66 books

40 authors

1500 years

3 continents

3 Languages

Multiple nations

Rising and falling of many empires


Deuteronomy 8:1-3

8 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.


Mark 13:31

31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

1 Corinthians 15:6

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Matthew 5:18

"For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

2 Timothy 3:15

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 1:20-21

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart

Romans 15:4

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Ezekiel 13:9

9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

Acts 20:28-30

28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Galatians 1:6-9

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

  • Did Constantine write or decide the books of the Bible? (No)

    Was the Old Testament already in use by Jewish communities before Jesus' time? (Yes)

    Did the Council of Nicaea determine which books would be in the Bible? (No)

    Is the Bible composed of multiple books written over a span of 1,500 years? (Yes)

    Were the New Testament authors all Jewish? (No)

    Were there warnings in Scripture about false teachings distorting the gospel? (Yes)

    1. Do you have any questions or thoughts from this lesson?

    2. What stood out to you most?

    3. How does knowing the Bible’s diverse origins (authors, cultures, languages) impact the way we read and understand it?

    4. If someone asked you, “Why do you trust the Bible?” how would you answer?

    5. What Scriptures would you use to help someone understand that the Bible is God’s Word and not man-made?

    6. How do we practically live this lesson out?

    1. How was your emotional and physical health this week?

    2. What is a serious stressor in your life?

    3. How has your personal time with God been this week?

    4. Would you like to share your personal temptations and how can we help you overcome them?

    5. Is there anything that we need to discuss that we have not already?

    6. How can we pray for each other this week?

    Pray for one another, invite each person to pray even if it is just a few sentences.