Download -OLOGY BIBLIOLOGY April 3rd, 2016 VIDEO:

-OLOGY
BIBLIOLOGY
April 3 rd , 2016
VIDEO: -OLOGY INTRO
SLIDE 1
INTRODUCTION
Good Morning! Welcome to Fox Valley Christian Church!
We have been on a journey to create students that become
teachers that create students that become teachers.
So we began this year by learning how to study our Bibles, how
to look at God’s Word and better understand what was
originally conveyed and what that means for my life now.
Then we went to the book of Philippians and put to practice
what we learned, we engaged in the book of Philippians
together and we used some of the skills that we learned.
The intent in starting the year like that was to transition that
responsibility of knowledge of God and His will for our lives to
us. To really take ownership of our relationship with Him. Often
we show up at Church and wait for God to be made known to
us. That’s not how it was ever meant to be. We are supposed to
be pursuing God and our intent to begin this year was to give
you the opportunity to pursue Him.
After we dug into His Word, after we took steps at increasing
our ability to pursue Him, we began to focus on our assurance,
our confidence. The early Church was bold, the first disciples
were bold. Why? Because they were confident in who Christ is.
We should have that same boldness. So we spent a couple
weeks looking at the Evidence of Christ; His life, His death, and
His resurrection. The intent was to create an assurance and a
confidence in what you believe, in what you know to be true, so
that it will increase your boldness.
Now we are transitioning again. This is an intentional building
process. We are creating disciples. We are creating students
that become teachers. In order to be a teacher, there has to be
understanding. One of the greatest criticisms of the church is
that there is a lack of understanding. I get it. I see it. There has
become this thought process that it is okay if I am ignorant on
most things as long as I am sure of one thing.
As long as I am sure that Jesus died for my sins, as long as I am
sure that Jesus is the Son of God, as long as I am sure that Jesus
is the Christ … I am allowed to be ignorant on all other things.
Let’s be real, God is infinite and I am finite. God’s ways are not
my ways; God’s mind is not my mind. How could I ever pretend
to understand God? As long as I know that Jesus is the Christ …
I’m good. Anything else is just bonus.
Is that how we are supposed to be living? Is that how the
Church is supposed to look? Is that the mark of a Christian,
blind assurance?
Let’s see what God has to say about that:
PROVERBS 18:15
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15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the
wise seeks knowledge.
HOSEA 4:6
SLIDE 3
6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you
have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to
me.
SLIDE 4
And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will
forget your children.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:7
SLIDE 5
7
But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in
knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that
you excel in this act of grace also.
God does not call us to be ignorant. We are supposed to excel
in faith right along with knowledge. The two go hand in hand.
So what we are going to do now, what we are starting now, is a
study on what we believe. Because we want your belief, your
faith, to go hand and hand with your knowledge. We want your
faith to be rooted in knowledge.
SLIDE 6
We are going to look at the -ologies of the Bible.
- Bibliology (What we believe about the Bible)
- Theology (What we believe about the nature and works of
God)
- Angelology (What we believe about Angels)
- Anthropology (What we believe about Man, Sin, and
Death)
- Christology (What we believe about the person and work
of Christ)
- Pneumatology (What we believe about the person and
work of the Holy Spirit)
- Soteriology (What we believe about Salvation, Baptism)
- Ecclesiology (What we believe about the Church’s Nature,
Church’s Intent)
- Eschatology (What we believe about End Times, Heaven,
Hell)
We are going to really dig in to what we believe and why. The
intent is to give you the understanding of what you claim to
believe, the knowledge and foundation of why you believe
what you believe, and the ability to share what you believe.
WHAT DOES FVCC BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE
SLIDE 7
We are going to begin today by looking at Bibliology. This is
what we believe about the Bible. This is not a look at the
historical authenticity of the Bible. This is not how to study the
Bible. This is what we believe about the Bible.
If you go to our website and search for what you believe … this
is what you would find under Bible:
We believe that the Scriptures (the sixty-six books of the Old
and New Testament) are given to us as the revelation of God.
As such, we believe them to be uniquely inspired by God and
authoritative for our lives as the Word of God. We believe that
Scripture originated with God and was given through human
authors, chosen and directed by Him. Thus, at one and the same
time the Bible speaks with the authority of God and also reflects
the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of its human authors.
We believe that all the good of the life of man, all the hope that
he has for his life, and all the expectation he has for an eternal
destiny are to be found in the Bible. It is the source of our
knowledge of God, of the hope and means of salvation, and of
the hope of eternity. In it man finds God revealed, as well as his
will for man. In it he finds the means of salvation, the divine
pattern for the church, the pattern for Christian living, and the
promise of the deepest things for which the soul of man can
hunger.
