What do you believe about the Bible?

We believe the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, authoritative and inerrant Word of God. It is the final rule for faith and practice.
 
Isaiah 40:8
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
 
Matthew 5:17-18
¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
 
1 Thessalonians 2:13
¹³ For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
 
2 Timothy 3:15-17
¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed (inspired) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
 
2 Peter 1:16-21
¹⁶We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. ¹⁹And we have the more certain word of the prophets, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
 
There is a 10 step process for a truth in the mind of God to produce change in a person’s life today:
 
1.     Revelation

• God makes Himself known
• General and special
• Psalm 19, Romans 1:18-21, Hebrews 1:1-7

 
2.     Inspiration

• The revelation of God is written down under the leading of the Holy Spirit

2 Pe. 1:21
²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

• God breathes-out His Word into the human authors- 2 Tim. 3:16

 
3.     Canonization

• God oversees the process to insure that the books He inspired are collected into a unified text
• The Canon is a collection of inspired books
• Tests for canonicity: 1) Internal evidence 2) Apostolic authorship 3) Integrity and historicity 4) Dynamic impact on hearers 5) Claims to be the word of God

 
4.     Preservation
God sovereignly protecting and preserving the Bible from persecution so that it survives

• Edict of Diocletian in 303 AD to eliminate all copies of the Bible; failed!
• Communist and Muslim persecution; failed!
• The Bible has endured

 
5.     Translation

• The Bible was the first book translated; 250 BC the Septuagint
• The Bible has been translated into more languages than any other book
• The Bible was the first book printed on the printing press; Guttenberg Press

 
These relate to God’s work of giving us His Word; now that we have the Word, what are we going to do with it?
 
6.     Observation

• Reading and studying the text so as to see what it says
• Rev. 1:3

 
7.     Interpretation

• Based on what it says, “What does it mean?”
• 2 Timothy 2:15
• What was the divine and human intent of the original writer in communicating with the original audience?
• Historical context; Argument; Context; Grammar and syntax; Cross-referencing; analogy of doctrine

 
8.     Illumination

• The work of the Holy Spirit speaking to me from the text
• The Holy Spirit showing me truth and revealing to me God’s will from Scripture
• Ephesians 1:16-18, John 16:11-15

 
9.     Application

• What does it mean to me?  What am I going to do about it!
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: teaching, rebuking, correcting, training, equipping
• James 1:22-25; being a doer of the word

 
10. Transformation
The work of the Holy Spirit making me more like Jesus as I obey His Word in His power

• Internal change- 2 Cor. 3:17-18, Romans 12:1-2

 
What are you going to with God’s Word? How are you going to get the Word into your life and how will you apply it?