The Word of God:

Living, Active and Eternal

by Joo Mordomo

The Word of God: Living, Active and Eternal

1999-2014, Joo Mordomo
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About the Author

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professor of intercultural studies at several universities and seminaries, and as case
study researcher at Georgetown Universitys Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and
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The Word of God: Living, Active and Eternal

Part of the I Believe Series
CONTENTS
Chapter One -

Introduction....4

Chapter Two Revelation

The Presence of Gods Word7

Chapter Three Inspiration

Canonicity

The Preservation of Gods Word10

Chapter Four Inerrancy

Authority

The Power of Gods Word..16

Chapter Five The Penetration of Gods Word.22

Illumination
Hermeneutics
Chapter Six Uniqueness

The Proofs for Gods Word26

Bibliography.29

Chapter One - Introduction

Without the Scripture, which has only Jesus Christ as its object, we know nothing, and
see only darkness and confusion in the nature of God and in nature herself.
Blaise Pascal
Gods love for humanity is great, and from the beginning of creation until the present
time, He has been at work revealing Himself and his great love for us. He reveals Himself
in nature (Ps. 19:1; Amos 4:13; Rom. 1:20). The very splendor of creation points to a
wise and powerful Creator. Witness the beauty of a Brazilian sunset or the power of the
mighty Amazon River. He reveals Himself in history. Witness, for example, the survival
of the tiny Jewish people throughout millennia of hostility and persecution; an impossible
feat without Divine help. He reveals Himself in humanity, his highest earthly creation. At
times he does so through mans physical and mental capacities. In an even greater way,
though, his reveals himself through mans moral and spiritual qualities. Amidst all of
creation, it is man alone - created in Gods image - who has the capacity to make moral
judgments and to seek a higher reality and finality than himself.
Gods greatest, most complete revelation, however, came in the person of Jesus Christ,
God in the form of man, God incarnate (Phil. 2:6,7). In his miracles, in his speech, in his
compassion, in the perfection of his character, He showed that He was God. And men
acknowledged Him as such! (Mt. 16:16; 27:54) This self-revelation stands superior to all
other forms (Heb. 1:1-4), for it is through Jesus Christ that man may know intellectually
and experientially how wide and long and high and deep the love of God truly is for
him (Eph. 3:18). In fact, Jesus Christ is such a clear revelation of God God
communicates unmistakably through Him that the apostle John called Him the Logos,
the Word of God (Jn. 1:1). Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God.
In order to preserve for all generations the truth and historicity of the work of the Living
Word, God has given us the written Word, the Holy Scripture, the Bible. Through the
Bible, those who live today can see his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14), just as those who lived during Jesus
time did. We can understand and experience God, we can know how to live, how to love
Him and how to serve Him, simply by reading the Bible. We can know what is right and
what is wrong. We can know what is good and what is evil. We can know what is
temporary and what is eternal. Its all in the Bible!
Unfortunately, the Bible is a controversial and often misunderstood book. This is not as
much due to the nature of the Bible as it is due to the nature of man. Being fallen, sinful
and rebellious toward God, man has lost sight of the truth and become self-sufficient. He
feels that he can find lifes solutions on his own, and the solutions usually have nothing
to do with God or his truth. Man is left adrift like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by
the wind (Jam. 1:6). He is held captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,

which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on
Christ (Col. 2:8).
It is in this fruitless search that man has arrived upon the principles of postmodernism, a
movement characterized by radical subjectivity and the belief that there are no absolutes
and no such thing as objective rationality. Truth is relative. It is decided by a group or an
individual; not discovered, but manufactured. Reality is what is real to me. I construct my
own reality. I cannot judge other people or cultures because their reality might be
different from mine. There are no transcultural absolutes. Therefore nothing can be
considered wrong. Not prejudice, not persecution, not even rape or murder!
Postmodernism is not only vogue in intellectual circles; it impacts every facet of our
lives, from government and law to education and health to science and religion. Yes,
religion. Even Christianity. Unhappily, it has become fashionable in some Christian
circles to champion postmodern theology. There are those who, in their laudable attempt
to make Christianity relevant to todays culture, actually throw more fuel on the fire of
postmodernism rather than quench it. For example, Donald Bloesch, considered by some
to be one of the English-speaking worlds foremost evangelical theologians (Covenant
Quarterly as quoted on the cover of Bloeschs Holy Scripture), makes such statements as,
the word of the prophets and apostles in the Bible corresponds to the Word of Godbut
is not identical with it1 (italics mine), the Bible contains the perfect Word of God2
(italics mine), and the Bible is not in and of itself the revelation of God but the divinely
appointed means and channel of this revelation.3 (italics mine). He actually goes so far
as to say that the Bible is not an absolute norm for faith!4 In making such statements,
he unwittingly denigrates the Bible, placing it on the level of any other book, by stating
that it is not revelation in and of itself, but that it is merely an instrument of revelation. I,
however, agree with James Packer that the Bible is not only instrumentally, but also
intrinsically, the Word of God.5
Due to the influence of postmodernism there are no absolutes and the unwitting
(and sometimes witting!) aid of some Protestant theologians the Bible contains Gods
Word but is not itself Gods Word a shadow of doubt has been cast on the Bible. Yet it
is only the Bible the absolute, objective True Word of God that is capable of setting
people free (Jn. 8:32) from the enslaving and ungodly beliefs of our age. Only the Bible
offers modern man the answer to his questions. It alone provides the one true, rational,
sensible way to live our lives. It falls on us, as evangelicals, to both defend the Bible as
Gods Word and to declare its truths. We must know how to correctly handle this Word
of Truth! (2 Tim. 2:15) We must hold Scripture in the absolute highest regard. We must
value it as a priceless treasure.
1

Donald G. Bloesch, Holy Scripture (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1994), p. 26.
Bloesch, Holy Scripture, p. 115.
3
Ibid., p. 57.
4
Ibid., p. 58.
5
James Packer, An Introduction to Systematic Spirituality, Crux 26, no. 1 (March 1990):5, quoted in
Bloesch, p. 27.
2

Im reminded of a 15 year old girl who was in the Bible study group that I led at a camp
in Switzerland. In order for those teens to appreciate the Word of God, we simulated a
situation that might happen in China or Sudan or any number of places around the world.
I had two young men show up dressed as police demanding that all Bibles be handed over
or else a heavy price would be paid. As they forcefully gathered up the Bibles, this young
gal did not realize that it was only a simulation! She held onto her Bible the Word of
God! with all her might and cried at the top of her lungs! THAT is how much we should
treasure the Word of God, His revelation to us.
Our starting point is the doctrine we call bibliology, the doctrine of the Bible. The study
of bibliology is not an attempt to make the Bible something it is not, nor is it an attempt
by conservative theologians to make the Bible the Word of God, but rather bibliology
attempts to recognize what the Bible claims for itself . . . the Bible is the objective Word
of God, whether man understands it or not, whether he recognizes it or not, and whether
he applies it to his life or not.6 Bibliology entails the study of the presence of Gods
Word (revelation), the preservation of Gods Word (inspiration and canonicity), the
power of Gods Word (inerrancy and authority), the penetration of Gods Word
(illumination and hermeneutics) and the proofs of Gods Word (uniqueness).

Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Lynchburg, Vir.: By the Author, 1990) p. 28

Chapter Two - The Presence of Gods Word

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 1:14
Revelation
Revelation is the act whereby God gives man knowledge about Himself which he could
not otherwise know.1 The essence of revelation is Gods self-disclosure.
General Revelation
God has disclosed, or revealed, Himself in several general ways (as was mentioned in the
introduction). General or natural revelation is the self-revelation of God through His
creation and through the makeup of man.2 General revelation is available to everyone
everywhere.
Special Revelation
However, it is only through the Word of God both Living and written that He reveals
Himself specially, or specifically. This special revelation is the self-revelation of God
through the Scriptures and finalized in Jesus Christ and relates to Gods plan of salvation
for man.3 It enables people to enter into a redemptive relationship with God. Special
revelation was necessary because man had lost the intimate relationship he had with God
before the fall. In order for the relationship to be restored, mans knowledge of God had
to go beyond what was still available to man through general revelation.
The objective of special revelation was relational. Furthermore, The self-revelation of
God was not made in vague feelings or ecstatic experiences. The self-revelation of God
resulted in words and concepts that have meaning; the meaning of these words is
objective, for they can be measured, repeated, interpreted.4 The self-revelation of God
was an act that resulted in meaningful words which were written down and canonized in
the Bible by far the most printed and circulated book in all of history perpetuating his
revelation, making it ever-present for all generations.
The Primary Motivation of Special Revelation
The primary motivation of special revelation, however, was not to communicate mere
words or concepts or laws or doctrines or supernatural knowledge. The primary purpose
1

Towns, Theology for Today, p. 27

Ibid., p. 33
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid., p. 29
2

of revelation was to reveal God Himself, which He did in the incarnation, in the person of
Jesus Christ. The revelation of the Living Word was then preserved and perpetuated as
the written Word, the Bible. While God reveals Himself in Scripture through his names
(Gen. 1:1; Ex. 3:12), his nature (Ps. 139), his creation (Gen. 1), and through visions (Is.
7; Rev.), dreams (e.g. Joseph, Daniel), poetry (Ps.; Ex. 15), biographical writings
(Esther), parables (Lk. 15), history (1 & 2 Kings), and sermons (Mt. 5-7; 240-25), the
Bible tells us that his greatest revelation was through the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
Gods Special Revelation is Progressive
Before the advent of the Christ, however, special revelation was available. Hebrews 1:1-2
tells us as much, but it also tells us that we know more about God and his plan for
salvation than those in the Old Testament did, for we have beheld the Messiah, the Lord
Jesus (Jn. 1:14). Even though Isaiah, as one example, made perhaps the most significant
Old Testament contribution to Christology, he most certainly did not have the same
thorough understanding of the doctrine of the Messiah as the average member in the
church at Jerusalem being taught by Peter or John, or as we have today. Those in the Old
Testament saw only a shadow of what was to come. This is because revelation is
progressive. What God revealed through Jesus and to the apostles is complementary and
supplementary (never contradictory) to what He revealed in the Old Testament through
the prophets.
Gods Special Revelation is Complete
God has not revealed to us everything there is to know about Himself (e.g. Rev. 10:4; 2
Cor. 12:4), for it is impossible for the finite to comprehend the infinite. But He has made
available to us everything He intended to reveal, and it can be found in the Bible. There is
nothing else we need to know in order to love and serve Him. Gods revelation the
Bible is complete (Rev. 22:18).
It is important to note that God does not repeat his revelation for everyone everywhere. It
is crucial for us to realize this every time we hear someone speaking of a new
revelation he has received from God. We would be wise to be cautious with our choice
of words when we touch on this subject, for while God does continue to communicate to
humanity in various ways, He is not revealing anything new. In other words, the
communication is not revelation. For example, right now throughout the Islamic world,
God is drawing Muslims toward himself through the use of visions. In fact, so many
Muslims, from innumerable ethnic groups, regions and countries, are having virtually the
same vision of Jesus as the Savior and the Bible as the means by which to know God, that
numerous mission agencies have developed a radio program, called The Joseph Hour,
which interprets these visions and gives listeners helpful suggestions about how to
follow Jesus. But these dreams are not new revelation. The content is the same as that
which has already been revealed in Scripture. It has not changed (although some people
may be uncomfortable with the vehicle, i.e. visions). The Bible makes it plain that the
Word, whether Living or written, does not change (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 13:8).

