Study Goals

1.   Teach individual how to be a Bible believing Christian.

2.   What is your final authority?—A question every Christian should ask themselves concerning all matters of Faith, Doctrine, and Morals.

3.   A Bible believing Christian is a Soul Winning Christian.

Believe the book from cover to cover

1.   The Bible is the Word of God not just a book containing the word of God. (John 5:47, 8:47, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Psalm 12:6, 119:140, Proverbs 30:5)

2.   The Bible (all 66 books) is the Plenary, Verbally, Inspired Word of God. It is Infallible!! (Acts 1:3)

A.   Plenary– Entire and without restriction, ALL. (2 Timothy 3:16)

B.   Verbally– Every WORD, not just the ideas or thoughts. (Matthew 4:4, 1 Corinthians 2:13, Proverbs 30:5) Three different times we are told NOT to tamper with God’s words: 2 Corinthians 2:17, first time in the beginning Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, again in the middle Proverbs 30:6, and at the end Revelation 22:19.

C.   Inspired– “God Breathed” Literally God breathed through the sacred writers as the penned the sacred texts and kept them from any error in transmission. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)

3.   Holy Scriptures set apart writings, this does not just refer to the original autographs.

4.   Preservation- promised both in the Old Testament (Psalm 12:6-7) and in the New Testament (Matthew 12:37, Mark 13:31). Preservation accomplished through transmission as copies are made.

5.   Inerrancy- No flaw or error in the text. This includes verbally, historically, scientifically, morally, and doctrinally what is being taught in the text.  *Note again inspiration and inerrancy does not extend to the original autographs but also to the divine manuscripts they transferred from and from them the KJV 1611 which is our English equivalent.

6.   Perspicuity- Self interpretive. No need for a private interpreter. The Holy Spirit gives us insight. (2 Peter 1:20, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 John 2:27, John 16:13)

7.   Sufficiency- All that is needed for salvation, teaching, and doctrine is contained in the Bible. There is NO outside revelation! (John 5:39, 2 Timothy 3:15-16)

7. Sufficiency (Part B) The role of Councils and Creeds

A. Councils and Creeds in the history of the Church are important in defining Biblical Doctrine and guarding the Church against certain errors. (Examples: The Athanasian Creed, The Nicene Creed, and The Apostles Creed) These were formed to define the Doctrine of The Trinity and guard it against heresies such as Dicetism, Arianism, and Sabelliansim or Modalism.

B. Councils/Creeds are not to go beyond Scripture and if/when they do they are to be rejected. Neither are they to replace Scripture or contradict Scripture.

C. Councils/Creeds are only to be a guide to help us in our understanding of Scriptural Doctrines.

D. Defining the term “Catholic” in early Creeds: Catholic mean universal; not a reference to the modern “Roman” Catholic Church started by the emperor Constantine. They took on this name at a later date to give themselves legitimacy.

8. Eternal/Indestructible Book Matthew 5:18, 24:35, 1 Peter 1:24-25, Isaiah 40:8

A. The Bible comes under more attacks than any other book in history. Examples in history:

1. Roman Emperor Diocletian in A.D. 303 declared a Royal Edict.

·        ALL Bibles to be confiscated and burned

·        Christians declared enemies of the state

·        Illegal to own or distribute Bibles

*The more Bibles Rome burned, the more God’s people produced and distributed them.

2. Example from the Bible, Jeremiah 36.

·        Baruch wrote all the Words of the Lord Jeremiah the Prophet told him to write

·        They presented them to the People and the King

·        King Jehoiakim had the roll burned in the fire

·        God told Jeremiah to write the same Words again on another roll

3. Origin of counterfeit Bibles

·        “Bible” school founded in Alexandria Egypt

·        Scholars at this school used a Allegorical method when approaching the text, not the traditional method that was literal

·        These Scholars began to change the text to fit their theology producing corrupt copies of the Bible.

·        Examples of Scholars who came out of this school are Origen and Eustebius

·        These Bibles water down or attacked the Virgin Birth, the Blood Atonement, and the Deity of Christ

·        It is from these corrupt copies that all “New Bible” translations come from today

*Look up the following passages in any new Bible: John 3:13, 1 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 7:14, 1 John 5:7, Colossians 1:14

4. The example of the Roman Catholic Church

·        For over 1,000 years they suppressed the Bible and refused to allow the common people to read or translate the Bible in the common language

·        If caught owning a copy you were fined, imprisoned, and executed

·        Church motto “Keep control of Masses by keeping them ignorant”

5. Modernism and Liberalism (Genesis 3)

·        Attacks the Authority of God’s Word

·        Replaces it with relativism and one’s own opinion

·        Satan uses this too put doubt in one’s mind on what God has said

B. The Bible is still #1 Best selling book in the World and the KJV is still at the top of the list!