BIBLIOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
Meaning of Bibliology: The term Bibliology (from Greek biblios meaning “book”) refers to the
study of the nature of the Bible as revelation.
The Bible is our source of knowledge about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, and eternity. Without a
proper view of the Bible, our views on these and other issues become clouded and distorted.
Bibliology tells us what the Bible is.
Common questions that Bibliology answers are:
 How can we say that Bible is truly God’s word?
 Are there any errors, contradictions, discrepancies in the Bible?
 Is Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do?
 What do we mean when we say that Bible is “Inspired”?
 How the Bible came into being in its present form? How it was decided what belongs to
the Bible?

Bibliology teaches us that the Bible is inspired, meaning it is "breathed out" by God. A proper
Bibliology holds to the inerrancy of Scripture—that the Bible does not contain any errors,
contradictions, or discrepancies. Bibliology helps us to understand how God used the
personalities and styles of the human authors of Scripture and still produced His Word and
exactly what He wanted to be said. Bibliology enables us to know, how we get the Bible that we
have today, How some books became part of the Bible while may others excluded.
A key Scripture on Bibliology is 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
 THE AUTHORITY OF BIBLE
How can we say that Bible is truly God’s word?

Ponder on these questions:

 What do we mean by Authority?
 What we mean when we say Bible is authoritative word of God?
 How can we be sure Bible is the word of God?
 Does Bible itself claim any authority?

The Meaning of Authority

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘Authority’ as:
 power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior
 someone in command
 convincing force
 someone or something appealed to as expert
The word authority is a word that is closely linked with trust. Authority may be placed in
someone because of the status the person holds in society, because of the position they hold or
due to their wisdom. But ultimately authority is related to trust. If we don’t trust someone, we
shall not believe him/her and shall be reluctant to submit to his/her authority.
If it is a document, then it does not derive its authority from its own trustworthiness, but
ultimately from the trustworthiness of the author of the document. We believe the newspaper
because we believe the source of information to be trustworthy. We submit to the authority of a
court order because we believe in the authority of the Judge. In the same way, Bible does not
derive its authority from its own trustworthiness but from the trustworthiness of God, who
speaks through it.

Bible as Authoritative Word of God

The basic trustworthiness of the Bible as the Word of God is commonly known as “infallibility”.
The word “infallible” means “incapable of deceiving of making a mistake”. Bible is infallible
means that “God’s word is non-deceptive and unfailing.” It does not deceive or mislead, for it is
the utterance of God, “who does not lie” (Titus 1:2).
God is trustworthy and He has provided us in Scripture a trustworthy way of knowing Him and
His plans for our lives. The doctrine of infallibility is linked to the doctrine of “inspiration”.
Scripture is regarded as infallible only as much God is the source of the one who inspires it. Paul
states: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness… " (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The doctrine of inspiration is dealt separately in
details.
Another important doctrine linked to infallibility is the doctrine of “Inerrancy” of Bible. In fact
as stated earlier, infallible means “incapable of making mistake”. This doctrine states that the
scripture is free from error in all its teachings and affirmations, because it is in its entirety the
product of an infinite, all wise, and all powerful God who cannot err. The Bible itself claims to be
perfect:
 “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified
seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
“The law of the Lord is perfect” (Psalm 19:7).
“Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5 KJV).
However, establishing the authority of Bible become little difficult, because it is the only
authoritative source of knowing its divine author i.e., God. Bible is the only way through which
we can establish the authority of God. And how can we establish the authority of Bible? From
the authority of God Himself whose authority can only be understood from the Bible. Now, isn’t
that a circular argument? Moreover, such claims can be and are made for other religious texts
such as Quran, Bhagwat Gita or the Book of Mormons. So, it become imperative that the
authority of Bible be established using eternal arguments and evidences, that are not from the
Bible.

Arguments and Evidences for Authority of Bible as God’s Word

The Biblical authority had been attacked in the past and more so in the recent times. Its historic
and scientific reliability has been challenged. Many parts of the Bible are termed as mythology.
Its teachings allegedly tracked to fallible human sources. It is also argued by some that Bible has
been corrupted, portions had been added later and so on. This way both the inspiration and the
inerrancy of the Bible had been under attack. Here we look at arguments outside the claim of
Bible that affirms the Bible has a divine source and it is inerrant.

