2 Timothy 3:15-17

“And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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 complete, equipped for every good work.”

 

1 Thessalonians 2:13

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

 

2 Peter 1:21

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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What the Bible is Not

 

The Bible is not a good luck charm or something that will work out anything just by its mere presence. You cannot expect to gain anything from it just because it sits somewhere in your home.

 

It is not a masterpiece written to showcase God’s skill as a writer. God used men by giving them freedom of expression to use their own language and ways of expressing the truth spoken to them. The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not God’s pens. All that inspiration guarantees is unity of thought, not the sameness of words and expressions.

 

The Bible is not a book that conforms to the tastes, customs, or habits of any one nation or people, or for any one age or period of time. It’s a book to which all people in all ages can conform to, and yet keep their understanding through their own customs.

 

The Bible is not to be used just when you’re in trouble. It’s not to just satisfy your conscience, but to begin and nurture a relationship with God.

 

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What the Bible Is

 

It is a divine library containing 66 books; each including various forms of literature, history, biography, poetry, proverbial sayings, hymns, letters, directions for elaborate ritualistic worship, laws, parables, riddles, allegories, prophecies, drama, and all other forms of human expression. 

 

The Old Testament, which contains 39 books, was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The New Testament, which contains 27 books, was written in Greek. Each Testament is divided into five main divisions: The Old Testament: the 5 books of Moses (Genesis - Deuteronomy), 12 historical books (Joshua - Esther), 5 poetical books (Job - Song of Solomon), 5 books of the Major Prophets (Isaiah - Daniel), and the 12 books of the Minor Prophets (Hosea - Malachi). The New Testament: the 4 Gospels (Matthew - John), the historical book (Acts), the 14 Pauline epistles (Romans - Hebrews), the 7 general epistles (James - Jude), and the prophetical book (Revelation).

 

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of mankind, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the joy of believers. It is His inspired will and testament given to all people, revealing Himself and His plan for the present and next life. It is the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. It contains the message of eternal salvation to all who believe in Christ and of eternal damnation to those who rebel against the Gospel. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. Through the Scriptures, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed. It should fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your feet in righteousness and holiness. We should read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully and meditate on it’s meaning for every day. We must read it thoroughly until it becomes part of our being and generates faith that moves mountains. It is given to us in this life, it will be opened at the judgement, and will last forever. It is complete and cannot be improved upon from any standpoint.

 

  

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How is the Bible Inspired?

 

How do we know the Word is truly God’s? Let’s start with the meaning of inspiration: The Greek word theopneustos literally means God-breathed. It is the special influence or power of the Holy Spirit upon the minds and lives of holy men, which qualified and enabled them to make an infallible record of divine truth concerning the will of God to man. 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “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 complete, equipped for every good work.”

 

The purpose of inspiration is to secure truth and unity in record and not conformity or sameness of statement. Inspiration has accomplished this beyond human comprehension - meaning it is humanly impossible without divine assistance. We know it is God, because it couldn’t have possibly come solely from the mind of men.

 

Some words were the exact words of God (Genesis 1:3, 2:16; Exodus 3:4-10; Joshua 1:9; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 4:10; Matthew 3:17, etc.), some words were put into the mouths of the speakers who spoke as the Spirit inspired them (Exodus 4:12; Numbers 23:5; Ezekiel 2:7, 3:10-11, 13:3; Acts 3:21, etc.), and some were words written as the writers were moved by the Spirit (Exodus 34:17, 2 Peter 1:21, Revelation 1:11, etc.).

 

The Spirit of God worked in and through the writer’s spirits, and preserved their individualities in their writings.

 

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A Few Proofs of Inspiration

 

The amazing unity of over 40 different authors, over 1,800 years, had 1 theme: The creation and redemption of humanity by God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The books of the Bible were written by men from all walks of life such as kings, priests, judges, lawyers, princes, shepherds, soldiers, statesmen, musicians, singers, inventors, poets, preachers, prophets, fishermen, farmers, tentmakers, physicians, rich men and poor men. They were written on 3 different continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa). The books were written in different ages and by many men who had no knowledge of each other or knew what the others had written, yet when joined together, there was not a single contradiction. This proves that there is one divine author.

 

The Bible is vastly different than any other book in it’s claims, it’s message, it’s moral tone, it’s insight into the future, and it’s words of peace and comfort to all mankind. It’s different because of it’s insight into true human nature (blue prints revealed by the builder) and insights into all things of life here and hereafter. It meets all the needs of all people, all the time, everywhere.

 

No other book has ever gone through the sheer amount of opposition that the Bible has. Whole kingdoms and religions have tried to destroy the Bible, but it still exists long after it’s enemies have passed off the scene. It is the oldest book in the world and is divinely preserved.

 

The Bible is full of heavenly truths that could never have been known except by revelation from God himself.

 

The Bible is inexhaustible and infinite in its coverage of truth. No activity is ignored in it’s pages. It gives wisdom and instruction in every sphere of life and cannot be proven wrong. It is the simplest book to understand, yet it needs constant study.

 

Hundreds of fulfilled prophecies are mentioned in the Scriptures and are being fulfilled in our lifetimes. How did the writers possibly know this thousands of years ago without inspiration from a divine source?

 

The Bible can’t be disproven historically or scientifically like most of man’s theories and claims before modern archaeology and technology. The deeper the archaeological shovel goes, the higher the biblical statements go up. Modern technology such as the telescope, microscope, etc. only further prove what the Bible claims. 

 

 

The Bible’s doctrines are contrary to all human teachings (I.e. receiving life through death, salvation through grace not by works, becoming the greatest by becoming the least, etc.). How did all the writers have a deep understanding of such things without divine inspiration?

 

It is universally adaptable for all ages and all peoples. Name another book of teaching that can do this?

 

Not one critic of the Bible has been able to successfully prove it incorrect or been able to improve upon any of it’s teachings.

 

The Bible is the only book that divinely and perfectly adapts to the soul. There is clear evidence of this by those who read it and by observing the lives of Christians. The author of the Bible and the creator of the soul are the same person. It was written to you by your creator! The law and the epistles are for your reason, the psalms and the gospels for your affections, and the prophecies and revelations of the wonders of God are for your imagination. The Bible judges the soul by contradicting it’s passions, revealing it’s guilt, and humbling it’s pride and vanity. The Bible meets the deepest needs of the soul by solving it’s problems, and presenting a way out of it’s slavery to sin and bondage to Satan.

 

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Going Forward

 

Everything we do here at Convergent City Church and in our individual lives should be grounded in and subjected to the Bible alone. We must read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. We cannot be a part of the Kingdom of God and not have a working knowledge of the teachings of the Bible. If we do not take the time to read and study it regularly, we cannot possibly continue to call ourselves followers of Christ. To have a relationship with Him is to know His Word. Knowledge of the Scriptures is not reserved for pastors and teachers, it must be a part of every child of God.