev.22:19)         

13. Every preacher is charged to  the . (2 Tim. 4:2) Human   

   opinions, decrees of popes or councils are not part of the true gospel    

   preacher's message. He is to preach the Word only.

14. God's power to save is the of . (Rom. 1:16)

15. Do  we know anything of God, Christ, heaven, hell, the church, and how   

    to be saved except what we learn from the Bible? Yes or no.

    Everything we need is in the Bible. (2 Tim. 3:16)

    At the conclusion of this lesson the student can readily see the follow-

     ing facts:

            1. That all human creeds are in rebellion to the Word of God.

            2. That  no man can be saved  without complete obedience to the

               Word of God.

            3. That  when the book of  Revelation was completed, the word of

               God  was  settled and  sealed by  the blood of Christ and it

               cannot be added to nor taken from. This would forever destroy

               the claims of those have received present-day revelations that

               are being appealed to as authority in addition to the Bible.  

               Those who have dug up tablets of gold, journeyed to  heaven or

              had  mysterious talks with God must be counted as false prophets.

            4. We  should all  have the utmost respect for the utterances of

               God and His Word must be the final authority in all matters

               religious.

***All Bible texts and quotations are taken from the King James Version.