The Argument from the Indestructibility of the Bible

The survival of the Bible through the ages is very difficult to explain if it is not in truth the Word
of God. A very small percentage of books survive more than twenty years, a yet smaller
percentage last a hundred years and only a very insignificant fraction which have lived a
thousand years. Several attempts have been made to destroy the Bible such as:

 Diocletian, a Roman emperor ordered by a royal edict in 303AD destruction of all Bibles
and kill any Christian. For a time being he believed that he had succeeded.
 Roman Catholic church took Bible away from common people. Any common person
found to be in procession of Bible was killed. It is only after reformation Bible returned
in the hands of common people.
 Volataire (1694- 1778) a noted French writer, historian and philosopher predicted that
in 100 years from his time Christianity would be extinct. Much of our modern
scholarship is engaged in the work of seeking to destroy faith in the Divine inspiration
and authority of the Bible.
Yet the Bible continues to exists and remains the most published and read book, indicating that
like its Author it is indestructible.

Argument from Unity of Bible

Although written by some forty different authors over a period of about 1600 years, the Bible is
one book. It has one doctrinal system, one moral standard, one plan of salvation, one program of
the ages. Its several accounts of the same incidents or teachings are not contradictory, but
supplementary.
Law and grace are seen to harmonize when one understands the exact nature and purpose of
each. The accounts of wicked men and nations are inoffensive and even helpful if one notices
that they are recorded to be condemned.
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit finds its harmonization in the progressive character of the
revelation of this truth.
In contrast to the Mohammedan, Zoroastrian, Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, which are for the
most part collections of heterogeneous materials without beginning, middle, or end, the Bible is
an amazingly unified whole.
In view of the contents and unity of the Bible we are obliged to conclude that God is the divine
author and it is written by divine revelation. No men could have originated such a world and life
view and set it forth in such a harmonious and self-consistent form.

Argument of Influence
We cannot deny that Bhagwat Gita and other Hindu literatures, Quran, classics of Confucius, etc.
have influenced the world. However, their influence has been only restricted to moral and
conduct. It cannot compare with the impact and influence of the Bible.
Bible has produced the highest results in all walks of life. It has led to the highest type of
creations in the fields of art, architecture, literature, and music. The fundamental laws of the
nations have been influenced; great social reforms have been made. Moreover, it had a
regenerating effect on millions of people worldwide. No other book compares with it in its
beneficent influence upon mankind. Surely, this is proof of its being the revelation of God to
needy humanity.

Evidences of Historicity of the Bible

Many scholars and even theologian have attempted to discredit the Bible by calling it a
mythology. However, unlike mythology Bible has a historical framework, that has many
confirmations in sciences such as biology, geology, astronomy, and archaeology.
 Bible mentions Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, Cyrus, Herod, Felix, Pilate, and many
other historical figures. Its history coincides with that of many nations, including the
Egyptian, Hittite, Persian, Babylonian, and Roman empires. The events of the Bible take
place in geographical areas such as Canaan, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and others. All
this certifiable detail proves the historicity of the Bible.
 Archeology has been proving the Bible since last couple of centuries. Just one example:
at one time, skeptics used the Bible’s references to the Hittite civilization as “proof” that
the Bible was a myth, as according to science of the day, such civilization did not exist.
However, in 1876, after a series of discoveries, the existence of the ancient Hittite
civilization is well documented. There exists today not one unquestionable find of
archaeology that proves the Bible to be in error at any point.
 Even the “miraculous” occurrences of Genesis have evidential basis. Ancient Babylonian
records describe a confusion of language, Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). These same
records describe a worldwide flood, an event present in literally hundreds of forms in
cultures all over the world. The sites where Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) once sat
have been found, displaying evidence of fiery and violent destruction by Sulphur and
Brimstone.
  Bible is written as history. Luke wrote his Gospel after careful investigation (Luke 1:1-
4). And Luke also includes miracle in his account. By the way, Luke has been described
as a first-rate historian for his attention to detail and accurate reporting.
 People and events in the gospel account corroborates with extra-biblical records and
documents of the time. Even in pleading the historicity of Resurrection, Paul appeals to
the eye-witnesses, many of them who were still alive at that time (1 Cor. 15:7).

Argument of Fulfilled Prophesies

the Bible contains an astounding number of fulfilled prophecies. Myths do not bother with
prophecy, but fully one third of the Bible is prophecy. The Bible contains over 1,800 predictions
concerning more than 700 separate subjects found in over 8,300 verses. The Old Testament
contains more than 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ alone, many with amazing
specificity. Numerous prophecies have already been fulfilled, and they have come to pass
precisely as foretold. The mathematical odds of someone making this number of predictions and
having every one of them come to pass are beyond the realm of human possibility. These
miraculous prophecies could only be accomplished with the supernatural guidance of Him who
sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10).