We affirm that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in their
original manuscripts, and we accept them as the full and final
authority on all matters of faith and practice. Recognizing that
there are no other writings similarly inspired by God, they must
comprise the foundation of all that we believe and teach.
REVELATION
Alright, let’s break this down.
SLIDE 8
We believe that the Scriptures (the sixty-six books of the Old
and New Testament) are given to us as the revelation of God.
What do we mean by the “revelation” of God? This is when God
reveals things to us. He makes Himself and His will known to us.
There are two types of revelation; General and Special.
ROMANS 1:18-21
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18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth.
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19
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because
God has shown it to them.
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20
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the
creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So
they are without excuse.
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For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God
or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
SLIDE 13
General Revelation is available to everyone and it is the source
of general knowledge of God. There are two types of General
Revelation.
- The created world testifies to the creator. “His eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever
since the creation of the world, in the things that have
been made.” There are too many things that have been
perfectly designed, intelligently designed, to deny a
creator.
- The other type of General Revelation is found in the heart
of every person.
ROMANS 2:14-15
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14
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do
what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even
though they do not have the law.
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They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts,
while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting
thoughts accuse or even excuse them.
God has revealed His law on our hearts. Even those outside the
Church, those that do not know God, have an understanding of
right and wrong. They have been created that way. God has
placed a general knowledge of His will on everyone’s heart.
SLIDE 16
The result of General Revelation is that all of us have a
knowledge of God. We don’t all except it, but we have the
ability to recognize that we have a divine creator.
The problem with General Revelation is that it is limited. It is
nonverbal and therefore less precise. It is not spoken or
written, it is instead noticed and felt. It is limited in what it
communicates. Through general revelation we are able to
understand the power of God, but not so much the person of
God. Finally, it is limited in it’s effectiveness. Why? Because sin
hardens us to it.
SLIDE 17
ROMANS 1:21
21
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God
or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
This is why God reveals to us through Special Revelation as
well.
SLIDE 18
This is not available to all people, at all times, in all places.
Instead this is given in specific instances, to specific people, at
specific times and locations. There are several types of Special
Revelation.
- Deeds, Acts, or Events
o Some of the dreams or visions in the Bible
o Miracles or Plagues
o The crucifixion
o These are limited in that they typically need an
explanation or an interpretation.
 Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
 God interprets Peter’s vision.
 Moses explains the plagues to Pharaoh.
 The disciples explain the cross.
- Visible Presence
o God manifests Himself through a physical object
 The burning bush
 The visit to Abraham
 The pillar of fire
 A dove
o Incarnation, where God became man. Jesus.
 Jesus came for redemption, but He also came for
revelation. He came so that we could know God.
 Jesus is not the only form of revelation, Jesus is
not the final form of revelation
 We should not limit Jesus’ works to revelation,
we should not limit revelation to Jesus.
- Words, He speaks
o We see God speaking from the very beginning of
Scripture. He speaks to Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses, the list goes on.
o We believe that God speaks through His written word
also, through the Bible.
INSPIRED
This leads to the next belief we have of the Bible.
SLIDE 19
We believe them to be uniquely inspired
We believe that God reveals Himself to us through the Bible
and we also believe that the Bible is inspired.
When God places His message on the mind and heart of a
prophet, that is revelation. When the prophet then writes or
speaks the words of God, we believe that he is inspired while
doing it.
Inspiration is when God exerts a power or an influence on a
person in a way that guarantees that what he says will be what
God wants him to say.
SLIDE 20
NOTE:
- Not everything communicated by the authors of scripture
was revealed to them, but everything was inspired.
- Some of the events they experienced, some of the
knowledge had to be revealed for them to know it … but
everything they wrote was inspired by God.
What does the Bible teach about inspiration?
- Over 50 times the NT sites the OT and refer to God as the
author of the OT scripture
- Jesus declares in Mark 12:36 that what David said in Psalm
110:1 was written under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
- In Matthew 19:4-5 Jesus credits God for saying Genesis
2:24. Genesis 2:24 is a narrative. So Jesus is giving God the
credit as the narrator of Genesis.
- John 5:22-39 Jesus says that God testifies about Him
through the testimony of the Old Testament. Jesus gives
God the credit as author of the Old Testament.
2 TIMOTHY 3:16
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16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness,
All scripture is God breathed. It is breathed out by God. All
scripture comes from God. All scripture is inspired by God.
