THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE - PART # 2 ILLUMINATION !!!!!
PSALM 119:18 __Illumination is the ministry of the Holy Spirit by which He causes Christians to understand the truth of God revealed in Scripture. The word conviction, meaning "cause to see," is primarily used of the Spirit's work in revealing sin in the unsaved (JOHN 16:8). The word understanding is used of the Spirit's work in revealing other truth in Scriptures and prayed that his eyes would be opened (verse 18). This would also be a good prayer for Christians today as they approach the Scriptures. APPLICATION: Since the Bible was written by holy men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, it should also be read by holy men and women of God illumined by the Holy Spirit. (First Reference, PSALM 119:18; Primary Reference, PSALM 119:18; DEUTERONOMY 29:29)
CANONICITY !!!!
GALATIANS 6:16 _The word canon originally meant "reed" (a measuring rule) and came to signify a standard for determining which books were Scripture. The books placed in scripture:
(1) _were considered inspired; (2) _gave evidence of containing revelation; (3) _gave evidence of apostolicity; and (4) _were uniquely used by the Holy Spirit. When the church finally collected the 66 books into a "canon," it did not make the books become Scripture: the church was only recognizing what God had done. The books were Scripture the moment they were written. ILLUSTRATION: Not all Christian literature of the first century is included in the canon, only that which is inspired. The church at Ephesus was one of the first to collect the books of the new Testament, and it carefully examined them before endorsement (REVELATION 2:2).
APPLICATION: As Christian read the Scriptures, they should walk according to their rule. (First Reference, EXODUS 19:5; Primary Reference, GALATIANS 6:16; PSALM 119:18).
LOST BOOKS !!!!!!
2 CHRONICLES 33:19 __There are at least a dozen books cited in Scripture that are not part of our Bible, including the Book of Jasher (JOSHUA 10:13; 2 SAMUEL 1:18); the Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 KINGS 11:41); the Prophecy of Abijah the Shilonite, the Visions of Iddo the Seer, the Book of Nathan the Prophet (9:29); the Book of Gad the Seer (1 CHRONICLES 29:29); the Book of Shemaiah the Prophet (12:15); the Acts of Uzziah (26:22); the Sayings of the Seer (33:19); epistles of Paul to the Corinthians (1 CORINTHIANS 5:9) and the Laodiceans (COLOSSIANS 4:16); the Book of Enoch (JUDE 14); an epistle of John (3 JOHN 9); and probably other accounts of Jesus life (LUKE 1:1__2). These are sometimes erroneously referred to as the "lost books of Scripture."
ILLUSTRATION: There is no indication that any of these nonbiblical books were inspired. The doctrine of preservation argues that inspired books providentially survived, implying that the lost books were not inspired. They may have recorded interesting background to the inspired record of God, but they were not Scripture. APPLICATION: Christians do not need to be concerned about missing portion of their Bible, since Scripture is complete with 66 books. (First Reference, JOSHUA 10:13; Primary Reference, 2 CHRONICLES 33:19; GALATIANS 6:16).
PRESERVATION OF SCRIPTURE JEREMIAH 36:27 __God, who inspired the Scripture, has throughout the years protected His Word from the attacks of evil men so as to preserve its content and existence. While the autographs (the original manuscripts) have long since disappeared, ancient copies and quotations from early Christian leaders demonstrate the preservation of Scripture could be reproduced simply from the many quotations found in the writings of the church fathers.
ILLUSTRATION: God's preservation of Scriptures was demonstrated in the ministry of Jeremiah. When the king destroyed the first scroll of his prophecy, God had it reproduced to ensure its preservation (verse 27). APPLICATION: As we read the Scriptures, the fact that God has preserved them for us over the years should emphasize their importance. (First Reference, JEREMIAH 30:2; Primary Reference JEREMIAH 36:27__32; CHRONICLES 33:19).
