A. General Revelation

                People of every nation and culture believe that some kind of god or gods exists. This belief is based on both external factors and internal indicators. The created universe reveals a being or force that is wise and powerful enough to bring into being the life and beauty around us (Psalms 19:1): One who has placed the stars in the heavens, set boundaries for the oceans, and raised the mighty mountains; One who sends the rain, feeds the birds, and causes the flowers to bloom; One who gives life to man and beast. This God is far greater than we are, yet has special concern and care for us all.

                Not only creation, but also history points to a god who is over all. His unseen hand guides the affairs of humanity; He causes rulers to rise and to be set aside (Psalms 75:7). There is order and purpose for the world and people he has created. Life's meaning is somehow attached to knowing him and following his ways. (Acts 17:26)

                The external witnesses of creation and history only affirm what our own human nature tells us. There must be a supremely moral being who has endowed us with moral qualities. We are more than minds that think and bodies that act. Our thoughts and our actions are judged by an internal sense of right and wrong, good and bad. (Romans 2:14-16) There is an ethical and moral standard that is inherent in our basic nature. It is not something that we desired, or sought, or attained on our own, but a natural result of our creation.

                Creation, history and our human nature point to the same conclusions: there is one who is greater than ourselves, who is intimately involved in our world and our lives. The combination of these three is often called General Revelation. They reveal (make known) God to us in a general way, giving us limited information about him. This General Revelation has been provided by God himself encouraging mankind to seek after him. The world's many different religions are expressions of man's attempt to find and know God.

                Thus General Revelation is important in that it makes us aware of God's existence and helps create a desire to be in a right relationship with him. However, General Revelation presents us with several uncertainties: Is there one God or many gods? What is God like? What is our relationship to God? What does God require of us? How do we connect with God? To answer these and other important questions we need a special Revelation that provides more specific and detailed information about God and our relationship to him.

B. Special Revelation

                The Holy Bible is God's special Revelation to us. Its actual writing was done by over forty men from different places and various backgrounds over a period of more than 1500 years. Some writers were old, others young; some were wealthy, others poor; some were well known, others obscure. There were shepherds, kings, farmers, scholars, priests, fishermen and doctors. They wrote from places as diverse as pastures, palaces, and prisons. Each writer contributed to the whole message about God without contradicting the writings of any other. For behind each human author was the Divine Author for and about whom they wrote.

Divine Inspiration

                There are many different scriptures or religious writings. The Bible, however, claims to be the very Word of God. God inspired the human writers to write those things he wanted to be revealed about himself and his will and ways. God's Spirit motivated them to write and guided the content of their writings. They were not merely expressing their own thoughts and desires but those of God. (II Peter 1:20, 21) Though the writers wrote in their own style and vocabulary, their words were "breathed out" by God himself. (II Timothy 3:16) Their words conveyed the truth God wanted revealed, writing no more or no less than he chose to make known. Thus the Bible is not just men's opinions about God, but God's own self-revelation. (Galatians 1:11, 12)

                The Bible claims to be the Word of God directly and indirectly. Nearly 4000 times the Bible uses phrases such as "Thus, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 11:1) The human writers freely and frequently state that what they are writing is in reality God's word. (I Corinthians 14:37; I Thessalonians 2:13) Biblical writers recognized the writings of other biblical writers as being from God. (Acts 1:15, 16; II Pet 3:15,16)

Evidences of Divine Inspiration

                The claims of the Bible to divine inspiration are supported by a variety of internal and external evidences. Inspiration of the Bible is not dependent on them but confirmed by them.

                The teaching of the various Bible books is internally consistent. This is true even though the individual writers were often separated by distance, circumstance, and time. Their writings did not contradict but the later ones often built upon the teachings of the earlier. This is amazing, considering that conflicting teachings are norm in most fields of study. The writings of the Bible constitute a progressive revelation. Later writings amplify, explain, enhance, and fulfill earlier writings, but never contradict or deny their truth. This remarkable consistency is understandable only in light of God being the ultimate author, inspiring the content of the human writers.

                Though the Bible is considered a religious book, its teachings apply to virtually every area of life. Biblical teachings are relevant to all the basic human needs. Central to the Bible's extensive and relevant teachings is the relationship between God and each person. God is concerned about the individual, the family, the community, the nation, and the world. He is interested in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. In all of these areas and experiences, God places himself at the center. The Bible teaches us how to relate to him in every need, circumstance, and opportunity.

