Getting Acquainted with the Bible The Bible - A Unique Book Bible Basics Getting Acquainted with the Bible The Bible - A Unique Book

We Affirm… That all scripture is inspire by God That scripture is authoritative That scripture is necessary for our salvation

Revelation Unveiling Uncover The action God takes to make Himself known to us. God’s self-disclosure to humanity.

general and special revelation. Revelation is how God, the Creator of all things, makes himself known to us—his creatures.  Without God speaking to us—in nature and in the Bible—we would have no way of knowing that he exists, who he is, what he has done to save us in Jesus Christ, or how we are to live and worship him. Theologians distinguish between two types of revelation:  general and special revelation.

General revelation is God’s showing us what is true about himself through the things he has made (nature/creation). 

Special revelation is needed for a saving knowledge of God. In special revelation, God shows us what is true about himself in his plan of redemption through his only son, Jesus Christ. This plan and the person and work of Jesus are not found anywhere in nature but in the Bible alone.

Inspiration To breathe in… “God-breathed.” Inspiration means the Bible truly is the Word of God and makes the Bible unique among all other books.

Uninspired It would give no infallible standard of truth It would present no authoritative rule for obedience, and no ground for confident and everlasting hope It would offer no suitable means for testing and cultivating our spirits, and creating a connectedness with God.

Questions regarding inspiration… The Genuineness of the Scriptures The Integrity of Scriptures The Authenticity of Scriptures

Different Views of Inspiration Mechanical Inspiration Partial Inspiration Limited Inspiration Natural Inspiration Universal Inspiration Plenary Inspiration

Illumination… Simply put, illumination in the spiritual sense is “turning on the light” of understanding in some area. Throughout the ages, people in every culture and religion have claimed some kind of revelation or enlightenment from God (whether true or not). When that enlightenment deals with new knowledge or future things, we call it prophecy. When that enlightenment deals with understanding and applying knowledge already given, we call it illumination.

The Bible and History

History: Comes from the Greek word historia, meaning, inquiry. It is the treating of conditions and events in given times in the past which affected nations and peoples. It seeks to interpret them on a broad scale as to their effect upon the whole spectrum of human events.