The claim of the Scripture themselves

Can we appeal to Bible’s own claim of it being authoritative?
Bible itself claims to be the revelation of God and the authority. An objection to it might be that
can we accept the self-testimony of the Bible as evidence? But if we can prove the genuineness
of the books of the Bible and the truthfulness of the things which they report on other subjects,
then we are justified in also accepting their testimony in their own behalf. If we have verified
the credentials of an ambassador and have satisfied ourselves as to his truthfulness in regard to
his
authorization, then we may also accept his personal statements respecting the nature of his
powers and the source of his information. (We shall discuss the genuineness of the books of the
Bible while discussing its canonicity)
Authority of scriptures in Old Testament
Often there are statements like this in the Pentateuch, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying”
(Exod. 14:1; Lev. 4:1; Num. 4:1; Deut. 32:48). He was commanded to write in a book what God
told him (Exod. 17:14; 34:27), and he did this (Exod. 24:4; 34:28; Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:9, 22, 24).
Likewise the prophets say: “For the Lord speaks” (Isa. 1:2) ; “The Lord said to Isaiah” (Isa. 7:3);
“Thus says the Lord” (Isa. 43: 1) ; “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying” (Jer.
11:l); “The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel” (Ezek. 1:3) ; “The word of the Lord
which came to Hosea” (Hos. 1: 1) ; “The word of the Lord that came to Joel” (Joel 1: 1).
Statements like these occur more than 3,800 times in the Old Testament. Thus, the Old
Testament claims to be a revelation from God.
Authority of scriptures in New Testament
The New Testament writers likewise claim that they declare the message of God. Paul claims
that the things he wrote were the commandments of God (1 Cor. 14:37); that what he preached,
men were to receive as the very word of God (1 Thess. 2:13); that the salvation of men depends
upon faith in the doctrines which he taught (Gal. 1:8).
John teaches that his testimony was God’s testimony (1 John 5:1O). Peter wanted his readers to
remember “the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the
Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles” (2 Pet. 3:2). And the writer to the Hebrews predicts a
severer punishment for those who reject the message that was confirmed to him by those who
heard Christ, than that which fell upon the violators of the law of Moses (Heb. 2: 14).

Conclusion
The force of evidence in favor of the authority of Bible as the Word of God is cumulative. Each
evidence on its may not be conclusive, but when taken together, the claim of authority of Bible is
overwhelming forcing a reasonable mind to conclude that Bible is the embodiment of divine
revelation and hence authoritative.
We therefore must continually remember that we have in the Bible the God’s very words and we
must not try to substitute with any other standard or “improve” on them in some way, for this
cannot be done. Rather, we must seek to understand them and then trust them and obey them
with all our heart.
 THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE
Are there any errors, contradictions, discrepancies in the Bible?

Ponder on these questions:

 What do we mean when we say “Scripture are Inerrant”?
 What inerrancy does not mean?
 What problems do we have if we deny inerrancy?

Meaning of Inerrancy
Grudem defines biblical inerrancy as:
“The inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not
affirm anything that is contrary to fact.”
Grudem further says that “this definition just means that the Bible always tells the truth, and that
it always tells the truth concerning everything it talks about. This definition does not mean that
the Bible tells us every fact there is to know about any one subject, but it affirms that what it
does say about any subject is true.

What Inerrancy of Bible does not mean?

The truthfulness of the speech of the Bible does not mean that it reports everything with
scientific precision, such as following:
1. The Bible can be inerrant, does not mean it does not speak the ordinary language
of everyday speech: It must be noted that the language can make vague or imprecise
statements without being untrue. For example:
 If Bible says, “Sun rising and Sun setting,” it is simply means from speaker’s
perspective and does not contradict the scientific understanding that sun really
does not rise, but it appears so because of rotation of earth.
 If it is saying, number of people like in Judges 7, it says 22,000 soldiers, 10,000
soldiers or 300 soldiers it does not mean the reporter counted every person. It is
simply using everyday language of approximation.
2. The Bible is inerrant doesn’t mean it doesn’t have loose or free quotations: In
ancient Greek at the time of New Testament, it was not needed to quote someone
verbatim (i.e., word by word), but it needed only correct representation of the content of
what person said. So, Bible is inerrant does not mean that it reports verbatim
quotations.
3. The Bible is inerrant doesn’t mean that it always grammatically correct: Bible in
certain places contain language that could be considered grammatically incorrect, and
some irregular statements. But it must not trouble us as it does not affect the
truthfulness of the statements.
Problems in denying inerrancy:
If we deny “Inerrancy” it will significantly affect our faith life as a believer of Jesus Christ.
Understanding the problems that denying inerrancy poses helps us to understand that why this
doctrine is so important to believers and the Church. Some of the more serious problems are:
1. If we deny inerrancy, as serious moral problem confronts us. If God has committed
minor errors in His own word, we too can intentionally lie in small matters.
2. If inerrancy is denied, we began to wonder if we can really trust God in anything else He
says.
3. If we deny inerrancy, we essentially make our own human minds a higher standard of
Truth than God’s word itself.
4. If we deny inerrancy, we must also say that the Bible is wrong not only in minor details
but in some of its doctrines as well.
 THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE
Is Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do?

