1. The Bible
In the world today there are literally millions of books. The Library of Congress in the United States of America has within its walls over 65 million separate volumes. In the Bible the writer Solomon said of the writing of books there is no end. The Buddhist has the enlightenments; the Muslim has the Koran; the Hindu has the Rig Veda. Yet in all the world there is one book that is unique and stands apart from all other books. That book is known as the Holy Bible.
Our study is going to be around this book, the Bible, and its teachings because it is the Book of God. In section ten we will discuss the evidence that vindicates this conclusion. But before we look at that evidence or even look inside this marvelous book, we are first going to look at the Bible itself.
1. Basic Facts About The Bible:
The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1500 years. It was compiled and written on three different continents and in three different languages by a collection of approximately forty different writers. These writers ranged from kings to slaves, rich to poor, educated to common. They were fishermen and doctors, shepherds and rulers, soldiers and statesmen. The book they wrote dealt with controversial issues. Yet in all the pages of the Holy Bible there is not one contradiction or controversy. The writings are in perfect harmony, consistency, and accuracy with each other. Skeptics have challenged the Bible and atheists have assailed it. They are gone but the Bible prevails. Someone once said that man would not have written the Bible even if he could and he could not have written it even if he would. The Bible is truly the book of all books.
2. Inspiration:
The Bible tells us that its contents are inspired. We find this statement in II Timothy 3:16-17 where it states:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
But what exactly does this mean? Did God dictate the Bible word-for-word? Did He just give the thought and allow the writer to express it any way he wanted to? Is there a third choice? What exactly is inspiration and how does it work? These are ancient questions and we will endeavor to answer them.
The Greek word for inspiration is theopneustos and is a word created from theos (God) and pneo (to blow) and literally means God breathed. The Hebrew equivalent is used in Gen. 2:7 where we read:
“And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Many contend that because it was “God Breathed” that it had to be produced word-for-word and that such is the meaning of inspiration. Thus they contend for verbal inspiration, generally meaning dictated as it appears. Certainly there are times that inspiration meant exactly that. But to hold to the position that the Scripture is inspired only in this way is a position which cannot be defended. Such a position does not prove consistent with the Scriptures themselves.
One of the better definitions ever given concerning inspiration came from Guy N. Woods in the 1976 open forum at the Freed-Hardeman College lectureship. The following is quoted from his answer to a question.
“Though the instruments by which it was delivered to the world were human beings such as we, they were protected against any possibility of error in delivering their message; and, the Bible is, therefore, an in-breathed, inspired, divine document, which, as originally given, is absolutely inerrant, infallible, and true.”
Another excellent article on inspiration came from B. C. Goodpasture at the 1970 Freed-Hardeman lectures. Some of his comments are as follows:
…inspiration has reference primarily to the accurate communicating of knowledge. It preserves its recipient from error in teaching. It is possible that some of the writers of the Bible received no revelations. This is possibly true of some of the writers of the historical books of the Old Testament. The writers were certainly inspired in the selection and recording of facts within the realm of human experience, but this would not require revelation. The account of the wilderness wanderings was not a matter of revelation, but rather of fact known by personal observation. Luke does not claim to be the recipient of any revelation. He says he derived his material from those “which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word.” He “traced the course of all things accurately from the first.” (Luke 1:2,3.) He did this by inspiration, but in doing so he was not primarily the recipient of any revelation. Thus it is possible for one to receive revelation without inspiration, and to receive inspiration without revelation. Not all the Bible is revelation, but it is all inspired. It contains revelation; it is wholly inspired.”
While the Holy Spirit moved the penmen of the Bible to write, yet they were free to speak through their own individual background, personality, vocabulary, and style. Inspiration did not involve the suspension or suppression of the human faculties, so neither did it interfere with the free exercise of the distinctive mental characteristics of the individual. If a Hebrew was inspired, he spoke Hebrew; if a Greek, he spoke Greek; if an educated man, he spoke as a man of culture; if uneducated, he spoke as such a man is wont to speak. If his mind was logical, he reasoned, as Paul did; if emotional and contemplative, he wrote as John wrote. Their inspiration was not purely mechanical. There may be a few cases of mechanical, or nearly mechanical inspiration in the Bible; but it is the exception, not the rule. When Balaam’s ass spoke, that was mechanical; and when men spoke in unknown tongues, as on Pentecost, that was mechanical, or seemingly so. If the writers had been mere pens, instead of penmen, in the hands of God the style and vocabulary of the Bible would be uniform. But such is not the case.
It is almost universal that writers and lecturers contend for verbal inspiration. Many would indict any other position as heretical. Yet the term “verbal” is not used in the same way by each writer and is even inconsistently used on occasion by the same writer. Most see verbal inspiration as being dictated word-for-word. Some have a problem with this view (and rightly so) and define verbal as God choosing the very words but not mechanically. I see no real difference in these two positions. It becomes a mere matter of semantics. If God chose each and every word then He dictated it, pure and simple. But such a position is inconsistent with the Biblical evidence. Consider just a few arguments against verbal inspiration.
1. The Bible states that the inspiration received by John was not only oral but also visual (Revelation 1:11, 19-20)
2. Paul writes some things by permission. They were clearly his own thoughts and in his own words, but they were still inspired. (I Corinthians 7:6, 12, 25,40)
3. There are quotations used which paraphrase or change the original text (Psalm 8:4-6, Hebrews 2:6-8).
4. There are differing records of the same event (Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-48).
5. There are different sources and approaches for different books. For example, Hebrews reflects writing which is based on much study while Luke reflects writing based on experience and first hand knowledge (Hebrews 1 & 2, Luke 1:1-4).
6. In a similar vein, some writers rely on personal remembrances for some of their writings, demonstrating non-verbal inspiration in these cases (Luke 1:1-4, I Corinthians 1:14-16).
7. The Bible even states that there were various methods of communicating God’s will (Hebrews 1:1-3).
8. Different writers have different styles. Consider just a few examples.
- Matthew uses the term “kingdom of heaven” almost exclusively.
- John uses the term “little children”.
- Paul uses sports terms (Ephesians 6:12, I Corinthians 9:24, 26).
- Luke uses medical terms.
9. There are differences in historical accounts.
- In their order (Matthew 4 and Luke 4).
- In the general facts (Matthew 8:28, Mark 5:1).
10. Consider the beauty of the Psalms.
- “The Lord is my shepherd … ” Psalm 23
- “I was glad … ” Psalm 122
- “I will set no wicked thing … ” Psalm 101
- “Search me 0 God … ” Psalm 139
All of these passages (and many, many more) become cold and unfeeling if they were not the expressions of the heart of David.
11. Peter states that Paul was hard to understand (II Peter 3:16-17). It is not reasonable that Paul was hard to understand while others were not and yet they were verbally inspired by the same Spirit, dictated to as to choice of words and structure.
12. The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. Yet if He so inspired men to write so that it suggested non-verbal inspiration when verbal inspiration was actually the case, then He would certainly have been the author of confusion.
13. The Bible contains grammatical errors, differing styles, personal greetings (i.e. “Prisca” by Paul, II Timothy 4:19), etc., all which show that word choice was not exclusively in the hands of God.
These are just a few of the arguments that show that verbal inspiration was not the exclusive manner in which God inspired the Scriptures. It is also interesting that the same people that argue for verbal inspiration then turn around and argue authorship and setting and time based on word choice and sentence structure. Such argumentation would be useless if verbal inspiration was exclusive.
How then did God inspire the Scriptures? The answer is a simple one. In all of the writing of the Bible, God superintended it so that it contained what He wanted in it, all that He wanted in it, and nothing that He did not want in it. God did not have to choose the very words in order to accomplish this. Men do the same thing all the time, even making their living at it. They are called editors. They do not have to do the actual writing nor do they have to choose the actual words. They simply review it for accuracy and content. If I can understand that men can perform such a task then surely I can understand that God can do at least as much as can they. To deny verbal inspiration as the exclusive method of God in inspiration is not to deny the validity or inspiration of the Bible. It is merely to acknowledge that the facts demonstrate that God used various ways to accomplish His purpose. I believe that the Bible is wholly inspired. I just am wise enough to realize that verbal inspiration is not God’s exclusive method of inspiration.
Earlier I pointed out that the term inspiration is used when telling of God breathing life into man in the garden of Eden. The fact that life was God breathed simply means that it came from God, not that he literally blew into man’s nose (as some actually contend). Inspiration, then, simply means that in some fashion God superintended it so that it would be accurate and complete.
A proper statement in relation to the inspiration of the Scriptures, then, would be that the Scriptures as they were originally given are the plenary, inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God.
3. Bible Divisions:
There are a number of ways in which the Scriptures are divided. There are the sixty-six individual books, there are the two main divisions (old and new testament), there are eight divisions based on the literature types and content (four in the old and four in the new), and fifteen historical divisions spanning from creation until Christ shall return. We will look at each of these divisions to see more about the nature and content of the Bible.
For one to obtain a proper appreciation and understanding of the scriptures he must first understand how they are divided. Much of the confusion in religious circles today comes from the application of the wrong text when discussing any particular question. This section of study will help the Bible student to better understand how God has arranged His book.
1. Old and New Testaments.
The Bible is divided into two distinct sections. One is called the Old Testament and the other is called the New Testament. The word testament is similar in meaning to will or covenant. For one to properly understand the Scriptures, he must first establish which part of the Bible holds the information that applies to the question.
