Core Beliefs:
Our Holy Scriptures – The Bible
Through the sands of time, God has used men/people to chronicle history (mostly of the Children of Israel), from the beginning of time to near the end of the first century A. D. In this article, I will attempt to show you how we can know that the Holy Bible is our Word from God that we can hold to be true and infallible so that we can use it and ONLY IT as our road map through life.
The Holy Bible is compiled of 66 books, ranging from Genesis to Revelations, including the Old Testament and the New Testament. We hold that the WHOLE Bible has been compiled by men by the inspiration of God to become the Holy Bible that we hold today.
The Scripture is Verbally Inspired Directly BY God:
Verbally – Verbal means that every word of Scripture is God-given. The idea is that every single word in the Bible is there because God wanted it there.
Plenary – Plenary means that all parts of the Bible are equally authoritative. This includes such things as the genealogies of the Old Testament. All parts of the Bible are of divine origin. Jesus said:
Luke 16:17; “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
Paul wrote: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
After having that said, I want to emphasize that Scripture contains the exact words, forms of words, and wording that God desired. The fact that a certain word in Scripture is found in the singular rather than the plural is all part of the divine work. Everything in Scripture is there because God wanted it to be.
II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
It is important to emphasize that the Bible contains the exact wording that God wanted. When the Holy Spirit worked with the various writers of Scripture He moved them in a mysterious way to bring about exactly what God wanted to say. We have to remember that the inspired words of God are the words that are found in the original manuscripts.
There are many different translations and interpretations today that do NOT convey the words and thoughts that God had in mind when they were originally given. When choosing a translation that is more “inspired” than the rest, you need to look at the texts and compare them to the original GREEK (New Testament) and HEBREW (Old Testament). There were no original texts that were written in Aramaic or Latin except for several chapters in Daniel and a brief passage in Ezra, which were written in Aramaic. These were later translated and, in a lot of cases, adulterated by “not-so-inspired” men that did not believe that God had a reason for putting certain words in certain places. They changed words, removed words and added words to be able to meet their agenda. DO NOT be deceived by these translations. Other supporting scriptures include; I Corinthians 2:13; II Peter 1:19-21; Titus 1:2, 3; Hebrews 6:18).
God’s Word has been preserved down through the ages.
God’s Word is important enough to Him that He would go to any extreme to preserve His Word so that it will say the same thing now as it did 4000 years ago (the originals – not in some translated manuscripts). We have available to us now, the same truths that the Hebrew children memorized in Torah school and knew by memory by the time they were adults. In Matthew 5:18 Jesus says, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus also says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away”. And in I Peter 1:25 it says, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you”.
God, Himself, has vowed that absolutely nothing, even the end of the heavens and earth, would change His words and that they would be preserved, or stay the same, from the time they were written down the first time to the end of the heavens and earth. Other supporting scriptures: Psalm 12:6, 7; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 19:8; Psalm 119:140; Matthew 24:35; Luke 16:17; Revelation 22:18, 19; Deuteronomy 12:32.
The Bible is Truth without any error whatsoever (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18, 19).
It is the complete and final revelation of the Will of God to humanity (Deuteronomy 12:32, Revelations 22:18, 19).
The Purpose of the “Testaments”
In the Old Testament, we see allusions to the coming of a new testament or covenant to mankind. That being the case, we can see that God never intended for the Old Testament (the Law) to be the final testament or covenant.
The Old Testament was incomplete in the fact that it never provided a way to forgive our sins and to provide a way for us to be able to spend eternity with God in Heaven:
Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Hebrews 10:2 “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Hebrews 10:3 “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
The Old Testament foretold the coming of a new testament:
Galatians 3:19; “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3:20; “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Galatians 3:21; “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Galatians 3:22; “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Galatians 3:23; “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Galatians 3:24; “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
The Old Testament foretold of the coming of a Messiah which will provide permanent forgiveness of sins:
Isaiah 53:10; “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:11; “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Galatians 3:25; “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”
A final way for mankind to obtain final absolution from our sins:
God, through His Holy Scriptures, has provided a final way for mankind to obtain final absolution from our sins through the sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and His shed blood on the cross:
Acts 5:31 “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins”.
Acts 13:38; “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Acts 13:39; “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.”
Ephesians 1:7; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Colossians 1:14; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
God has provided a final sacrifice from our sins:
The next statement is made referring to Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 10:9; “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Hebrews 10:10; “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:26; “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”.
