Course #1 - How to use this Bible Course

HOW TO USE THIS BIBLE COURSE

The Christadelphian Bible Postal Course is designed to help you understand the Bible, which is the Word of God. The Bible, sometimes called "the Scriptures", is the only book which reliably tells us about God and about His plans for the earth and the people on it. It promises a blessing for everyone who reads it with a sincere desire to understand it.

You will need your own Bible

It is a privilege to possess a copy of the Word of God. To follow this Course you will need to have your own copy of the whole Bible (not just the New Testament). If you do not already have one you can buy a copy quite cheaply at a branch of the Bible Society. There is one in almost every country. But if that is impossible for you, please contact us and we can try to help. We may be able to assist you in getting a second-hand one.

This Postal Course consists of 39 courses. You can take them all online free of charge! If you wish to have a hard copy edition, you can contact us and we will send you the courses via airmail.

After each course, you can answer the questions that relate to that course. You will be "graded" automatically once you have answered all the questsions and clicked the "Continue" button. For your convenience, you will have the option of sending your answers to us via e-mail. Along with your answers, you can include questions of your own or general comments on the course.

The Bible quotations which you will find in this Course are taken from the English Authorised Version of the Bible. There are also very good modern versions like the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New International Version (NIV), but they may not be available in some countries. (You may find that the text of Bibles available in your country is slightly different.) But whichever of these versions you use it will not alter the meaning nor affect your study of the Bible.

This Bible Course is free. Our aim is to help you to enjoy reading the Scriptures, and we want you to discover the wonderful message of salvation through Jesus Christ. We do not provide certificates or testimonials for taking the Course, but at the end of the 40 lessons we would like to assist you to continue your Bible study.

Bible References

When a reference from the Bible is given it will be written like this:

Genesis 1 - this means the Book of Genesis, chapter 1;

   Or

Genesis 1 :1-7 - this means the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses I to 7 inclusive.

How to study the lessons

Make a practice of doing one lesson each week. We suggest that you ensure that you understand one course before going on to the next. You may find it helpful to read each lesson three times. The first time, to get a general idea of what it is about; the second time, turning up the quotations in your own Bible and making a note on a piece of paper of any difficulties or questions; and the third time reading it right through again together with the recommended reading which you will find at the associated with each course. Then, at the end of each lesson you will find some other useful verses to look up in your Bible, and one Scripture which we strongly urge you to learn by heart. You will find that these verses will remain in your memory and will be a help to you throughout your life. Included on this site is the BIBLE READING PLAN. This provides a method of reading three short sections of the Bible every day. If you are willing to do this you will quickly become familiar with different parts of the Bible. (You may want to print a hard copy of Bible Reading Planner and keep it inside your Bible, for handy use.) Then there is another aid which we hope you will wish to have - the BIBLE READING NOTEBOOK. This contains short comments on the daily readings. It is also a useful reference book about the Bible and it has many little maps and diagrams to help you in your study. Send us a message through the "Contact Us" link in the left frame, and we will send this to you free of charge!

Answering the Questions

If you disagree with anything in the lessons, or have any questions, please send us a message. This is very important. Remember, we can help you much more if we know what you think.

Time well spent

Of course, studying these papers will take up some of your time-perhaps 15 minutes each day for your Bible reading and about an hour each week for studying the lesson. You will also need time to answer the question papers. But you will find that the Scriptures are so interesting that you will want to spend more and more time with them.

Read your Bible prayerfully

Begin each session of Bible reading or study with a prayer to God, asking for His help in your understanding. Here is a prayer from the Book of Psalms:

"Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law"
      (Psalm 119:18)

If we ask Him, God will open our eyes and help us to understand His book, the Bible.

The Complete Bible Course

The following is a list of the titles of each of the 40 lessons of the course:

1 How to use this Bible Course
2 Who are the Christadelphians?
3 The Bible Our Guide
4 The Gospel

5 God and Creation
6 God so Loved the World
7 The Return of Jesus to the Earth
8 Signs of the Coming of Jesus

9 Thy Kingdom Come
10 God's View of History
11 The Kingdom of God-Peace on Earth

12 God's Promises to Abraham
13 The Jews in History-Part I
14 The Jews in History-Part II
15 God's Promises to David

16 The Father and the Son
17 The Life of Jesus
18 The Death of Jesus
19 The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ

20 God's Holy Spirit
21 Holy Spirit Gifts
22 Sin and its Consequences-Part I
23 Sin and its Consequences-Part II

24 By Grace are ye Saved
25 The Resurrection of the Dead
26 The Judgement
27 Everlasting Life

28 Angels
29 Devils (demons) and Satan
30 The Devil and Sin
31 Baptism

32 Christian Marriage
33 Our Duty to the State
34 Prayer
35 Walking in Newness of Life

36 Daily Bible Reading
37 Fellowship with those of the Same Faith
38 A Summary of Bible Doctrines
39 The Next Step

If you have questions or comments about this lesson, please feel free to e-mail us with them.