Ponder on this question:

 What do we mean when we say that the Bible is sufficient for our faith?
 How Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do?
 How does the sufficiency of Scripture affect our life in practical ways?

Definition of Sufficiency of Scripture

Wayne Grudem defines sufficiency of Scripture as follows:
“The sufficiency of scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he
intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that is now contains
all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him
perfectly.”
The primary passage for this doctrine is 2 Tim. 3:15- 17. Other passages are Deut. 4:1-2, 12:32;
Josh. 1:7-8, Pro. 30:5-6, Jer. 26:2, Rev. 22:18-19.

The above definition of Sufficiency of Scripture gives us two understanding:

1. We can find all that God has said on particular topics and we can find answer our
questions. We can come to clear conclusions on many teachings of the Bible, such as everything
that God wants us to know about Him, our salvation, matters of life and conduct. We can find
conclusive answer to hundreds of moral and doctrinal questions. This gives us confidence that
we can find from the scripture what God requires us to think or to do in these areas.

Note: Sufficiency of Bible is an important doctrine to the Evangelical Church that believes in
Sola Scriptura, which means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice
of the Christian.
However, Roman Catholic Church hold that Bible does not hold all that God says to us about
any particular subject until we have also listened to the official teachings of the Bible
throughout the history.
The evangelical position of Sola Scriptura or sufficiency of Bible also differs from that of non-
evangelical theologians who are not convinced that the Bible is God’s word in a unique or
absolutely authoritative sense. So, often they along with Bible, search other Christian
writings to understand their opinions and viewpoints on various topics. They are unable to
arrive at a single, unified conclusion about what God wants us to do or think on any
particular question.
The evangelical reply to them is that our search for answers to theological or ethical
questions is not the search to find what various believers have thought in the history of
Church, but what God himself think and says that is found only in the Scripture.
 2. The amount of Scripture given was sufficient at each stage of redemptive history: God
gave His words to His people that were sufficient at many different points in the history of
redemption. God takes initiative in revealing things to us and He decides what to reveal and
what not to reveal. At each stage of redemptive history, God has revealed what His people were
to study, believe and obey at that time.
At time of Moses first five books of our Old Testament were the scriptures. But later God
directed the authors to add more so that Scripture would be sufficient for believers in
subsequent times. After the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and founding of church,
the writings are assembled as the New Testament. So, we have Old and New Testament that is
sufficient for the believers in church age. Since, there had been no central redemptive acts of
God in history since then, no further words of God have been given to record and interpret.

Practical Application of the Sufficiency of Scripture:

The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture has several practical applications to our Christian
lives. The following are some of them:
1. The sufficiency of Scripture should encourage us as we try to discover what God
would have us to think (about a particular doctrinal issue) or to do (in a particular
situation).
2. The sufficiency of Scripture reminds us that we are to add nothing to Scripture, and
that we are to consider no other writings of equal value to Scripture.
3. The sufficiency of Scripture also tells us that God does not require us to believe
anything about himself or his redemptive work that is not found in Scripture.
4. The sufficiency of Scripture also tells us that God does not require us to believe
anything about himself or his redemptive work that is not found in Scripture.
5. The sufficiency of Scripture also tells us that nothing is required of us by God that is
not commanded in Scripture either explicitly or by implication.
6. The sufficiency of Scripture reminds us that in our doctrinal and ethical teaching we
should emphasize what Scripture emphasizes and be content with what God has told
us in Scripture.
 INSPIRATION – AS WAY OF REVELATION

Ponder on these questions:

 When we say Bible is inspired what do we really mean by that?
 How did this inspiration actually occur?
 Does Bible itself talks about it being inspired other that 2 Tim.3:16
 What are the implications of doctrine of Inspiration of Bible?

