Beth-El Baptist Church

11/06/2011

Greg Tomlinson


What is the Bible?


There are many people who have different answers about what the Bible is. There are those who claim that the Bible was written by a bunch of chauvinist men to hold back women. There are those who claim it is full of lies and contradictions. There are those who say it contains some wise sayings from wise men of old. There are those who say it does contain some words form God while others say it is the VERY words of God.


  1. Who is the author?

2 Timothy 3:16 2 Peter 1:20-21

1 Thessalonians 2:13 Exodus 17:14; 31:18; 34:1, 27

Numbers 5:23 Deuteronomy 9:10; 10:1-2

Isaiah 8:1; 30:8 Jeremiah 30:2; 36:28

Ezekiel 24:2 Genesis 22:16


The Bible has dual authorship. It was “penned” by men but the words were God's. It is God who either directly dictated the words (“the LORD said”; “says the LORD”; ). In the King James Version of the Bible, there are 866 verses with the words “saith the LORD”. There are perhaps 30 places where the Lord specifically told the human scribe to “write” specific words or details about specific events or visions. The Bible can properly declared to be THE Word of God.


  1. What are the implications of it BEING the Word of God?

John 17:17 2 Timothy 3:15-16

Romans 10:2-5 Galatians 3:23-26

Luke 16:29-31 Matthew 17:5

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Proverbs 3:5-6


Since the Bible is the very Words of God, we must listen to them. They explain to us who we are and where we are going. It is only through the Word of God that we can come to the knowledge of that which is Holy; of that which will bring us the knowledge of salvation; of that which will bring us to Jesus Christ. Being the Word of God, it is by definition true. The Bible does not simply contain some truth nor does it contain truth, but the Bible IS truth. We must therefore bring every thought and every idea to become captive to the Bible. If our beliefs or desires are in contradiction to the plain written Word of God, we MUST change our beliefs and desires.


  1. What else is the Bible besides the Word of God?

Genesis 9:9-17; 15:18; 17:1-11 Exodus 19:5-6

Leviticus 26:13-17 Deuteronomy 29:21-27

Jeremiah 31:31-33 Hebrews 8:6-13; 10:26-31; 12:24


The Bible is also a series of covenants between God and man. The Covenant of Noah regarding a promise of God to not destroy by a world wide flood. The Covenant of Abraham to bless the world with his seed. The Covenant of Moses to defend, protect, and provide for Israel as long as Israel obeyed the commands of God. The Covenant of David to provide a continual and everlasting heir on his throne. The Covenant of the Cross of Jesus Christ to bring all believers into the eternal presence of God by faith and to have the Word of God written on their hearts.


  1. What is the Bible useful for?

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; 3:6-9 Revelation 20:14-15

2 Timothy 3:15-17 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

John 5:39 1 John 5:3

Matthew 28:18-20 Romans 10:17

Hebrews 4:12


There are many things that the Bible is useful for. It shows us were we came from and where we are going. It also shows us where things went wrong and how to get things right again. The Bible exposes our sins in order that we may come humbly to God through Jesus Christ in order to receive forgiveness of sins and to receive His righteousness in order that God might accept us as His own child.


  1. How do we know it is true?

John 3:12 Isaiah 43:9-10

Matthew 26:69-75 Acts 2:36-38


We can know that the Bible is true by evaluating what the scriptures say about earthly things, such as names, places, and events, and evaluate the accuracy of these things. We can also know that the Bible is true due to the fulfillment of prophecy. It is also important to consider the actions of the Apostles before and after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.