The Bible
is God's Word Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest.... Romans 16:25-26
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3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1 Cor. 15:1-4
 

A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

By Glen Caneel - Suncoast Bible Fellowship - St. Petersburg Florida

LESSON 1

Psalm 11:3 - "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

 Introduction: This study is designed to be a brief overview of the doctrines of inspiration and preservation. I say overview because it is a subject that even years of study could not completely cover. However, I feel it is necessary to lay down the following goals in writing to provide you with a tool to evaluate this course. Therefore, we will attempt to:

 1) Understand the Bible doctrine of inspiration, what it means, why we should study and know about it.

2) Prepare believers with material to defend the Bible doctrine of inspiration against attack by Textual Critics and ignorant brethren.

3) Understand the Bible doctrine of preservation. (This will cover many issues)

4) Demonstrate the History of our English Bible and why the King James Version is an accurate and reliable translation of God's Word for us today.

 Class Guidelines: As we go through this study, please bear the following in mind. It will make our study much more profitable and enjoyable:

1) The human teacher is not the final authority in this subject.

2) You must draw you own conclusions through study and prayer.

3) You must rely on the Holy Spirit not the human spirit to communicate truth to your soul

4) You may question and ask questions regarding the material presented.

5) We will take the Bible believer viewpoint in this class - The Bible is always right and man is always wrong.

 Special Thanks: A special note of thanks must be given to Pastor Richard Jordan and Grace School of the Bible. Much of the material used in these lessons was learned through the Manuscript Evidence courses taught by Pastor Jordan through the school. Although there are many fine books now available on this subject, this brother has a talent for gathering and organizing a very complex subject into an understandable format. If you would like more information on this or many other doctrines that are foundations to Christian growth, you can contact Grace School of the Bible at:

 

A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

LESSON 2

 

The Connection Between the Living Word and the Written Word

There is an undeniable and inseparable link between the Living Word of God and the Written Word of God. This is not a mistake. Most Christians accept the value God places on the Living Word of God but fail to see how He equates the Living Word with the Written Word. God places such a high value on His Word that He gives and describes the Written Word the same attributes He uses for Himself.

Both:

Living Word

Written Word

Called the Word of God

Revelation 19:13

Hebrews 4:12

Have Two Natures

Son of Man/Son of God

Man Wrote It/God Wrote It

Can Save

Hebrews 7:25

James 1:21

Can Judge

Acts 17:31

John 12:48

Live Forever

John 12:34

I Peter 1:23

Can Be Received

John 1:12

I Thessalonians 2:13

Can Be Rejected

John 12:48

John 12:48

Are the Way,Truth,Life

John 14:6

Psalm 119:33, John 17:17

Philippians 2:16

Called Bread

John 6:51

Luke 4:4

Called Light of the World

John 8:12

Psalm 119:105

Could Not Be Broken

John 19:36

John 10:30

Can Beget Someone

I Peter 1:3

I Corinthians 4:15

Associated With Being Born of God

I John 5:18

I Peter 1:23

Sanctify and Perfects

Hebrews 10:10

John 17:17

Give Freedom

Galatians 5:1

John 8:32

 

Try to find others for yourself. There are many others not included in the list above.

  

A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

LESSON 3

 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"

 

  • The Bible word Inspiration literally means "God-breathed." God dictated the words of Scripture through human authors. The words they wrote were the very words God determined they would use. Inspiration means that all the words of Scripture came right out the mouth of God. Inspiration is not what happened to the man. Inspiration is not mechanical dictation.

 

  • Design of Inspiration - God's design in inspiration is to make His Word equal to Himself

 

  • Examples of Inspiration:

  1. Matthew 22:29-31

  2. Exodus 4:14-15, 28-31

  3. Exodus 19:25, 20:1

  4. Numbers 11:24

  5. Numbers 22:38

  6. II Samuel 23:1-2

  7. Mark 12:35-36

  8. Acts 1:16

  9. Acts 28:25

  10. Acts 3:18,21

  11. Luke 1:67-70

  12. Jeremiah 1:4-9

  13. Jeremiah 5:14

  14. Jeremiah 6:18-19

  15. Jeremiah 36:1-8

  16. Ezekiel 2:1-2

  17. Ezekiel 3:10-11

  18. Revelation 1:10-11,22:18-19

  19. Acts 22:12-15

  20. Galatians 1:11-12

  21. Ephesians 3:1-3

  

THE ISSUE IN INSPIRATION IS THE WORDS WRITTEN DOWN ON THE PAGE

  

A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

LESSON 4

 

II Peter 1:21 - "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost"

 

The Defense of Inspiration

 

  • The testimony of the Bible writers - New Testament writers looking at the Old Testament

  • Acts 1:16, Acts 3:21 - There is no doubt the New Testament writers considered the Old Testament inspired by God

  • Acts 7:37-38

  • Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon - The only OT books not quoted in the NT

 

  • The New Testament writers view of themselves

  • I Tim 5:18 - Luke is regarded as Scripture

  • II Peter 3:15-16 - Peter's view of Paul's writings

  • II Thessalonians 4:8,15 - "By the Word of the Lord"

  • I Corinthians 14:37

  • I Timothy 6:3

  • II Thessalonians 3:3,14

  • II Peter 3:2

  • Revelation 22:18

 

  • The Testimony of Jesus Christi

  • Matthew 22:29-32 - The view of Jesus Christ about inspiration

  • Luke 4:16-21 - Jesus Christ believed the very words on the page

  • Matthew 4:3-10 - The Lord recognized the power was in the words

  • Matthew 5:17-18 - He came to fulfill what is said was to be done

  • John 5:45-46 - He verifies the truthfulness of Moses

  • Matthew 19:4-5, Luke 17:29-32, - Genesis verified

 

  • John 14:26 - Jesus Christ pre-authenticates the record by the time Matthew, Mark, Luke, John start writing

 

  • Jesus Christ never questioned the Old Testament

  • Jesus Christ always quoted Scripture to endorse

  • Jesus Christ always endorsed the Scripture as verbally inspired

 

 A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

LESSON 5

 "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." - I Corinthians 13:10

 

The Completion of Our Bible

 

  1. The Old Testament Canon Was Fixed At The Time of Christ

  • "Canon" = a reed or measuring rod. In relation to the Bible, it is a term describing the Books that make up the content of the Holy Scriptures.

    •

    • Luke 24:44-45 - The content of the Hebrew Scriptures was already determined by the time the Lord Jesus Christ walked on the earth

  • There are 24 books in the Hebrew Bible. You can see how our Bible parallels the Hebrew Scriptures in content even as early as the time of Christ. The content of the Hebrew Bible is described in this passage as:

    •

    Bible Description Hebrew Scriptures and Content

    The Law "Torah" - Genesis to Deuteronomy

  • The Prophets "Nabum" - Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve (Minor Prophets Hosea to Malachi)

    The Psalms "Kethubim" (also known as The Writings) - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles

    •

    • The Apocrypha is not located in the Hebrew Bible. The Catholic version of the Old Testament contains the Apocrypha: I & II Esdra, Tobit, Judith, Additions to the book of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (The Wisdom of Sirach), Baruch, Song of Suzanna, Song of the 3 Children, Story of Bell and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasseh, I & II Maccabees

     

    • Luke 11:51 - The boundary of the Scriptures was already determined by the time of Christ

  • The "blood of Abel" = Genesis

    The "blood of Zacharias" = II Chronicles 24:20-22

    II Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew Bible

    The Lord Jesus Christ is noting the boundaries of the Old Testament Scriptures. Attempts to add the Apocrypha contradict this verse and the Lord.

    •

    1. Revelation Has Ceased

      • Additional examples of Inspiration - God putting His Word in the mouth of His people:

  • Exodus 4:12,15; II Samuel 23:2; Ezekiel 2:1-5; Matthew 10:19-20; Luke 21:13-15

    All of these are examples of people communicating the Word of God as it was given to them. This is also the same process God used to write the Bible through human authors.

    •

      • Acts 4:31 - Additional revelation given from God

      • I Corinthians 13:8-10 - God's plan for the completion of revelation

     

  • NOW THEN

    Gifts Done away

    Know/Prophesy Done away

    Child Man

    Dim Vision Clear Vision

    Partial Knowledge Full Knowledge

    •

    • "That which is perfect" the completed Word of God. All the items in the left column are tools used by God or associated with the giving of revelation.

     

    Conclusion: It is a dangerous and common thing today for people to claim God is continuing to give inspiration. This destroys the final authority of the Bible.

    The question now becomes: do you believe the Book in your hand is the completed Word of God?

     

    1. The Doctrine of Preservation

      • God has pledged to preserve His Word - Psalm 12:6-7

      • Why have a written text?

      1. To preserve the original revelation. Oral tradition would distort it.

      2. A written text groups all the material together.

      3. A written text is independent of the speaker and writer.

      4. A written text is mobile.

      5. A written text makes everyone responsible.

     

     

    A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

    LESSON 6

     

    DID OUR INSPIRED BIBLE EXPIRE?

