The Bible: What it Is

Article 1: The Holy Scriptures

1-1  The Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the inspired, infallible Word of God, a divine revelation, the original writings of which were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit. They are the supreme and final authority of faith and conduct.

1-2  Inspiration is a special act of the Holy Spirit by which He guided the writers of the Scriptures so that their words would convey the thoughts He wished conveyed, would bear a proper relationship to the thoughts of the other inspired books, and would be kept free from error of fact, doctrine, and judgment.

1-3  The Holy Scriptures, the written Word of God, are composed of all 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament.

What is typically meant by the statement, “I believe the Bible”?

Revelation

In His grace towards His creation, God has chosen to reveal Himself to His creation. While God is incomprehensible, He has revealed aspects of Himself to people in creation and in Scripture. Theologians refer to the two ways of God’s self-revelation as general or natural revelation and special or supernatural revelation.

General/Natural Revelation

Every person possess an innate knowledge of God as a result of general revelation.

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

The word “plain” means evident or clearly revealed to the mind or senses. What does Paul say is the reason people can know of God?

It is evident that God exists because God has chosen to reveal Himself to people through His creation (plain = evident, clearly revealed to the mind or the senses)

Since the creation of the world, people have possessed the ability to grasp that God exists and His nature.

In light of God’s natural revelation of Himself, Paul says that people are without excuse. What excuse do people lack?

Natural revelation leaves no person with a valid excuse for rejecting God.

Special/Supernatural Revelation

The fact that every person is left without excuse because of God’s revelation of Himself through His creation, that people suppress this truth displays their total rebellion against their Creator. No remedy for this defiance can be found within humanity. Only God, through His special revelation of a Redeemer, could provide the intervention necessary for people to brake free from bondage to their sin.

Romans 10:14–15 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Belief is a prerequisite for calling on Jesus for salvation.

Hearing is a prerequisite for belief.

Preaching the Word of God is a prerequisite for hearing.

Sending preachers is a prerequisite for preaching.

That the hearing the word of God is necessary for salvation makes clear that God’s special revelation is what He uses to break the chains of our rebellion against God.

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 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.

The sacred writings are used by God to bring His plan of salvation to the mind and heart of sinners so that they will be believe His truth through faith.

Verbal Plenary Inspiration

The term inspired that appears in BFC Article 1-1 is footnoted with the scriptural reference to 2 Tim. 3:15-17. In other words, the article suggest that this passage of Scripture explains and supports the concept of inspiration.

2 Timothy 3:15–17 ESV

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.

All Scripture is breathed out by God therefore:

All Scripture is directly from God

All Scripture is trustworthy

All Scripture is authoritative

Plenary refers to the fact that all scripture is inspired. All of Scripture is equally inspired by God.

Verbal means that God provided the actual words to use to write the scriptures. He did not just give the biblical writers a general impression of the kind of concepts He wanted them to include and then allowed them to run with it.

So were the biblical authors glorified recording devices? Differences between the epistles of John and Luke/Acts

While God provided the biblical writers the words, we should not conclude that He excluded the authors’ minds and personalities from the unfolding of the text. The varying personalities and writing styles of the biblical authors do come through in Scripture.

Peter, in his second epistle provides some clarity for how we can think through the verbal and plenary characteristics of inspiration:

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

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.

Men did not put forth their own ideas to write the Scriptures, but were enabled by God to write what He wanted written.

1 Corinthians 2:12–13 ESV

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

One of the Scriptures footnoted for the statement in the article, inspiration is a special act of the Holy Spirit.

What Paul is imparting to the Corinthian church is not the result of human wisdom but is taught by the Holy Spirit.

Inerrancy

That the Scriptures are inerrant means that they are without error. In other words, all of Scripture is wholly true.

Proverbs 30:5 ESV

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Many suggest that the doctrine of inerrancy is rooted in the doctrine of God. How does the doctrine of God connect to the doctrine of inerrancy?

God is true and trustworthy, so His Word is true and trustworthy

All things that the Scriptures assert function with the authority of God’s own Word.

Paul Feinberg’s definition of Inerrancy

“When all the facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with the social, physical, or life sciences.”

Inerrancy applies to the autographs.

As far as it has been faithfully copied, translated and passed down, it is inerrant in its copies. The copies we possess are regarded as trustworthy and accurate.

Infallibility

That the Scriptures are infallible means that they are true and will not mislead anyone into error. The infallibility of the Bible presupposes that truth is from and defined by God in His word, and that the truth is the standard by which error is determined. In other words, Scripture is incapable of or possesses no potential of failure.

This characteristic of the Word of God also reflects the nature of God.

1 John 5:20 ESV

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Inerrancy & Infallibility

While the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture are distinct, these ideas should not be separated. Inerrancy is a statement of fact while infallibility speaks to potential.

Continuing the Discussion

This week we have considered what the Bible is: God-Given

Next Week we will consider what the Bible does: Saves & Sanctifies