2025 Bible Study Group

Bizet

Bizet

Other Christian
Heirloom
New thread, continued from this one...

Bizet

Thread 'Would anyone be interested in a Bible study group in 2025?'

I'm putting out a feeler to see if anyone is interested in starting a Bible-in-a-year study group next year. The plan would include daily readings, with an opportunity to share insights, discuss what resonates, and ask questions together.
  • Like

Brothers in Christ,

As we enter 2025, let us come together with a shared goal: to deeply study and reflect on key books of the Bible.

hand-holding-bible-empty-notebook-pencil-outdoor-devotion-study-mountains-high-tatras-vysoke-t...jpg

The plan is to read a few chapters every couple of days, allowing time for reflection and discussion before moving to the next portion.

Here’s our proposed reading plan for the year:

January: Genesis (1–25)
February: Genesis (26–50)
March: Exodus
April: John
May: Proverbs
June: Acts
July: 1 Samuel
August: Ecclesiastes
September: Romans
October: Daniel
November: Hebrews
December: Luke

This plan is flexible. At the end of February, we can reevaluate the pace. If we find it too ambitious for meaningful discussions, we’ll can swap longer books (like Exodus) for shorter ones. For now, let’s commit to this schedule until the end of February.

360_F_320358209_bjMG5myzd3vt0uIprMwFKseABmCyw4BO.jpg

January & February Reading Breakdown

January: Genesis (Chapters 1–25)

Jan 1: Genesis 1–2
Jan 3: Genesis 3–4
Jan 5: Genesis 5–6
Jan 7: Genesis 7–8
Jan 9: Genesis 9–10
Jan 11: Genesis 11–12
Jan 13: Genesis 13–14
Jan 15: Genesis 15–16
Jan 17: Genesis 17–18
Jan 19: Genesis 19–20
Jan 21: Genesis 21–22
Jan 23: Genesis 23–24
Jan 25: Genesis 25

February: Genesis (Chapters 26–50)

Feb 1: Genesis 26–27
Feb 3: Genesis 28–29
Feb 5: Genesis 30–31
Feb 7: Genesis 32–33
Feb 9: Genesis 34–35
Feb 11: Genesis 36–37
Feb 13: Genesis 38–39
Feb 15: Genesis 40–41
Feb 17: Genesis 42–43
Feb 19: Genesis 44–45
Feb 21: Genesis 46–47
Feb 23: Genesis 48–49
Feb 25: Genesis 50

Our first reading kicks off on January 1. May God bless and guide us as we journey together through His Word.
 
Happy New Year!

Today we kick off our Bible reading plan, starting with Genesis 1-2.

What stood out to me in today’s reading is the central role of light in God’s work. The world begins in darkness and chaos, but God speaks: 'Let there be light,' and the darkness is driven out, bringing order and beauty to creation. There is a theory that the 'gap' between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, suggests that the earth might have fallen into disorder due to Satan’s fall during this period (Revelation 12).

Anyway, the act of shinning a light on the world foreshadows Christ: the true Light. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is proclaimed as the Light of the world, and John humbly declares himself a witness to that Light.

Just as God brought physical light to dispel the darkness of the world, He sends His Son to bring spiritual light to us. Through Christ, we leave behind the darkness and disorder of sin.

This is the understanding I’ve took away today. What insights have you guys received from today’s reading?
 
Last edited:
In all storytelling, we get to know a character based on three things: what the character says, what the character does, and what other characters say about the character. A similar principle may be applied to the understanding of the Bible.

Genesis 1 shows us God as Creator. His work in creating the universe reveals many things about God. It shows us that He is transcendent, that He is pre-existent, that He has sovereignty and control over the creation. He speaks things into existence that did not previously exist. And so we see two doctrines which a believer should always keep in his heart, creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing) and the Creator/Creature Distinction.

God created the universe from nothing. He spoke it into existence. He did not fashion it out of pre-existing matter, nor did He fashion it from His own emanation. God, as it's Creator, also defines for us what creation is. He separates light from darkness, the sky from the waters, the animals according to their kinds. He assigns order to the universe that He created.

When the Bible says that "God saw that it was good," It is not saying that God was surprised by the creation's goodness. It is the Bible's way of telling us that what God created was good. John Calvin said in his Institutes, that God creating and assigning meaning to the creation may be compared to an expectant father, who is preparing a room to be perfectly suitable for his child, even before his child is born. Such was God's love and care for Man when He created the world.

Many people struggle with believing in the creation account as literally true but I see no reason to believe in it in any other way than how the Bible presents it. God created everything in six days and He rested on the seventh.

There is a creation mandate that God gives to all His creatures. That they should be fruitful and multiply, and the Bible describes this as a blessing. They are commanded to do this, but it is not as though God left them up to their own devices to accomplish this. He blessed them so that they would indeed carry out the mandate.