2 PETER 1:20-21
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knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes
from someone's own interpretation.
SLIDE 23
21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but
men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.
So, we believe that God gives Special Revelation through His
written word, the Bible and we believe that the Bible is God
breathed, we believe it is inspired in its entirety. It is the very
words of God.
INERRANT
To say that the Bible is the very words of God, is to say that it is
true and trustworthy. To say that it is true and trustworthy is to
say that it is inerrant. Let’s go back to what we believe about
the Bible:
SLIDE 24
We affirm that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant
Let’s define this
- We are not talking about copies and translations. That is
not the argument. It is fair to note that there is less than a
1% difference among copies of the original manuscript.
That is incredible.
- We are not talking about laboratory precision when we say
inerrant. There is no such thing as heavenly grammar (or
at least not that we know of). The Bible was inspired by
God, but He allowed man to write it in their own style, in
their own way. So we see approximate times, round
numbers, paraphrasing, and grammatical freedom. That’s
okay.
- We are not talking about literalism, when we are
discussing inerrancy. Inerrancy takes full account of
symbolism in prophecy, of parables, and of the figurative
use of words.
To affirm inerrancy is to say that whatever the Bible says to be
true is true.
Now, we say that the Bible is both infallible and inerrant.
Infallible means that it is incapable of errors. Inerrant means
that it is free of errors. We believe that the Bible is inerrant
(free of errors) because it is infallible (incapable of errors). We
believe that the Bible is infallible (incapable of errors) because
it is inspired (the very word of God).
SLIDE 25
So what is our basis for inerrancy?
-
It is inspired, this very fact leads us to believe it is infallible
Proverbs 30:5 tells us that every word of God is flawless
John 17:17 says that God’s word is truth
John 10:35 Jesus says that “scripture cannot be broken”
Scripture cannot be broken, it cannot be refuted, it cannot be
found faulty, it is infallible.
Think about it though, if inspiration does not result in inerrancy
then inspiration has no purpose. If there are errors in scripture,
then inspiration is irrelevant and futile.
Note: One argument to this is that since we do not have the
original autographs of the original writers on the original
manuscripts, we have a Bible that is flawed.
Although we do not have the original manuscripts, the fact is
we do not need them. Thanks to the science of textual criticism,
with relatively few exceptions, we do have the original text of
the OT and NT and therefore we are certain about what the
Bible claims about itself.
Caution: To not believe in inerrancy and to have faith in God is
dangerous. Why? Because if you deny inerrancy, you are saying
that there are errors in the Bible – somewhere. But how do you
know where? There is no comprehensive way to answer this. So
whatever criteria you come up with, it will be subjective in
nature. Leaving you with a faith that is subjective and doctrine
that is relative. Your faith becomes what you feel and not what
is made known to you.
AUTHORITY
This leads us to our next believe of God’s Word
SLIDE 26
and we accept them as the full and final authority on all
matters of faith and practice.
What do we mean when we say that the Bible is the final
authority? We are saying that the words of God
- Have the right to establish the norms for truth and
conduct (This is true, this is right)
- Have the right to demand we conform our hearts, minds,
and lives to these norms (believe this, do this)
- Have the right to enforce these beliefs (or else)
The authority is not found in the words themselves, the
authority is found in the author – God.
SLIDE 27
So when we are reading and studying the inerrant word of God
and God reveals, through His inspired Word, a truth that we
must live by. He has authority and we would be wise to live
under that authority. Often people say, “times have changed,
culture is different, etc.”. Culture and time can change all they
want, God’s word is still inerrant and in authority and that must
be our priority.
CHALLENGE
As we continue in this series our belief in God’s Word is going
to be the foundation for everything else. So understanding that
the Bible is God’s inspired, infallible Word and that because it is
the Word of God it has authority … this understanding is
essential.
But, we do not believe this just because the Bible says it is so.
We believe this because Jesus, the real man who lived and died
and defeated death so that we would know that He is fully God
told us that the Bible is true and faithful, the very Words of
God.
I want to encourage you as we prepare to step into this series
in a couple ways:
If you missed the last 3 sermons on the Evidence of the Christ.
Go and watch or listen to them, they are foundational to what
we believe.
If you missed the first four weeks of this year when we looked
at the Basics of Bible Study … please go and watch or listen to
those. These tools are going to be essential as we dig deeper
into what it is that we believe.
PRAY
COMMUNION MEDITATION
Something here
PRAY AND TAKE THE COMMUNION