What We Believe - The Bible

Secular:

If I wrote a book on finish carpentry…

No matter the quality of the pictures…
The nicely worded directions…
I may even know some of the terminology…
But it would be hard to support the story…

No experience
No qualifications
No proof
No quality…
It just wouldn’t pass scrutiny

Biblical:

Section A - Bible
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God; that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and were entirely free from error; that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union.

Personal:

Instructions from an Authority…

Prof at College or University
Doctor
Specialist
Hockey Pro at a camp
They ARE fallible

How do we react to perfect instruction

Perfect source, complete, always right…

Bridge:

We need to set our anchors…
What we do know… and why we know it…

Body:

• BELIEF… Knowledge that you hold so dearly that it effects the way you live your life!!

• BELIEF… that Jesus was right!

Jesus Testifies to the Validity of Scripture…

NAU Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Jesus ministry wasn’t to remove the impact of Scripture…
Jesus doesn’t undermine Scripture
Some people want to forget about Scripture…
Scripture is enduring…
Doesn’t fade from importance until all that is promise din accomplished…

TESTIMONY OF CHRIST

He quoted most of the 22 books of Hebrew cannon
He considered every section (Law, Prophets, Writings) prophetic of him. (Luke 24:27, 44)
Old Testament was unbreakable (John 10:35)
He mentions individuals Jonah, Moses.

Jesus believed in the Scriptures and gave them authority!!

• BELIEF… that Jesus was right!

• BELIEF… that God’s Power Testifies

The Power of God Testifies to the Bible…

NAU John 16:12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Speaking to his apostles
Not about relaying their message… too powerful…
Power of God… relayed through the Spirit
Into all truth…. Free from error
Into all truth… authority in all matters of faith and practice
Into all truth basis for our Christian Union
We will know all truth…

BELIEF… that The Power of God Testifies to the Bible… and its truth

• BELIEF… in the Sufficiency of Scripture!

God declares the Sufficiency of Scripture

NAU 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Inspired by God…

Power of God
Truth of God
Message of God

Teaching – all we need to know
Reproof – grounds for rebuke
Correction – making our paths straight
Training in Righteousness – making us holy…
It is right there for us…

BELIEF… that God declares the Sufficiency of Scripture

BELIEF… that the Holy Spirit is the author…

The Holy Spirit is the infallible Author

NAU 2 Peter 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

It isn’t about what we want said…
It isn’t about the message we want to communicate…
The Bible is the very Word God wanted recorded… not the NIV, NLT or NKJV

The original text…

It isn’t what we want to understand… or believe

There is truth… one truth and to that we must be committed…

It is God at work through humankind…

To redeem humankind…

The Holy Spirit is the infallible Author

BELIEF… that The Holy Spirit is the infallible Author

Conclusion:

Passion

The reaction to having a belief with eternal consequences. An overwhelming desire to impact others, growing and informing faith

- How do you feel when you get those cards in the mail that tells you… “Congratulations… you have one a trip… or thousands of dollars or a car…”

- No credibility…

- No excitement…

BUT… if our Belief is…

The Bible… is the very Word of God…

The Bible… is the very Truth of God

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Doesn’t that truth “amp” you…
Remember the first day you believed…

You thought you had perma-grin
You had to tell people…
YOU HAD PASSION!!
We settle for glimpses of the Passion of serving Christ… We have Spiritual Cataracts…
It’s time to embrace the Word
Celebrate it
Devour it
Engage it
EVERYDAY!!

Belief fuels Passion…

Passion seeks Obedience…

Obedience…

• Belief in action through Passion…

• Inreaching, Outreaching and Upreaching

If the Bible… is the very Word of God…

If the Bible… is the very Truth of God

Does it make sense to not seek to follow it…

- What would a marriage look like…

- Ephesians 4:26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity

- NAU 1 Corinthians 7:3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Not supposed to stay mad… not supposed withhold intimacy…

What about our relationship with our kids?

- Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

A gift from God… sounds like something to treasure…

- Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

How about our relationship to others?

- YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

- God, then others, then self…

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Belief… Passion… Obedience…

Throughout history God has revealed himself in a variety of ways, and God has preserved the substance of this revelation in the Bible. When we say "the Bible," we mean the sixty-six books of the Old Testament and New Testament. These books were written by divinely chosen authors as they were prompted and guarded by the Spirit of God. Although those writers were genuine authors and in most cases not just secretaries taking dictation, the work of the Spirit was so complete that everything written in the biblical books taught the truth without any errors.

Strictly speaking, this inerrancy of the Bible, applies to its books as originally written, but we can be confident that we have the original text of the Bible in the copies and translations we possess today because God has preserved those writings. In any attempt to define what we ought to believe or how we ought to live, only the Bible can be used as a final authority. Traditional interpretations of the Bible and confessions of faith are useful guides, but they are always open to correction based on further study of the Bible. Any cooperation with others who profess to be Christians must be based on a shared commitment to the unique authority and complete truthfulness of the Bible.

CANONICITY

"Canonicity is determined or established authoritatively by God; it is merely discovered by man." Comparing the following view demonstrates either authority of the church or authority in Scripture. [Geisler & Nix, 136]

GOD GAVE CANONICITY TO THE BIBLE

The Church is Discover of Canon not determiner canon
The Church is Child of Canon not mother of canon
The Church is Minster of Canon not magistrate of canon
The Church is Recognizer of Canon not regulator of canon
The Church is Witness of Canon not Judge of canon
The Church is Servant of Canon not master of canon

The New and Old Testament mentions other books which are not in the canon. (Non-Canonical Books in the Bible.)

The QUESTION? What are the earmarks of inspiration which guided the church fathers to recognize and collect the inspired books?

Geisler and Nix mention FIVE PRINCIPLES in the discovering the canon.

Is it authoritative? Does it speak with authority?
Is it prophetic? Written by a man of God
Is it authentic? Tell the truth about God, man, sin
Is it dynamic? Does the book come with the power of God? The message of God will be backed by the might of God.
Was it received? Accepted by the people of God?