What we believe about the Bible is essential to our life as believers.
“Christian interest in, and even devotion to, the teaching of the Bible is integral to Christian discipleship. It is difficult to sustain the claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ if we do not take the words he endorsed (the Old Testament) and those he commissioned (the New Testament) seriously.” (Thompson, 2022)
He chose to reveal Himself to us. He did it through the words of the Bible. His words.
Bibliology is the doctrine of the Bible. It is something that believers should know and understand.
Within the doctrine of the Bible, we have
The Inerrancy of Scripture
The Authority of Scripture
The Clarity of Scripture
The Necessity of Scripture
The Sufficiency of Scripture
I love reading and studying the Bible. When I think about it, I am incredibly grateful for the scriptures. There are so many things it provides us as believers. What we believe about the Bible reveals that it is important to us.
Here is a definition of each.
The Inerrancy of Scripture: “Paul Feinberg defines inerrancy as follows: “When all the facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with the social, physical, or life sciences.” It’s a belief in the “total truthfulness and reliability of God’s words.”
We should believe that the Bible was without error when it was originally written. The doctrine of biblical inerrancy is essential because it is a matter of truth. It reflects on the character of God and is foundational to our understanding of everything the Bible teaches.
The Authority of Scripture: “The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.” (Grudem, 2020)
The authority of Scripture depends on the power and supremacy of its Author—God.
Scripture is God-breathed 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Therefore, Scripture is God speaking and has the final say in all matters—whether we choose to submit to it or not.
The Clarity of Scripture: “The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that it is able to be understood, but right understanding requires, time, effort, the use of ordinary means, a willingness to obey, and the help of the Holy Spirt; and our understanding will remain imperfect in this lifetime” (Grudem, 2020)
When reading and studying the Bible, I am sure you have come across some passages that are easy to understand and others that are more difficult. The Bible was written so a person can learn what is needed to become a believer and to live as one.
The Necessity of Scripture: “The Necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but it is not necessary for knowing that God exists or for knowing something about God’s character and moral law.” (Grudem, 2020)
To be a follower of Jesus, we need the Bible. It is our guide for a life that brings glory to God.
The Sufficiency of Scripture: “The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.” (Grudem, 2020)
We need the Bible to equip us for faith and service to God. Therefore, no other writings are necessary for this good news to be understood or any other writings required to equip us for a life of faith.
What we believe about the Bible shapes how we view its place in our lives.
I love this quote by Charles H. Spurgeon “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
When you trust God’s word completely, you trust God.
Bibliography
Grudem, W (2020)
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine 2nd Edition
Thompson (2022) The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction
