Audio and powerpoint slides available at
http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2007/02/audio-what-is-bible.htm
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)
Introduction to Bible Study
Aim of our studies
– Equip you to answer “What does God say about a certain subject?”
– Help you understand certain books of the bible and use them as tools in your tool bag
– Set you on a lifetime of bible study
What is the bible?
• The Authority of the Bible
– Why we can trust the bible
• The Clarity of the Bible
– We can understand the bible
• The Necessity of the Bible
– Why we need the bible
• The Sufficiency of the Bible
– The bible is enough for us
The AUTHORITY of the Bible
• The reported words of God “Thus says the LORD” (Ex 4:22, Deut 18:18-20, Josh 24:2, 1 Sam 10:18, Is 10:24, Jer 1:9)
• Also “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim 3:16)
• God longs to bless those who submit to his word
– “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” (Is 66:2)
Peter saw Pauls letters as part of scripture
“..just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-6)
Paul saw Luke as scripture
• 1 Timothy 5:18
“For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
• Deuteronomy 25:4
“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.”
• Luke 10:7
”And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house”
Paul said he was writing the Lords commands
“If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.”
( 1 Cor 14:37)
The Bible is All About Jesus
• “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 11:1-4)
How did the Bible come to us?
• By the time of Jesus the Jewish Bible had been accepted for hundreds of years
• “many ways” in which the bible was written (Heb 1:1)
• Direct speech of God (Rev 2:1, 8:12)
• Interviews and research (Luke 1:1-3)
• Spirit caused the disciples to remember (John 14:26)
• God used their personalities but ensured the result was perfect – not “only human”
How do we know which books are in the NT?
• The Spirit attests to the genuineness of the biblical books
• Early Church Fathers quote the NT as scripture
• A series of informal lists of helpful books were written
• These were compared with each other and our current list emerged quickly
The so called “disputed books”
22 lists of the books of the NT up to 8th Century
The bible is the very words of God
“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” (Prov 3:5-6)
• We must not add to God’s words
Every Word of the Bible matters
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19)
The Bible is True
• The Spirit reveals to us the truth of the bible
– “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27)
• The bible is TRUTH ITSELF
– “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17)
• God CANNOT LIE
– “…God, who never lies…”(Tit 1:2)
• The Bible is therefore without error
What the bible DOESN’T do..
• It isn’t a science textbook or a detailed history book – but IS accurate in what it does say
• It doesn’t tell us everything we want to know about a subject- It doesn’t answer every question
• It doesn’t contain a neat systematic theology although clear teachings do emerge as we read it
• There are grammatical and spelling errors in the original and “loose quotations”.
• Errors have crept into our translations and minor ones into the copies of the manuscripts we have received – but NO major doctrine is effected
The Clarity of the Bible
We can understand the bible
The CLARITY of the Bible
• “All things necessary to become a Christian, live as a Christian and grow as a Christian are clear” (Grudem)
• Gods word is simple yet profound - “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. “ (Ps 119:130)
• Failure to understand the basic doctrines of the bible is usually a matter of spiritual condition rather than intellect - “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14)
Living up to what we understand
• “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified…Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom” (1 Cor 2:1-6)
• “..we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already” Phil 3:16 (NLT)
• "It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." Mark Twain
The limits of “Clarity” …
• Scripture does contain mysteries
– “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Ro 11:33)
• We cannot expect to understand all of the bible on our own – we do need preachers and scholars
– “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Heb 13:7)
• There is a massive gap between our culture and language and that of the bible which must be bridged for us to fully understand the bible
The Bible can be studied for a Lifetime
• We should expect to grow in our understanding of the bible and be gracious towards those differ
• “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” (Phil 3:15)
“..until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph 4:13-15)
The Necessity of the Bible
Why we need the bible
The NECESSITY of the Bible
• We need to hear and understand certain truths to become Christians.
• “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Ro 10:17)
• “…from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3:15)
• “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. “ (Rom 1:16)
The Bible is Essential for Us
• The bible is spiritual food for Christians
– “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Mat 4:4, Deut 8:3)
• The bible shows us how to live
– “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
The Sufficiency of the Bible
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
• We need nothing else for all matters of doctrine and ethical conduct
• But, we can learn practical wisdom from elsewhere and we should read books that help us understand the bible
• The bible also doesn’t tell us how to choose between two good alternatives
What should we say about the Bible?