This creation mandate, as well as the Holy Spirit brooding over the waters, and the Light providing light before even the Sun was created all paint wonderful pictures of God as Sustainer. He did not simply create the world and walk away, but He is active in sustaining His creation.
 
Last edited:
Also, I used to mistakenly think that Julius Caesar was responsible for changing the Christian day of worship (Gen 2:2-3) from Saturday to Sunday, but I recently learned that it was actually two separate events.

Caesar's calendar reform in 45 BCE standardized the seven-day week, but the shift from Saturday to Sunday as the primary day of Christian worship came about later, primarily due to the early Christians honoring the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday and, much later, Emperor Constantine making Sunday a day of rest. So, Caesar’s calendar change didn’t directly affect the worship day.
 
Gazza said:
Chapter one verse 26…. Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image. View attachment 16046
Click to expand...
My understanding of the Image of God is that it refers more to the role that God has for Man, not necessarily to the attributes that God endowed Man with. Man, as Image-Bearer, is meant to rule over creation. If there was a quality that it would refer to, then it would seem to be God's moral character, a good moral character so that He can carry out God's dominion mandate, based on what the New Testament says about the Image of God.

Some theologians have argued that Man possesses qualities like God, but in every instance, these qualities fall short. God is sovereign and autonomous, but this does not mean Man is also autonomous. God is omniscient, but this does not mean Man is all knowing. God is omnipotent, but this does not mean Man is all powerful. God is omnipresent, but this does not mean Man is present everywhere. Man does possess qualities like God, but in every instance, these qualities are finite and limited (because Man is the creature) but God's attributes are infinite (because He is transcendent). Even in these qualities, I do not see a quality that Man possesses that the angels do not. So I'm left to conclude that the Image of God is the role that Man is supposed to play in the creation. He is meant to represent God.
 
Genesis 2 describes the Garden of Eden and God as Gardener. Just as God shining Light into darkness at a macrocosmic level is analogous to what He does to His people through Jesus at a microcosmic level, the garden imagery bears a similar pattern.

God as Creator defines Man as thus: Man and Woman. Next time anybody tells you that there are more or less than two genders, remind them that the God of the universe created them Male and Female and knows no other genders. And both Man and Woman are complementary and cannot function without each other. They need each other to fulfill God's procreation mandate. Even in their design, they bear function and purpose. In this there is also a reflection of God's relationship with Man, and more specifically the Church, it is complementary.

As soon as God began speaking to Man, He enters into a relationship with Him. To be more precise, He creates a covenant with Him. The terms and conditions are thus: Man is not allowed to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or he will die. On the positive side, Man is free to enjoy any other fruit in the garden, which would include the fruit of the Tree of Life. Some people call this the Covenant of Works, though I prefer to call it the Adamic Covenant.

When Adam named all of the animals, he shared in God's role as Definer. One must have authority to name or define something. When he and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed. Up until now, there was nothing guilty about them and they were innocent down to their very nature. They had nothing to be ashamed about.
 
One question I have about Genesis 2 is that if the Garden of Eden is a real place, where is it? Can it still be accessed somehow?

Also, what about dinosaurs? Did God create those or are they a hoax?
 
Best case scenario would be if you knew Biblical Hebrew for the Old Testament and Koine Greek for the New Testament. The closest thing you could get to that is if you were to use an Interlinear Bible, which can be very helpful. Other than that, there's solid translations, some more literal than others. Personally, I prefer the Legacy Standard Bible and grew up reading the New American Standard Bible. I used the English Standard Version for years. All great translations. The NKJV and the NIV are a little more hit and miss but overall still solid. I wouldn't rely on the KJV primarily but it's still useful to be familiar with it because so many people are. I don't see why anyone needs to restrict themselves to any one translation to the exclusion of all others. I often benefit reading from one translation, and hearing someone read from a different one, it helps round out my understanding.

The Garden of Eden is indeed presented as a real physical place. But it also is presented as a place where heaven and earth overlap. It can be understood as a temple, with Adam functioning as it's priest. The Bible doesn't say what happened to it but I don't think it would be unreasonable to believe that it was destroyed. Whatever the case, the Bible is explicit that the Garden is made inaccessible to Man after the Fall.

I believe God created dinosaurs but that doesn't mean I believe everything we are told about dinosaurs is true. I believe dinosaurs existed at the same time as men. I don't grant all of the speculation about when they existed, what they looked like, etc.
 
Well if God created dinosaurs isn't it a slightly strange omission from the Bible? Or is there some kind of veiled reference somewhere?

I am reading the 'New Living Translation' as I find it the most readable though I understand there may be issues with the precision of this translation.
 
Tippy said:
One question I have about Genesis 2 is that if the Garden of Eden is a real place, where is it? Can it still be accessed somehow?

