The Inspiration of the Bible
“Prove All Things”
Intro: 1Thes 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” The Bible explicitly says that it is every Christian’s duty to prove all things. Not some things. Not what you feel like proving. But, ALL THINGS.
I. Wrong methods of proving all things. A. Assumption is not proving all things. Acts 11, B. Supposition is not proving all things. Acts 2:13,15 C. Accusation is not proving all things. Acts 24: 5, 13 D. Misrepresentation is not proving all things. Acts 6: 9-15
II. Right methods of proving all things. A. Providing adequate truthful provable evidence is proving all things. Acts 17:11; B. Testing the Spirits of the sources is the right way of proving things. I Jn 4:1; II Tim 3:16-17
III. Wrong sources of information for proving all things. A. Feelings in not an adequate source of information. Prov 16:25; Acts 23:1 B. Parents can be the wrong source of information. Acts 7:51 C. Popular opinion is not always a good source. Mt 7:13-14, D. Conscience is not always a good source of information. I Tim 4:2 E. Other people, even renowned brethren are not always a good source. II Cor 10:12 F. Old laws that have been abolished are not good sources. Col 2:14ff; Heb 8:13
IV. We must prove all things. I Thes 5:21 A. Every religion can prove some things, but true Christians must prove all things. B. We walk by faith, through the word. Faith is, “joyful, obedient, trust in God produced by: Acknowledgement of Him provided in creation Rom 1:20, or Through adequate logical evidence of him found in the Word Rom 10:17.” V. We must not only prove all things, but we must also hold fast to that which is good.
Inspiration of the Bible
Intro: Jn 17:17; Jn 8:32
I. Why we need to prove the Inspiration of the Bible.
A. The word of God is truth, and can make men free. Ps 119:172, 9-11 B. The Devil’s main objective is to distort or make us skeptical about truth. Gal 1:6-9;Jn 8:44 Satan is attacking the word of God. C. God challenges people to see if the Bible is the word of God. Isa 41:21 D. Some people have a thought for thought instead of a word for word translation of the Holy Scriptures. (dynamic equivalent) E. II Pet 1:20 The word of God says that in old time the WORD never came by men.
F. In light of II Pet 1:20-21 inspiration is: 1. Prophecy of scripture never came by private interpretation. 2. It is Prophecy. a. Thayer’s defines prophecy as, “discourse (words, BB) emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God.” b. Vine’s defines Prophecy as, “ the speaking (words, BB) forth of the mind and counsel of God.” 3. Holy men spake (words). 4. As they were moved by the Holy Sprit. Discussion; I. The Old Testament Teaches the Above Propositions.
A. The Old Testament teaches II Pet 1:20-21. God taught men what to say. Ex 4:10-12,15, 21-23; 5:1-2, 6:1-2 B. The Old Testament teaches God said write His words down, and not his thoughts. 1. Ex 17:14 God said write his words down in a book. Words, not thoughts. 2. In Num 12:1-8 God said hear his WORDS, not his thoughts. 3. Moses wrote down what happened at the command of God. Num 33:2 4. Observe God’s words, not thoughts carefully and accurately Deut 28:58 5. The Spirit of the Lord spoke by David and the Words of the Lord was on his tongue. 2 Sam 23 1-2 6. The Lord’s Words. 1 Kngs 2:1-4 7. Hear the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 1:10 8. My Words Isaiah 56:16 9. In the O. T. the “word” of the Lord or “thus saith the lord”, or something equivalent is used 3,800 times. 10. It is evident that God does not speak in thoughts but words. II. The New Testament also teaches these propositions as well. II Pet 1:20-21 A. God speaks to us through the New Testament in words, not thoughts. 1. All the Law and prophecy shall be fulfilled in the New Testament, and the Law & prophecy as we have already noted are words, therefore; the New Testament fulfillment of that must also be the words of God to be accurately fulfilled. 2. In Matt 10:19 The Spirit of the father spake through Holy men. 3. The Holy Spirit will teach and bring to remembrance all the things Jesus said and did. Jn 14:26 4. The Spirit will testify. Jn 15:26 5. Teaching and testifying are with words, and if this is done by the Holy Spirit of God then it is done with the word of Almighty God, and the Holy Spirit can speak I Tim 4:1. 6. The Spirit gave men utterance (words) in the first century. Acts 2:4 7. In Acts 8:29 the Spirit actually speaks in this verse. B. God also gives us commands in the New Testament through his Words. 1. In 1 Cor 14:37 the things Paul wrote were the commandments of the Lord. How do you write? With words. Gal 1:6-9 2. The word of God works in you. I Thes 2:13 C. God breathed the words we now have in our Bible. II Tim 3:16-17 1. Scripture is given by the speech of God. Mt 4:4; Heb 1:1-2 2. In Rev 21:5 John is commanded to write the Words. 3. In Rev 22:6 The Bible says these Words are true. 4. 2 Pet 1:3 tells us that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 5. The Greek word for inspiration is theopneustos. Theos means God. And pneo means to breathe. Hence inspiration means God breathed.
