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I must at the very beginning of this study that the King James Bible is the
only Bible used by Independence Baptist Church. We believe every other version
of the Bible has the wrong foundation, a foundation created by man to fulfill
the desires of man.
I. The Bible is inspired and is heavenly instruction for us.
A. II Timothy 3:16-17 – All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.
1. VERSE 16a--Paul tells Timothy that it was through the learning of
the scriptures as a child he was brought to saving knowledge through faith
in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament scriptures are meant in this verse. The
New Testament was being written at this time.
2. VERSE 16b--The Old and New Testaments are given by God and are
profitable for:
a. Doctrine...The Word doctrine means, teaching.
b. Reproof...conviction, the Word of God rebukes with such effectual
power that it is able to bring conviction of sin.
c. Correction...setting right improvement
d. Instruction...Discipline chastisement, it is used in the N. T.
especially of God’s chastisement by means of sorrow and evil.
3. VERSE 17--Two things are pointed out concerning what the Bible will
do for those who study it. It will make them:
a. Perfect...This word means complete or fitted, for special uses.
b. Thoroughly furnished...To complete or finish, the one who studies
the Word will be fitted out. Fitted out for all good works.
B. Other scriptures that teach this to be true are:
1. II Peter 1:21 – For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.
2. II Samuel 23:2 – The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his
word was in my tongue.
II. THAT IT HAS GOD FOR ITS AUTHOR, SALVATION FOR ITS END
A. John 5:39-40 – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not
come to me, that ye might have life. Jesus said to Search the
scriptures, all of them!
1. They reveal eternal life.
2. Jesus said that the Old Testament scriptures told of him.
3. People in the Old Testament were saved just like we in the New
Testament are saved: by faith in Jesus Christ.
B. Other scriptures that teach this to be true are:
1. I Peter 1:10-12 – Of which salvation the prophets have enquired
and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto
you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which
was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed,
that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which
are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire
to look into.
2. Acts 11:14 – Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all
thy house shall be saved.
3. Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for
it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek.
4. Mark 16:16 – He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.
III. The Bible is completely true.
A. Proverbs 30:5-6 – Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto
them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he
reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
1. Verse 5--The Word of God is not like the word of man. It is pure and
can be trusted.
2. Verse 6--To try and add to God’s pure Word is foolish and will
always make the one who does it a liar.
3. Other scriptures that teach this to be true are:
a. John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth.
b. Rev. 22:18-19 – For I testify unto every man that heareth the
words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and
out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this
book.
c. Romans 3:4 – God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man
a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy
sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
B. It must be noted that the Bible is "word perfect".
1. God has inspired all the words of the Bible.
2. God has preserved all the words of the Bible.
IV. The Bible reveals how God will judge us.
A. John 12:48 – He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,
hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day.
1. The very same Lord that men reject and refuse to receive will judge
them in the end.
2. Every person will be judged according to God’s Holy bible!
B. Other scriptures that teach this to be true are:
1. Romans 2:12 – For as many as have sinned without law shall also
perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged
by the law;
2. I Corinthians 4:3-4 – But with me it is a very small thing that
I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine
own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified:
but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
3. Luke 10:10-16 – But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they
receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off
against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God
is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more
tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done
in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago
repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou,
Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16
He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me;
and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
4. Luke 12:47-48 – And that servant, which knew his lord’s will,
and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more.’
V. The Bible is the center of Christian union.
A. Philippians 3:16 – Nevertheless, whereto we have already
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
1. Paul tells the local church at Philippi that if we are to have
fellowship and cooperate together we must all walk the same way and by the
same rules, we must mind the same things.
2. This is why Baptists cannot unionize or join meetings with others.
3. Only those who are willing to walk by the same rule and mind the
same things can fellowship together.
4. We must agree upon what the Word of God teaches in order to have
Christian union.
B. It is possible to have "limited" fellowship with others.
1. We can always fellowship with saved people around Jesus Christ.
2. We can fellowship with others as far as our agreement goes.
3. When we reach a point of disagreement on the word of God, our
fellowship must stop.
4. We must never compromise the word of God in order to fellowship.
VI. God's Word is the final judge of all.
A. I John 4:1 – Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out
into the world.
1. The Bible teaches God’s people to try or test the spirits to see
if they are of God or not.