Gods Special Revelation is Propositional

So the special revelation of God his Living and written Word is complete and
unchanging and allows people from every generation to know about God and to know
God. In order for this to be the case, we must hold to the position that special revelation is
propositional, that is, that it is the communication of information. While many this
century, especially those of the neoorthodox persuasion, would be inclined to feel that
revelation is a personal and subjective encounter with God, an evangelical understanding
of revelation is that it is propositional and objective, the same for everyone, the
communication of the same information (propositions). If revelation is regarded as the
communication of propositional truths, then faith will be seen believing those truths. In
addition, if revelation includes propositional truths, then it is of such a nature that it can
be preserved. In can be written down or inscripturated. This written record, if it is
recorded accurately, is also entitled to be considered revelation. The traditional
evangelical definition of revelation allows for this, for revelation is not defined as only
the actual occurrence or the process of revealing (which is something that occurred long
ago). Rather, revelation is both the process AND the product. Thus, the Bible may (and
should) rightly be considered revelation.
Sadly, some who call themselves evangelical do not esteem the Bible as revelation.
Donald Bloesch writes that even the propositions of the Bible are not yet revelation
when they are only comprehended as cognitive assertions.5 If then, the Bible is not
considered revelation, it is gutted of any divine quality and placed on the level of any
other book. The logical, and extremely dangerous, conclusion of this form of reasoning is
that the Bible, therefore, is not the Word of God. Bloesch (and others), aware of this, tries
to create a false dichotomy between the written Word and the living Word. Scripture in
itself is the written Word of GodBut it becomes the living Word of God when it
actually communicates to us the truth and power of the cross of Christ through the
illumination of the Spirit.6 While this may sound convincing, the Bible simply never
makes a distinction between the non-living (written) and the living Word. The Word of
God, whether in written form or incarnate (John 1:1,12), is always living (1 Pet. 1:23-15;
Heb. 4:12). We affirm that the Word of God, the Bible, is Gods auto-revelation, and is
always alive and active, regardless of human response to it!
Revelation and Inspiration
Sometimes revelation (the content of Gods message) and inspiration (the guarantee of
the message) are confused. They are not synonymous. Revelation has to do with the
content of Gods message while inspiration deals with accurately reserving it with written
words. They are two separate works of God. When the various authors wrote the books of
the Bible, God gave them truth (revelation) while the Holy Spirit guided their writing
(inspiration) in such a way as to produce the very Word of God.

5
6

Bloesch, Holy Scripture, p. 48.

Ibid., p. 25.

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Chapter Three - The Preservation of Gods Word

God teaches through his Spirit and through the letter that has been written by the
inspiration of his Spirit. Ulrich Zwingli
Inspiration
The question must now be raised as to how the revelation of God remains available to
those who are beyond its immediate reach, for God does not repeat his revelation for
everyone everywhere. There must be some way to preserve it for all generations. This is
the function of inspiration. While revelation has to do with the origin and communication
of Gods divine truth to man, inspiration has more to do with the receiving and recording
of that truth by its original recipient(s), and its relaying to other people. The original
recipients were inspired to write down the revelation they received, thus preserving it for
all generations.
The word inspiration means the supernatural influence or guidance of the Holy Spirit on
the human writers of Scripture in such a way that they wrote the very words of God,
without errors of any type. The inspiration applies to the authors vocabulary and writing
style, and knowledge of society, culture, science, and history.
Some hold that the Bible is inspired in the same way that all great literature is. For
example, someone might argue that Bible is inspired in the same way that the works of
Shakespeare were inspired. That is to say, that the Bible is a great literary work. Others,
even some evangelicals, argue that the Bible is inspired because it contains the Word of
God along with various myths and mistakes.
Old Testament Proof of Inspiration
However, these views are completely inadequate in light of the evidence, for while other
classics do not claim to be the Word of God, and obviously are not, the Bible witnesses to
its own divine origins in numerous ways. The Old Testament is replete with statements
such as, Thus says the Lord, The Word of the Lord came to me saying etc. In fact,
in the Mosaic writings (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) this kind of
statement occurs nearly 700 times. In the prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) this
type of statement occurs more than 1300 times! In the historical books (such as Samuel,
Kings and Chronicles), there are over 400 such statements. In total, the Old Testament
contains more than 2600 direct claims of inspiration!
New Testament Proof of Inspiration
Further proofs for the inspiration of the Bible can be found in the New Testament. We
discover that on over 320 occasions the New Testament writers directly quoted the Old
Testament and make hundreds of additional allusions to it. More importantly, Jesus

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himself held the Old Testament in high regard, quoting from it on numerous occasions.
When He was tempted three times by Satan, He responded each time with a quotation
from the Old Testament. He spoke of its authority and permanence (Jn. 10:35; Mt. 5:18).
He accepted as inspired the accounts of creation (Mt. 19:4), the flood (Mt. 24:37-39), the
destruction of Sodom (Lk. 17:26-32), the miracles of Elijah (Lk. 4:25-27), etc. He
believed that Moses was the inspired author of the Pentateuch (Jn. 5: 46-47; Lk. 20:3738), and that Isaiah was the author of the entire Old Testament book that bears his name
(in contrast to many of todays critics; Mt. 4:14-16; 12:17). He believed in Daniels
prophecies (Mt. 24:15).
2 Timothy 3:16
The most compelling proofs for the inspiration of the Bible come from 2 Timothy and 2
Peter. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. The Greek word translated Godbreathed (theopneustos) is often translated divinely breathed in, but a better translation
is divinely breathed out. The difference is crucial, for God did not breath into preexistent human writings. Rather, He breathed out, by his creative breath, a divine product
the Scriptures through the instrumentality of human authors. Thus, 2 Timothy 3:16
affirms that all Scripture (which we have seen to consist of both the Old and New
Testaments) is of divine origination, securing the Bible for all eternity as the very Word
of God.
2 Peter 1:21
While 2 Timothy 3:16 pertains to the writings being inspired by God, 2 Peter 1:21
pertains to the writers being inspired by God. Here Peter writes, For prophecy never had
its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the
Holy Spirit. The Greek word for carried along (phero) is the same word that Luke
uses in Acts 27:15 when he says that his ship was driven along. He was saying that his
ship was at the mercy of the storm without any control over its course or destination. In
the same way, Peter says that the writers of Scripture were carried along or guided by the
Holy Spirit to produce and record the very words God intended.
The Baptist Catechism puts it simply yet eloquently: The Bible evidences itself to be
Gods Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts and its power to
convert sinners and edify saints.1 (Piper 276)
Methods of Inspiration
While the Bible doesnt mention specific methods of inspiration, at least five have been
proposed2:
1

John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah Books, 1996),
p. 276.
2
Erickson mentions five (Christian Theology, pp. 206-207). Towns mentions at least seven (Theology for
Today, pp 60-62).

