What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 107 - 28/08/26

Led by Tim Clark

The Trinity is one of the central doctrines of the Christian faith - yet the word itself never appears in the Bible. So where does the doctrine come from, and does Scripture really teach that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

In this study we begin by looking at some of the alternative views that have appeared throughout Christian history, including Arianism, Unitarianism, Modalism, Binitarianism and Tritheism. Each handles the biblical evidence differently, and each raises important questions about who God really is.

We then turn to Scripture itself. The Bible is absolutely clear that there is only one God, yet it also speaks of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in ways that cannot simply be reduced to three different names for the same person.

Is Jesus truly God, or is He a created being? Is the Holy Spirit a divine person, or simply God's power at work? And were the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all present before the creation of the world?

Looking across both the Old and New Testaments, we explore the passages that describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as divine, eternal and distinct - while at the same time maintaining the Bible's uncompromising declaration that God is one.

Rather than trying to prove the doctrine from one isolated verse, the aim is to bring the whole testimony of Scripture together and ask which understanding best accounts for everything the Bible says about the nature of God.

Join us for this week's *What the Bible Says* as we examine the biblical evidence for the Trinity and consider why understanding who God has revealed Himself to be matters for our faith, our worship and our relationship with Him.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 106 - 14/08/26

Led by Tim Clark

In this concluding part of our study on *Rebellion in the Wilderness* , we follow Israel through three more significant episodes that expose the danger of unbelief, disobedience and taking God’s provision for granted.

We begin with the twelve spies returning from Canaan. Although they had seen that the land was everything God had promised, fear overwhelmed faith. Ten spies saw enemies too powerful to defeat; Joshua and Caleb saw a God who was powerful enough to keep His word. Israel’s refusal to trust God ultimately cost that generation entrance into the Promised Land.

We then turn to *Moses at the rock* . After decades of faithfully leading a difficult and rebellious people, Moses allowed anger and frustration to shape his actions. Rather than speaking to the rock as God commanded, he struck it. What can this teach us about obedience, leadership, acting in our own strength, and the danger of assuming that what God used yesterday is necessarily what He is commanding us to do today?

The New Testament also gives the rock a remarkable significance: *“that Rock was Christ”* (1 Corinthians 10:4). We consider the connection between the rock struck in the wilderness, Christ crucified once for sin, and the living water that He gives.

Finally, we come to the **bronze serpent** in Numbers 21. Israel rebels once again, but this time something changes: the people recognise their sin. God provides a means of rescue, and centuries later Jesus Himself uses this event to explain His own death: *“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”* (John 3:14).

These wilderness accounts are not simply ancient history. Paul tells us that *“these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition”* (1 Corinthians 10:11). Their unbelief, grumbling, self-will and idolatry remain warnings for believers today — and their need for God’s grace points us ultimately to Christ.

*Key Scriptures:* Numbers 13:25–33; Numbers 14:1–24, 39–45; Hebrews 3:16–19; Numbers 20:2–13; Numbers 27:12–14; Psalm 106:32–33; Exodus 17:5–6; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; Numbers 21:4–9; John 3:14–16; 2 Kings 18:3–4.

#WhatTheBibleSays #BibleStudy #RebellionInTheWilderness #Numbers #Moses #Joshua #Caleb #BronzeSerpent #JesusChrist #ChristianTeaching #BibleTeaching

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 105 - 31/07/26

Led by Tim Clark

In this second part of *What the Bible Says About Rebellion in the Wilderness*, we continue through the book of Numbers and examine two serious challenges to the leadership God had established among His people.

We begin in *Numbers 12*, where Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses. What begins with criticism concerning Moses’ wife soon exposes a deeper problem: jealousy, comparison and pride. Their question — *“Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses?”* — reveals the danger of looking at another person’s calling and becoming dissatisfied with the place God has given us.

The passage also gives us a striking contrast. While Miriam and Aaron compare themselves with Moses, Scripture describes Moses as exceptionally humble. The discussion considers how envy can arise even among believers engaged in ministry, and why comparing ourselves with others rather than measuring ourselves before God can so quickly lead to pride and division.

We then turn to *Numbers 16* and the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Korah and his followers had already been set apart for significant service to God, yet they began to regard their own calling as a small thing and coveted the position given to Moses and Aaron. Their rebellion ultimately was not simply against human leaders, but against the God who had appointed them.

The study asks an important question for Christians today: *Do we recognise the privilege of whatever service God has given us, or do we become preoccupied with what He has given somebody else?* Christian ministry is not about position, recognition or personal advancement. We are servants and vessels, and whatever usefulness we have comes from what God places within us.

Finally, we consider the dramatic conclusion of Numbers 16. As judgment falls upon Israel, Aaron runs into the congregation with the censer and *“stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.”* This provides a powerful picture of mediation and atonement and points us ultimately toward Christ, the One who stands between sinful humanity and the judgment we deserve.

*Key passages:* Numbers 12:1–16; Numbers 16; 2 Corinthians 10:12–13; Philippians 2:14; James 3:14–17.

#WhatTheBibleSays #BibleStudy #BookOfNumbers #Rebellion #Korah #Moses #ChristianTeaching #BibleTeaching #JesusChrist #Gospel