Lesson 1: What We Believe About The Bible

A. THE BIBLE IS DESCRIBED AS THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD.

1. It is the greatest in subject matter.

2. It is the greatest in influence on lives and nations.

3. It answers man’s greatest need: salvation.

B. EIGHT THEMES TO DESCRIBE THE BIBLE.

1. Revelation – refers to the act of God, which gave people knowledge about Himself and His creation, including knowledge, which they could not have otherwise known.

a. Revelation is an act of God (Romans 1:18-21).

b. God gives revelation about Himself to people.

c. Revelation involves communicating truth we could not otherwise know apart from God.

d. The revelation is both partial and complete.

e. God reveals Himself in different ways:

(1) He reveals Himself through history (I Cor. 10:1-6), conscience (Rom. 2:14-16), and nature (Psa. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:18-21).

(2) He reveals Himself in the Bible (I Peter 1:20-21), (Deut. 29:29).

(3) He reveals Himself through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1, 2; John 1:14, 18).

f. God reveals His Word for a purpose.

2. Inspiration means the Holy Spirit guided human authors so that what they wrote in Scripture is accurate and without error.

a. Inspiration is based on the Greek word theopneustos, which communicates the idea of God breathing out His Word (II Tim. 3:16).

b. Because God is the ultimate author of all Scripture, all Scripture is completely accurate and reliable.

c. Every word of the original autographs of Scripture is the very word God chose to use.

3. Inerrancy. When used to describe the Bible, inerrancy implies that what God inspired is also authoritative and reliable.

a. Jesus believed in inerrancy to the point of the smallest part of a letter.

b. Jesus taught that the verb tense was reliable, "I am the God" (Matt. 22:31).

4. Preservation. Refers to God’s work of insuring that the Scriptures are preserved for future generations.

5. Canonicity. Describes those books that are included in the Bible because they measure up to the standard of Scripture.

a. The word canon originally meant a measuring rod or standard of measure.

b. The early church used four criteria to determine canonicity.

(1) Books written by an apostle or one closely associated with an apostle.

(2) Contents of these books were revelatory in nature.

(3) Books were universally recognized by the church.

(4) Books were considered inspired because they bore the marks of inspiration.

c. Why there will be no additions to the Scriptures.

(1) Scripture forbids adding or removing anything (Rev. 22:18-19).

(2) The task of writing revelation is completed (Jude 3).

(3) The prophetic and apostolic offices of the early church no longer exist (Eph. 2:20).

(4) The widespread acceptance of the Bible as the only authoritative Scripture.

6. Illumination. Describes the work of the Holy Spirit that enables us to understand and apply the spiritual message of the Scriptures.

a. Illumination is a ministry of the Holy Spirit who is given "that we might know" (I Cor. 2:12).

b. The Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes so that we may know the Scriptures.

c. We need to pray, "Open thou mine eyes" (Psa. 119:18).

d. When the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures:

(1) Unsaved people are convicted of sin (John 16:8).

(2) Christians gain a greater understanding of the Scripture (I John 2:20, 27).

7. Interpretation. How we determine the meaning of the message of the Scriptures.

a. Evangelicals believe in the historical grammatical interpretation of the Bible using the normal rules of grammar.

(1) Learn the social and historical context.

(2) Examine the grammatical context.

(3) Ask, "What is the literal meaning of this passage?"

(4) Consider the idioms and figurative expressions.

b. Do not spend time looking for some hidden meaning.

8. Application. Living out the principles taught in the Word of God.

a. Watch out for abuses by others.

b. Application of Scripture is based on what it means.

c. Don’t let misapplication of Scriptures by others hinder you.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.