INERRANCY - JOHN 17:17
When applied to Scripture, the term inerrancy means that what God revealed and inspired is accurate, reliable, authoritative, and without error. Since all Scripture is inspired every Word of God is true. Just as a book often reflects the character of its writer, so the Scripture is without error because God is without fault.
ILLUSTRATION: Jesus upheld the principle of inerrancy when He preached in Nazareth. He carefully stopped reading in the middle of a verse before announcing the fulfillment of Scripture that day (ISAIAH 61:1, 2; LUKE 4:18). The rest of the Isaiah passage will be fulfilled at His second coming.
APPLICATION: As we read the Scriptures, we can have total confidence in their reliability and accuracy. (First Reference, PSALM 119:160; Primary Reference, JOHN 17:17; JEREMIAH 36:27).
AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES -JOHN 10:35 __The Scriptures (both Old and New Testament) were recognized by the early church as the final authority on all matters of faith and practice. Jesus spoke to the letters (MATTHEW 5:18) and verb tenses (MATTHEW 22:31, 32) as being significant and authoritative. Part of Paul's argument against the legalism in Galatia was based upon a simple noun that the apostle held as authoritative (GALATIANS 3:16). Jesus said the Scripture could not be broken, that is, treated as though it does not exist (verse 35).
ILLUSTRATION: A brief reading of Matthew shows how authoritative the Old Testament was to early Christians. That this authority applied also to the New Testament is illustrated by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:18. There Paul quotes from both Old and New Testament (DEUTERONOMY 25:4; LUKE 10:7) in biblical support of his argument.
APPLICATION: As we study the Scriptures, we must be careful to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. (First Reference, GENESIS 3:1; Primary Reference, JOHN 10:35; JOHN 17:17).
HOLY SPIRIT IN INSPIRATION - 2 PETER 1:21 __The Scriptures were written by holy men of God (about 40 in all) "as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." While in no way denying the personalities of the human writers or rejecting the distinctiveness of their particular styles, the Holy Spirit controlled the process of bringing things to the writers' memories (JOHN 16:13) and ensuring what they recorded was the very Word of God (See "Inspiration," 2 TIMOTHY 3:16)
ILLUSTRATION: Jeremiah once became so frustrated that he wanted to quit, but God's Spirit compelled him to go on (JEREMIAH 20:9). Likewise, Jonah at first refused to take God's message to Nineveh, but later obeyed God's second call (JONAH 3:1). APPLICATION: As Christians read the Bible, they can be confident that it is the very Word of God. (First Reference, JUDGES 2:1; Primary Reference, 2 PETER 1:21; JOHN 10:35).
INSPIRATION - 2 TIMOTHY 3:16 __This refers to the supernatural guidance of the writers of Scripture by the Spirit of God, so that what they wrote was the divine Word of God, transcribed accurately, reliably, and without error in the original manuscripts ("autographs").The word inspiration itself pictures God breathing out His Word to men.
ILLUSTRATION: Not everything written by an apostle or a prophet was neccessarily inspired. Paul wrote at least three epistles to the Corinthians, but apparently only two were an inspired record (1 CORINTHIANS 5:9). Samuel, Nathan, and Gad each wrote accounts of David's life; only one of these prophets produced an inspired record (1 CORINTHIANS 29:29).
APPLICATION: Since the Scriptures are given to help Christians grow in maturity, they should rely upon them for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (right living). (First Reference, GENESIS 1:3; Primary Reference, 2 TIMOTHY 3:16; 2 PETER 1:21).
REVELATION - DEUTERONOMY 29:29 _There are some things God has chosen not to reveal to us, possibly for the following reasons:
(1) _Our finite minds cannot fully understand the infinite aspects of God's nature and the universe (ECCLESIASTES 3:11); (2) _some things are unnecessary for us to know until we are more mature; and (3) _God is infinite and all-knowing, and we do not have the capacity to know everything he does. This verse shows that although God has not told us everything there is to know about obeying him, he has told us enough. Thus disobedience comes from an act of the will, not a lack of knowledge. Through God's Word we know enough about him to be saved by faith and to serve him. We must not use the limitation of our knowledge as an excuse to reject his claim on our life
MEANS OF REVELATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HEBREWS 1:1 __God has revealed Himself through various means, such as visions (ISAIAH 6), dreams (DANIEL 2), poetry (PSALMS 139), biography (especially the Gospels), sermons (MATTHEW 5__7), face-to-face conversations (DEUTERONOMY 5:4), tablets of stone (DEUTERONOMY 10:4), miracles (JOHN 1:14), parables (LUKE 15), inner compulsion (ACTS 21:10__13), history (1 and 2 CHRONICLES), angels (LUKE 1:26__38), historical research (LUKE 1:1__4), and the person of Christ (JOHN 1:14). His means of self-revelation today in the Bible.
ILLUSTRATION: __When God wanted Peter to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, He imparted this through a vision (ACTS 10). Even then, Peter appears to have been somewhat reluctant to obey God completely. APPLICATION: __Today we do not depend on dreams and visions to learn about God and His will for our lives, but rather on God's revelation in the Scriptures. God did not impart the gospel to Cornelius in a vision but commanded a man to go and preach the Word of God to him. (First Reference, GENESIS 1:14; Primary Reference, HEBREWS 1:1; EPHESIANS 3:3__5).
MYSTERY !!!!!!!
HEBREWS 3:3 __To the Jewish people, Moses was a great hero; he brought their ancestors, the Israelities, from Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land. He also wrote the first five books of the Old Testament and was the prophet through whom God gave the Law. But Jesus is to be more highly regarded as the central figure of faith than Moses, who was merely a human servant. Jesus is more than human; he is God himself (1:3). As Moses led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, so Christ leads us out of slavery to sin. Why settle for Moses, the author of Hebrews asks, when you can have Jesus Christ, who appointed Moses?
INTRODUCTION TO DOCTRINAL FOOTNOTES !!!!!!!!!
TRADITION !!!!!!!
2 THESSALONIANS 2:15 __The word tradition literally means "a giving over by word of mouth or writing." It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God. In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (LUKE 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (verses 15; 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy. ILLUSTRATION: The religious leaders of Jesus day erred in placing the tradition of men above the Word of God (MATTHEW 15:1__9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witness in writing as inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (LUKE 1:1__4). APPLICATION: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teachings of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Reference, MATTHEW 15:2; Primary Reference, 2 THESSALONIANS 2:15; 2 TIMOTHY 2:15.)
FUNDAMENTALISM !!!!!!!
HEBREWS 6:1__2 __In Jewish legal tradition, there were 39 categories of activities forbidden on the Sabbath__and harvesting was one of them. The teachers of the law even went so far as to describe different methods of harvesting. One was rubbing the heads of grain between the hands, as the disciples were doing here. Since God's Law said farmers were to leave the edges of their fields unplowed to travelers and the poor could eat from this bounty (DEUTERONOMY 23:25), the disciples were not stealing grain. Neither were they breaking the Sabbath by doing their daily work on it. In fact, though they were violating the Pharisees rules, they were not breaking any divine law.
WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT !!!!!!!
ROMANS 8:16 __The witness of the Spirit is the inner assurance of God's truth. One of the conditions of this inner conviction concerning the things of God is obedience to His known will (JOHN 7:17). God uses this ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us of truth that cannot be understood other than through divine help (MATTHEW 16:17).
ILLUSTRATION: This witness was obvious in Peter's confession of Christ (MATTHEW 16:16, 17). Even though others had observed Christ and drawn certain erroneous conclusions, Peter received spiritual insight from God as to who Jesus really was (MATTHEW 16:17). APPLICATION: Christians should be careful always to obey the clearly revealed will of God, so as not to hinder this ministry in their lives. (First Reference, MATTHEW 16:17; Primary Reference, ROMANS 8:16, HEBREWS 6:1, 2.)
