Key Concepts

Habari Mwanafunzi! Let's Unlock the Bible's Secrets!

Welcome to our exciting lesson! Imagine you've been given a powerful, brand new smartphone. It can do amazing things, but first, you need to understand the key terms in its manual, like 'RAM', 'Operating System', and 'CPU'. Without knowing these, you can't use the phone to its full potential!

The Bible is much more powerful than any phone, and it also has some key concepts. Understanding them is like getting the 'user manual' for your faith. Once you grasp these ideas, the stories, laws, and poems in the Bible will make so much more sense. So, let's get ready to become Bible experts!

1. Revelation: God's Grand Unveiling

The word Revelation simply means 'to reveal' or 'to make something known'. In CRE, it refers to how God, who is invisible, chooses to show Himself to us, humanity. He doesn't want to remain a mystery! He reveals Himself in two main ways:

• General Revelation: This is how God reveals Himself to all people, everywhere, at all times.
  • Through Nature: When you see the magnificent Great Rift Valley, the powerful waterfalls at Thomson's Falls, or the incredible diversity of animals in the Maasai Mara, you get a sense of a powerful and creative God. That's General Revelation!
  • Through Human Conscience: That small voice inside you that tells you it's good to help a struggling shoshoni (grandmother) cross the road, or makes you feel guilty when you lie. Christians believe this is God's basic law written on our hearts.
• Special Revelation: This is when God reveals Himself to specific people at specific times in a more direct way. This includes visions, dreams, speaking through prophets, and most importantly, through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is God's ultimate revelation.

   +-----------------+
   |      GOD        |
   +--------+--------+
            |
            v
   +-----------------+
   |   REVELATION    |
   +--------+--------+
            |
  +---------+----------+
  |                    |
  v                    v
+-----------+      +-------------+
|  General  |      |   Special   |
| (Nature,  |      | (Prophets,  |
|Conscience)|      |   Jesus)    |
+-----------+      +-------------+

2. Inspiration: The Divine Partnership

Have you ever wondered how the Bible was written? The concept of Inspiration explains it. It's the belief that God ‘breathed into’ the human authors of the Bible. This doesn't mean God controlled them like puppets! It was a beautiful partnership.

Kenyan Example: Think of a talented kiondo weaver. The weaver uses her own skills, her hands, and her knowledge of patterns (the human author). But the idea, the creative spark, and the purpose for the beautiful kiondo comes from her mind and spirit (God's guidance). The final product is both the work of the weaver and her inspiration. In the same way, the Bible is both human (written in human languages with human styles) and divine (carrying God's message).

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." - 2 Timothy 3:16

3. Authority: The Bible as our Guide

Authority means having the power and right to give orders and make decisions. When we talk about the authority of the Bible, we mean that Christians believe it is the supreme and final guide for their faith and life. It's the ultimate source of truth for what to believe about God and how to live a life that pleases Him.

Kenyan Example: The Constitution of Kenya is the supreme law of our country. All other laws passed by Parliament and all decisions made by leaders must agree with it. If they don't, they are considered invalid. For Christians, the Bible has a similar kind of spiritual authority. It is the 'constitution' for their faith.

4. Canonicity: Choosing the Right Books

The word Canon comes from a Greek word meaning 'measuring rod' or 'standard'. Canonicity was the process by which the early church leaders, guided by the Holy Spirit, identified which ancient writings were truly inspired by God and should be included in the Bible. Not every religious book written at the time made the cut!

They used certain criteria, like: Was it written by an apostle or someone close to an apostle? Did it agree with other accepted scriptures? Was it widely accepted and used by churches everywhere?

This process gave us the Protestant Bible we know today, with its specific number of books.

# Calculating the Books in the Protestant Canon

Step 1: Count the books in the Old Testament
   Old Testament Books = 39

Step 2: Count the books in the New Testament
   New Testament Books = 27

Step 3: Add them together for the total
   Total Books = Old Testament + New Testament
   Total Books = 39 + 27
   --------------------
   Total Books = 66
   --------------------

5. Testament & Covenant: God's Great Agreements

The two major sections of the Bible are the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word Testament means Covenant, which is a sacred, binding agreement between two parties. In the Bible, it's about the special relationship God established with people.

• The Old Covenant (Testament) is the agreement God made with the people of Israel through Abraham and Moses. It involved laws and sacrifices that pointed towards a future saviour.
• The New Covenant (Testament) is the new agreement God made with all of humanity through Jesus Christ. It is based on God's grace and forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.

    OLD COVENANT             NEW COVENANT
(Based on Law & Promise)   (Based on Grace & Faith)
         |                         |
         +----------->-------------+
                       |
                       v
                 +-----------+
                 |   JESUS   |
                 | The Bridge|
                 +-----------+

Image Suggestion: An ancient, weathered scroll on the left representing the Old Testament, and a newer, open book with a bright light shining from it on the right representing the New Testament. In the middle, a glowing cross connects the two, symbolizing Jesus as the fulfillment of the old and the start of the new. The style should be warm and reverent.

6. Salvation: The Great Rescue

This is perhaps the most important concept! Salvation means being saved, rescued, or delivered from sin and its consequences (which is separation from God). Christianity teaches that all people have sinned and cannot save themselves.

Kenyan Example: Imagine a person trying to cross a flooded river during the rainy season. The current is too strong, and they are about to be swept away. They are helpless! Salvation is like a rescuer from the Kenya Red Cross bravely jumping into the water with a safety rope, grabbing the person, and pulling them safely to the shore. Christians believe Jesus is our rescuer who saves us from the danger of sin and brings us into a safe relationship with God.

There you have it! Revelation, Inspiration, Authority, Canonicity, Covenant, and Salvation. These are the building blocks. As you continue your CRE studies, you will see these ideas again and again. Keep up the great work, and never stop asking questions!