     

    1. 4 Popular Views

      1. The Roman Catholic View - The Holy Mother Church and tradition define what is in the Scripture

      2. The Liberal View - The Bible is full of myths and legends

      3. The Neo-Orthodox View - The real issue is what the Bible teaches, not its historical accuracy

      4. The Fundamentalist View - All of the fundamentals of the faith are in the Bible in spite of its mistakes and errors

     

    All these views have one point in common: you don't actually have the Word of God in your hands. The Bible merely contains the Word of God.

     

    1. The Bible Believer's View - We do have the inspired Word of God in our hands

      • II Timothy 3:15-17 - The example of Timothy

     

    1. The Promise of Preservation

  • Verses that contain the promise of preservation:

    •

    • Psalms 12:6-7 I Peter 1:23-25

    • Psalms 33:11 Isaiah 40:8

    • Psalms 119:89, 152, 160 Isaiah 30:8

    • Matthew 5:18 Isaiah 59:20-21

    • Luke 16:17

    • Luke 21:33

     

    A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

    LESSON 7

     

    WHAT ABOUT THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS?

    (The Process of Preservation Part I)

     

    I. The Opinion of God Expressed In Scripture

    • Exodus 31:18 - 32:19 - Moses destroys the original manuscripts

  • Exodus 34:1-28 - God tells Moses to make a copy of the original

    •

    • Jeremiah 36:1-8 - The Word of God is written and read in public

  • Jeremiah 36:14-23 - The original manuscript is destroyed

    Jeremiah 36:24-28 - God charges Jeremiah to make a copy of the original

    •

    • God's design is not to preserve His Word in the originals. His design to preserve His Word in a copy of the originals. The copies are made to be just as authoritative as the originals.

     

    II The Testimony of the Old Testament Writers

    • Exodus 34:1-4, 27-30; Deuteronomy 10:1-5; Deuteronomy 31:24-25 - The Word of God is preserved in the Ark

    • Deuteronomy 17:14-20 - The king is to make a copy

    • II Kings 11:12 - The king received a copy of the Word of God

    • Psalm 19:7-9 - David is writing about copies he possesses

    • Psalm 119:97-101 - The writer did not have the originals when writing about the Word of God

    • Proverbs 25:1 - The proverbs are written from copies

    • Daniel 9:1-2,11-13; 10:1,18-21 - Daniel had copies and assumed they were God's Word

     

    III. The Testimony of the Earthly Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles

    • Matthew 24:15-16 - This copy is assumed to be as authoritative as the originals

    • Luke 4:17-21 - The Lord regarded the copy as Scripture

    • Acts 8:26-35 - The copy is regarded as Scripture

    • Acts 15:21 - Copies of God's Word are scattered all over the world

    • Acts 17:2 - The Scripture is in Europe

    • Acts 18:24 - The Word of God is in North Africa

    • II Timothy 3:14-17 - Timothy has copies that are regarded as Scripture

     

    CONCLUSION: After examining the Scriptures above, it is obvious that God wants two things:

      1. To have His Word copied and published abroad

      2. To preserve His Word in copies

      4.

      

    A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

    LESSON 8

     

    THE PEOPLE GOD USES

    (The Process of Preservation Part II)

     

    1. The Old Testament

      1. Who

      • Romans 3:2 - God used His chosen nation (Israel) as a vehicle to preserve His Word

      • Deuteronomy 10:1-9 - The tribe of Levi was chosen by God to take care of the Ark

      • Deuteronomy 31:9-12 - The Levites were chosen by God to teach the Law to the people

      • Deuteronomy 31:24-26 - The Law was placed inside the Ark for the purpose of preservation

      • Malachi 2:4-7 - The function of the Levitical priesthood was to keep the knowledge of the Law in order to preserve it for those who sought it

     

  • Conclusion: God set up the tribe of Levi within the nation of Israel. This tribe was charged with preserving and teaching the Word of God

    •

      1. How

      • Ezra 7:6-27 - The scribes were a subgroup within the Levitical priesthood (see also II Chronicles 34:13)

      • Jeremiah 8:4-8 - The "pen of the scribes" describes the copiers of the Law

      • Micah 3:8-11 - The priesthood became corrupted. Some were teaching for the purpose of financial reward

      • Isaiah 36:22-37:2 - Even though the nation was in idolatry, there were still some faithful scribes

     

  • Conclusion: Within the tribe of Levi, God used the scribes to make copies of His Word. In spite of the unfaithfulness of the religious system, reliable accurate copies of Scripture were still being made.