2. There are many false prophets who claim God sent them.
3. How are they to be tested? By the Word of God. Isaiah 8:20 says, To
the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it
is because there is no light in them.
B. Other scriptures that teach this to be true.
1. I Thess. 5:21 – Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
2. I Corinthians 13:5 – Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
3. Acts 17:11 – These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched
the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
4. I John 4:6 – We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he
that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and
the spirit of error.
5. Jude 3-5 – Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and
exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares,
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning
the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God,
and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance,
though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out
of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6. Eph. 6:17 – And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God:
7. Psalms 119:59 – I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto
thy testimonies.
8. Philippians 1:9-11 – And this I pray, that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve
things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till
the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which
are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
C. Christ will try us by the Bible; therefore we should try others and
ourselves by the word of God.
1. John 12:48 – He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,
hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day.
2. Acts 13:46 – Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It
was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you:
but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
The Inspiration of the Scriptures
II Timothy 3:16,17 - All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.
I. Is the Bible trustworthy as a record of historical facts?
A. About a century ago critics held the Bible to be untrustworthy as
history. (Other things were also happening about 100 years ago – Darwin
and his Origin of Species was popular, and new beginnings of
psychology were beginning – to mention a few)
1. They said the four kings mentioned in Genesis 14:1 never existed,
and that the victory of the kings of the West over the kings of the East,
as described in this chapter, never occurred.
2. They denied that such a people as the Hittites ever lived.
3. Sargon, mentioned in Isaiah 20:1 as king of Assyria, was considered
a mythical character.
4. Moreover Daniel, Daniel 5:1, was supposed to be in error in
mentioning Belshazzar as a Babylonian king.
5. Typical New Testament examples of supposed historical errors:
a. Acts 13:7 – Luke’s representation of the island of Cyprus as
being ruled by a proconsul is false.
b. Luke 3:1 – Lysanias as being tetrarch of Abilene while Herod was
tetrarch of Galilee has been proved true.
6. Many today deny the Genesis account of creation, which will never be
proven or disproved by facts.
a. It is by faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of
God – Hebrews 11:3 states, Through faith we understand that the
worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen
were not made of things which do appear.
b. II Peter 3:1-7 gives a warning of scoffers in the last days.
1) Because men have rejected the historical accuracy of the Word of
God, they reject the relevancy word of God, and the accuracy of
prophecy.
2) Because men have rejected the Genesis account of creation, they
also reject the destruction of the world with water, and that this
present world will be destroyed by fire.
3) Because men have rejected God as creator and Adam as bringing
sin into the world, they reject the presence of sin and their need of
a Saviour and of Jesus who came to save.
7. Many also reject the fact that sin causes death.
a. Therefore they reject the need of a Saviour.
b. They will spend their lives futilely searching for the truth of
why we are on this earth and will spend their eternity in a burning
fiery Lake of Fire.
B. But how is it now?
1. We can say today, after far-reaching investigations concerning
ancient nations have been made, that not a single statement in the Bible
stands refuted.
2. The confident denials of early critics have been proved to be the
assumptions of ignorance.
3. Prof. A. H. Sayce, one of the most eminent of archeologists, states,
"Since the discovery of the Tel el-Amarna tablets until now great
things have been brought out by archeology, and every one of them has been
in harmony with the Bible, while nearly every one of them has been dead
against the assertions of the destructive critics."
4. Some years ago the United Press broadcasted the testimony of A. S.
Yahuda, formerly Professor of Biblical History at the University of Berlin
and later of Semitic Languages at the University of Madrid, to the effect
that every archeological discovery of Palestine and Mesopotamia of the
Bible period bears out the historical accuracy of the Bible.
II. Inspiration is concerning only the original.
A. The original is what God inspired.
1. God has the original Bible in heaven just like the original
tabernacle is in heaven.
2. Moses made the tabernacle after the pattern in heaven.
3. One of these days God will compare all these modern man-made bibles
with the one he has in heaven.
4. All that are wrong will be thrown out, and those people that have
added to or taken away from his word will be justly punished.
B. All the copies of the verbally inspired Word of God are the inspired
Word of God.
1. It is not wrong to say that copies of the Bible are verbally
inspired because they are the Word of God.
2. It is very technical, and somewhat silly, to make a difference
between the verbally inspired original and the verbally inspired copies.