The New Testament became the fulfillment of the Law by the shed blood of Christ Jesus, His death, burial and ultimate resurrection. Other supporting scriptures: Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 9:15, 20; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 30:5,6; Isaiah 8:20; II Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:18, 19.
The Bible is Truth without any error whatsoever. As we have seen above, if the scriptures were given by God verbal plenarily, and if He has preserved it through the ages, then there is no way the scriptures can change from being the Truth and, as such, would continue to be without errors. (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18-19)
It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, Christian unity, creeds, philosophies and opinions must be tried:
We have seen that the Word of God (Scripture/Bible) has been inspired by God and that it is perfect in all that it says. God gave us His Law that gives us a guideline for personal activity – what should be done or not, and if something should not be done what the consequences would be if it is done and sometimes it will tell us that if we actually do something that is good, what the reward will be.
God has given us the ability to choose in all aspects of life. He has given us these guidelines and tells us the good and the bad of things and lets us make the choice from there. He then tells us what will happen if we make the wrong choice or what the blessing will be if the correct choice is made.
There are more verses through the Bible giving us these guidelines than I can even begin to list. Here are just a few for you:
Proverbs 28:26; “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12; “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1 Thessalonians 5:13; “And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:14; “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:15; “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:16; “Rejoice evermore.
1 Thessalonians 5:17; “Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18; “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:19; “Quench not the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:20; “Despise not prophesying (Teachings).
1 Thessalonians 5:21; “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:22; “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
This list covers almost everything regarding human behavior. If it isn’t written here, it is implied within at least one of them.
It is the only unerring canon that determines truth:
Deuteronomy 4:1; “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Deuteronomy 4:2; “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you”.
Deuteronomy 17:19; “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them”:
Psalm 119:11; “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”.
Psalm 119:105; “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”.
Romans 15:4; “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope”.
Hebrews 4:12; “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.
These scriptures, as well as many prior to this, are excellent statements that prove that the canon of the scriptures (66 books) is the truth. Yes, there are many books, many authors and many different statements within the Book, but these scriptures have been studied by scientists to verify the manuscripts are from the time period that it would have been written in, scholars have studied the words, statements, phraseology, writing styles, etc. to verify that the works were written by ONE true Author – God – at the hands of humans. The true manuscripts have been vetted and the false (non-Spirit inspired) manuscripts weeded out so that we finally end up with the final 66 books. All prophesies made that were to have been fulfilled, have been fulfilled when they were supposed to be fulfilled, save the ones that are still yet to be fulfilled regarding the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ.
We also have to remember that if there were any one place in the Book (The Holy Bible – all 66 books) that contradicts another place/statement therein, then we could not trust anything within the Bible to be true. If there were any inconsistencies within the covers of the Bible, then we would not be able to trust ANY other words in the Bible to be true.
We have to believe all of the Bible or none of it at all.
©2012 Mark Davis
Christians Are Us 
DO NOT ERR
/ January 14, 2013Excellent post on the Bible, However – I wont but you- you never named the Bible you were referring to. the AV 1611 has the fruits, all others have brought in our Laodician church age. If you believe this then get in the fight and name it, If not why not?
your friend, lpb
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Christians Are Us
/ January 14, 2013That’s a great question, Larry (and thank you for the compliment). I didn’t refer to the version for a few reasons. On separate groups, I have gotten into discussion and arguments with some who are KJVO’s and some who are not defending the KJV stance. I usually don’t argue regarding the version of KJV that is used, mostly because I’m not an authority on that subject and I won’t get myself willingly into a hole that I can’t dig out of with God’s help. I know differences between KJV and other versions and can point them out pretty quickly. Personally, I like to go by the KJV (red letter – which I haven’t found in AV 1611) and compare that to the original Greek and Hebrew. I will not recognize any version that is based on the TR or Aramaic versions. After that, I find that my efforts are being used up and I need to focus my energy on trying to convert non-Christians to becoming Christians and discipling those who are already.
My audience in this blog is mostly people who are young Christians who are just coming into Christianity and then you try to throw a verse like, for instance, John 3:16 “For God so loued ye world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.” It kind of makes them wonder if we are still in Jamestown with the Pilgrims or something. The regular KJV is hard enough for most people to be able to understand but it is reliable for our purpose, here, to still be able to use with authority. It has nothing to do with whether I think it is right or wrong. You will notice that at least 99.9% of the time, I use the KJV in my writings. I think I can remember maybe one time that I used something else because it used a word that was a bit more descriptive in that case (I forget where it is).