The concept of inspiration:

The Christian view has maintained that the revelation of God has had written embodiment in
the Scripture. The Scriptures are the supreme source of Christian theology. Revelation is linked
to inspiration of the Scriptures.
The KJV renders 2 Tim. 3:16 as:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instrument of righteousness.”
NIV renders it as:
“All scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in
righteousness.”
“God breathed” in NIV is a better translation of the Greek word use (theopnestos), which means
out-breathed by God. That means that the scripture has the breath of God.
The “breath” or “Spirit” of God in Old Testament denotes active outgoing of divine power,
whether in creation (Ps. 33:6; Job 33:4; cf. Gen 1:2; 2:7), preservation Jon (34:14), revelation to
and through prophets (Isa. 48:16; 61:1; Mic 3:8; Joel 2:28ff), regeneration (Ezek. 36:27), or
judgment (Isa 30:28,33). The New Testament reveals this divine “breath” to be a Person of the
Godhead – the Holy Spirit.
So, when we say, Bible is inspired, we do not mean that it is inspiring (though it truly is), but
that the scripture is a divine product. Charles Hodge, defines inspiration as:
“the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on selected individuals, which rendered them
the instruments of God for the infallible communication of His mind and will.”
So, when we say that Scripture is inspired by God, we recognize the divine authorship. It
originates in the mind of God and is conveyed to man. Biblical inspiration does not consist of a
vague inspiration or concepts; rather it is inspiration of the words that convey a precise
message. Men spoke as they were moved by the Spirit. Their language was as if God Himself
were speaking.

The Evangelical view of Inspiration:

The evangelical view of inspiration conveys the following three understandings:
 i. Inspiration is verbal: The very words of the canonical text, not just the writers or the
general concepts, are given by the special influence of the Holy Spirit. The text itself is a
supernatural product of the Spirit of God.
ii. Inspiration is plenary: The word plenary means complete, total, encompassing all. The
inspiration extends to all the canon from Genesis to Revelation. (It is in contrast to believe
in partial revelation that says only some parts of the Bible is inspired).
iii. Inspiration is confluent: The divine and the human interaction “flow together.” The
influence of the Holy Spirit did not suppress the individual personalities and styles of
human authors, but rather they were made a vehicle of the divine purpose.

How did this inspiration actually occur?

Though we cannot know exactly how the Holy Spirit operated upon the minds of the human
writers, but we cannot be under any illusion about the mode Holy Spirit used for inspiration.
Before we delve into that, we must clarify, how inspiration did not occur, or biblical inspiration
is not.

 Biblical inspiration is not natural inspiration, i.e., superior insight on the part of natural
man into moral and religious truth which is so often claimed for Hindu texts. Bible is
divinely inspired and therefore superior to any other literature in its content.

 Biblical inspiration is not mechanical dictation, or automatic writing, or any process

which involved the suspending of the action of the human writer’s mind. The divine
direction and control were not controlling them physically or mentally, but actually
heightening it so that they wrote the very word of God.

 Only the text originally produced by the writers is considered as inspired. Corruption
during transmission of text is not inspired. Similarly, there is no inspired translation and
subject to human fallibility.
Having clarified that let us understand mode of biblical inspiration:
1. The personality of the human writer was not superseded. Holy Spirit used the previous
training and temperamental characteristics of the writers. In fact, the personalities of
the writer add to the importance of the message.
2. God purposely chose a number of men from all ranks of society, previously training
them by varied experience, so that the Scriptures should be as close to the many-sided
circumstances of human life as possible.
3. Since, the human writers were not used as secretaries or typewriters, their thought
process was also never superseded. Whatever they wrote, they wrote consciously.
However, they did not always understand its application to succeeding generations.
4. God allowed the use of available knowledge such as genealogies, statistics or documents
and also research (Luke 1:1-4) and also the contemporary culture of the time. The Holy
Spirit so controlled the writer that he could not introduce any human defect such as
false history, inaccurate description or misguided doctrine that would impair the
authority of scripture.
 5. Though the words used in the text were not mechanically dictated and writers used
their own language. However, Holy Spirit saw it that the writer found the adequate
words to express the mind of God.

Biblical basis for doctrine of Inspiration

Can we accept what Bible says about its own inspiration? Yes. Like in a court of justice the
accused person has the right to defend himself, the Bible must be given a chance to speak for
itself. Moreover, though 2 Tim. 3:16 is the principal word we use for the doctrine of inspiration,
we can not formulate a doctrine based on only one verse. Bible, again and again claims that it is
inspired and is the very word of God.
The Old Testament as Inspired
 More than 3800 times the Old Testament uses the terms: “Thus said the Lord,” “The
Lord said,” “The Word of the Lord came…” or words to the same effect.
 Various Old Testament writers claim absolute perfection and authority for the Law and
the Testimony (Deut. 27:26; 2 Kings 17:13; Psalms 19:7; 33:4; 119:89, Isa. 8:20)
 Lord Jesus attributed full authority to the Old Testament as inspired word of God (Matt.
4:1-11; Matt. 5:17, 18; Matt. 22:43 cf. Ps. 110:1; Luke 21:33).
 In the New Testament the apostolic writers clearly consider the text of the Old
Testament to be inspired. (Read Acts 4:25; Rom 3:2; Rom. 9:16 cf. Ex. 9:16; John
19:24,28; Acts 15:15)