Jan 15, 98
Inspiration of the Bible
I. Terms you will need to know. A. Plenary- fully & completely; lacking in nothing. The Bible is fully and completely inspired. 1. II Tim 3:16-17 All Scripture 2. Jn 14:26 All Things 3. Jn 16:13 All Truth 4. II Pet 1:3 All Things that Pertain to Life & Godliness. B. Verbal Inspiration- Words are inspired, not a dynamic equivalent. I Cor 2:7-16, II Sam 23:1-2 C. Infallible- truth, unmisleading, no errors. Jn 17:17 inerrant D. Authoritative- fully, verbally, without error, Absolute objective standard. Mt 28:18ff, Heb 1:1-2, Jn 12:48-50
Evidences for Christianity:Unity of Scripture
Intro: The unity of the Bible is Evidence it is from God.
I. The Accuracy of the Word. A. 66 books make up the Bible. B. 40 men wrote the Bible in a period of 1600 years. C. These men spoke different languages, lived in different places, held different trades, and they did not one another, However the Bible still has astounding unity. D. Every book contributes to the main theme of salvation of mankind, & glorification of God through Christ. Discussion: I. Unity of the message. A. Concerning Man & Sin. 1. Gen 3:1ff collaborates with what the rest of the Bible says on the matter of sin. a. Ex 12 death as a result of sin. Rom 3:23;6:23;Ezek 18:4 b. II Kings 25 Jerusalem destroyed because of sin. c. Nahum 3:1-3 d. Isa 59:1-2 Your sins separate you from God. Habakkuk 1:13;Eph 2:1, 12; Rev 21:7; B. Concerning Satan the Bible is unified. 1. He is a liar & deceiver. Gen 3:1ff a. Job 1:6 Satan is a tempter. b. Matt 4:1-11 Satan wants us to sin. c. Jn 8:44 d. Rev 12:9 The Serpent. . The devil (deceiver) e. Rev 20:10 deceiver C. Seed of the woman. Gen 3:15 1. Gen 22:17-18 Thy seed shall all nations be blessed. 2. Isa 7:14 Virgin child (seed) Gal 4:4 Christ II. Unity in the Plan of Redemption. Rom 3:23;6:23 A. Gen 3:15 Every book in the Bible contributes it’s part to the Scheme of Redemption. 1. Lk 24:44-47 beginning at Moses Christ taught them about Himself. 2. Lk 24:44 Written in the Law & Prophets concerning Me. 3. Unity of the Plan- Mt 1:21-22; Mt 2:5-6; Micah 5:2; Mt 2:17,23;3:3; Jn 1:29 III. Unity in the doctrines in the Bible. A. The Doctrine of God. Gen 1:1-2,26; Jn 1:1-3,14b; II Cor 13:14, Col 2:9, Mt 28:18-19, Jn 20:28, B. Creation. Gen 1:1, Jn 1:1-3,14, Col 1:15-18, Ps 33:6-9, Ps 19:1ff C. Man is of composite nature. Gen 1:26;2:7, I Thes 5:23, Eccl 12:7, James 2:26 IV. Unity in the seemingly coincidental maters of the Bible. A. Gen 9 forty days of flood------Ex 40 yrs wandering B. Joseph brothers hated him, but he delivered them, Jesus brethren hated him, but he died for their souls. C. Moses Baby---------Jesus babies were being killed. D. Moses Law at Mt. Sinai------Jesus Sermon (law) Mt 4-6 E. Naaman the Leper cleansed by water----sinners cleansed by water V. Considering the Evidence 1. Imagine 4o people finding 66 different pieces of rock, putting that rock together and it building a statue. That is what the odds are of the Bible being chance.
Scientific Foreknowledge
Intro: There is scientific foreknowledge in the Bible that foretold scientific facts before man discovered them. The Bible is not a science book, but there is science in the Bible which could not have been known in that day and age by natural means.
Discussion: I. The Bible & Astronomy A. Isa 40:22 The Earth is circular in it’s form. (Teleological Argument) B. Jer 33:22 Stars can not be numbered. People have tried and can not. C. Job 26:7 The earth is suspended or held up by nothing. D. Job 38:31 ordinances of laws given in the constellations heavenly laws. II. The Bible & Geology. A. Gen 1:1-2 At one time water covered everything on the earth 2 Pet 3:5-6 B. Eccl. 1:6-7 Every river starts at the sea & ends at the sea.
