HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE PART ONE

Lesson One - God's Word
PART ONE: Inspiration
We believe that the Bible is inspired.
(2 Tim 3:16-17 KJV)
All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
{17} That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The word translated "inspired" in the King James Version of the Scriptures is the Greek word "theopneustos" - a combination of the word "theos" meaning "God" ( where we get our word "theology") and the word for wind, air or breath (from which we get the English word "pneumatic" "pneumonia" etc.). The Greek word in II Tim. 3:16 literally means "God-breathed". This "inspiration" is much different than the inspiration an artist may receive to paint a great painting or the inspiration an author may feel to write a novel.

By "inspiration" we mean: "God's guidence exerted upon the human writers of the Bible so that the product of their writing retained individual personality and style, yet exactly expressing the mind of God. It is the means God used to achieve His revelation in the Bible." (Gary Kinnaman)

NOTE:
The Bible does not CONTAIN God's word.
The Bible does not BECOME God's word.
The Bible IS God's word!
(Even an atheist has to use the Bible to describe the kind of God he does not believe in.)

As Jesus Christ is both HUMAN and DIVINE so the Bible is also. It has both a HUMAN and DIVINE element. Some sections of the Bible are so "human" that it makes you wonder if the Bible really is inspired. Then there are the sections that are so obviously inspired it thrills you. The Bible is a miracle book...

(2 Pet 1:21 KJV)
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

(2 Sam 23:2 KJV)
The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

(Luke 1:70 KJV)
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:

There are two main words used by theologians to define inspiration. Don't let these words scare you. They are the words "verbal" and "plenary" and are used this way: "We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scriptures." Now, let me define them for you.

"Verbal" means every word in the original languages is inspired by God. Why would we believe such a thing? There are several reasons:
The linguistic argument: Thoughts depend on completely on the very words used to express them. Change a word and the whole thought can change. If God really wants to communicate His will to us, then the very words He chose are important. He spoke to us so that we could understand His desires and will. The words used originally were His words.

The Biblical argument:
(Matt. 5:18 KJV)
"For verily I (Jesus) say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
til all be fulfilled."

Jesus being quoted here in Matthew says that the smallest part of the Hebrew alphabet will not be destroyed or left out of the Scriptures (the "jot" and the "tittle"). And here, as in other places, Jesus referred to the Scriptures as "God's word".

The logical argument: In many places in the Scripture, the meaning of the verse or passage depends completely on a single word. The very words are important. Compare Galations 3:16 where Paul's argument rests upon the fact that the word in question was singular and not plural in the original writings.

Gal 3:16 (KJV)
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not, And to seeds, as of many;
but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

"Plenary" means THE WHOLE BIBLE is inspired. The inspiration extends to concepts, numbers, names, organization and everything that makes up the Scriptures in the original writings.

PART TWO: Transmission - How the Bible has come down to us through time.
It may come as a surprise to some to learn that the Bible did not arrive "whole". The 66 different books of the Bible were written by different authors over a period of a thousand years. Until the invention of the printing press in the 1500's the Bible was painstakingly composed and copied by hand, one letter at a time! The New Testament was hand-copied for 1500 years! (Of course, this is true for all ancient books.)

The story of the Bible coming down through the centuries is a story of Divine protection. The number of hand-copied manuscripts of the New Testament is overwhelmingly greater than the copies of any other ancient book. The ancient literary works of Greece and Rome are represented by as few as one surviving manuscript to as many as several hundred. Of the New Testament however there are more than 4800 manuscripts in Greek, 8000 in Latin, and over 1000 in other languages. So many manuscipts assures the reliablity of the text. Comparisons can be made from one century to another as well as between languages and thus the text can be shown to be accurate.

The finding of the Dead Sea scrolls only confirmed what the Scripture has told us and what Jesus had said about the Bible. The accuracy of the Bible as we have it, even the Old Testament, is proof of the Divine inspiration of this Book.

God's Blessings to each of you,
rECj/LJG

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