3. The copies of the Word of God are inspired because God preserves
them.
4. If God did not preserve his original inspired Bible, we do not have
the Bible today.
III. How was the Bible inspired?
A. God revealed to men what to write.
1. I Chronicles 28:11-13 - King Solomon understood the prophecies about
the temple by studying. Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern
of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof,
and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and
of the place of the mercy seat, 12 And the pattern of all that he had by
the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the
chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the
treasuries of the dedicated things: 13 Also for the courses of the priests
and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the
LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.
2. I Chronicles 28:19 - God’s spirit allowed David to understand the
pattern of the temple. All this, said David, the LORD made me
understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this
pattern.
3. Revelation 1:11 - The voice of God told John to write the things
unto the seven churches. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and
the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the
seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto
Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and
unto Laodicea.
4. Revelation 1:19 – John was told to write down the things (1) thou
hast seen (2) the things which are, and (3) the things which shall be
hereafter. (This is a vision of the Lord.)
5. Exodus 20:1 – And God spake all these words, saying… God
gave the law to Moses, writing the Ten Commandments on tables of stone,
and speaking the rest to Moses.
6. Daniel 9:20-23 – The angel Gabriel spoke to Daniel, giving him
understanding about the vision he had seen, which thing Daniel wrote down
for us.
B. The divine origin and authority of the Word of God is not to be
affirmed so as to exclude or impair the reality of the human authorship, and
the peculiarities resulting there from. The Bible is God’s Word to man,
throughout; yet at the same time it is really and thoroughly a man’s
composition. No attempt should be made-and we shall certainly make none-to
set aside or ignore the human element of the Scriptures, which is
unmistakably apparent on their very face; no one should wish to so magnify
the divine as to crowd this out, or almost out.
1. Sometimes, it may be frankly conceded, zeal for the divine authority
and inerrancy of the Scriptures may have led to untenable theories and
modes of expression, that have rather obscured the truth. To say, e. g.,
that the writers were mere passive instruments in the hand of the Spirit,
or at best amanuenses writing to dictation – to adopt, in other words,
the mechanical theory, is unwarranted and mischievous. It is no part of
the doctrine, and has never been generally held
2. Daniel 12:5-13 – Daniel did not understood what he had written.
See also Daniel 9:20-23 where the angel Gabriel explained to Daniel what
he had seen.
a. Many authors of the Bible did understand what they had written,
such as Paul, Peter, and John, so forth.
b. Some of the writers did not understand, such as Daniel, John the
Revelator, so forth.
IV. Proofs of divine revelation.
A. Paul Affirmed that he used Words taught him by the Holy Spirit.
1. In 1 Corinthians 2:13, in referring to the things he knew through
the Holy Spirit, he said: Which things we speak, not in the words which
man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth.
2. This is a positive affirmation on the part of Paul that he was not
left to himself in the selection of words.
B. Peter Affirmed the Verbal Inspiration of his Own and Other Apostle’s
Writings.
1. II Peter 3:1,2, Peter puts his own and other apostles writings on a
level with the Old Testament Scriptures.
2. II Peter 1:15,16, Peter puts the writings of Paul and the other
apostles on a level with the Old Testament Scriptures.
3. Acts 1:16, Since Peter believed the Old Testament Scriptures to be
verbally inspired it follows, therefore, that he considered the writings
of himself and those of other apostles as being verbally inspired. Men
and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the
Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was
guide to them that took Jesus.
C. Quotations in the New Testament from the Old Testament prove the
Verbal Inspiration of New Testament Writers.
1. Luke 1:70 – Luke affirmed that the Lord spoke by the mouth of the
holy prophets.
2. Hebrews 1:1 – The writer to the Hebrews affirms the same thing.
3. Acts 1:16 - Peter affirmed that the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth
of David.
4. Gal. 3:16 - Paul’s argument implies verbal inspiration.
5. Fulfilled prophecy is proof of verbal inspiration. Passages in proof
of this are too numerous to need mentioning.
6. Jesus affirmed the verbal inspiration of the scriptures.
a. John 10:35 – Jesus said: The Scripture cannot be broken, by
which he meant that its meaning cannot be loosed nor its truthfulness
destroyed
b. Meaning and truth are dependent upon words for expression.
c. Infallible meaning is impossible without infallible words.
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