I've said it before, I'll say it again.
Bible study is important.
Make it a priority.
Be disciplined.
As Paul tells Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
In introducing Clarifying the Bible, I said I was going to cover 20 sentences that will help you understand the entire Bible, some simple, some complex. Read through these sentences. Study them. Understand them. Memorize them. You'll soon be much more comfortable with God's Word.
Let's dive in to the first four sentences!
1. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God.
These are not just $50 words that I'm throwing out to sound theological or intelligent. They are important words and if you stop and think about them a little bit then right away this sentence should have a dramatic impact on how you view God’s Word.
Inspired – What do I mean by that?
“The act by which God superintended, or took charge of, the human authors of the Bible so that they wrote without error the message in the words of their original writings.” Charles Ryrie.
These men wrote exactly what God wanted to be written.
What did they write?
2 Timothy 3:16 – “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
How did they write it?
2 Peter 1:20 – 21 – “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Inerrant - What does that word mean as it relates to scripture?
When all the facts are known, the scriptures in their original autographs or writings properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything that they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine, morality, or with social, physical, and life sciences. The Bible is without error; the Bible is the truth.
Psalm 12:6 – “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.”
Authoritative – What does that mean?
The authority of scripture means that all the words in scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God himself.
Consider this. We do not stand above the Bible in judgment, we stand beneath it and we humbly submit, and then the word of God judges us.
So to summarize…the Bible is the product of the Holy Spirit of God working through the Biblical writers (inspiration) to produce a work that is completely true (inerrant) and wholly authoritative in our lives. It is inspired, inerrant, and authoritative.
Psalms 119:9 - 11 – “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
2. The Bible is 1 book which consists of 66 individual books. The word Bible means book. It has incredible unity in incredible diversity. The unity points to one author.
Consider that the Bible was:
Written over a period of 1500 years. Moses wrote Genesis through Deuteronomy around 1400 BC…John wrote Revelation around 90 AD on the aisle of Patmos.
Written by over 40 different authors from various walks of life. Written by statesmen, a shepherd, a king, a physician, a Rabbi, a fisherman….etc.
Written in 3 different languages. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.
Written on 3 different continents. What were they? Africa, Europe, Asia.
Written in various moods. For example, David writing from the depths of sorrow.
And written in various locations. Caves, prison, an island, etc.
Yet among all that diversity, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible demonstrates an incredible unity that leads us to the truth that it was written by a single author! It is one book with one author.
3. The Bible’s 66 books are divided into 2 testaments, the Old Testament with 39 books and the New Testament with 27 books.
How do I remember that? Here's a memory aid.
How many letters are in the word "Old"? 3
How many letters are in the word "Testament"? 9
Put them together...39.
How many letters are in the word "New"? 3
How many letters are in the word "Testament"? 9
Is there a problem? No
The first two stand together (39), the second two you multiply (3 X 9 = 27).
OK, that's a little nerdy, but it helps.
4. The Big Picture of the Bible can be understood in terms of 5 Christ-centered divisions:
Anticipation (Genesis – Malachi) (Someone’s coming!) It talks about prophets, priests, and kings, but says a greater one of each is coming.
Manifestation (Matthew – John) (He's here!) Birth, life, teachings, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Proclamation (Acts) The acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles…the birth and growth of the church, the gospel spreading throughout Judea, Samaria, and the utmost parts of the world.
Explanation (Romans – Jude) The epistles..the letters. Written to both churches and individuals by Paul and others. They explain who Jesus Christ is, what He accomplished and how as followers of Him we should live in light of those truths.
Consumation (Revelation) The one in whom all God’s promises for history will be consummated in the person of Jesus Christ.
Now let's pause for a quick review. Don't page up for the answers, just go with it.
The Bible is what? (3 descriptive words)
The Bible is 1 Book consisting of how many books?
These books are divided into two testaments? What are they?
The first of the two testaments has how many books? How’d you know?
The second of the two testaments has how many books? How'd you know?
The Big Picture of the Bible is understood in five Christ-Centered Divisions. Say the word AMPEC. Now, what do the letters stand for?
A?
M?
P?
E?
C?
OK, that's enough for now. Good job. We'll move on to the next 4 sentences in the next post.
Remember, Bible study is important. Make it a priority.
Be disciplined.
Note: In this series of posts, I am presenting material from Clarifying the Bible as I learned it in the Downline Institute, purposely giving credit to both Downline and Mitch Maher, the author of the study by the same name.