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1) The intuition theory says that the writers were basically religious geniuses who relied
on their own insight to develop outstanding religious literature.
2) The illumination theory grants that the Holy Spirit is involved in influencing the
authors of Scripture, but only in the sense of heightening their normal powers.
3) The dynamic theory holds that there is a combination of divine and human elements
whereby the Holy Spirit guides the writer to the desired thoughts and concepts and the
writer records those ideas after filtering them through his own distinct intellect,
personality and worldview.
4) The verbal theory maintains that the Holy Spirit does not merely guide the thoughts of
the writer, but actually leads him to record exact words.
5) The dictation theory teaches that God precisely dictated the Bible to the writers
without any attention to their own traits.
In light of the Bibles authors particular attention to details every word, syllable and
punctuation mark and the obvious fact that what they wrote reflected their own
personalities (witness the differing emphases in the Gospels, for example), the verbal
theory of inspiration seems to be most probable. As Millard Erickson states, By creating
the thought and stimulating the understanding of the Scripture writer, the Spirit will lead
him in effect to use one particular word rather than any other.3
Human Authorship of Divine Scripture
This brings us to a hotly debated issue, one that is often used to try to disprove the
inspiration of Scripture, that of the dual divine and human authorship of the Bible. How
can the Bible be inspired by God, some ask, if it was written by fallible men? Gordon
Lewis sees no difficulty with this question,4 for five reasons:
1) The human authors were not autonomous, but under God. The writers of Scripture did
not function in a vacuum. They were God-conscious, dependent on Him. They trusted in
his unlimited knowledge and the fidelity of his character. They knew He could never
breath out any error through them.
2) The human authors had characteristics common to all people as created in Gods
image. They were created to fellowship with God and participate in his purposes in
history. Thus they possessed moral discernment and were capable of thinking and
communicating and reasoning. In other words, they were capable of writing down the
very thoughts of God as He inspired them.

Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1991), p. 215.
Gordon R. Lewis, The Human Authorship of Inspired Scripture, in Inerrancy, ed. Norman L. Geisler
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980), pp. 240-264.
4

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3) The human authors unique perspectives were prepared by divine providence. Each
author had his own unique combination of distinctives, which God planned from the
beginning to use in order to communicate his will.
4) The human authors teachings originated with God. The Holy Spirit directed not only
the personalities of the authors, but also the conceptual frameworks in which they thought
and wrote.
5) The human authors research and writing were done under supernatural supervision.
Lewis concludes with the following helpful illustration:
If we must have a model, I suggest one from management getting things
done through people. It involves at least four steps: planning, leading,
organizing, and controlling. God is the wise and skilled manager who had the
Bible written through prophets and apostles. He planned for them from before
the foundation of the world, led in the development of their personalities and
styles through His providential operations in the world, and organized their
distinctive contributions to produce a book that could make a believer
thoroughly equipped for every good work. He controlled the entire process of
research, recall and writing so that each writer conveyed the truth He wanted
taught. In his work of providence God can prevent evil from occurring and a
fortiori (even more so) in his work of inspiration He can prevent errors of
fact, thought, or judgment from corrupting his inscripturated Word.5
Thus there can be no doubt that God is capable of producing a divinely inspired work
through the instrumentality of humanity. Word after word, phrase after phrase and
concept after concept, the various inspired books of the Bible were written down to
preserve Gods revelation for all generations.
Canonicity
At this point, another key issue comes into play. Once the authors had written their
divinely inspired documents, what happened to those manuscripts? If inspiration the
recording of the divine revelation is intended to preserve the revelation for future
generations, how does it do so? And what about manuscripts that may not have been truly
inspired by God? These are questions of canonicity.
The Greek word kanon is used to mean standard. When it is used with reference to
Scripture, it means an officially accepted list of books.6 This list, or canon, came into
being as a result of the churchs recognition of the divine inspiration of certain writings.
The Holy Spirit, who guided the writing of each of books in the Bible, also guided their
5

Ibid., pp. 256-267.

Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense: The Best of Josh McDowell, compiled by Bill Wilson (San
Bernardino, Cal.: Heres Life Publishers, 1990), p. 34.
6

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collection and selection. Today, the canon of Scripture includes those books which are
universally recognized within Christianity as divinely inspired. The list includes thirtynine Old Testament books and twenty-seven New Testament books.
Old Testament Canon
The Old Testament canon, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, was completed
during the reign of Artaxerxes and life of Ezra the scribe, sometime between 464 and 424
B.C.7 Both the nation of Israel and the early Church recognized these books as canonical
because of their divine inspiration and preservation. More importantly, Jesus himself
considered the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Lk. 24:44), that is to say,
the three sections of the Hebrew Bible, as canonical. In addition, there are no less than 30
occasions where the New Testament writers did the same.
New Testament Canon
As for the New Testament canon, many scholars believe that it was completed by the
early AD 100s.8 However, it was not until AD 367 in a letter from Bishop Athanasius
that the Eastern church listed all twenty-seven New Testament books, and AD 393 at the
Synod of Hippo that the Western church did the same. It is important to remember,
however, that long before this, the early Church leaders were constantly gathering and
evaluating the writings of their day in order to determine which ones were truly of God,
that is, which ones were written by apostles (or their close associates), were authoritative,
were authentic, were dynamic (revealing the life-transforming power of God), were
universally accepted by the people of God, and were doctrinally pure. The New
Testament canon, thus, was not determined by the pronouncement of a council, but rather
by the general usage of the church of the time. F.F. Bruce, a leading New Testament
authority, states that when at last a church council the Synod of Hippo in AD 393
listed the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, it did not confer upon them any
authority which they did not already possess, but simply recorded their previously
established canonicity.9
In our context, special attention must be paid to the Apocrypha, those books found in
Roman Catholic Bibles that are not present in other Bibles. The Greek word apokruphos
means hidden or concealed. The Apocryphal books may have been labeled as such
because they were hidden until the Council of Trent in AD 1546, when the Roman
Catholic Church gave conferred upon them full canonical status, or because they contain
hidden knowledge not found in the other books of the Bible. In addition to the fact that
these books fail the test of canonicity (apostolic, authoritative, authentic, pure, etc.), there
are numerous other reasons that they were rejected by the early church and continue to be
rejected today. For example, they make no claim on divine inspiration, they are full of
geographical and historical inaccuracies, they teach doctrines which are contrary to the
true canon, they are never quoted by Christ or the New Testament writers (while all but
7

Elmer Towns, What the Faith is All About (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1987), p. 60.
Elmer Towns, Theology for Today, p. 81.
9
Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense: The Best of Josh McDowell, p. 38.
8

15

three of the Old Testament books are), there are no messianic prophecies, they do not
attest to Gods plan of salvation and lack divine character in general, and they are weak
in style and organization.
So we may confidently conclude that the truth that God revealed and only that truth
was both inspired and recorded by inspired writers, and has been preserved for all
generations in the canon. However, one may ask whether or not the Bible that we possess
today is truly true, that is, free from any sort of errors. This is the question of inerrancy.

