In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul refers to Scripture as “breathed out by God.” This is a verse we should memorize and cling to. But for many Christians, this might be the only proof that would come to mind. The issue of the authority and inspiration of Scripture is not just a topic to be debated by scholars, nor is it simply an apologetic issue to be defended against skeptics. This is a truth that shapes how we approach God and how we listen when He speaks.
There are clear statements that indicate the Bible is not only God breathed, but it is a whole and true document. The Rock not only mentions the Bible being God breathed, “Holy men of God, being moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote every word of Scripture, and it is divinely and uniquely inspired, being absolutely trustworthy in all matters of faith and conduct,” but it explicitly states that because all scripture is God breathed, “all Scripture in the original manuscripts are inerrant in that it conveys exactly what God wants us to know and is complete in it’s present form.” The Nicene Creed never once discusses the Bible nor it’s inerrancy. It is interesting to see that they left this out and also committed the idea that God spoke every word of the Bible and it was written by his holy
Jonathan, I agree with your statement we do tend to view the New Testament through the lens of our twenty-first-century culture. Even though we know that it's not the best way to interpret the New Testament we seem to get a better grasp from doing this. I like how you brought up the original authors of the New Testament and how they wrote through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it is difficult to fit in someone else's shoes, but the Holy Spirit that existed when scripture was penned can lead, guide and direct our path today just as it did then. I would agree with you that the three methods that the authors bring forth are a great way to view the New Testament.
Allen Verhey raises different and valid points that scripture is to be read as a canon. However, he also makes an argument that scripture should not be treated as a “medical text.” Elaborating on this idea, it does suggest that it might be purely fundamental way of thought and attitude, if one used scripture for one’s personal and selfish purpose or even took the scripture literal. It is noteworthy to read that Verhey also states about treating scripture as “dated” with respect to the medical practice in the contemporary context, is a “corruption of the practice.” This is true especially when the readers of scripture, which can be a non-believer, or in other contexts, Christians themselves can consider scripture to be a piece of text that
It displays craftsmanship as it is covered with “guardian boards of oakwood” (15) and “adorned with gold” (17), or rather given a wooden cover and extravagant golden foil art. Now that the creation process is finished, the Bible feels proud to “[proclaim] in all directions / the savior of nations” (21-22), Jesus Christ. It has moved away from its “old foolish sorrows” (22) to embrace a new lifestyle of hope that it will impact the “children of men” (23). It is no longer worried about its suffering but the content it contains. It assures that anyone who reads and believes in it will be “safer,… / more courageous, freer of heart, [and] wiser in spirit” (24-25).
Words and their meaning are vital in preaching. “The essence of effective preaching is the ability to simplify without becoming simplistic. This requires understanding of a deep and profound level” (Black 22). It is important to study biblical languages as a student of the bible because biblical language is sacred and being able to understand, discloses the interpretation of a given text and assists in properly making a judgement in reference to the text. It is vital that when reading a particular text, one is able to understand what they are reading.
This being the case, Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy is a book on the doctrine of inerrancy where five Christian scholars, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Peter Enns, Michael F. Bird, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and John R. Franke discuss their various perspectives on biblical inerrancy, narrowing the focus on four significant issues – (1) God and his relationship to his creatures, (2) the doctrine of inspiration, (3) the nature of scripture, and (4) the nature of truth (Merrick & Garrett, 2013, p. 22). SUMMARY For the interest of this paper, I chose the first chapter titled “When the Bible speaks, God speaks: The Classic Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy” (Mohler, 2013, p. 29) by R. Albert Mohler Jr. who asserts that the evangelical faith would become indistinct without the doctrine of inerrancy and thus crucial. Mohler is basically quite straightforward and outspoken about his position that “there is little basis for any hope that evangelicals will remain
Anyone, including myself, who holds a theistic Christian worldview believes the Bible to be more than just a book; God himself inspired the authors of its pages. Like a belief in God himself, a certain level of faith must exist for a Christian to believe in the text’s holy nature.
For many years, I have had this ideology that all the information inscribed in the Bible was factual. It was thought provoking to see that the Bible is composed of historically accurate information and stories. The Introduction to the Bible course has given me the opportunity to explore and broaden my perspective on the Catholic bible. I am challenging myself to see the Bible from a historical and scientific view, but also with a view of my faith. The information that I have gathered from the course has caused me to question faith and facts.
Chapter 3 “Hebrew Words for Praise and Worship” It is important to note here that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. In order to grasp the true meaning of any verse or chapter, it is important to study the rudimentary origins of the Hebrew or Greek word(s) of the passage of scripture that you are studying. Paul schools Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth’. I personally make it a habit to separate my devotional time from my study time. Of course my devotion and study time intertwine sometimes, but usually my devotional time consists of reading God’s word and praying to draw closer to God
Studying scripture can build up and strength our Christian worldview. Many Books and passages in the bible touch up human identity, human relationships, and culture. Romans 1-8 are one of those Books that we can apply to the world around us.
What I found to be amazing was the diversity of beliefs among persons claiming to follow the same deity. If you place the Holy Bible on a table and invite members of the abovementioned denominations to discuss various issues, you will never attain full concordance. So if this is the 'Word of God', why is it not straightforward, but open to so many different interpretations, resulting in division, acrimony, bigotry, a sense of entitlement, intolerance, human-rights abuses and even war?
Controversial topics are and have been a big part of our society all throughout history. One of the most controversial topics in history is the Bible. And inside it there are many hard things to understand that many people have one opinion while others may think in another way. One of this issues encountered in the Bible being if Christians are suppose to follow the Mosaic Law or the law that God gave to the Jews through Moses which consists of many rules and laws that the Jews should obey back at that time. In my opinion I strongly believe Christians are no longer under and not required to follow the Mosaic Law because it is impossible for humans to fulfill the Law without Jesus, also we now are saved through Jesus grace and our faith not
Upper Room Response The Bible tells us Jesus “humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Php 2:8 KJV). In the upper room, Jesus was true to His character. He was sad yet humble as He had been throughout His ministry.
Have you ever thought of how we got the Bible that we have and why some churches uses other books in addition to the sixty-six in our bible? Catholic bible includes other books known as Apocrypha, then how do we know if the books in our Bible are the books God wants us to have and that other books that are not inspired by Him. In the early church, many books were moving around the churches and some of these books carried teachings which caused a lot of problems in the church. A lot of controversial issues were raised about what Christians should believe, how Christians should behave, and who gets to decide both. Some of the early church leaders gathered together to decide which books were worth to be included in the Bible, and which ones were