FAILURE OF FAITH !!!!!!
ROMANS 4:20 _There are six New Testament expressions that trace the decline of faith in an individual. Before a person is saved he may have (1) _"vain faith" or belief in the wrong doctrine (1 CORINTHIANS 15:14__17); or (2) _"dead faith," or belief in orthodox doctrine without personal belief in Christ (JAMES 2:19, 20). After a person is saved, he can experience the following varieties of faith: (1) _a kind of unbelief__experienced by believers who fail to accept the whole work of Christ (MARK 16:11__14); (2) _"little faith"__a mixture of faith and unbelief (MARK 7:26); (3) _"weak faith" __referring to belief expressed as mere legalism (14:1); or (4) _"strong faith"__faith that is rooted in the promises of God (verse 20). ILLUSTRATION: As Christians mature, they should grow in faith. This was the experience of Abraham. Early in his pilgrimage with God, he could not trust God to protect him in Egypt. This was weak faith (GENESIS 12:10__20). He was later able to trust God, in sacrificing his son Isaac. This was strong faith (HEBREWS 11:17__19). APPLICATION: The Christian life is a continual growing adventure in faith. (First Reference, GENESIS 15:6; Primary Reference, ROMANS 4:20; ROMANS 8:16).
FAITH-DEFINITION !!!!!!!
ROMAN 1:17 _Six kinds or expressions of faith occur in Scripture. Doctrinal faith, called "the faith," refers to the content of Christian belief (JUDE 3). Saving faith is trusting in Christ and in Him alone for salvation (ACTS 16:31). Justifying faith is the believer's reliance on the fact that God has declared him righteous (GENESIS 15:6). Indwelling faith is trusting God's Word in and through us (GALATIANS 2:20). Daily faith is that day-by-day dependence on God which is part of the sanctification process (2 CORINTHIANS 5:7). The gift of faith is a special ability of faith, resulting in a vision of what God can do, faith that is the means by which we can achieve that vision, and the power with God to get answers to prayer (HEBREWS 11:1__3).
ILLUSTRATION: God's hall of faith (HEBREWS 11) identifies a number of Old Testament saints who experienced God's blessing as a result of their faith. Although they did not all experience the same kind of victories, all pleased God by faith (HEBREWS 11:6).
APPLICATION: The Christian should remember that it is impossible to please God without faith (HEBREWS 11:6). (First Reference, GENESIS 15:6; Primary Reference, ROMANS 1:17; ROMANS 4:20).
DOUBLE VERILIES !!!!!!!
JOHN 21:18 _Twenty-five times in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the expression Verily, verily to introduce a concept the hearer might have difficulty believing. This intensive expression emphasized that what was stated was true just as God is true. In the Old Testament, a person who might be doubted would use such an expression to insist that he was telling the truth (NUMBERS 5:22).
ILLUSTRATION: In the New Testament, Peter confessed he found some of Paul's epistles hard to understand; nevertheless he accepted them with the other Scriptures (2 PETER 3:15, 16).
APPLICATION: When a Christian approaches his Bible, he should do so with a commitment to believe the whole Word of God and not just part of it. (First Reference, JOHN 1:51; Primary Reference, JOHN 21:18; ROMANS 1:17).
HERESY !!!!!!!
Titus 3:10 _The word heresy literally means "choosing one's own ideas," but now refers to that which is untrue. Even the New Testament church had false or heretical teachers who taught erroneous doctrine. Some epistles were specifically written to combat them (GALATIANS , 2 THESSALONIANS). Paul warned the Romans against identifying with those who promoted divisive, heretical teachings (ROMANS 16:17). He advised Titus to reject heretics if they did not respond after two warnings (verse 10). John warned that a heretic should not be admitted into a Christian's home (2 JOHN 10).