The Old Testament was written over a period of about 1000 years. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament during the time that the people of Israel were in the wilderness, around 1446 to 1406 BC. This section of scripture is referred to as the law and we will discuss this in greater detail shortly.
The Old Testament was completed around 400 BC and from then until the coming of Christ no other revelation was received and recorded by the nation of Israel.
The New Testament was actually completed in around 40 to 50 years, beginning around AD 55 and going until AD 96. Some books are possibly dated a little earlier and thus we cannot be totally precise.
All of the books of the Bible were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). But even so, there is a difference of purpose and, therefore, a difference of application, between the Old and New Testaments.
2. Old Testament.
There are four major divisions found in the Old Testament. They are called (a) the law, (b) history, (c) wisdom literature, and (d) prophecy.
The law is that section which contains the creation, patriarchal history, Egyptian bondage, the growth of the tribes of Israel, their time in the wilderness, and their preparation to enter the promised land. It is commonly called the books of Moses and is made up of Genesis through Deuteronomy. This section of Scripture contains all the laws and ordinances given to Moses in the wilderness, a description of the tabernacle, the priesthood, and a host of other similar information.
History is the section which deals generally with the history of Israel from the entrance into the promised land until the carrying away into bondage by Babylon around 586 BC. It begins with Joshua and continues through Esther. The final three books of this section, however, (Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther) are later history, being written after the return from Babylon.
Wisdom literature consists of the writing found in Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
Prophesy is the final section of the Old Testament and overlaps some of the other time frames. It begins around 845 BC and continues until around 430 BC. It contains all the final books from Isaiah unto Malachi.
3. New Testament.
There are also four divisions found in the New Testament. The names of them are generally presented as the gospels, Acts, the letters, and Revelation. Since the New Testament or the New Covenant relates to Christ and His church, I prefer my own names for these divisions because I believe it aids in understanding them. They are (a) the head of the church, (b) the start of the church, (c) the rules of the church, and (d) the glorification of the church.
The head of the church is Christ and since the first four books of the New Testament introduce Him to us, I chose this as my title for this section. This section tells us of the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, and the death of Christ. We learn about His character, His thoughts, His purity, His divinity, and His purpose. We learn about His compassion, His authority, and His commitment. We learn about the blood sacrifice for our atonement and the hope we have because of Him. It is in these four books we learn to know the Messiah and our need for a relationship with Him.
The start of the church is found in the book of Acts and shows the establishment of the church and its early growth. It shows what it takes to get into the church and it demonstrates how to spread it throughout the world. It also teaches us that with great motivation, enthusiasm, and zeal, the church can indeed be carried throughout the world to every creature. It demonstrates the need for the church to be missionary minded so that its purpose can be accomplished. It demonstrates great sacrifice but it also promises great blessings.
The rules of the church are recorded in the letters beginning with Romans and continuing through Jude. While there are rules found also in the other New Testament books, this is the great storehouse for the directions the church is to follow. These letters were written for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction. They were written also for encouragement, edification, and motivation. It is in these books we find out how we are to live, act, and worship once we are members of the body of Christ.
The glorification of the church is the book known as the Revelation. It was written as a source of encouragement for the first century church and serves the same purpose today. It assures the church that even under persecution the people of God will survive as a people. It begins with a view of God on His throne and ends with the bridal activities of Christ and His church. It demonstrates and reminds that even when things seem desperate or hopeless, God is still on His throne and the promises received from Him by the church are guaranteed.
4. Fifteen Historical Divisions.
There are fifteen historical divisions found in the Bible. We will not have time to discuss them in any great detail. But we will list them and examine their parameters so that in your further studies you may pursue a better and deeper understanding of them. This will help you greatly as you study out the issues of life as they relate to Scripture.
These several divisions are the Antediluvian, Postdiluvian, Patriarchal Period, Egyptian Bondage, Wilderness Wanderings, Conquest of Canaan, Judges, United Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, Kingdom of Judah, Babylonian Captivity, Return from Captivity, Inner-testament Times, the Life of Christ, and the New Covenant. Let’s briefly look at these divisions of history.
The antediluvian period covers the ten generations from Adam to Noah. They record the creation, the fall of man, and the continual corruption of mankind. They introduce us to the fact that man is lost because of sin. This section closes with God preparing to destroy life from the face of the earth.
The postdiluvian period is also ten generations in length and goes from the departure of Noah and his family from the ark to the call of Abram by God. During this period we have the cursing of Canaan in relation to the nakedness of Noah and the offense of the people in their construction of the tower of Babel.
The patriarchal period presents the lives of the three great patriarchs of Israel. They are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Along with these great men are presented the lesser patriarchs from whom the tribes came. This period of time ends with the people in the land of Goshen, part of the territory of the nation of Egypt.