Also, what about dinosaurs? Did God create those or are they a hoax?
Click to expand...

I have my own views on both of these, but I won't have time to write them up in detail until the weekend. Apologies.

Just a reminder guys that our reading of Gen 3-4 is tomorrow as well :)
 
Tippy said:
Well if God created dinosaurs isn't it a slightly strange omission from the Bible? Or is there some kind of veiled reference somewhere?
Click to expand...
God created all the animals. All the animals would include dinosaurs and other animals that have since become extinct. Some people argue that the Behemoth described in Job references a dinosaur. I don't think it's unreasonable.
 
Reflections on Genesis 3 & 4

The Danger of Pride

Genesis 3 gives us a sobering look at the danger of pride. The serpent lured Adam and Eve with the promise, “You will be like God,” and they took the bait, thinking they could become all-knowing. This desire to elevate themselves led to their fall and separation from God.

Scripture constantly warns us about pride. The builders of the Tower of Babel tried to reach God’s level, only to be scattered (Genesis 11). Proverbs reminds us: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18).

Paul also tells us that pride will dominate the last days:

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4).

The way to guard against pride is through humility. Jesus shows us what humility looks like in Philippians 2:5-8:

“Though He was in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

If Jesus Himself chose humility, how much more should we?

The Serpent as a Symbol of Evil

In Genesis 3, the serpent represents Satan, and this image runs throughout Scripture. This video does a better job explaining it than I could...



When Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34), I believe he wasn't speaking to them directly, but rather the demons controlling them.

Even today, snakes are often symbols of treachery. Whether it’s biblical imagery or in modern meme culture (ever heard of conspiracy theories about “reptilians” secretly controlling the wold? It doesn't seem so crazy when you remember snakes are reptiles). The snake reminds us of the danger of deceit and evil in the world.

maxresdefault.jpg
 
Last edited:
Bizet said:
Reflections on Genesis 3 & 4

The Danger of Pride

Genesis 3 gives us a sobering look at the danger of pride. The serpent lured Adam and Eve with the promise, “You will be like God,” and they took the bait, thinking they could become all-knowing. This desire to elevate themselves led to their fall and separation from God.

Scripture constantly warns us about pride. The builders of the Tower of Babel tried to reach God’s level, only to be scattered (Genesis 11). Proverbs reminds us: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18).

Paul also tells us that pride will dominate the last days:

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4).

The way to guard against pride is through humility. Jesus shows us what humility looks like in Philippians 2:5-8:

“Though He was in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

If Jesus Himself chose humility, how much more should we?

The Serpent as a Symbol of Evil

In Genesis 3, the serpent represents Satan, and this image runs throughout Scripture. This video does a better job explaining it than could...



When Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34), I believe he wasn't speaking to them directly, but rather the demons controlling them.

Even today, snakes are often symbols of treachery. Whether it’s biblical imagery or in modern meme culture (ever heard of conspiracy theories about “reptilians” secretly controlling the wold? It doesn't seem so crazy when you remember snakes are reptiles). The snake reminds us of the danger of deceit and evil in the world.

View attachment 16092
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed that animated video mate (just subbed to the YouTube channel). What a horrible sin pride is. I think the only way to somehow conquer it is to remain in fellowship, daily prayer, daily reading of scripture and (this may sound odd), growing older.
 
Tippy said:
One question I have about Genesis 2 is that if the Garden of Eden is a real place, where is it? Can it still be accessed somehow?

Also, what about dinosaurs? Did God create those or are they a hoax?
Click to expand...

I slept terribly last night, so I have some extra time to respond to this.

The Garden of Eden is described in Genesis is a real place. Moses likely wrote about it 2,500 years after the events, drawing on oral traditions or earlier records. While the exact location is unclear, the account provides specific details...

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers mentioned in Genesis still flow today, suggesting Eden was in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern Syria, or southeastern Turkey. These rivers originate near each other in Turkey’s mountains and flow to the Persian Gulf. Genesis hints Eden may have been near their shared source, but changes in geography, such as earthquakes and Noah’s Flood, make its exact location unknowable.

As for dinosaurs, I believe the dragons mentioned in the Bible were dinosaurs. I also question the claims about dinosaur bones being millions of years old, much like the idea of the earth being billions of years old. I think these ideas are deliberately promoted to separate us from God.
 
Last edited:
I think that the whole mystery of the book of genesis and how it can stretch your mind is what makes it my favourite book in the Bible. Adam and Eve have 2 children (Cain and Abel). Cain kills Abel. God punished Cain by making him a vagrant. Then Cain wanders off and starts a family….. with who??? The only other female alive is Eve yea? I’ve had a bit of this explained to me previously regarding how genetics etc were much different and less “corrupted” way back then, but I’d like to hear anyone else’s take on it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top