INTRODUCTION: HOW TO USE THIS COURSE

Back to A Self Study Course for your Bible

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THIS COURSE is the result of a conviction that there are many people who would study their Bible, but who, from a lack of knowledge of how to do this, permit the Bible to remain a closed Book to them. There are Bible schools and theological seminaries and available commen­taries, but not all can attend school, nor do all have the time or ability to study the commentaries.

This work is designed for every-day people who are will­ing' to spend ten or fifteen minutes daily in Bible study. But while this work is primarily intended for individual study, it may also be used to good advantage by Bible classes, study groups, and for prayer meetings. In this course we cover only the book of Genesis, which serves as an introduction to the Bible, but the student who works through these lessons faithfully will discover that he is in a position to carry on his Bible studies intelligently. He will also have acquired a panoramic view of the Bible and its message, which will greatly aid him in further study.

The student will note that there are thirty lessons. Each lesson consists of comments upon the Bible text, fol­lowed by exercises. If the student will spend from ten to fifteen minutes daily upon each lesson, he will complete one lesson in a week's time. At this rate, it will take thirty weeks, or a little over seven months to complete the whole course. In studying the lesson, the student should read the Bible text and compare it with the notes and com­ments given in each lesson. The heart of each lesson con­sists in the exercises, the answers to which are ALWAYS to be WRITTEN. In writing these exercises, the student may use both the Bible and the lesson notes freely, but be should be sure that he always writes the answers to the exercises.

At the end of some lessons, OPTIONAL EXER­CISES are inserted, which consist, for the most part of selections for memory. These optional exercises are in­tended only for those students who have extra time at their disposal; the average student may omit them. Fol­lowing the exercises of each lesson, hymns are inserted for study with which the student is earnestly advised to become acquainted.

The point of view adopted in these lessons is that of the historic Reformed faith. Most of the material herein presented is from notes taken in the classrooms of that great school of theological learning, Westminster Theo­logical Seminary of Philadelphia. The author counts it one of the great blessings of his life to have been privi­leged to study in this stronghold of the Reformed Faith. He would extend a general acknowledgement to Rev. Os­wald T. Allis, Professor of Old Testament in Westminster Seminary, from whose classroom lectures much of the material of this course was obtained.

Yet, the author assumes the responsibility for each statement made in these pages. He is also exceedingly grateful to Rev. Cor­nelius Van Til, Professor of Apologetics, Rev. R. B. Kuiper, Professor of Practical Theology, Rev, John Murray, In­structor in Systematic Theology, all of Westminster Theo­logical Seminary, and Rev. James Moore, of Baltimore, for their kindness in reading the manuscript and in offering-suggestions.

If this little work will in any way aid in the spread of the Reformed Faith, and' so in the exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ, it will then have accomplished the purpose for which it was written.