I will say, regarding my Bible post (above), that I wish I could just write a book on it because there is so much more that could be written. But, the basis for this post is to establish the inerrant nature of God’s Word, the Bible, so that we are able to base all other beliefs, doctrines, etc. off of, otherwise we have no basis for our faith.
You must also notice that there are those of other “faiths” who venture in to Christians Are Us blog and when they might see something so “different” in language to modern english, we just lost them… With that statement I don’t want it to be thought that I am of wavering faith/beliefs, it’s just that I need to have something that the every-day person can understand (much like Jesus speaking to the children – no insult intended to anyone).
My blog is young, and as such, I need to fill it with worthy material for the subject at hand and, since I don’t have 300 documents already written and formatted to be able to just hit the ground running, I have to devote a large amount of time in preparing these documents for production, not to mention all of the research and compiling of the text. I don’t count comments as a waste of time, as this might sound, but also don’t want to spend hours in a day trying to answer questions and researching other subjects that really aren’t relevant to the subject matter. Although, sometimes I could take questions like that and prepare a total separate document on it – so it gives me “ammunition” for future posts. I thoroughly love to try to teach those who are thirsty and eager to learn God’s Word.
I have had things come up where a person was just coming up with things to say that were just off enough to where I couldn’t just let them slide so I had to set him straight. In doing that, it took me 2.5 days to finally stop writing him. I was making myself sick – literally – so I had to rest and recover. All said and done, the person cost me at least a week’s production on my blog and I really don’t feel that he was moved at all.
I hope that clarifies the mud…? M
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marcusampe
/ November 28, 2012Already before Mozes there where different gods and ‘god’ meant a person of higher sanding or higher quality. Also today many people are using the word god in that way and speak for example of the god Maradonna.
In older manuscripts than those of Moses and not religious writings but notations of speeches of those higher persons we can already find this plural form when those important people where speaking. In a way it has nothing to do with Latin and can be found in many languages. In several languages, like Dutch it is still the custom, so the king of Belgium or the queen of the Netherlands shall say ‘We king of the Belgians” or “We Queen of Holland”. A CEO also shall say “We do find” instead of “I do find”. He like the king and queen is only one person and not more than one united in one. Also the father speaking in name of the family shall say “we” though he shall not be at the same time the father, the mother and the son or the daughter. they are all different personalities like the son is lower than the Father (John 14:28) and the Father stays the one in charge (1Corinthians 11:3) and Him belongs everything, so that at the end the son even gives everything back to the Father (John 20:17; 1Corinthians 15:28). The son can not do anything without his Father (John 5:19)
Jesus is an important person and as such may be a god, but that does not elevate him to being the God of gods, Jehovah.
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marcusampe
/ November 27, 2012Congratulations for the lovely article.
You wrote: “The fact that a certain word in Scripture is found in the singular rather than the plural is all part of the divine work.” But it is also a matter of linguistics of the writers who wrote it down. As such the Pluralis Majestatis is being used when the Highest is speaking. http://broedersinchristus.wordpress.com/2007/02/09/pluralis-majestatis-in-the-holy-scriptures/
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Christians Are Us
/ November 28, 2012Marcus,
Referring to the fact that you are using latin in your post, leads me to believe that you are referring to the latin vulgate translation of the Bible. My point of reference is the text that came long before latin was ever invented. My reference is to the original Greek (Old Testament) and Hebrew (New Testament) texts.
I understand that Kings liked to think of themselves as also a deity at times, therefore we get the plural reference due to the one instance of “him” as the human version and the second the divine.
Genesis 1:26 is the first mention of God being more than one “being” — “Let US make man in OUR image”. There are other occurrences of the same words/language being used just in the book of Genesis but it is continued into the rest of the Bible. What I’m trying to say here is that Moses was the author of the first 5 books of the Bible and had no idea of what latin might be 4000 years later (about). **BTW – most times when we hear/see references given in latin, it usually has to do with the catholic church. The catholic church has been known to pervert some of their translations of the Bible.**
So, to answer to your statement, the fact that the statement “US” and “OUR” is given in Genesis and elsewhere is a literal statement.
Something else to keep in mind: In Gen. 1:2 there is the mention that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”. That is the “Spirit of God”. We know that the word God implies “God the Father”. In Gen 1:26 it says “Let US make man in OUR image” demands the fact that God holds a form or image or a body. Through the Old Testament there are records of Incarnations of Jesus Christ prior to His birth. God does have an image and it is revealed to us in the form of Jesus Christ. This is the first implication of “The Trinity” or the “Triune Godhead”. I could go on further here but that would defeat my purpose of writing an article on the Trinity.
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