                The Bible calls humanity to the highest standard of ethics. The writings of scripture are transparent and brutally honest, pointing out man's sin. His weaknesses, selfishness, and inclination toward evil is fully exposed. The Bible not only introduces us to a holy God, but shows us the way to personal holiness. If the scriptures were only human writings, they would tend to hide such negative self-description. However, if God is the true author he reveals our deep ethical and moral need in order to draw us to his loving mercy and grace. Such revelations are not to condemn, but are designed to be redemptive.

                Predictive prophesy is a convincing evidence of God's involvement in the writing of the Bible. The Old Testament portion of the Bible records more than 300 predictions concerning the person of Jesus, the Christ. These include prophecies that he would be:

• Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)
• From the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Hebrews 7:14)
• Of the lineage of David (Psalms 110:1; Romans 1:3)
• Born at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6)
• Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12,13; Matthew 26:15)
• Buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
• Resurrected from the dead (Psalms 16:8-11; Acts 2:27)

                The prophecies concerning Jesus happened at least 400 years before his birth. There are predictions concerning Israel and surrounding nations and leaders. (Isaiah 39:6; 44:28; I Kings 13:2) Details of events and names of persons are given centuries ahead of time. Human writers would find it virtually impossible to make one such detailed prediction accurately, let alone hundreds of them. Such specific, detailed, and accurate prophecies are possible because an all-knowing God revealed them to the human writers of the Bible.

                The Bible records detailed history of many of the nations and peoples of the Middle East. Some of the events and peoples mentioned have been questioned at times and have been portrayed as legend or myth. Sometimes the Bible histories were thought to be exaggerated, inaccurate, or in conflict with secular histories. However, current opinion sees remarkable agreement between biblical history and the secular histories of the region. The Bible often provided historical information prior to secular sources. At times it filled in gaps left by secular histories. The accuracy of Bible history goes beyond human recollection to the revelation of the God who guides human history.

                Archaeology continues to support the accuracy of the Bible in such matters as customs, places, persons, events, and dates. Long before information was uncovered by the archaeologist, it was recorded in the pages of Scripture. Happenings in the Bible of miraculous proportion, such as the fall of Jericho's walls, have been confirmed by archaeological findings.

                Countless millions of people have experienced radical personal change by following the teachings of the Bible. Many books may influence peoples' lives, but not so profoundly as the Bible. Its depth of influence on the thoughts and actions of men and women from around the world is unparalleled. The Bible has provided the foundation for the standards and laws of many nations. It has been the motivation behind many of the great social reforms of the world. The Bible challenges the wisdom of this world with the wisdom of God (I Corinthians 1:18-31). It has been said that "when we read the Bible, the Bible reads us." Through the Bible, God speaks directly to us and his voice is unmistakable.

                The writing of the Bible was completed nearly 2000 years ago. Much of it was written many centuries earlier. A very small percentage of books survive even one century. It is no accident that the Bible has survived thousands of years. This is all the more remarkable when we remember there have been repeated, organized attempts to forbid and destroy the Bible. Men have died to prevent the Bible from being stamped out because they valued this book as being the Word of God. Since the Bible is God's redemptive message to humanity, in his providence God has preserved his word: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

Implications of Inspiration

                The Bible claims to be the Word of God. Internal and external evidences firmly substantiate that claim. The indestructibility of the Bible brings that claim to us personally in each generation. The Bible as the Word of God has two vital implications.

                First, the Bible is true in its entirety. God is true and cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) What he says to us is wholly true. The Bible's message is infallible and trustworthy. (Psalms 19:7) One is able to fully depend on what it says. It is without error, intentional or unintentional, in all that it teaches. Not just the ideas are true, but the very words the writers chose to express those ideas. Without error applies not only to religious matters but to all of the biblical content-history, geography, persons, customs, etc. Since all scripture is inspire by God, the whole of the Bible is true and reliable, not just certain parts or particular teachings (II Timothy 3:16) It is not true based on one's understanding or acceptance of the Word, but on the basis of God breathing out and overseeing what was recorded by men moved by the Holy Spirit. We can have total confidence in the Bible as the true Word of God, our infallible rule for our faith and our practical lives. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away." (Luke 21:33)

