BIBLIOLOGY

Summary Statement: I believe that all sixty-six books of the Bible are God’s Word, and that they are verbally and plenarily inspired, equally by Him. God used human writers as they were moved by the Holy Spirit to pen His sacred book. The Bible is inerrant, there are no errors in the Bible scribble or factual, it is infallible, there could be no errors in the Bible because it is God’s Word. God’s Word is not incomprehensible, but it is illumined to the believer by the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is complete in the form of the accepted Canon, and God has preserved His Word for all generations. Through sound hermeneutics, God’s Word should be the believer’s sole authority for faith and practice. Concerning translations, a translation will derive these attributes of God’s Word, as long as it is translated accurately and with the right method.

1. God’s Word – The Bible is the recorded communication of God in words to mankind. In 2 Peter 1:12-21 Peter’s death is approaching and he wants the Christians to know the truths of God. He states that these truths are not cunning fables, but they were eye witness accounts. He then states that the prophecies (Scripture) are more sure than eyewitness accounts, even eye witness accounts of the voice of God, because these prophesies (Scripture) are the very words of God and not of men.

2. Verbally and plenarily inspired, equally - Bible is the inspired, “God-breathed,” a book that finds its very source in God. (2 Tim 3:16) This verse not only states that the Bible is inspired, but it clearly states that “All Scripture” is inspired, no part being left out of this statement. Inspiration includes not only all of scripture, but it is detailed all the way down the very words the authors penned. God completely inspired every word, not just thoughts for the writers to put in their own words; this is plenary verbal inspiration, full word-by-word inspiration. As a result of the complete inspiration of God, no part of Scripture is more or less inspired than the rest, they are equally inspired.

3. Human Writers – God used human men to write His divine book. 2 Peter 1:21 states the “holy men of God spake,” this gives the scripture a very unique quality in that God allowed each writer’s natural characteristics, vocabulary, and knowledge to show. Yet, because of the moving of the Holy Spirit these books are verbally and plenarily inspired, which is demonstrated by these books exceeding these men’s characteristics, vocabulary, knowledge, and also having a unity of the entire Bible that can only come from its one, common Author, God.

4. Moved by the Spirit – Inspiration was not the forceful over powering of God, but it was the guiding staff of the Shepherd moving His sheep to His desired destination for them. (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Sam 23:1-2)

5. Inerrant – The Bible is accurate and correct in all that it states. The Bible tells the truth. Inerrancy goes beyond just religious matters, but in all matters that the Bible addresses, including science, history, etc., it is accurate and without error. Also, there were no scribal errors on the part of the writers, nor by the moving of the Holy Spirit. Every word was penned exactly as God intended it without mistake. The Scriptures do not error.

6. Infallible – Where as inerrant refers the accuracy of Scripture, infallibility refers to the ability of the Bible to error. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:18-19 that the scripture is more sure than his very own eyewitness account of God’s voice that he heard on the mount. The Word of God will derive its nature from God himself, (1 Peter 1:15,16) God is holy, He cannot sin (error), therefore Scripture, which derives its nature from its Author, cannot error. The Scriptures cannot error.

7. Illuminated – The Bible is written beyond the comprehension of the natural man, but not beyond the Holy Spirit aided believer. It was written so that God could communicate directly with His people. In John 14:26 it is stated that the Holy Spirit will teach the believer all things that God has given him to be able to learn.

8. Canon — The Canon of scripture is that which the inspired Word of God is. God has revealed this canon to His believers by statements in the Bible itself confirming other scriptures, as well as evidences in the books themselves that His Spirit lead His children to see and discern them to be His Word. (2 Peter 3:16)

9. Preservation – The Bible states that God’s truth will be available for every generation, Psalm 100:5. It is also stated in Psalm 119:89 that the Word of God is settled in heaven forever. It goes without question then that God has preserved His Word for all mankind and must be available today. Matthew 5:18 tells us that not only was it preserved, but that is will continue to be preserved until all has been fulfilled.

10. Hermeneutics – The Bible makes it clear that the Christian is to be studying God’s Word. (2 Tim 2:15) To know God better and have a deeper relationship with Him one must spend quality time in God’s Word learning about Him and His workings. In the modern day, many people shun the word “hermeneutics”, a methodology to Bible study, saying that Bible study in not a science. Though some advocators of modern hermeneutics over emphasis the method of Bible study to the Spirit’s, one must not allow this to hinder them from doing everything decently and in order, with a method. (1 Cor 14:40) It is good to have a plan and organization to ones study, a science if you will, so that it can be of the most benefit to those studying.

11. Sole authority for faith and practice – God’s Word is to be the leading authority in a believer’s life. The believer is not to subjugate the Bible to fit his beliefs, but the Bible is to subjugate the believer’s beliefs and actions to be in accordance with the Bible. In 2 Peter 1:16-19 Peter states that they are not following “cunningly devised fables”, but the very voice of God, he then states, as is mentioned earlier, that the Bible is even more sure. From this verse it is clear that the believer is to appeal to the authority of Scripture alone for his faith and practice. (2 Tim 3:16-17) Scripture is sufficient to instruct the believer in all matters, and to mature that believer to spiritual adulthood.

12. Translations – Today there are a plethora of translations available to the believer. This may seem like a good thing, yet when one compares the different translations and see that there are many variances, it can become a confusing mine field. Without going into great detail, there are a few things that must be considered when one decides which translation should be used by believers of God: one must consider the textual base of the translation, is it the preserved texts, or the texts “compiled” by man; also to be considered it the method of translation, did the translators translate the Scripture in a word-for-word sense, or only try to capture the ideas of Scripture; and lastly, but not least, is it an accurate translation, as all of the above stated beliefs are only as true for a translation as that translation is accurate.