16

Chapter Four - The Power of Gods Word

Do not leave my cry unanswered. Whisper words of truth to my heart, for you
alone speak truth. - Augustine
Inerrancy
Inerrancy is the doctrine that the Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings. If God has
given special revelation of himself and inspired his servants to record the revelation, does
it make sense that the Bible would not be an accurate, dependable and truthful source of
that revelation? No, it doesnt make sense! Unfortunately, there many who believe
exactly this, that the Bible contains errors. Until recent times, belief in the inerrancy of
Scripture and the claim to be a Christian went hand in hand. If you were a Christian, you
trusted in the complete inspiration, reliability, inerrancy and authority of the Bible. Only
in the past 200 years or so has anyone tried to say, Im a Christian, but I believe the
Bible is replete with errors. It is our responsibility to stand against this trend and to
defend the inerrancy of Scripture, yet is by no means an easy task, for there is an ongoing debate within evangelicalism about the word inerrancy. Some prefer words such as
infallibility, trustworthiness, reliability, authoritativeness, etc. No one term can describe
exactly what we mean, but inerrancy is perhaps one of the best choices. It is helpful to
understand some of the various conceptions of inerrancy.
Various Conceptions of Inerrancy1
1) Absolute inerrancy maintains that the Bible, including all matters historical and
scientific, which the writers intended to include with exact details, is fully true.
2) Full inerrancy also holds that the Bible is fully true, including in areas such as science
and history, although such scientific and historical assertions are not its primary aim. The
difference from absolute inerrancy is that the full inerrancy view holds that the scientific
and historical accounts, while accurate, are described as they appear to the human eye
rather than in exact detail.
3) Limited inerrancy holds that the Bible is inerrant in matters of faith (salvation and
doctrine), but that the scientific and historical references reflect the understanding of the
time and may thus contain what we would call errors.
4) Inerrancy of purpose maintains that the Bible inerrantly accomplishes its purpose,
which is to bring people into a personal relationship with Christ, not to communicate
propositional truths.

Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, pp. 222-224. Erickson discusses seven conceptions.

17

The general conservative, evangelical position is full inerrancy. Fundamentalists tend to

opt for absolute inerrancy, often holding that even certain translations, such as the King
James Version, are inerrant, while neoorthodox and those of more liberal Christian
traditions tend to hold to limited inerrancy and inerrancy of purpose. For our purposes,
when we employ the word inerrancy, we are referring to full inerrancy. (It is important to
note that while teaching that the Bible does not err, it is helpful to emphasize the positive
side, that it does teach truth.)
Inerrancy of the Autographs
In a strict sense, the doctrine of inerrancy applies to the original manuscripts, known as
the autographs. This is the traditional view as well as the common view among
evangelicals today. Inerrancy may, however, be applied to the copies and translations in a
derivative sense, to the extent that they reflect the originals. (See chapter six to discover
how we determine if they reflect the originals.) We may confidently affirm that the
copies and translations are the Word of God to the degree that they preserve the original
message. In addition to being sound, this is a common-sense perspective that readily
defensible.
But why should we hold to inerrancy?
Reasons to Hold to Inerrancy
While there are several strong arguments for inerrancy, such as the fact that Jesus and the
apostles upheld this belief, there are three which are crucial:
1) The Bible teaches inerrancy. The New testament, in John 17:17, declares that your
word is true. In other words, it cannot be errant. We find the same declaration in the Old
Testament, in Ps. 119:160: All your words are true. The Bible compels us to hold to
inerrancy.
2) The character of God demands inerrancy. God is a God of truth who cannot lie (Jn.
14:16,17; 15:26; 16:13; Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18; cf. the innumerable times that Jesus stated in
the Gospels, I tell you the truth). Since the Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2
Pet. 1:21), who cannot lie, it must necessarily be free from errors. Additionally, if God is
omniscient, he must know all things and cannot be ignorant or in error on any matter. If
He is omnipotent, He can guide the authors writing so that it remains error-free. If He is
truthful and loving, He will certainly not allow man to be misled by the Scriptures. Thus,
on the grounds of Gods character we must hold to the doctrine of inerrancy.
3) The church has taught inerrancy for nearly 2000 years. From Jerome and Augustine to
Luther and Calvin to Carl Henry, James Packer and Billy Graham today, the church has
held to the inerrancy of Scripture. Augustine, for example, stated, I most firmly believe
that the authors were free from errors. 2Luther said, The Scriptures have never erred . . .
2

Ibid., pp. 225-226

18

The Scriptures cannot err. . . The idea of inerrancy is not a recent development. We who
hold to the doctrine of inerrancy are in good company!
Is the Bible Really Free from Error?
This is a very common question, for many people have simply been taught that the Bible
errs in matters of prophecy or history or science, or that it is filled with internal
contradictions. Even some who claim to be evangelicals make a false dichotomy, saying
that the Bible is inerrant in matters of faith, but is not so nor does it have to be in
incidental statements about nonrevelational matters such as history, geology, geography,
astronomy, botany, etc. They are willing to state that the Bible does indeed contain errors,
but urge us to hold on to the Bibles teachings, its value system, its moral codes. These
people need to do a little homework. If they were to study the evidence, what would they
find?
The Bible Doesnt Err in Prophecies
Were not talking about the ubiquitous palm-reading and tarot cards-using fortune-tellers.
These people make mere predictions. (A beautiful woman will soon enter your life.
Ugh!) Were talking about detailed prophecies of supernatural origin. There are literally
hundreds. Well look at a few.
Prophecies about the Messiah:
1) Isaiah 52:13 53:12 is perhaps the most outstanding example of fulfilled prophecy. It
is impossible that someone could have rigged this prophecy. It was made about the
Messiah about 700 years prior to his coming! It speaks of his life, death, rejection and
burial.
2) Micah 5:2 is another outstanding example. It includes both a prediction about the
Christ and historic detail, that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Prophecies about cities:
1) Ezekiel 26 gives details as to how the city of Tyre would be destroyed. The prophecy
was fulfilled in degrees by Nebuchadnezzars attack and Alexander the Greats invasion.
2) Hosea 13:16 and Micah 1:6 predict that Samaria will fall violently, which happened in
stages at the hands of Sargon, then Alexander the Great, then John Hyrcanus.
Prophecies about the Jewish people:
1) Deuteronomy 28:25 and Hosea 9:17 predict their dispersion. It happened!
2) Isaiah 44:28; 54:1 predicts that a man named Cyrus, who wouldnt be born for more
than 100 years, would give the command to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It happened!