The New Testament as Inspired

The argument of inspiration of New Testament is more indirect and can be set forth along the
following lines:
1. Jesus claimed in His own teachings: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away (Matt: 24:35 cf. Matt. 5:18). Jesus also declared that that, “the word I
have spoken will be his judge on the last day (John 12:18). If the word of Christ is to be
the basis for the universal and public eschatological judgement, it is imperative that the
word will be available to mankind in written form.
2. The New Testament records specific promise of Christ to His disciples concerning the
recollection and preservation of His teachings:
 “He who listens to you, listens to me” (Luke 10:16)
 “it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you (Matt
10:20)
 “the Advocate (Greek: paraclete), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
(John 14:26)
3. Apostles made claims to inspiration.
 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words
taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (1 Cor.
2:13)
 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them
acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. (2 Cor. 14:37)
 when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have
preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. (1 Pet. 1:12)
  Peter considered epistle by Paul in the same category with the Old Testament
scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16)
4. New Testament speaks of the witness of the Spirit to the Word of God in church (John
7:17, 1 John 2:27). It is remarkable that regardless of so many doctrinal disagreements,
there unanimity among churches that 27 books of our present New Testament in fact
represent the authoritative and inspired Word of God.

Implications of Inspiration:
When we accept verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scripture, it has three implications that
we have already studied. They are:
1. Bible is authoritative: Bible is the word of God. Nothing less. And, therefore it has the
supreme right t command our obedience. It is the only source from where we can learn
about God. It is the judge, standard and control for our life. It stands above everything
else.
2. Bible is infallible: As it is inspired by God completely and perfectly it is perfect,
trustworthy, and unfailing. It does not deceive or mislead, for it is utterance of God “who
does not lie (Titus 1:2)
3. Bible is sufficient: The Bible is sufficient for knowing God. It is sufficient for our life and
faith. It sheds enough light to save the sinners and guide the church. The Bible is sola
scriptura which means it alone communicates God’s will for man and is final sufficient
authority for faith and conduct.
 CANONICITY OF THE SCRIPTURE
What belongs in the Bible and what does not?

Ponder on these questions:

 How the Bible came into being in its present form?
 How it was decided what belongs to the Bible?
 Why some books are rejected altogether?
 Why some Bibles contain more books that other Bible don’t have?

Canonization
Canonization is a process or method by which Jewish leaders and later early Church leaders
decided which books or writings were seen as authoritative and inspired word of God.
The word Canon comes from the Greek word “kanon” which means a rule or a standard for
measurement. In classical Greek it is literally a reed or a cane or straight rod used for
measurement. With respect to Bible, it speaks of those books that met the standard therefore
were worthy of inclusion.
Since the fourth century kanon has been used by Christians to denote an authoritative book
belonging to the Old Testament or New Testament.
It is noteworthy that the Canon is not itself a matter of direct revelation. That is, God
although gave a collection of inspired books, there is no inspired “table of contents” as
such. Church’s reception of the canon was a judgment of faith rather than a matter of “necessary
proofs.” But it does not means that there was no objective yardstick or factors that was not used
to include the books in the Bible, though subjective factors like Spirit’ witness to the believing
church.
It must be recognized that it was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in
the Bible. God, worked through the Spirit among His followers to recognize the books that He
had already decided. The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but
God, in His sovereignty, and despite the limitations of sinful man, brought the early church to
the recognition of the books He had inspired, and those books are recognized today as the canon
of Scripture.

Canonization of the Old Testament

It must be noted that the Hebrew Bible has a different structure from the English Bible. It has 24
books in which Samuel, Kings, All the twelve minor Prophets, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronical are
single books. This is how Hebrew Bible is organized:

Section Books Remarks

Torah or the Law also Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Same as Christian Bible
known as Pentateuch Deuteronomy
(5 books)
Nevi’im or Prophets Former Prophets - Joshua, Judges, In Christian Bible Samuel and
 Samuel, and Kings Kings are divided into 1 Samuel,
(8 books) (4 books) 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings.

