Christian Beliefs about the Bible (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

The Bible as a source of authority

• The Bible is the Christian holy book

• It is a central source of authority for all Christians. It:

  • Reveals many important teachings from God 

  • Contains valuable information about the history of the Christian faith

  • Is a source of guidance and inspiration for Christians 

• The Bible is actually a collection of books, written across a long period of time, with several different authors

• Christians believe the authors of these books were inspired by God to write the truth

  • St Paul wrote about the importance of all of the books contained in the Bible:

• There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament

Authority of the Old Testament

• The first part of the Bible is called the Old Testament

• This begins with God’s creation of the universe and everything in it (Genesis)

• There are many forms of writing in the Old Testament, including poetry, letters, laws, history and myth

• The Old Testament was written before the time of Jesus 

• For Christians, the Old Testament is a source of authority

  • It reveals important truths about the nature of God and his work in creating the world

  • It describes the history of the Jewish people prior to Jesus

  • It outlines the covenant God made with the Jews

  • It contains the messages and laws of God

• The first five books of the Old Testament — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy — are known as the Pentateuch

• These books contain important teachings on how to behave and live to please God, such as the Ten Commandments

  • For Jews, this part of the Old Testament is known as the Torah, the ultimate source of authority

  • These are the books that contain the laws God sent to the Jewish people via Moses

Authority of the New Testament 

• The second part of the Bible is called the New Testament

• The New Testament begins with the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), which describe the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus

• The New Testament also describes the early history of the Christian faith as it spread after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension

• This information is contained in the fifth book of the New Testament, Acts of the Apostles

  • The Acts of the Apostles is a whole series of letters from early Church leaders, such as Paul, to the early Christians

  • They contain many teachings about how people should live and interpret the message of Jesus

• The last book of the New Testament is Revelation

  • This contains a series of visions about the end of the world

• For Christians, the New Testament is the central source of authority because it contains:

  • The story of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension, which is completely central to their faith and shows them how salvation is achieved

  • The teachings of Jesus

  • The writings and teachings of the early Christians

  • Guidance and instructions on how to live, for example, the Sermon on the Mount

The Bible as a revelation from God

• Revelation is when something that was hidden becomes known

  • For many religious people, revelation comes from God and reveals something about God

• Christians believe that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is a revelation from God

  • This is because the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it is God’s message to humans

• The Bible reveals important truths about God, which can bring people closer to him and help them understand him better

  • For example, the story of creation (Genesis 1–2) not only shows that God created the world but also reveals important truths about his care for his creation and the role of humans as stewards to care for it

• The Bible contains the life and teachings of Jesus, who is the ultimate revelation from God, since he was God incarnate on earth

  • Jesus’ teachings, therefore, are teachings directly from God

The Bible as a source of moral principles

• The Bible is a vast source of teachings that provide a source of moral principles for both Jews (Old Testament) and Christians (Old and New Testaments)

• It is a source of moral restrictions, explaining what Christians should not do

  • The most famous example of this is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which contain restrictions such as:

    • You shall not kill

    • You shall not bear false witness (tell lies)

    • You shall not commit adultery

• It is also a source of moral principles and requirements, showing Christians the things they should do

  • The most famous example of this guidance is Jesus’ teaching when asked which of all the commandments was the first

  • Jesus answered by summarising the commandments as a requirement to show love of God and neighbour:

• Another source of moral requirements in the Bible is within the series of teachings Jesus gave, known as the Sermon on the Mount

  • Here, Jesus taught the Beatitudes, a series of teachings on what kinds of human lives are considered “blessed” by God, including:

    • Blessed are the meek: people who are humble

    • Blessed are the peacemakers: those who make peace

    • Blessed are those who show mercy to others

  • Jesus also promised that those people, and those who are persecuted because of following their faith, would find their reward in heaven (Matthew 5:3–11)

Views about the Bible and Christian life

• The Bible shows Christians today what God is like and what he expects from followers 

  • This is important for all Christians in building a relationship with God

• The Bible can play an important part in worship, both in private and public 

  • Most Christian public worship centres on readings from the Bible and prayers based on teachings within it

  • In private worship, people may read the Bible as part of their prayer

    • They do so to seek a deeper understanding of God

    • They may also use it to seek guidance and advice to help them manage problems in their life

• Different Christians may have different interpretations of how important the Bible is as a source of authority today

  • Some Christians regard it as the literal word of God and claim that it should not be changed or reinterpreted but understood as God’s actual words

  • Other Christians accept that the Bible is inspired by God but needs to be interpreted for the modern world, as so much has changed in society since the time it was first written

    • In the Catholic Church, the authority of the Magisterium (the Pope and bishops) means that there is an inspired source of authority that can interpret the Bible for modern life, guided by the Holy Spirit

  • Liberal Christians point out that all authors of the Bible were humans, and therefore, the words they wrote were their own interpretations of events and teachings

    • These could be wrong in some cases, so care should be taken to interpret their words for life today