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Scripture

 

          We believe that all Scripture[1] of the Complete Old[2] and New Testaments,[3] in all its words and thoughts,[4] is the God-breathed Word of God, the complete “canon,” and are to be regarded as the books belonging to the Bible.[5] Consequently, these writings are infallible, without error, free from all falsehood and mistakes,[6] and are inerrant to the original documents.[7] They are not only pure,[8] but they are also purifying.[9] Since Holy men[10] communicated their truth as they were “carried along by the Holy Spirit,”[11] they are considered the ultimate authority and standard of truth,[12] faith,[13] and practice,[14] an all-sufficient source of wisdom[15] and counsel[16] for all true believers.[17] Therefore, believers are exhorted to avoid the “counsel of the ungodly[18]” and the “wisdom of men[19]” obtained in humanistic psychology and psychotherapy.[20]

          We believe that no part of Scripture contradicts any other part of Scripture.[21] It is preserved as an unblemished set of scrolls throughout the ages.[22] Its content is not to be added to,[23] superseded, corrected, contradicted, or changed by any man,[24] later tradition,[25] churches, councils,[26] creeds,[27] or revelations,[28] and that, all doctrinal declarations are subordinate to the authority of Scripture itself.[29] Although heaven and earth will “pass away,” God’s Word will endure forever,[30] accomplishing the task God ordained.[31]

          We believe that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture, correctly interpreted, is to disbelieve or disobey God Himself, for God and His Word are one.[32] Scripture is intended for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.[33] It contains the universal will of God for believers everywhere, giving man light for his daily path[34] and enabling man to become wise for salvation through faith that’s in Christ Jesus.[35]

          We believe since error results from a poor knowledge of Scripture,[36] it is considered a noble task to examine the Scriptures daily.[37] In fact, it is most profitable for a person to study, ponder, and meditate upon the Scriptures both day and night and diligently teach the same to his children.[38] However, like the two on the Emmaus Road, all true spiritual comprehension and application of it depends upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit, for the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit, being folly to him.[39] Moreover, we are exhorted to pray that God would quicken our minds to understand His Word.[40] If interpreted correctly, the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ will be seen throughout its writings,[41] for it is truthful regarding the doctrine of salvation.[42]

          We believe that although inscripturated revelation no longer occurs,[43] normative revelation, that is, illuminative,[44] non-canonical,[45] and informational revelation, continues to this day.[46]

          We believe Scripture is truthful regarding the six days of creation,[47] history,[48] and science.[49]

 

References

 

[1]   Scripture: (ἡ γραφή, hē graphḗ, plural αἱ γραφαί, hai graphaí): In its primary sense, a writing, or anything written.

[2]   Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel (1 Kingdoms), 2 Samuel (2 Kingdoms), 1 Kings (3 Kingdoms), 2 Kings (4 Kingdoms), 1 Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon), 2 Chronicles (2 Paraleipomeno), The Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Ezra (1 Esdras), 2 Ezra (2 Esdras), Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, IV Maccabees, Psalms (151 in Number), Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Lamentation of Jeremiah, Epistle of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, “Susanna” is at the beginning of Daniel, “Bel and the Serpent” at the end. Also includes the “Hymn of the Three Young Men.”

[3]   The New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.

[4]   Psalm 33:11: The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations

[5]   The Bible: (τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, "the books"): For our purpose, this includes the entire individual books which make up Scripture of the Old and New Testaments.

[6]   Psalm 12:6; 19:7; Proverbs 30:5; John 10:35

[7]   Infallible: not capable of erring; entirely exempt from liability to mistake. It should be kept in mind that when we refer to the infallibility of Scripture, that means, strictly speaking, the Scriptures as they were originally written, or the autographs, as they are called. And those original Scriptures, those autographs, we do not have any more.

[8]   Psalm 12:6 (טָהוֹר ṭā·hôr: Clean, Pure and Flawless.

[9]   John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26

[10] Holy: (ἅγιος hágios: set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his). God in His work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared

[11] Men communicated through the means of the Holy Spirit God’s Word - 2 Peter 1:21a, The Greek phrase here is ὑπὸ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου φερόμενος  (hupo Pneumatos Hagiou pheromenos) and means “borne along, moved, influenced” by the Holy Ghost. Through this process of inspiration, a supernatural power was exerted by the Holy Spirit which governed and directed them to write the very words of God, without error. This is not to deny that each of the biblical writers had a distinctive style and vocabulary, but it is to affirm that the divine superintendence was such that the end product was the very Word of God, and as such, absolute and pure truth (Romans 3:2; 1 Corinthians 14:37).

[12] John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13

[13] Romans 10:13-17

[14] Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4

[15] Proverbs 2:6

[16] Psalm 33:11; 73:24; Proverbs 8:14

[17] 1 John 5:3

[18] Psalm 1:1; 33:10; 106:13: 107:11; Proverbs 1:25, 30

[19] 1 Corinthians 1:20; 2:4-6; 13, 3:19; Colossians 2:2-3

[20] Colossians 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-9

[21] Psalm 19:7-9; Hebrews 6:17-18

[22] Deuteronomy 31:11; Psalm 12:5-7; 111:7-8; 119:152; Isa 40:8; 59:21; Matthew 5:17, 18; Act 15:21; Romans 3:1-4; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 1:23

[23] Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:6

[24] Martin Luther took out some of the books of the Bible that both the Western and Eastern churches in his day were still using while ignoring some more books of the Bible that were only being used by the Eastern Church.

[25] Colossians 2:8; Matthew 15:6-9; Mark 7:8. Some use tradition to supersede Scriptural truth.

[26] Some use Church councils supersede Scriptural truth.

[27] Some use creeds as their final authority for understanding Scripture truth.

[28] Some use “new revelations” to redefine Scriptural truth.

[29] We teach that all doctrinal statements must remain subordinate to Scriptural truth (Prima Scriptura).

[30] Matthew 25:35

[31] Isaiah 55:11

[32] John 1:1; Revelation 19:13

[33] 2 Timothy 3:16

[34] Psalm 119:106

[35] 2 Timothy 3:15

[36] Mat. 22:29; Mk. 12:24

[37] Acts 17:11

[38] Deuteronomy 6:6-7

[39] 1 Corinthians 2:14; Luke 24:25-27

[40]  Ps. 119:18, 27, 34

[41] John 5:39, 46 Ps. 40:7; Hebrews 10:7

[42] Psalm 119:60; 2 Samuel 7:28

[43] God no longer gives Inscripturated Revelation, that is, revelation that demands a place alongside the already established canon, “the more sure Word of Prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19-21). The canon was completed with the book of Revelation. Revelation 22:18-19

[44] Illuminative Revelation: “revelation” (apokalupsis) in Ephesians 1:17 and Philippians 3:15 is being used in the sense of Illumination.

[45] Examples of non-canonical revelation would include:  Numbers 11:24-30; 1 Samuel 10:10-11; 1 Samuel 19:18-24; 1 Chronicles 25:1-8; Acts 2:18; 15:32; 21:9; Acts 12:6; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10; 13:2, 9; 14:1, 24, 31, 39; 1 Timothy 4:14; (These demonstrate that there is a revelation that does not have the same authority as the canon of Scripture, but is still available to the believer).

[46] 1 Corinthians 1:5-7

[47] Genesis 1:31; Exodus 31:17

[48] Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18

[49] Again - Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18

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