|
|
|
|
|
|
It is our hope that this article
will lead you into a deeper appreciation of the Bible and help you to
become more confident of God's Word. You may want to
get a notebook or journal to keep your study findings in. This will prove to
be a valuable tool for you and is a key part of developing good study
habits.
|
|
|
-
To introduce the student to some
of the main doctrinal terms used to define the nature of the Bible.
-
To provide a brief introduction
to the problems inherent in liberal views of the Bible.
-
To examine some key scriptures
that speak about the Bible in relationship to the Christian, and
especially the teacher.
|
|
It cannot be over stressed that
the Bible is a unique book of supernatural origin. The Bible is
divinely inspired. This is the first fact about the Bible that a Christian and
especially a teacher of the Bible must understand. This is why the Bible
is unique among all the books and literature of the world. It is God's
message to man, not a collection of man's observations, thoughts and
writings on what man thinks about God. A Christian who does not share a
commitment to this view cannot possibly be an effective witness.
Let's start with some terms that serve as foundations for understanding
the nature of the Bible.
|
|
|
Revelation - The
Greek word for revelation is "apokalupsis." The
word means to unveil or uncover something that is
hidden. The truth of the word of God requires revelation. There is no
conceivable way for sinful, limited, finite mankind to discover God
and His Truth. Revelation was a necessity. It took a revelation from
God for us to truly know anything about Him. In the gospel of Matthew,
Jesus tells us that there were mysteries and secrets hidden since
before the beginning of time that He made known to us.
Matthew 13:35
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
Ask yourself, "How could man search out and find things that God
determined to be kept secret before the world was created?" There
is only one answer and that answer is by revelation from God.
-
Inspiration
- 2 Timothy 3:16." All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
The KJV uses the phrase "is given by
inspiration of God". The Greek word
used here is "theopneustos". It is a compound of two Greek words: "theos"
meaning God and "pnoe" meaning breath or
to breath. The word means God Breathed. Consider 1 Peter
1:21"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost."
-
Verbal Inspiration
- This term means that the inspiration was not just the thoughts, ideas or concepts but
that the inspiration went all the way down to the very words of the
original documents themselves. This is not however what some call
"Mechanical Dictation" in that God took a person over and
simply used there body like a puppet to write the Bible. God used many
individuals who had different writing styles and vocabularies to
communicate His truth. The bottom line is that it may have been
in the writing style of Moses, Paul, John or King David but, God used these
men and others to communicate His message just the way He
wanted it.
-
Plenary Inspiration
- Not only do we believe in the verbal inspiration
of the scriptures but we believe in the plenary inspiration.
But what does that mean?!?! To put it simply, it means that from
Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, the whole thing is equally inspired.
There are some that would say that only certain parts of the Bible are
inspired. This idea is full of problems as we shall see in the next
section below. See 2 Timothy 3:16 again.
-
Inerrant -
Because of the first four terms we have covered here, it would follow
to reason that when Paul, Isaiah, or Matthew put pen to paper under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, no mistakes or errors were
made.
|
|
Problems with a
Liberal View
|
|
|
If you do not accept the Bible
as described above and adopt what some call a "more intellectual or enlightened view", you put yourself in a morally dangerous and
philosophically difficult position. Any position that calls into question
the inspiration and truthfulness of the Bible carries a multitude of
severe problems with it. Let's consider just a few:
If The Bible is not inspired in the
verbal and plenary sense and if it is not inerrant then, you are saying
that it is partially wrong in places.
If is partially wrong then
there is a good chance that you are teaching and
believing some things that are wrong. You certainly don't want that. Now
this means you must find a way to figure out what is right and what isn't....
So the next
questions would be .....
-
"Who is going to figure out what parts are
inspired?"
-
"Who is going to tell
us what we parts we should and should not believe?"
-
"Who is responsible for or has the
authority to assign people to do this task in the first place?"
-
"Who is worthy and
capable spiritually, morally and intellectually to do this?"
-
"What qualifications do
these people need to have?"
-
"Who will come up with
the list of qualifications needed for this type of project?"
-
"What methods are they
going to use to accomplish this?"
-
"Where are they going to
get these methods and who came up with them?"
-
"How
can we be sure these methods will give us the right or should we say
"INSPIRED" results?
-
"What authorities,
guidelines, or councils are they going to base these decisions on?"
-
"Where do these
authorities, guidelines, or councils get their authorization from in the
first place?"
Some
liberals believe it or not have answered these types of questions with, "through prayer and the guidance of the Holy
Spirit." To them I would have to say "NO, that is not
acceptable! Remember you don't believe
that God can do that!" They will have to rely on man's limited,
finite abilities to attempt to find and figure out God's revelation. The
list of problems and questions that this type of view causes go on and on. Not accepting the Bible
as fully inspired and fully trustworthy is just asking for trouble. When
you consider what the alternatives are, it's ridiculous.
|
|
The
Bible and the Christian Teacher
|
|
|
There is a unique reality about the
Bible that exists with the Bible and no other book. The Author of
the book indwells every born again believer and desires a personal
relationship with the student. The Holy Spirit is available
to guide you in the study of the word of God.
John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to
come. Not only will He guide you but you have this promise
too:"
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
This does not mean that study is not
necessary. It means that through prayer and study, the Holy Spirit
will guide the believer into a greater understanding of the truths of the
Bible.
2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
We are to study and to grow.
The Bible expresses an expectation of
growth and maturity in one's understanding and application of
the Word of God. It is a book that you will never exhaust nor completely
master.
Hebrews 5:13 "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."
14 "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
The Bible is useful and relevant.
It is to be used is every facet of our lives every single day.
2 Timothy 3:16 " All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
17 "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:"
7 "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."
We have a MANDATE from Jesus to teach
it!
Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"
20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
In summary, as a teacher of the Word of God
you are entrusted with teaching the single most important book in the
universe. You are instructed by Jesus to teach everything that he commanded.
This is an awesome responsibility and a great privilege. To share the gospel of
Jesus Christ and lead souls to the Lord is the highest calling imaginable. What
better cause devote one's self to? The
next time you sit down to study God's Word, think about what a wonderful Book
and how wonderful the message you are studying and that you have the author dwelling in you!
|
| |
| |
|
