Series Summary:

We live life in troubled times with troubled hearts. Who or what do we believe? The Greek word πιστεύω (pisteuo) is translated believe. It is not just an intellectual exercise. It is an entrusting of one’s self to a person or a cause. The gospel of John uses pisteuo 98 times! “These are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name." This fall may "your heart not be troubled. Believe!” πιστεύω #John #2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Starter

Fill in the blank with something that would describe your identity. “I am ____________________.”

Pray

Lord we live life in troubled times with troubled hearts. Who or what do we believe? You tell us clearly what to believe. You tell us, “These are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name." As we study the book of John, open our hearts and minds to believe. May we encourage one another to truly believe entrusting our lives to you and your will being done. May we strive to lead people to believe in you “the way, the truth, and the life.” Amen

Study Questions

The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 7:53—8:11. Is often referred to as the pericope adulterae (meaning a section of scripture on the subject of adultery). It has been the center of much controversy over the years. At issue is its authenticity. Did the apostle John write John 7:53—8:11, or is this section of the adulterous woman forgiven by Jesus a later, insertion into the text? (Got Questions does a good job of explaining this.)

The thing to remember is that believers in the God of the Bible are not afraid to make light of these things, discuss them, and test them. Most other religious traditions like Mormons (The Book of Mormon) or Islamists (The Quran) refuse to scrutinize their sacred texts. Believers in Yahweh throughout history have fought and died to preserve the text of God’s word. For centuries, men have given their lives to accurate know, write, and translate languages so that others might know the truth about The God “I AM”.

At fxchurch, we believe in “Biblical Inerrancy” which is the belief that the Bible, in the original manuscripts, is completely free of error. We have many ancient manuscripts though likely not the originals. The Bible was not like a game of telephone as some claim. The Bible from an ancient document perspective is one of most accurate, tested, and scrutinized texts in it’s historical claims and manuscripts. It has been proven correct time and time again through archeological evidence and other ancient sources. The Biblical sacred scriptures have has stood the test of time like no other documents on the planet.

Also, keep in mind that texts that are in question DO NOT change the overall narrative, theology, or principles of God. We can also learn from scrutinized texts just as we would learn from any other written knowledge. Believers are not afraid of the truth, because the truth will set us free, and we live by faith not by sight.

In the end, we have been provided more than enough evidence to (believe) πιστεύω in I AM (Yahweh)!

READ: John 8:1-11

  1. The Biblical Law stated that a person could not be put to death on the testimony of a single witness, and a truth could not be established by one witness; at least two or three were required. (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15, Numbers 35:30) The Biblical Law also stated that in the case of sexual intercourse between a unmarried man and woman they both had to be brought and questioned for the consequences to be determined. (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22-25)
    1. What do these scriptures expose about the character of these folks ready to stone the woman?
  2. The Biblical Law says that people could be stoned to death for idolatry, blasphemy, certain sexual sins, breaking the Sabbath, child sacrifice to Molech, a disobedient and rebellious child, and inciting others to worship other gods.
    1. How does understanding these scriptural consequences help us better understand Jesus’ statement to the mob, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”?
    2. How does the actual Biblical Law expose the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and those Jews with them?
  3. How does Jesus' response to crowd and to the woman challenge our modern approach to sin and judgment? (8:7, 11)
    1. Jesus says, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Why is that crucial for us to understand his words to the woman and speak into people’s lives today?
  4. How can a balance between compassion and rightly following God's commands be found today in sin circumstances like these?

READ: Jeremiah 23:14, Ezekiel 23:37, Proverbs 6:32 Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:9-12

  1. As we just read, God’s favorite description to use with His people and their sin against Him is to call them adulterers. Why?