• What do other Christians say about the bible?
– Chigago Conference on Biblical Inerrancy, 1978
– Together for the Gospel 2006
• What does Jubilee Church believe about the bible?
– Membership Course
– Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith
• What does the bible say about the bible?
– Key Verses for us to memorise
• What does Jesus say about the bible?
Chigago Statement
• God who is himself truth and speaks only truth has inspired Holy Scripture (HS) in order thereby to reveal himself...HS is Gods witness to himself.
• HS…is of infallible divine authority on all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed as Gods instruction in all that it affirms, obeyed as Gods command in all that it requires, embraced as Gods pledge in all it promises
• The Holy Spirit, Scriptures divine Author both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning
• …Scripture is without error or fault in its teaching…
• The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the bibles own….
–we deny that…..
• …scriptures receive their authority from the church
• …church creeds or councils or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the the authority of the bible
• …later revelation, which may fulfil earlier revelation ever corrects or contradicts it
• …that [the] witness of the Holy Spirit ever operates in isolation from or against the scriptures
Together for the Gospel
• We affirm that the sole authority for the Church is the Bible, verbally inspired, inerrant, infallible, and totally sufficient and trustworthy.
• We deny that the Bible is a mere witness to the divine revelation, or that any portion of Scripture is marked by error or the effects of human sinfulness.
• We affirm that the authority and sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible, and therefore that the Bible is our final authority for all doctrine and practice.
• We deny that any portion of the Bible is to be used in an effort to deny the truthfulness or trustworthiness of any other portion. We further deny any effort to identify a canon within the canon or, for example, to set the words of Jesus against the writings of Paul
What does Jubilee Believe about The Bible?
“The bible is the Word of God
– The sole basis of our belief is the BIBLE. We believe that all scripture is inspired by God and that it was given through men chosen by God.
– We believe that the Bible, all 66 books, contain Gods revelation to man and that the scriptures are infallible & inerrant.
– We therefore take all our teaching and insight for living from the Bible.” (Jubilee Church Membership Course)
“We don’t stand above the bible, we stand under it” (Tope Koleoso)
Jubilee Church is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and so holds to its statement of faith-
“We Believe in…the divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.”
What does the Bible Say about the Bible?
• For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)
• “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
• “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)
What Jesus said about the Bible
• “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)
• “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matt 5:18)
• “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39)
• “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)
The implications for us today
• If we believe that EVERY word of the bible is God’s word, it will affect our choice of main bible translation
A Spectrum of Bible Translations
NASB
KJV / NKJV
ESV
NIV/HCSB
GNB/NCV
NLT
The Message
Bible Translations Compared - Gen 1:27
• “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
– ESV - all other essentially literal versions similar
• “So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female”
– NCV
• “So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female .”
– GNB- CEV similar
• “So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.”
– NLT
Ro 3:24-25
• ”… justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (ESV)
• “… justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” (NIV)
• “…God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. ” (NLT)
• “..by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people’s sins are forgiven through their faith in him.” (GNB)
• “…need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave him as a way to forgive sin through faith in the blood of Jesus’ death.” (NCV)
Rev 22:18-19
• “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city” (ESV)
• “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If any one of you adds anything to them, God will add to you the plagues described in this scroll. And if any one of you takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from you your share in the tree of life and in the Holy City” (TNIV)
More implications
• We must test all “gifts of the Spirit” by the bible
• We should not ask God to speak to us about something he has made clear in the bible
– Eg baptism, or divorcing a faithful spouse
• “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes 5:20-21)
• Because we believe the bible is clear, beware of “clever” bible interpretations that alter the plain meaning by overly relying on original word studies – remember the first temptation “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:1)
• We should use the actual words of the bible in our evangelism and counselling
• The Spirit who inspired the actual words of the bible will powerfully confirm them
• “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16)
• “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12)
• We need to base all our doctrine and practice on the bible
– “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