19

3) Jeremiah 24:9 predicts their persecution and contempt. It is still happening!

4) Jeremiah 31 predicts their restoration as a nation. It happened in 1948!
The Bible Doesnt Err in History
William F. Albright, one of historys greatest archaeologists, stated that The excessive
skepticism shown toward the Bible . . . has been progressively discredited. Discovery
after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought
increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.3 For example:
1) For years it was said that the Bible was wrong, that there were no Hittites at the time of
Abraham, for there were no records of them apart from the Old Testament. However, the
results of archaeological finds prove the skeptics wrong!
2) In 2 Kings 15:29 there is a reference to a king of Assyria named Tiglath-Pileser. Until
recently, many scholars said this king never existed. However, archaeologists have
excavated his capital city and found his name engraved in bricks!
3) Similarly, the problem of the unknown Sargon, mentioned in Isaiah 20:1, has been
explained by recent archaeological evidence.
4) Until recently, many people denied the reliability of the Gospels, claiming they were
written too long after the time of the actual events. However, a papyrus was uncovered in
Egypt that forced the scholars to date the writing of the Gospels much closer to the time
of Christ.
The Bible Doesnt Err in Science
Here let us remember that the Bibles writers never intended to record precise scientific
details. Rather, they gave general descriptions of how things appeared to be. For
example, the Bible talks about the sun rising and setting. We know that the sun doesnt
actually rise and set. Rather, the earth rotates. Nonetheless, we still use this terminology.
Even scientists speak this way because it is a convenient and clear way to describe what
appears to be. As Paul Little states, Because it (the Bible) speaks in the way, it has been
clear to people of all ages and cultures.4 If we avoid imposing our twentieth-century
standards of scientific and historical precision and accuracy on the biblical writers, we
will discover that there are no scientific inaccuracies in the Bible.
On the other hand, we will can also see that science is incapable of disproving or
discrediting any element of Scripture. Science is ever changing, but the Word of God
remains constant. Whenever a new scientific theory or fact seems to controvert
Scripture, Scripture ultimately wins. A classic example: In 1861 . . . the French
3
4

Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense: The Best of Josh McDowell, p. 92.

Paul Little, Know Why You Believe (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1988), p. 67.

20

Academy of Science published a little brochure in which they stated fifty-one scientific
facts that controverted the Word of God. Today there is not a scientist in the world who
believes a single one of those fifty-one so-called scientific facts . . . Not a one!5
The Bible Doesnt Contradict Itself
Many critics like to argue that the Bible is full of contradictions. Yet investigation of any
questionable passage will show that this is not the case. Some examples:
1) The manner in which Judas died. Matthew 27:5 says he died by hanging himself while
Acts 1:18 says he fell headlong and burst open. It should be noted that Matthew does not
say Judas did not fall and Peter (in Acts) does not say he did not hang himself. It is very
possible, for example, that he hanged himself on a tree in a field on the edge of a
precipice (and that after a time the tree limb snapped and he fell down the precipice,
bursting open in the process.
2) Three days and three nights in the tomb. How could Jesus have spend three nights in
the tomb if he died on Friday and rose on Sunday? The simple answer is that the
expressions three days or third day are idiomatic, meaning any part of a day. The
expression one day and one night was also used by Jews to indicate one day or part
thereof. Thus, part of Friday, all of Saturday and part of Sunday equals three days.
The results of scholarship have never discredited the Bible and, to the contrary,
increasingly validate its claims of inerrancy.
If these evidences arent enough to convince us of inerrancy and its importance, then we
must consider the age in which we live and the ages to come. In our battle against the
influence of postmodernism and other hollow and deceptive philosophies (Col. 2:8),
we must hold to what is sure and firm and true. And that is the Bible, our only solid
foundation. If the Bible is not without error in all matters (salvation as well as history and
science), we have no foundation, no certainties, no absolutes, and no authority for our
lives. If the Bible is not without error, then it is weak and powerless.
Authority
The debate over inerrancy has direct ramifications on the issue of authority within the
church. While there are numerous opinions as to the definition of authority, Ericksons is
perhaps the most helpful. He states that By the authority of the Bible we mean that the
Bible, as the expression of Gods will to us, possesses the right supremely to define what
we are to believe and how we are to conduct ourselves.6
Authority is the right to command belief and/or action. It may be imperial authority,
based on power, such as that which a policeman possesses, or it may be veracious
authority, based on knowledge, such as an expert in a given field possesses. The former is
5
6

Ibid., p. 123.
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 241.

21

a function of position, and is therefore extrinsic, while the latter is a function of the
knowledge one possesses, and is therefore intrinsic. Authority may be applied directly or
it may be delegated.
Religious Authority
In the case of religious authority, it is crucial to know who possesses it. Is it a function of
a person, an institution, a council, a document, tradition, God himself?
By the time of the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church had weakened the authority
of the Bible by exalting church traditions and by insisting that the teaching of the Bible
could only be communicated through popes, councils and priests. The Reformers
responded in favor of biblical authority by asserting the priesthood of the believer
that God speaks to his people directly and authoritatively through the Scriptures. Their
banner was sola scriptura, Scripture alone, the doctrine that Scripture is its own
interpreter, independent of tradition, councils or religious professionals.
The traditional evangelical position is that of the Reformers, that God is the ultimate
authority, by virtue of both his power and his knowledge, and that He has delegated that
authority to a book, the Bible, which thus has the same authority in a persons life as if
God himself were speaking to that person. The Bible is the living voice of God.
Man, though, listens to other voices. He will ultimately find that no ideology, no
philosophy, no scientific invention, can ever fulfill desperate need for redemption. There
is no ism Hinduism, humanism, communism, postmodernism that can offer what he
needs. Only the Word of God offers the answers to his questions. Only the Word of God
is authoritative for his life. Only the Word of God has power! The Bible deserves to be
authoritative in human lives because it is living and active (Heb. 4:12). From the lives
of Christians in the early church to the 600,000,000 followers of Christ today (10% of the
worlds population!), the Bible has proven itself authoritative. It changes lives.
Francis Schaeffer warns us of dire consequences if we do not hold to the Bibles
authority: Compromising the full authority of Scripture eventually affects what it means
to be a Christian theologically and how we live in the full spectrum of human life.8
The Role of the Holy Spirit
While the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, it is the Holy Spirit of God who
activates the Word. The Bible teaches that the spiritual growth of believers is the result
of the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and minds through the authoritative
Scriptures (1 Cor. 2:12-15; Eph. 1:16-20). There must be an internal working of the Holy
Spirit to cause understanding of the Bibles truth, meaning and origin. This work is what
we call illumination.

Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview. Vol. 4: A
Christian View of the Church (Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1987), p. 328.

22

Chapter Five - The Penetration of Gods Word

Our senses are so feeble that we could never understand a single word that God says to
us, unless we are illumined by his Holy Spirit, for carnal men cannot comprehend
heavenly things. - John Calvin
Illumination
Before proceeding with the topic of illumination, we should elaborate further the
dynamic tension between Word and Spirit. Without proper balance between the objective
Word and the illuminating Spirit, we run the risk of two errors.1 First is the error,
according to James Boice, of overspiritualizing revelation, of claiming some special or
new, private revelation from the Spirit. This was the case of some Anabaptists in Calvins
day and is often the case in charismatic circles today. Without the objective Word of God
there is no standard by which to judge the so-called revelations.
The second error is that of overintellectualizing Gods truth, such as in the case of the
scribes and Pharisees of Jesus time. Without the illumination that only the Holy Spirit
can provide, the study of Scripture is denigrated to mere intellectual pursuit. As Boice
states, To know God we must be taught from the Bible by the Holy Spirit. It is only then
that a full awareness of the nature of the Bible and its authority is borne home upon our
minds and hearts2
Erickson summarizes the point well: This dual dimension prevents sterile, cold, dry truth
on one hand, and overexcitability and ill-advised fervor on the other.3 And now we
come to the subject of illumination.
How does the Word of God penetrate deep within the lives of men? By what is called
illumination. Illumination is a work of the Holy Spirit by which the Word of God
penetrates into the hearts and lives of believers. Elmer Towns describes illumination as
the ministry of the Holy Spirit which enables us to understand and apply the spiritual
message of the Scriptures.4 The Holy Spirit opens the spiritual eyes of believers just as
Jesus did for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:31-32). According to 1
Corinthians 2:12-13, We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is
from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing
spiritual truths in spiritual words. The same Holy Spirit who was active in writing the
Bible also conveys its truth to the hearts and minds of those who read it.

James M. Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), p.56.
Ibid.
3
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 252.
4
Elmer Towns, What the Faith is All About, p. 64.
2

23

Need for Illumination

There are numerous reasons why the illumination of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the
Word of God to penetrate human hearts. The first is that, very simply, God is beyond our
abilities to understand. We cannot ever fully grasp the One who is infinite with our finite
concepts and vocabulary. This is not a consequence of sin, but rather of the fact that He is
the Creator and we are the created. However, beyond these limitations are others which
are caused by sinfulness. Weakened intellectual capacity is one. More significant,
though, is the lack of ability to recognize and understand spiritual truth due to hardened
hearts. The Jewish people suffered from this. Their Messiah came and they didnt even
recognize Him! (Jn. 1:11) Jesus told Nicodemus that it was impossible to see the
kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3) without a spiritual rebirth. Paul, too, spoke of spiritual
blindness when he addressed the Gentiles in Corinth: The god of this age has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4) It is even possible for Christians to hinder the
work of the Holy Spirit, which is why Paul exhorted the Colossian believers to live a life
worthy of the Lord in order to grow in the knowledge of God. (Col 1:10)
How Does the Holy Spirit Help?
How does the Holy Spirit help someone grow in the knowledge of God?
1) He teaches believers all things. John 14:26: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you.
2) He witnesses to Jesus. John 15:26: "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to
you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about
me.
3) He convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John
16:8) 4) He guides believers into all truth. John 16:13,14: But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak
only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
The very nature of the Holy Spirit is truth (Jn. 14:17). Thus his ministry involves
illuminating the truth of the Word for both believers and unbelievers, enabling them to
grow in intimacy with God.
While it is true that the Holy Spirit elucidates Scripture in our minds and hearts, this does
not preclude our active involvement in the study of the Bible, as we shall now see.

24

Hermeneutics
It has been said that the Holy Spirit has an affinity for the trained mind. The implication
is that there is a human element to understanding Scripture. There must be human effort
in order for the Word of God to penetrate the human heart. Study must be undertaken. It
is here, however, that many people become intimidated. I just dont know how to
interpret the Bible! Actually, interpreting the Bible is not nearly as difficult as some
people think!
The vast majority of Bible readers agree on the central teachings of Scripture. It is not
hard to discern the main message and main truths. All branches of Christianity assert the
same basic truths about man being made in Gods image, with freedom of choice, and
that man rebelled against God, bringing sin into the world and prompting God to
demonstrate his love by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die a substitutionary death on our
behalf, thus paying the penalty for sin.
Nonetheless, there are some basic prerequisites and principles for interpretation of the
Bible. These are part of what we call hermeneutics, which is mans role in the studying
the Scriptures (as opposed to illumination, which is the Holy Spirits role). Hermeneutics
is the science of interpreting the Bible (or any piece of literature) The word comes from a
Greek word, hermeneuo, which means to interpret or to explain.
Basic prerequisites for Studying the Bible
1) Faith (Heb. 11:6). We must approach the Bible as the very Word of God if we wish to
truly understand it.
2) Obedience (Jam. 1:22). We must obey the parts of the Bible that we do understand if
want want to gain further understanding.
3) Prayer (Ps. 119: 18). We should be like David and pray that God would Open my
eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
4) Cleansing (1 Jn. 1:9; Ps. 51:10). We hinder the Holy Spirits ability to illuminate
Scripture for us if sin is hidden in our hearts.
5) Consistency (1 Tim. 2:15). We must study the Bible as a whole (not just parts of it)
day after day and year after year for a lifetime!
Basic Principles of Interpretation:
While there are numerous methods of Bible interpretation, evangelicals generally hold to
what is called historical-grammatical interpretation. This means we interpret the Bible
within its historical context using the normal rules of grammar.