ILLUSTRATION: Not everyone who makes an incorrect doctrinal statement is a heretic. When Apollos was further instructed concerning the gospel, he grew into a mighty Christian leader (ACTS 18:24__28). By contrast, Hymeneus and Philetus were heretics when they rejected God's truth and hurt the faith of some believers (2 TIMOTHY 2:16__18).
APPLICATION: Christians should as much as possible dissociate themselves from every heretic so as to be unhindered in their Christian lives. (First Reference, ACTS 15:1; Primary Reference, TITUS 3:10; JOHN 21:18).
ANGER !!!!!!!!!
MATTHEW 5:22 _Christ begins this series of contrasts by quoting the statement of the law.Thou shalt not kill (EXODUS 20:13). The reference to killing is clearly understood in its context in both the Old Testament and New Testament as referring to an act of murder. Jesus goes beyond this outward demand of the law by stating that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in just as great danger of judgment as a murderer, for anger is the emotion and inner intention that leads to murder. The term raca (meaning "vain fellow" or "empty head") was a Hebrew or Aramaic expression of contempt (2 SAMUEL 6:20).
APOSTLES DOCTRINE _ACTS 2:42
The word doctrine derives from the Latin term for teaching and refers to the content that was taught in the New Testament. The proper teaching of Scripture was called "the apostles doctrine," meaning that which the apostles taught. This contrasted with erroneous teaching called "doctrines of devils" (1 TIMOTHY 4:1), meaning that teaching whose source is not (2 CORINTHIANS 11:13__15).
ILLUSTRATION:__The apostles doctrine was true, not because an apostle taught it, but because it was consistent with the Scriptures. The Bereans examined the teaching of Paul in light of the Scriptures before accepting it (17:11). Also, the church at Ephesus examined some who called themselves apostles and found them liars (REVELATION 2:2).
APPLICATION: A Christian should attempt to understand and believe true dictrine, while rejecting all that disagrees with the Word of God (1 JOHN 4:1). (First Reference, ACTS 2:42; Primary Reference, ACTS 2:42; TITUS 3:10).
APOSTLES DOCTRINE _ ACTS 2:42
CHURCH DISCIPLINE _One of the first religious exercises of the New Testament church after Pentecost was persevering in the apostles doctrine. Doctrinal purity was essential to a New Testament church. The local churches placed themselves under God's authority by accepting the discipline of the Word of God. The proclamation of the Scriptures became a positive discipline, developing correct beliefs and life-style. When Christians need to be confronted and rebuked for sin or false belief, either individually or corporately, negative discipline will correct the error and bring the church back to its biblical role. When an assembly of people removes itself from the authority of Scripture, that assembly ceases to be a New Testament church. ILLUSTRATION: Although the church at Sardis had quite a reputation in its community, Jesus viewed it as having already died (REVELATION 3:1).
APPLICATION: All Christians should carefully evaluate the beliefs and practices of a church by the standard of God's Word. Then they should associate with and support the one that meets the New Testament standards. (First Reference, MATTHEW 18:17; Primary Reference, ACTS 2:42; MATTHEW 28:19.)
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 __As we study the Word of God, we should apply both the spiritual and literal principles of interpretation. The spiritual principles include prayer (PSALM 119:18), cleansing (1 JOHN 1:9), and the illumination by the Holy Spirit (1 CORINTHIANS 2:12__16). The principle of literally understanding Scripture is to interpret it according to: (1) __the mind of the author; (2) __its historical background; (3) __the context of the passage; and (4) __the basic rules of grammar. ILLUSTRATION: Joshua was promised success if he meditated on the law (JOSHUA 1:8), and he won that success when he conquered the kings of Canaan. As a disciple of Moses, and as one who had a personal relationship with God, he could interpret the law of God and understand God's will for his life. APPLICATION: If we desire the will of God in our lives, we must regularly and systematically interpret God's Word according to its proper meaning. (First Reference, JOSHUA 1:8; Primary Reference, 2 TIMOTHY 2:15; ACTS 2:42.)
