How We Got the Bible

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How We Got the Bible

• The Bible What is it?

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What is the Bible?

• Collection of myths?
• Compilation of philosophical treatises?
• Handbook of ancient proverbs?
• Testimony of the religious sensibility of its day?

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The Claims of the Bible

• Were these men honest, yet deceived?
• Were they dishonest in the claims they made?
• Or, were they writing the actual word of God for
  mankind?

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Bible The Divine Library

• 66 books
• 40 writers
• 1500 years
• 3 languages

• 2.4 billion (1816-1975)
• Translated into 242 lang.
• 1157 partial

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Impact upon Mankind

• Literature
• Science
• Art
• Culture

• Archaeology
• Morality
• Government
• Laws

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Impact upon Mankind
In fact, nearly half of all the famous paintings
in the National Gallery of Art in Washington,
D.C. are based on the Bible. Take away from the
libraries of the world all the books which deal
directly or indirectly with the Bible and you
would destroy our very best reading materials.
(Simple Studies in Christian Evidences, Rubel
Shelly, p. 42)
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Its Survival is Remarkable

• Antiochus Epiphanes, 175 BC
• Diocletian, 303 AD
• Voltaire, 18th century
• And only 50 years after his death, the Geneva
  Bible Society used his press and house to produce
  stacks of Bible. (Geisler Nix)

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The Bibles Claims

• Originated from God
• Scripture (writings) 2 Tim. 316
• Old Testament 2 Tim. 315 Acts 738 Rom. 32
• New Testament 1 Tim. 518 2 Pet. 315-16 1
  Cor. 1437

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The Bibles Claims

• Inspired by God
• (God-breathed) - 2 Tim.316 2 Pet. 120-21
• What it says of Scripture is, not that it is
  breathed into by God or the product of the
  Divine inbreathing into its human authors, but
  that it is breathed out by God, God-breathed,
  the product of the creative breath of God. (B.
  B. Warfield)

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The Bibles Claims

• Verbally inspired word of God - 1 Ths. 213
• Thus says the Lord gt2,000 times
• Spirit of God spoke in men Matt. 2243 2 Sam.
  231-2 Jer. 19 101-2

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The Bibles Claims

• Verbal Inspiration is the work of God through
  the Holy Spirit so directing men in their choice
  of the subject matter and in their choice of
  words that their writings contain, written
  accurately, exactly what God desired, and all
  that He desired, them to contain. It is the
  doctrine of the superintendence, or guidance
  that is, God so guided in the writing of the
  books of the Bible that the words are His words
  in the style of the writers. Verbal Inspiration
  is the opposite of Inspired Concepts.
• (H. S. Miller, General Biblical Introduction, p.
  24)

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In 1967, Jeffry Haddon sent a questionnaire to
10,000 Protestant ministers. He received 7,444
replies compiled the results. (Christianity
Today, October 13, 1967). Do you
believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is
a historical fact? Do you believe in the virgin
birth of Jesus Christ as a biological miracle?
Do you believe in the existence of Satan of
demonic powers? Do you believe the Bible is the
inspired word of God, literally?
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Bible is Satan Christ is
God all-
totally is real sinless
powerful
accurate

Creator all adults 41 27
40 69 Adventist 64
37 45 76 Asmb of God
77 56 70
96 Baptist 66 34
55 85 Catholics 26
17 33 70 Ch of Christ
57 36 54
80 Episcopal 22 20 28
59 Lutheran 34 21
33 72 Methodist 38
18 33 73
Pentecostal/ 81 47 73
90 Foursquare Presbyterian 40
22 45 76


(Barna Research Group,
Ltd.,Ventura, CA, www.barna.org)
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The Bibles Claims

• Verbally inspired word of God - 1 Ths. 213
• Thus says the Lord 2,000 times in OT
• Spirit of God spoke in men Matt. 2243 2 Sam.
  231-2 Jer. 19 101-2

Zechariah 712 1 Corinthians 210-13
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The Bibles Claims

• Meet Mans Needs 2 Tim. 316
• Salvation from sin
• Profitable, beneficial, thoroughly furnished unto
  every good work
• Relevant and Powerful Heb. 412
• Living words, not dead letters

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Our Respect for the Scriptures

• Authority of Scripture John 1030-38
• Cannot be deprived of its binding authority over
  us!
• Letter perfect! - Matt. 517-18
• Confidence in the accuracy of Scripture
• All, even to the tense of verbs! - Luke 2425,
  27, 44 Matt. 2231-32
• It is written Luke 1025-26

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What is the Bible?

• The very word of God
• Greatest book ever written
• How we use it affects our salvation (2 Peter
  316-18)

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