Seekers Bible Study
Preliminaries
“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.”
2 Timothy 2:16-17

It is important that we study the Bible again and again.  God is complex beyond our little imaginations. “The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man.” 1 Corinthians 1:25. Our Bible does not present a simple dictate of actions to follow and moves to make, it is a complex mix of writings that often seem to conflict. You can select passages from the Bible that seem to support or condemn almost anything. Yet overall the Bible presents a consistent picture of a loving God that wants us to be a loving people.  He tells us how, but being stiff-necked, we find it too difficult.

It is easy to start to think that you know God or know what the Bible says. As indicated above, God is too complex for us to know in any but the simplest way. But it is important for us to keep trying as we grow in Christian maturity. We need to use everything at our disposal including the Bible, writings of others, discussion, science, and prayerful thought. Wesley said that when we disagree, we should not separate, but work together so that everyone comes to a deeper understanding. But as a people of one book, we must always come back to the Bible as the final arbiter of what is true.

There has been a movement that suggests that Science can give us all the answer (at least eventually). But as we continue to look more closely at this world, we find that it is always more complex than our best understanding. Newton’s laws explain a lot, relativity does a better job, but neither explains all energy and matter reactions. Material is made up of molecules which are made up of atoms which are made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons, which are made up of mesons, pions, and lots of other particles which are probably made up of even more basic particles.  Science has made great strides at battling disease, but disease has made great strides in adapting and infecting man.  Science has created sources of energy that have been used for good and also for destruction. Science has not done much to help man take care of this earth or each other. Many of God’s people still live in abject poverty. Wars and violence still ravage the planet. It is up to Christians using the Word of the Bible to explain to the world what needs to be done to preserve the planet and to live together in harmony. Science can explain things, but it cannot explain God or love. 

During the course, various points of view will be presented (like the one above about science).  Some you may consider outrageous (and they may be). But the goal of the class is not to present the “right” view of the Bible, but to provide us with tools to understand It and Him better.

One of my favorite stories is of Karl Barth who has been called the most important theologian of the twentieth century. A reporter asked Barth how he envisioned heaven. Karl said that he could imagine himself approaching the pearly gates pushing a wheel barrow loaded with his books. (He had written far too many for anyone to carry.)  He is greeted by St. Peter who smiles and invites him in. He wheels his barrow up to the throne of God. She smiles and says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, but you got it all wrong.”

One of the most dangerous things that we can do is to think that we have the answers. That was the mistake of the Pharisees and of many folks throughout the ages. Even Jesus said that there were some things that were not revealed to him while he walked in human form.

After looking at the Bible itself, we will start to read through it using the approximate selections used in Disciple I. This will take us through about seventy percent of the Bible. As we study, some of the main questions that we will be trying to answer are: What are the important parts of the text (and what are more peripheral)? What did it mean to the people at the time that it was written? What does it mean for us today? What does it call for us to do?

Parkwood
United Methodist Church
5123 Revere Rd.
Durham, NC 27713
(919) 544 - 1078
pumcoffice@parkwoodumc.org

Rev. Bob Kretzu, Pastor

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