    •

    • A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

    LESSON 9

     

    How We Got the New Testament Canon

    (The Process of Preservation Part III)

     

    1. Human Viewpoint - The "Church Fathers" identified and collected what they considered canon

  • 40 - 170 AD - The time of the Apostles

    170 - 220 AD - Writings and discussion about the canon

    220 - 400 AD - The canon is "settled" by the "Church Fathers"

    •

    1. II. Bible Viewpoint - During the lifetime of the Apostles, the New Testament was

    being written, collected, and identified, and distributed as Scripture.

      1. II Peter 3:15-16 - Peter's estimation of Paul's writings

      2. I Timothy 4:13-16 - What is the preacher to read from, exhort from, base doctrine upon?

      3. I Timothy 5:17-18

      4. II Timothy 4:1-2 - How were they to "preach the Word" if they did not have it?

      5. Acts 20:32 - How are they to know about this grace?

      6. Colossians 3:16 - What is the "Word of Christ?"

      7. Ephesians 3:1-4 - Paul had already written previously about "the mystery." Thus, the Ephesians had copies of his writings already.

      8. I Thessalonians 5:27

      9. Colossians 4:16 - This epistle was to be read in other places as well as where he sent it.

    10. Galatians 1:2 - This was a "circular letter" intended to be passed amongst the brethren

     

    Conclusion: God's process of preserving the New Testament was exactly the same as how He preserved the Old Testament. God used a multiplicity of reliable, accurate copies to pass the New Testament from generation to generation. This process was well established and in place by the time the book of Acts closed. The difference between the preservation of the Old Testament and the New Testament is whom God used to do it.

     

    Old Testament - Responsibility for preservation given to the nation of Israel, primarily tribe of Levi

    New Testament - Responsibility for preservation given to the Body of Christ

     

    A BRIEF STUDY OF INSPIRATION AND PRESERVATION

    LESSON 10

     

    Why All the Confusion??

     

    1. The Satanic Policy of Evil Against the Word of God - Genesis 3:1-6

      1. Questioning the Word of God

      2. Subtracting from the Word of God

      3. Adding to the Word of God

      4. Watering Down the Word of God

      5. Denying the Word of God

    All attacks against God's Word will usually follow one of the tactics used in Genesis 3.

     

    1. The Many Versions Available On the Market

    2. 1833 WEB Webster Bible 1958 AMP Amplified Bible

      1889 DBY Darby Translation 1962 LIV The Living Bible

      1898 YLT Young's Literal Translation 1963 NAS New American Standard

      1901 ASV American Standard Version 1966 TEV Today's English Version

      1912 WEY Weymouth New Testament 1971 NAB New American Standard Bible

      1917 JPS Jewish Publications OT 1973 NIV New International Version

      1946 RSV Revised Standard Version 1982 BBE Bible in Basic English

      1982 - NKJ New King James Version 1985 - NJB New Jerusalem Bible 1988 - GWV God's Word Version 1990 - NRS New Revised Standard Version 1991 - CEV Contemporary English Version 1992 - 21C 21st Century King James Version 1993 - MSG The Message 1996 - NIRV New International Reader's Version

    3. What's the Difference? (An Introductory Set of Comparison Verses) - Compare the verses in the modern versions below with the verses in the King James Version

      1. Matthew 1:25 (NASB, NIV) G. Luke 2:14 (NASB, NIV)

      2. Matthew 6:13 (NIV) H. Matthew 24:36 (NASB)

      3. Matthew 17:21 (NIV) I. Acts 18:7 (NASB)

      4. Matthew 23:14 (NIV) J. Acts 9:5 (NIV)

      5. Matthew 27:35 (NIV) K. Romans 8:1 (NASB, NIV)

      6. Matthew 16:19-20 (NIV footnote) L. Acts 4:25 (NIV)

     

    The NASB and NIV are two of the most widely used translations on the market today. The NASB is owned by the Lockman Foundation. Zondervan Publishing House publishes the NIV. How wide spread are these versions?

     

    "Since its completion in 1971, the New American Standard Bible® has been widely acclaimed as "the most literally accurate translation" from the original languages. Millions of people, students, scholars, pastors, missionaries, and laypersons alike, have trusted the NASB®" - The Lockman Foundation

    "ZPH holds exclusive publishing rights to the NIV, the most popular Bible translation (it surpassed the KJV in 1986 to become the #1-bestselling Bible translation), critically acclaimed for its accuracy, clarity, and readability. More than 100 million copies of the NIV Bible have been distributed since it was first published in 1973." - ZPH

     

    CONCLUSION: Is there any wonder why people don't know where to find God's Word?
     
             
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    22-04-2012