Questions Concerning the Bible Answered By Peter
1. Is It ALL We Need?   2 Peter 1:2-4
1. What do we have?
2. Knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Vs. 2
3. All that pertains to life and godliness 3
4. Exceedingly great and precious promises 4
5. The means of partaking of God’s nature 4
6. Had all OT writings.
7. Had most of the New Testament writings.
8. Had all the truths finally preserved in the Bible.

2.  How Dependable?  2 Peter 1:20, 21
1. Not a product of the will of man.
2. Men’s words are not always reliable or dependable.
3. Holy men are more dependable.
4. Holy men moved by the Holy Spirit are most dependable.

3.  How Deciphered or Interpreted?  2 Peter 1:20, 21
1. Private interpretations may be wrong.
2. Scripture did not originate by whims or prejudices.
3. Therefore, cannot be correctly interpreted by whims and prejudices.
4. All viewpoints were not equal to the word of God when first given, and all viewpoints are not equally valid today.
5. Peter encourages carefulness, comparing scriptures. 2 Peter 3:15, 16, 18

4. Couldn’t It Be Corrupted Through Time? 1 Peter1:22-25
1. It is incorruptible seed.
2. It lives and abides
3. It lives and abides forever.
4. It endures forever.
5. Men may pervert it and alter a particular copy, but it will be preserved elsewhere.  That is why comparative studies are always checking and rechecking the manuscripts, versions, and copies against each other.
6. The word has come through the gospel. 25
7. The gospel has already been preached. The word of God had been confirmed. Therefore, early Christians could check what they knew against any new doctrines.

5. Isn’t The Bible A Dead Letter, No Longer Relevant To Our Time?  1 Peter 1:23
1. What makes it a dead letter?  Who makes it so?
2. People may be spiritually dead to it, but it is never itself dead, whether written or spoken.

6. How Should I Respond To It?
1. Purify your soul in OBEYING the truth. 1 Peter 1:22
2. Be Baptized to be saved. 1 Peter 3:21
3. Desire it. 2:1-3
4. Grow in it. 2 Peter 3:18
5. Use it to defend your soul against false teachers. 2 Peter 2:1f; 3:1-4
 

Adapted from an outline by Terry W. Benton