25

1) Sola Scriptura. This Reformation principle simply means that Scripture should be
interpreted in light of Scripture. The context of any part of Scripture is the totality of
Scripture.
2) Historical context. Since the authors of Scripture spoke to certain historical settings,
we need to know something of the historical background in order to understand the text.
In addition, the more we know about the author of the book, the easier it will be to know
what he intended to say in the passage.
3) Grammatical context. Since God inspired the words of Scripture, it is helpful for us to
have some knowledge of grammar in order to interpret a passage. While learning the
original biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek might be impractical, there are
numerous tools available to help us understand them.
4) Literal meaning. We should seek the obvious meaning of words and contexts. A good
rule for interpretation is: If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest
you come up with nonsense.5 God never intended for believers to have a difficult time
understanding Scripture. 1) Scripture is clear enough for the simplest person to live by
it, 2) Scripture is deep enough to form an inexhaustible mine for readers of the highest
intellectual capacity, and 3) the perspicuity [clearness] of the Scriptures resides in the fact
that God intended all Scripture to be revelation of himself to man.6 There must be a
good reason to justify interpreting a passage figuratively.
5) Figurative language. The Bible contains many types of figurative language, such as
metaphor, simile, hyperbole, anthropomorphism and parables. We must seek the literal
meaning that the author had in mind when he used the figurative language.
6) Unity. When interpreting Scripture we must remember that the parts of the Bible go
together to tell one story, Gods unfolding plan for the redemption of mankind.
7) Noncontradiction. If two passages of Scripture seem to be in contradiction with each
other, one or both of our interpretations must be in error.
8) Avoid extremes. In interpreting Scripture we want to avoid extreme literalism on one
hand and extreme liberalism on the other.
By living according to these prerequisites and by studying according to these principles,
we allow the Word of God to powerfully penetrate into our lives in order to conform us
to the character of Christ!

5
6

Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense: The Best of Josh McDowell, p. 180.

Ibid., p. 128.

26

Chapter Six - The Proofs for Gods Word

The Bible is not such a book a man would write if he could, or could write if he would.
- Lewis Sperry Chafer
Uniqueness
Our study of bibliology has taught us about the presence of Gods Word (revelation), the
preservation of Gods Word (inspiration and canonicity), the power of Gods Word
(inerrancy and authority) and the penetration of Gods Word (illumination and
hermeneutics). In spite of all this, someone might still ask, Is the Bible really the Word
of God? Since Scripture charges us to always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Pet. 3:15), we
must be able to elaborate some of the proofs of Gods Word. If anyone doubts that the
Bible is truly the Word of God, we only need to point them to its uniqueness.1
Unique in its Unity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Written over a period of 1500 years

Written over a span of 40 generations
Written by 40 different inspired authors
Written on three different continents: Europe, Asia, Africa
Written in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
Written in various literary forms, including narrative, poetry, history

For all of this, there is unity which binds it together as a whole which is unlike
anything else know to mankind!
Unique in its Circulation
1. Most printed and circulated book in all of history
2. Bible societies alone printed enough Bibles and portions of Scripture from
1800 1974 to circle the earth 1000 times! Thats 1 copy every 3 seconds; 20
copies per minute; 1200 every hour; 28,800 every day; 12 million every year,
nonstop for 215 years, for a total of 2,580,000,000! And the amount since
1974 has nearly doubled!
Unique in its Translation
1. More languages than any other book
2. Available in native language of 95% of worlds population
1

This chapter is an adapted and expanded version of chapter three of Josh McDowells A Ready Defense.

27

Unique in its Survival

1. The Roman emperor Diocletian issued an edict to destroy Christians, churches
and Bibles; Constantine, the next emperor, ordered Bibles at governments
expense
2. Voltaire predicted the extinction of Christianity; fifty years after his death the
Geneva Bible Society produced thousands of Bibles on his personal printing
press
Unique in its Reliability
1. Method of transmission virtually guarantees reliability
a. Old Testament
1) scroll must be written on skin of clean animal
2) prepared for use in synagogue by only a Jew
3) fastened together with strings from clean animal
4) each skin must contain a specified number of columns equal
throughout the entire book
5) length of each column no less than 48 lines, no more than 60
6) column breadth must consist of exactly 30 letters
7) use a specially prepared recipe of black ink
8) only authentic copy can serve as example
9) copy nothing from memory
10) between every consonant, breadth of one hair
11) between every section, breadth of nine consonants
12) between every book, three lines
13) Pentateuch must terminate exactly with one line
14) copyist must sit in full Jewish dress
15) reverence of the Scripture and the name of God so great that a fresh
quill would be used to pen that sacred name and the copyist would
refuse to acknowledge the presence of even a king when writing that
name
16) produce a master copy
17) copy only letter by letter
18) count the number of times each letter of the alphabet occurred in each
book
19) calculate the middle word of each book
20) if more than three mistakes exist, destroy manuscript
b. New Testament
1) factors to determine reliability
a) number of surviving manuscripts
b) length of time between when written and earliest surviving
manuscript
2) comparison with other writings

28

When Bible is compared with other books of antiquity, the results

are astounding!
Work of Antiquity
Plato (Tetralogies)
Caesar (Gallic Wars)
Aristotle
Sophocles
Homer (Iliad)
New Testament
2.

Written
427-347 BC
100-44 BC
384-322 BC
496-406 BC
40-100 AD

Earliest Copies
AD 900 (1200 yrs)
AD 900 (1000 yrs)
AD 1100 (1400 yrs)
AD 1000 (1400 yrs)
(500 yrs)
AD 125 (25 yrs)

Number of Surviving
Manuscripts
7
10
49
193
643
24,633

Archeological Confirmation
Nelson Glueck, a world famous archaeologist, concluded after a lifetime
of study on the Bible and its history as it relates to archaeology: It may be
stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted
a biblical reference.

Unique in its Teaching

1.
2.
3.
4.

Prophecy Bible is only book that has legitimate fulfilled prophecies

History History of Jewish people much more detailed than any other
Personalities Bible deals very frankly with the sins of its characters
Doctrine Only Bible teaches of salvation through faith by grace

Unique in its Revelation of Jesus Christ Only the Bible reveals the person of Christ
Unique in its Influence
Taught and studied on every continent, every Sunday, every week of every year!

29

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bloesch, Donald T. Holy Scripture: Revelation, Inspiration and Interpretation. Downers
Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
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