Later Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, The Book of Twelve is divided

Ezekiel, and “The Book of the Twelve” into 12 minor prophets viz.
(4 books)
Ketuvim or Writings Poetry & Wisdom - Psalms, Proverbs, In Christian Bible Ezra-
Job, Song of Songs Nehemiah are separate books.
(11 books) Histories- Ruth, Lamentations, Chronicle is divided into 1
Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra- Chronicle & 2 Chronicle.
Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

As you can see, the organization is not arbitrary, but according to literary character. Joshua,
Judges, Samuel & Kings as their main character were prophets in office. Whereas Daniel is
placed in history as it is half historical narrative and half writing. Since, Daniel was not a
prophet in office, he is placed in Writings rather than with prophets.
Now the question is how this canon of Old Testament came into being?

First closure – The Torah (Law) or Pentateuch

There are numerous references in the other books of the Old Testament as well as the inter-
testamental literature that the Torah or the Law comprising of the first five books were seen as
canonical (2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chron. 34, Neh. 8:9, 14-17; 13:1-3). These writings were the “ruling
documents” for Israel, rather like the Constitution is the ruling document for India. The history
and existence of India validates the Constitution; so too does the history and existence of Israel
validate the Pentateuch.
Second Closure - Histories and the Poetic/Wisdom literature.
These texts were believed to have been canonized alongside the Pentateuch by the scribe Ezra.
Their content can be trusted because the prophets trusted and used them. The Pentateuch set
up the office of the prophets as the mouthpiece of God who faithfully declared the revelation
that came from God Himself. If Ezra had erred in his canonization of scripture, God would have
corrected this through the prophets who came after his time.
Third Closure – The Prophets
The writings of the prophets were the last addition to the Old Testament, having been in the
canon for several centuries before the time of Jesus. They were organized in separate sections
probably by 165 BC.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament with frequency and surety indicating His approval of it. Jesus
then takes it one step beyond this in Matthew 22:40 by grouping all the law and the prophets
together as a valid basis on which to hang the two great love commandments. Jesus completely
affirms the Old Testament sections in Luke 24:44.
However, There was a dispute about five books of the Old Testament namely Esther, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Songs of Songs and Ezekiel. That was settled in the synod of Jamnia, some decades
after the birth of Jesus.
Canonization of the New Testament
The process for recognizing and collecting the books of the New Testament began in the first
centuries of the Christian church. Very early on, some of the New Testament books were
recognized as inspired.
Paul considered Luke's writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament (1 Tim. 5:17-18 cf.
Deut. 25:4 and Luke 10:7; In this passage Paul is quoting the exact Greek phrase used by Luke).

 Peter referred to Paul's writings as Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16).

 Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament books (AD 95).
 Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books (AD 115).
 Polycarp, a disciple of John the apostle, acknowledged fifteen books (AD 108).
 Later, Irenaeus mentioned twenty-one books (AD 185).
 Hippolytus recognized twenty-two books (AD 170-235).
The first "canon" was the Muratorian Canon, compiled in AD 170, which included all of the New
Testament books except Hebrews, James, and 3 John. The Council of Laodicea (AD 363)
concluded the twenty-seven books of the New Testament were to be read in the churches. The
Councils of Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD 397) reaffirmed the same twenty-seven books as
authoritative.
A fourfold principle was used by the councils to determine whether a New Testament book was
truly inspired by the Holy Spirit
1. First, the author must be an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle.
2. Second, the book must have been accepted by the body of Christ at large.
3. Third, the book had to contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching.
4. Finally, the book had to bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would
reflect a work of the Holy Spirit as the divine Author.

Why some books were rejected altogether and never included in the Bible?
There are several writings that are written in biblical style but they were rejected from the
Canon, based on above mentioned criteria. They are known as “pseudepigrapha”. The author
to whom they are attributed, could have never written them as they were already dead, it was
not accepted by body of Christ at large and their teaching are far from orthodox doctrine. Some
of the notable pseudepigrapha are Gospel of Barnabas, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas,
Gospel of Peter and several letters.

