BIBLE DOCTRINE SURVEY - THE BIBLE, Study 1

I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal all that we are going to do in this studies.
" 1 Cor 2: 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."

Today is the official beginning of this Bible studies in which I start with the first of 10 Doctrines, the Bible, as all of our studies will be based on the Bible, the Word of God.

THE BIBLE - BIBLIOLOGY

1.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE

The doctrine of the Bible is perhaps the most critical, foundational doctrine of all, for what we really know about God and our relationship to Him comes from the Bible. What we believe about the Bible will determine in large measure what we believe about the other major doctrines e.g. God, Jesus Christ, Salvation, etc.

1.2 THE NATURE OF THE BIBLE

• As revelation
  In the Bible God has "unveiled" or revealed a true knowledge of Himself, His works and His will. In addition, God has also revealed in the Bible who man is and how man can properly relate to God.

God's revelation has taken two primary forms:

~ GENERAL REVELATION - whereby God has generally revealed His existence, characteristics and divine power through

• creation
  Psalm 19: 1-6
  "The heavens declare the glory of God;
  And the firmament shows His handiwork.
  2 Day unto day utters speech,
  And night unto night reveals knowledge.
  3 There is no speech nor language
  Where their voice is not heard.
  4 Their line[a] has gone out through all the earth,
  And their words to the end of the world.
  In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
  5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
  And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
  6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
  And its circuit to the other end;
  And there is nothing hidden from its heat."
  Rom 1:18-21
  18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

• man
  Rom 2:12-16
  "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel."
  Eccl 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

• history
  Acts 17:24-28
  24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood[c] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

This GENERAL REVELATION through creation, man and history is NON-VERBAL and makes GOD KNOWN as the SOVEREIGN CREATOR of the universe.

~ SPECIAL REVELATION whereby God has personally revealed Himself in His

• living word - Jesus Christ
  John 1:14-18
  "14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
  15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
  16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
  John 14: 6-11
  6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
  7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
  8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
  9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."
  Heb. 1:1-4
  1 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself[a] purged our[b] sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

• written word - the Bible
  2 Tim. 3:15-17
  "15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
  16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
  John 5:39-40
  "39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

SPECIAL REVELATION is VERBAL and WRITTEN and makes GOD KNOWN as SAVIOR and LORD.
The doctrine of the Bible has to with this second kind of special revelation - God's self revelation in written form, which also includes all that is in general revelation.

THE BIBLE IS GOD'S DIVINE PROGRESSIVE WRITTEN REVELATION OF WHO HE IS AND OF WHO MAN IS IN RELATIONSHIP TO HIM.

*As God's Word
The astounding claim of the Bible is that it is literally the Word of God.
Matt. 15:3-9
He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; [a] and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’[c] Thus you have made the commandment[d] of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And[e] honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
1 Thess. 2:13
"13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

If we accept by FAITH the assertion of the Bible that it is actually God's WORD then it will greatly influence what we BELIEVE about GOD. For when GOD SPEAKS, men ought to LISTEN, take heart and OBEY - and GOD has SPOKEN in His WORD, the BIBLE.

Study 2 on the Doctrine of the Bible to follow.

Source: Bible training for church leadership, Bible Doctrine Survey, Course no. 4, Dr. Dennis J. Mock

I will thank God daily for everyone who read and study.

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