III. The Bible & Oceanography. A. Ps 8:8 Paths of the Sea- by this verse Matthew Fontaine Murray discovered the current, & ship channels, tide etc… B. Gen 7:11 fountains of the deep Job 38:16 IV. The Bible & Meteorology. A. Job 28:25 The air has no weight. V. The Bible & Physics. A. Gen 2:1 “it was finished”, Thermal Dynamics Law #1; No new energy is being created B. Ps 102:26, “The heavens will grow old”, Thermal Dynamics Law # 2; Everything is running down and depleting. VI. The Bible & Biology. A. Acts 17:25 God gives to all life, breath, & all things. (Evolution) B. I Cor 15:39 different compositions have different cell make up. C. Gen 1:11-12 after it’s kind, 1:24 after their kind, The law of Heredity. You can’t produce a horse from a Mule. You can’t produce a Zebra from chicken., etc… VII. The Bible & Medicine. A. Lev 17:11 Life is in the blood. B. Num 19:11-16 Sanitation Laws C. Leviticus 12:3 Eighth day, Vitamin K
“Prophecy as a Proof of Inspiration”
Intro: Jn 3:1 Miracles will not convince everyone.
I. Prophecy defined A. Speaking the mind of God, declaring what men would not have known by natural means. B. Deut 18:15:22 1. Prophecy consisted of telling of a future event. 2. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, in which the spoke of the past not the future. He could also speak of the future though. C. Isa 52:12-53 “He was, & Has”; These terms are used in the past tense, because Isaiah realized that it was a definite truth, thus he spoke of it as already taking place 750 yrs Before the event took place. D. True Prophecy is frequently in opposition to what Humans think it should be. II. The Characteristics of true Prophecy. A. True Prophecy must deal with people, nations or events that are remote enough at the time as to be incapable of knowing or logically deducing the information given by prophecy. This requires the foretelling of the event be far enough in time that the prophet can not relate or be in these events. B. True Prophecy is not a matter of vague generalizations, but it includes minute detailed predictions. C. There is no doubt about prophecy because it is clear & without doubt in it’s fulfillment.
Jan 22,98 “Fulfilled Prophecy as Proof of Inspiration”
Intro: I. Genuine Prophecy is…….. A. Timing- sufficient preceding fulfillment B. Accuracy- Specific details in prophecy. C. Details- Exact fulfillment of minute details.
Discussion: I. The Jews in prophecy Deut 28:1-68 A. Deut 28: 1-15 If you do the will of God you will be high above all nations. Vs 2 all blessings will come upon you. B. Duet 28:15-68 If you do not do the will of God curses will overtake you.
Prophecy---------------------------------Fulfillment 1. Vs 48-49------------------------------2 Kings 17:1-20 2. Vs 50 (fierce)-------------------------2 Chron 36:11-17 3. Vs 51-52-----------------------------2 Kngs 6:24-25 4. Vs 53-57-----------------------------2 Kngs 6:26 5. Vs 62 &64---------------------------2 Kngs 17 II. Christ in Prophecy. A. The Lineage of Christ. (ancestry) 1. Gen 3:15-----------------------------Gal 4:4 2. Gen 22:17-18------------------------Matt 1:1 Gal 3:16 3. Gen 49:10----------------------------Heb 7:14 4. 2 Sam 7:12---------------------------2 Tim 2:2 B. Christ Miraculous birth. 1. Isa 7:14(750 yrs before)------------Matt 1:18-20 2. Micah 5:2-----------------------------Matt 2:6, Jn 7:42 3. Jer 31:15------------------------------Matt 2:16-18 4. Hos 11:1------------------------------Matt 2:14-15 C. The Kingdom in Prophecy. 1. Isa 2:1-3------last days Heb 1:1ff—Acts 2:16-17, Joel 2 2. Isa 2:3---------Zion------------------Acts 2:5 (Jerusalem) 3. Isa 2:3-4----law & word------------Acts 2; 1:8
“How God’s Word Was Channeled Down To Mankind”
Discussion: I. How God’s word was channeled down to Humanity. A. God is the Originator of the Bible. Eph 6:4-6; I Cor 11:3; Mt 24:36; Rev 1:1 B. Jesus Christ is included in the origination of the Bible. Matt 28:18ff Heb 1:1-2 Jn 12:48-50 C. Jesus delegates authority. Matt 10:18 D. The Holy Spirit is also included in the origination of the Bible. E. The Holy Spirit speaks. I Cor 2:1-16 emph. 10-13 F. The Holy Spirit speaks through inspired men I Tim 4:1; Heb 3:6ff 1. The Spirit signified, testified, and revealed. 1 Pet 1:11-12; Jn15:26; Jn 14:26: Jn 16:13 G. Channeling included the inspired Apostles. 1. Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26, 16:13, Acts 2:1-4 (utterance vs 8) 2. Gal 1:1, 11-24 Paul proves his apostleship I Tim 2:7 3. The word was confirmed by miracles. Mk 16:20, Heb 2:3-4 4. Paul’s word was the word of God. I Thes 2:13 H. Other New Testament Christians were included in the channeling of the Holy Inspired Word. 1. Christians were used. Acts 8:11-13; 10:44-48; Acts 19:1-7 2. They spake with other tongues & prophesied. I Cor 12:1-8, 28; Eph 4:10-11. 3. Christians besides the apostles wrote books of the Bible: Luke, Mark, James, Jude, etc., II. Crucial Points. (application) A. II Tim 3:16-17 The Bible becomes the Authority in everything II Pet 1:3-4. B. It is complete, objective, and not to be tampered with (plenary) Rev 22:18-19.
