To handle the Word of God responsibly, Presbyterians have always stressed the importance of scholarship.

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Study the Bible with Us

Join Us for Our Tuesday Evening Bible Study

"Walking Through the Bible".

We are currently studying the Old Testament book of Numbers.

Tuesday's at
7:30 p.m.


"We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers."
(1 Thess. 2:13)

"Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn’t have guessed. That’s one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It’s a religion you couldn’t have guessed."
- C. S. Lewis in The Case for Christianity

The Bible, People of the Word

What is The Bible?

The Bible is a collection of 66 individual books that together tell the story of a group of people bound by a common faith in God. It is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament containing 39 books originally written primarily in Hebrew, and the New Testament containing 27 books originally written primarily in Greek. For Presbyterians and others of the Reformed tradition the Bible is the means by which Christian believers come to understand how God has been present with humanity since the beginning of time and is present in our world today. By studying the scriptures we can begin to know of God's faithfulness, constant love and eternal goodness.The Bible, The Word of God

The Testaments

Old Testament. The Old Testament tells the story of God's covenant with the Hebrew people. It is regarded as sacred scripture by both Jews and Christians. Follow the link for a brief introduction into the Old Testament.

New Testament. The New Testament contains four accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the account of the earliest Christian churches and other writings from the early Christian era. It is considered sacred scripture by Christians.  Follow the link for a brief introduction into the New Testament.

Bible Translations

The Bible has been translated from its original languages into the languages of people throughout the world. The first translation into English was by John Wycliffe in the 14th century. Since that time, there have been a myriad of English translations. One of the most familiar, the King James Version (KJV), was commissioned by James I of England and published in 1611. Although the language of the King James Bible reflected the everyday speech of England in the 17th century, changes in speech patterns and the meaning of certain words have made it more difficult to understand than more modern translations.

Since the 1950s, there have been many translations of the Bible into contemporary English. Translations frequently used by Presbyterians in their worship services include the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Both are considered excellent translations that are faithful to the original texts insofar as scholars can determine.

John Calvin indicated that we know Scripture as the Word of God, not on the basis of human reason, but by "the secret testimony of the Spirit." The "testimony of the Spirit." said Calvin, is "more excellent than all reason."

Presbyterian Practice

The church confesses the Scriptures to be the Word of God written, witnessing to God's self-revelation. Where that Word is read and proclaimed, Jesus Christ the Living Word is present by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. For this reason the reading, hearing, preaching, and confessing of the Word are central to Christian worship. The session shall ensure that in public worship the Scripture is read and proclaimed regularly in the common language(s) of the particular church. (Book of Order W-2.2001)

Leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can be expected to affirm that "... the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments...[are]...., by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God's Word to [them]." (Book of Order G-14.0405b.2)

E. Dixon Junkin, former Associate for Discipleship and Spirituality in the Presbyterian Church (USA), reminds us that "our commitment is not to 'study' Scripture but to 'listen' to it. It is not as if Scripture were a subject like mathematics, a useful tool that we learn, nor is our goal to analyze Scripture as if it were any other piece of literature. We are not out to learn Scripture as we would various historical facts. The point of our reading is less to master the words of the Bible than to offer ourselves to be mastered by the Word to whom they point."
--As quoted in The Gospel and Our Culture 5 (June 1993), 7.

The Reformed faith has always emphasized that God is made known to us in and through the Bible. We look to the Bible to gain knowledge of God. The Bible uniquely conveys a knowledge of God, which we can gain in no other way, through no other source. In the Bible, we don’t only gain a knowledge of God, but we have an encounter with a living, loving and caring God. The Bible reveals to us who God is, what God does, and what God wants human beings to be and do. We encounter God who reveals a desire to seek a relationship with us based on love, peace and justice.

Learn to Read the Bible

How is the Word of God to be read? (Question 157)

The Holy Scriptures are to be read with an high and reverent esteem of them; with a firm persuasion that they are the very Word of God, and that he only can enable us to understand them; with desire to know, believe, and obey, the will of God revealed in them; with diligence, and attention to the matter and scope of them; with meditation, application, self-denial, and prayer. (Westminster Larger Catechism)

Suggestions on Reading the Bible.

  1. Set aside time daily to read the Bible. If you don’t manage to read it every day don’t worry about it, no one is perfect. The discipline of daily Bible reading takes time to develop. In time you will establish a daily habit of reading scripture as you pursue the goal of daily reading and as you read more you will find yourself drawn into your to reading more and more.
  2. Try to read a "Book at a Time." You don’t have to read them in the order listed in your Bible, but once you start a book try to stay with it. Some books will be easier to read than others.
  3. As you read try to understand the writer’s purposes. Who was he? What was his world like? Why did he write? How did he understand God to be?
  4. Who was the message intended? Who was the writer addressing this message to? What did it mean to them? What does it mean to you?
  5. Keep a notebook or journal as you read. Jot down words to look up later. What questions did this scripture cause you to ask. How did you feel about what the writer was saying?
  6. After you have completed your reading, take the time to look up things you don’t understand. Use a Bible concordance, dictionary commentary or atlas for help. Our church library has many of these resources available for your use.

Also check out the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina as an additional approach to understanding and appreciating scripture.