The Egyptian bondage came about when a pharaoh who knew not Joseph arose and decided to enslave the people of God. This bondage lasted around 430 years before God finally liberated them.
The wilderness wanderings start with the people of God leaving the land of Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. Once across, they were to go and take the land God had promised them. But because of fear and a lack of faith, they did not want to go. God rejected that generation and kept them in the wilderness for forty years until all but two adult males died.
In the conquest of Canaan, God chose Joshua to be His representative to the people. It was through his guidance that the people went in and secured the land. The people never fully complied with the instructions of God and suffered throughout history for this decision. Once the land was secured, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh took land on the east side of the river. The other tribes took land on the west side and the tribe of Levi took cities so that they would be dispersed to carry out their priestly duties throughout the land.
The period of the judges was a time when God periodically raised up servants to deliver His people from various enemies. Most of these judges were not national but only local in scope. Eli and Samuel, often considered as judges, are two exceptions to this rule.
The people were not pleased with the way things were under the judges and demanded a king. The united kingdom thus began with the reign of Saul, then David, and then Solomon. Each of these kings ruled approximately forty years.
God was not pleased with the reign of Solomon and as an act of judgment against his house, God divided the nation into two parts. The northern kingdom was under the rule of Jeroboam and was known as Israel and the southern kingdom was under the rule of Rehoboam and was known as Judah. The nation stayed divided for many years to follow.
The northern kingdom never had a good king. They were constantly involved in idolatry, immorality, and other such grievous sins. As an act of judgment against them, God brought the Assyrians against them in 721 BC and carried them away into captivity. This carrying away left only the kingdom of Judah as God’s chosen people. There were, however, remnants of each of the tribes living in Judah and so none of the tribes completely ceased to exist. This period we call the kingdom of Judah.
In 586 BC, God brought the nation of Babylon against Judah and had them carried away into the Babylonian captivity where they remained for seventy years. It was for the same type of offenses that Israel had committed which caused Judah to also be carried away.
In the return from captivity, Cyrus makes a decree that the people can return and rebuild Jerusalem. The people go but soon become frustrated and cease their work on the house of God. Finally, under the prophecy of Haggai and the leadership of Zerubbabel and several others, the people went back to work and finished the temple.
The inner-testament times are often referred to as the 400 silent years. Actually they are anything but that. While there are no recorded messages received from God at this time, the book of Daniel reveals vast amounts of information concerning what was to happen. Through this prophecy we also find out when basically the Christ would appear and establish His eternal kingdom.
The life of Christ is recorded in the four gospels. They tell us of His life, teachings, and mission. They tell of His death, burial, and resurrection. They also tell of His ascent to the Father to receive His kingdom and His commission to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The new covenant began in Acts 2 at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This time period is also know as the last days and will continue until the return of Christ and the dissolution of time. All are under the instructions of this covenant and those who do not submit to it will spend eternity in Hell because only this covenant has the power to remove the guilt of sin through Christ.
4. Bible Authority:
There is much that can be said concerning the authority of the Scriptures. I hold firmly that the Bible is the only source of authority in issues of religion and righteousness and that it is authoritative in nature, not just suggestive as some are presently teaching. We will look at several scriptures and see what the Bible says about authority.
First, we will notice that the Bible is the word of God, it is our guide, and it is to be studied. Consider the following scriptures:
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
(II Timothy 3:13-17)“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
(Psalm 119:105)“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
(Romans 15:4)”Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(II Timothy 2:15)
We will notice secondly that the word of God is the instrument by which we will be judged in the end of time. Consider the following:
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: The word that 1 have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
(John 12:48)
From this, therefore, we learn to speak only the word of God and not to alter it in any way. This has been true from the beginning, through the pages of history, and will be until the end of time and beyond.
”If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
(I Peter 4:11)“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”
(Deuteronomy 4:2)“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
(Proverbs 30:6)“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But thou we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
(Galatians 1:6-9)
Finally, knowing that one must have the truth to be pleasing to God (John 4:24, John 17:17) and that the word and Christ are put on equal footing (John 1:1-3, Hebrews 4:12-13), one must realize that to reject the written word is to reject the living Word also. One who does not have the Christ does not have the father (John 2:23).
From this first section of our study we have learned several things. We have learned that the Bible is an amazing book which has been delivered to man from God. We learned that it is inspired and authoritative and that man will be held accountable to its teachings. In light of this fact, it is more than reasonable that each person diligently search its pages so that his or her life can be shaped in such a way as to please the omnipotent God.
Editor’s Note:
I was discussing at work the concept of inspiration (I am a construction worker) and a co-worker shared with me what his father told him when he was just a young boy. He said, “Son, I believe everything the Bible says including genuine leather on the back cover.” If only we all truly trusted in the Scriptures to the extent implied by this statement!