The Integrity of the Bible
Intro: People sometimes say man translated the Bible, therefore it has mistakes and we can not always trust it as our authoritative standard. (Maybe theory) Discussion: Textual Criticism I. NT manuscripts (Greek Mss) add up to about 4,000 A. Papyri- There are 170 of these fragmentary mss. Many of these date from 100 to200. These could have been copied from the autographs. B.Uncials- There are 212 of these mss. Vaticanus 4th century, Alexandrinus 5th century, Ephraemi, & Washingtoness. C. Minuscules- 2,500 8th century D. Lectionaries- Patristic lessons, sermons , and readings 6th century uncials
III. Early Translations. A. The Syriac version (170 A. D.) B. The Egyptian version (200-250) C. The Latin version (vulgate, 386 A. D. 8,00) IV. Early Writers (church leaders) A. Iraneus 178 A. D. 767 passages in his writings B. Origin 2nd century 5,745 passages in his writings C. Tertullian 200 A. D. 3,000 scriptures D. Polycarp 165 36 passages in one paper E. Clement 184 300 passages F. Justin Martyr G. The variances are so minor they were over punctuation and spelling. H. Shakespeare & the Bible. Jan 29, 1998
Christ View of the Scriptures
Intro: Many religious entities hold different views about the Bible. Mormons and Methodist believe the Bible is fallible because of human translation. However, we must think as much or as little of the scriptures as Christ did (Phil 2:5). We must adhere to his exact view of Scripture.
Discussion: I. Christ viewed the Holy Scriptures as fully authoritative. Matt 5:17-20 A. Mk 7:1 By following human traditions (corban), the Pharisees were laying aside and rejecting the word of God, and making it of none effect in their life. Jesus taught by implication in this astounding passage that you can not interpret this passage any way you want. Man’s interpretation will not stand against God’s. (Prov 3:5-6). III. Jesus taught the Scriptures were fully inspired? Matt 5:18 “jot & tittle”; “someone who dots every I and crosses every t.” Notice the difference one small stroke of the pen can make: low-law, block-black. Note: It is proven that Jesus quoted from a translation, therefore; it is ok to use a translation. IV. Jesus believed the Scriptures to be fully historically true. A. Matt 19:4 “at the beginning” creation-Gen 1:1, Jn 1:2 Gen 1:26-27 B. Jn 8:44 from the beginning C. Lk 4:25-27-------I Kngs 17:9 D. Lk 11:29 Jesus believed in Jonah E. Luke 11:51-------Gen 4:2 F. Lk 17:20-32-----Gen 6:1ff G. Lk 4:16 Jesus believed and applied the Scriptures. H. Jn 5:39 Jesus taught the Scriptures were personal “they accuse you” I. Malachi 4:5-6-------Matt 17:9-13 J. Ps 22:1ff--------Matt 27:46 vs 7-----Matt 27:39 vs 16------Matt 27:25,Jn 20:25 vs 18------Matt 27:35 K. Isa 28:16-------- Matt 21:42
Inspiration of the Scriptures Text: Eph 3:1-11 I. Vs 2 dispensation given me----vs 8 preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. A. There is a responsibility to make it known. Vs 2,8,10-11 by the Church I Cor 12:27 II. God Revealed Message. Vs 5 A. Not known before/ Now known B. There is a slight difference between inspiration and revelation. Inspiration may bring something to remembrance Jn 14:26, but revelation is something never known until revealed. III. God authorized recording inspiration. A. Vs 2 &3 written-read-understood Paul’s knowledge Gal 1:11-12 B. We have the advantage today. I Pet 1:10-12 IV. Inspiration is God given by the Holy Spirit. Vs 5, Vs 7 by God’s Power. |