                Second, the Bible as the Word of God implies that it carries the divine authority of God. Its teachings and admonitions are not just the words of men-even good men, men of religious stature and experience. These are God's thoughts, God's promises, and God's commands. They are to be accepted, reverenced, and put into practice as though God in person had spoken them to us. "Thus says the Lord" is still in force. (Isaiah 30:8) The words of Scripture are not merely opinions or suggestions but authoritative expression of the all-encompassing will of God. (Matthew 15:3-9; Mark 7:5-13) The Word of God is binding on man's mind, conscience, will, and heart. We must not be guilty of saying "Lord, Lord" but not doing what he says. Jesus himself appealed to the Scripture saying "It is written..." emphasizing its final authority. (Matthew 4:4-10; Luke 19:46) Those who break even the least of Scriptures commands will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19) To accept the authority of the Bible is to accept the authority of God.

C. Understanding & Applying the Bible

Acceptance of the authority of God's Word is not enough. We must be able to apply it to our lives, and this involves two things-interpretation and illumination.

Interpretation

                Before one can believe the Word of God he must hear it/read it and understand it with his mind. (Romans 10:14) This first encounter with the Bible may come from hearing someone preach a sermon or giving a verbal witness of their faith. They tell us or explain to us what the Bible says. Or we have opportunity to read the Bible or portion of Scripture for ourselves and learn what it teaches. This knowing with our mind is essential both in our first encounter and our ongoing involvement with the Scripture. Personal study, listening to biblical preaching, reading books about the Bible, participating in Bible class discussions, etc. are all important to help us understand what the message of the Bible says. (II Timothy 2:15) Shared learning helps to avoid wrong or fanciful interpretations that may arise from misunderstandings or partial understandings of the Bible's teaching. The best interpreter of Scripture is the other parts of Scripture themselves. Since learning is a process we should continue to seek to have a clear and accurate understanding of what the words of the Bible are teaching.

Illumination

                After our best study and learning experiences, we still need the Holy Spirit to illumine our understanding. This does not mean a change in the content of the Bible involving some mystical interpretation. Rather it involves the personal appropriation of the truth of God's Word. It is possible to understand the truth of the Bible with our mind, but not be submitted to its authority. We must understand the Word with both our mind and our heart. The Holy Spirit opens our spiritual ears and hearts to hear God speaking directly to us through his Word. (II Corinthians 4:4) He illumines the Word so that we are able to grasp its truth and embrace it as our own, yielding our lives to its authority.

Reasons God Made a Book

                God's written Word is one of his most precious gifts to us. He chose to reveal himself in a "book" for three important reasons:

1. Objective Standard of Revelation:

                The Bible provides us with an objective standard of revelation. Each of us receives the same, accurate information about God, his works, and his will. What God has made known to one is not superior or inferior to what he has made known to another. We all have equal and identical access to God's truth. At any time we can check our understanding of God and his ways against the unchanging standard of Scripture.

2. Progressive Revelation:

                God's revelation is progressive, involving many people over many centuries. It is important that we have the totality of this revelation. What God revealed to the apostles is important. However, what he revealed to Moses, David, Isaiah, and others is also important. If God's revelations had not been written down we would know only part of God's truth. The revelations to each and all of them constitute the whole of God's message to mankind.

3. Preservation of God's Truth:

                The written word preserves God's truth for successive generations. Abraham and Isaac and Jacob knew God's revelation. It was preserved among them as family. John and Peter and Paul shared God's revealed truth, for they were fellow apostles. But how were the generations after Abraham to know what God had revealed? How were the churches that were established after the apostolic era supposed to know God's truth? How would you know God's redeeming message centuries later? God's truth has come to each generation including our own because God had his revelation written down. The Bible, the collection of God's revelations preserves God's truth in its completeness and accuracy.

Foundation of Scripture

                All that we know for certain about God, his will, and his ways is found in the Bible. All else is speculation and theory. Every doctrine, every teaching relating to God must arise out of the foundation of Scripture. God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalms 119:105) That which God has made known to us is a sure foundation, for it is a self-revelation. God himself has spoken he has exalted his Word above all things. (Psalms 138:2)