Discipleship Discussions Audio Podcast

No study of the Bible would be complete without a practical emphasis on how one can make the Good Book a meaningful part of his or her life. The pathway to spiritual growth travels through the pages of the Bible. God has given His revealed Word as a means of spiritually strengthening and encouraging His people. The Psalmist understood this to be true. He prayed, "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path" (Psalm 119:11). Jesus would have commended the Psalmist's song. He taught that His disciples would become closer to God through God's Word (John 17:17). As an apostle of Jesus, Paul intentionally sought to strengthen believers in their knowledge of God's Word (Acts 16:5 and Colossians 1:23). David, Jesus, and Paul all recognized the primacy and priority of the Bible. If modern believers want to have strong spiritual lives, they must get serious about Scripture.

The Bible was written, copied, and preserved. It was then translated from the original languages into other languages. It is important for disciples to understand the process of how we received the Bible. Disciples must also have some wisdom concerning Bible translations so that they can be thoughtful and understand word meanings.

Scripture has come to us by a heaven-sent process. Along with inspiring men to write (2 Timothy 3:16), the Lord led the church to accept certain books as being worthy of inclusion in the Bible. Today we have 66 commonly accepted books of the Bible because of a process known as "canonization."

The Bible is indeed an incomparable book! Part of what makes the Bible unique is its otherworldly nature. From eternity past, God ordained a process for delivering the thought of His mind to the mind of man. On top of that, He personally promised to preserve His Word for us. He not only inspired Scripture, He has protected it and kept it undefiled.

Like never before, the Bible is facing attacks from historians, scientists, entertainers, and even theologians and clergymen. Christians must be equipped with a reasonable defense of their faith. To do so, they must be aware of the means that the Lord used to deliver the Bible to mankind.

"Sufficiency of Scripture" = The Bible is "of itself sufficient for faith and for life." Inspiration + Inerrancy + Authority = Sufficiency

"Authority" = the power or right to decide a course of action. In reference to Scripture, such activity means that "all the words in Scripture are God's in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God." Some stumble over this truth. They let other things be the authority for their lives — feelings, emotions, religious traditions, the opinions of others, false philosophies, culture, political leanings, entertainment, and past experiences. It is worth noting that Jesus upheld this doctrine of authority.

"Inerrancy" = the theological conviction that the Bible is accurate in every respect about all it affirms.

Many volumes have been produced, but only one has been composed by God. The Bible is the only book God wrote. Many books have been penned by human authors (Ecclesiastes 12:12), but only one comes from God. We believe this to be true because of the Bible doctrine of "inspiration."

A study of the Bible must start with a study of God. When we study Scripture, we learn that we have a communicative Creator. We have a holy book, because we have a Lord who has chosen to reveal Himself. He exists and He speaks! There is a God, and He is not silent!