The Bible - Part 5

The Bible is made up of 66 books written over a period of more than 1,500 years in three languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), inspired by the Holy Spirit through 40 different writers - 30 in the Old Testament and 10 in the New Testament - all from various backgrounds living on three different continents. From beginning to end, the Bible presents a unified front without contradiction. This unparalleled unity separates the Bible from all other books ever written and is evidence of the divine origin of the words as God moved men in such a way that they recorded His very words – the Bible is God breathed or Theopneustos. The Bible is called God’s Word by God (Mark 7:13, Acts 4:31, Acts 12:24, Romans 10:17, Ephesians 6:17, Colossians 1:25, 1 Timothy 4:5, 1 Peter 1:23, 2 Peter 3:5, Revelation 20:4).

The Bible is divided into two parts called Testaments or Covenants. The Old Testament (39 books) covers history from the creation of the world to 400 years before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament (27 books) covers history from Christ’s birth through the Apostolic Age (AD 96) and predicts future events into eternity with Christ at His Second Coming.

It was the custom of the Hebrew people to keep written records of God’s words and works (Exodus 40:26). The Old Testament was canonized or “sanctioned by Church authority” completely before the time of Christ.

For 20 years after Christ’s ascension the gospel was preserved by oral testimony. The early church accepted the 39 Old Testament books and later added the apostolic writings. The 27 New Testament books were canonized around AD 400. The foundation of the church rests on the teachings of the prophets, Christ Jesus, and the Apostles (Ephesians 2:19,20).

John Wycliffe translated the first English Bible in 1384, followed by the works of William Tyndale (1484-1536) and a group of scholars commissioned by King James (1604). The credibility of the Old Testament rests on Jesus’ recognition and endorsement of it as inspired.

Christians regard the Bible as the only inspired, error free, and authoritative revelation from God in written form (2 Peter 1:20,21).

The Bible is not a history book, a psychology book, or a scientific publication. The Bible describes who God is and His plans for you and me. The most significant revelation of God’s Word is the story of our separation from God by sin, and God’s provision to restore that broken relationship through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. "All Scripture is 'God breathed' (given of inspiration of God) and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness..." (2 Timothy 3:16). The Latin words “Sola scriptura” have these meanings: "sola" having the idea of "alone", "ground," "base," and the word "scriptura" meaning "writings" - referring to the Scriptures.

The Bible contains hundreds of detailed prophecies. Unlike prophecies found in other religious books, the biblical prophecies are extremely detailed and have never failed to come true. For example, there are over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament alone. Not only was it foretold where He would be born and what family He would come from, but also how He would die and that He would rise again on the third day. To illuminate, George Heron, a French mathematician, calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling only 40 of those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. That is a 1 followed by 157 zeros. Another mathematician, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, claims the odds of having only 60 of the prophecies by the only person who claimed to be the Son of God, and who died on a tree on Calvary, and who rose the 3rd day are 1 in 10 to the 895th power. There is simply is no logical way to explain the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible other than by divine origin.

Additionally, the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven repeatedly to be accurate and true through both archaeological and historical documents. The fact that the Bible accurately and truthfully records historically verifiable events is a great indication of its truthfulness when dealing with religious subjects and doctrines and helps substantiate its claim that it is the very Word of God.

Another evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the integrity and character of its writers. For instance, the men who wrote the New Testament and hundreds of other believers knew the truth of their message because they had seen and spent time with Jesus Christ after He had risen from the dead. Their lives and willingness to die for their convictions testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s Word.

Throughout history, people have attempted to destroy the Bible. Yet, the Bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers and continues to be the most widely published and cherished book in the world today. The Bible is truly God’s Word.

Which Bible Should I Use?
The King James Version (KJV) and New American Standard (NAS) take the underlying Hebrew and Greek words and translate them into the closest corresponding English words as possible, while the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Testament (NLT) take the original thought that was being presented in Greek and Hebrew and then express that thought in English. Paraphrases such as the Message or the Living Bible can be used to gain a different perspective on the meaning of a verse and serve well secondary study tools or as a commentaries on the Bible. A paraphrase of the Bible should not be viewed as the Bible, but rather as an author’s rendering of the text of the Bible.

How Do I Study The Bible?
Most importantly, the Bible should be interpreted literally. Literal Bible interpretation means you understand the Bible in its normal / plain meaning. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. Many make the mistake of trying to read between the lines and come up with meanings for Scriptures that are not truly in the text. Biblical hermeneutics (method for Biblical interpretation) keeps us faithful to the intended meaning of Scripture and away from allegorizing and symbolizing Bible verses and passages that should be understood literally.

A second aspect of Biblical hermeneutics is that a verse or passage must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually. Historical interpretation refers to understanding the culture, background, and situation that prompted the Biblical text. Grammatical interpretation is recognizing the rules of grammar and nuances of the Hebrew and Greek languages - and applying those principles to the understanding of a passage. Contextual interpretation speaks to always taking the surrounding context of a verse / passage into consideration when trying to determine the meaning.

We need to read, study and apply the Bible properly. There are five basic guidelines you should remember as you study God’s Word:
1. Study the original meaning of the individual words of a passage noted in the original language. A Bible dictionary or commentary helps.
2. Observe the grammatical structure.
3. Consider the wide passage from which the text is drawn.
4. Answer important questions about a biblical book such as, “Who wrote it?” and "When was it written?” and "Why was it written?” and "To whom was it written?” and "What was their situation and the timing?”
5. Compare other Scriptures that relate to a specific passage being considered. Scripture must interpret Scripture.

In time, you might find it helpful to have the following (many of these and other free resources can be found athttp://coregroups.org/studytools.html and http://www.biblegateway.com/resources :
• A Bible Concordance
• A Bible Dictionary
• A Bible Atlas
• Bible Commentaries

There are three principles we should adhere to when studying the Bible:
1. Read the word reverently.
2. Interpret the Word accurately.
3. Obey the Word joyfully.

You can trust God’s Word for and with your life!

Continue this series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8