Why Catholic Bible has additional books called Deuterocanonical books but are absent in
Protestant Bible?
The Apocrypha (also called the Deuterocanonical books) are included in Roman Catholic
Bibles and are used by some other traditions within Christianity.
The books found in the Apocrypha were primarily written during the four-hundred-year period
between the completion of the Old Testament writings and the beginning of the New
Testament's events (they also include claimed additions to the Old Testament books of Esther
and Daniel). These books include 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon,
Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees, and 2
Maccabees.
While many Catholics accepted the Apocrypha earlier, the Roman Catholic Church officially
added the Apocrypha to their Bible at the Council of Trent in the mid 1500's A.D., primarily in
response to the Protestant Reformation. Part of the reason for this is that the Apocrypha
supports some of the traditions the Roman Catholic Church practices that are not taught in the
Bible. For example, the Roman Catholic practices of praying for the dead, petitioning "saints" in
heaven with their prayers, and "alms giving" to atone for sins (paying indulgences)
However, Apocrypha cannot be part of the Canon because of following reasons:

 The books were never considered inspired by Jewish canon

 Jesus also never quoted from these books even once.
 The Septuagint (LXX) includes the books, not as scripture, but as part of the translation
of the Hebrew manuscripts as a whole.
 They contain statements which contradict not only the canonical Scriptures, but
themselves; as when, in the two Books of Maccabees, Antiochus Epiphanes is made to
die three different deaths in as many different places.
 The Apocrypha inculcates doctrines at variance with the Bible, such as prayers for the
dead and sinless perfection.
 The Apocrypha contains offensive materials unbecoming of God's authorship. For
example: Ecclesiasticus 22:3 It is a disgrace to be the father of an undisciplined, and the
birth of a daughter is a loss.
These books can be read for literary interest, and to understand the pathos of Jewish
community during the 400 years of silent period. However, no doctrine can be based on these
literatures.

What are some of the books in the Bible that were disputed and why?
There are some books in the Biblical canon that were disputed in the early church and then time
again. They are called “Antilegomena” books. Literally this word means “spoken against.”
In the New Testament the Antilegomena books are: James (disputed by Martin Luther, as it
apparently advocates salvation by works and not by grace alone); Hebrews (because of
unknown authorship); 2 Peter (disputed authorship); Jude (since it contains a quote from non-
canonical writing of 1 Enoch); and Revelation (because of its Apocalyptical symbolism).
In the Old Testament the Antilegomena books are: Esther (because of no mention of God);
Proverbs (because of seeming conflict in some proverbs); Ecclesiastes (because of it
pessimistic and dark content), Songs of Songs (An erotic poetry with sexual overtones) and
Ezekiel (some weird imagery and prophet’s alleged understanding of some sacrifices
inconsistent with Torah).
 THE SCRIPTURE AND OUR LIFE

We have established the authority of the Bible, its inerrancy and its sufficiency for our life and
faith. We have also understood that how the scripture has come to us. Bible is the very word of
God. God has communicated to us and continues doing so through His word. Here are some
symbols that Bible gives about the impact, the word of God has on our life:
1. Refining fire: The Word is a fire that purges sin and purifies hearts and lives. “Is not my
word like fire,” (Jer. 23: 29).
2. Hammer: The Word is like a hammer that works to break down all resistance and bring
conviction to the hardest heart. “…and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jer.
23: 29).
3. Mirror: The Word of God is a mirror that reflects who we are in Christ, so that we can
see ourselves as He sees us and we can continue to grow into His likeness. Anyone who
listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a
mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
(James 1:23-24)
4. Seed: The Word of God is planted as a seed that multiplies and produces life, blessing
and freedom. The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11). Having been born again, not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
(1 Pet. 1:23)
5. Water: The Word of God washes us on the inside, like water washes us on the outside.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15:3). to make her
holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, (Eph 5:26)
6. A Lamp: God’s Word to clearly show us the way in life so that we don’t wander off in the
wrong direction and perish. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
(Psalms 119:105)
7. Rain and snow: God’s Word waters and brings life everywhere it goes. It will never fail
to produce and prosper. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not
return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields
seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It
will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for
which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
8. A sword: God’s Word is a sword that is a powerful weapon to defeat the enemy. God’s
Word is sharper than a two-edged sword. It instantly and accurately cuts down into the
heart of the matter. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. (Eph. 6:17). For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12).
9. A bow (for revenge): Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the
tribes, even thy word. (Hab. 3:9).
10. Gold: God’s Word is of more worth than the finest gold. The law of the Lord is
perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the
 simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of
the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious
than old, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the
honeycomb. (Psa. 19:7-10)
11. Power: God’s Word has the power to create and to produce faith and eternal life. So then
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom. 10:17)
12. Food for nourishment, growth and satisfaction:

 Milk for babes: God’s word gives easy nourishment for growth, so that one can grow
into maturity. As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow
thereby. (1 Peter 2:2)

 Bread for the hungry: God’s word satisfies the hunger of soul. ‘Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ (Matt. 4:4 cf.
Deut. 8:3)

 Solid food/ Meat for matured believers: For everyone who partakes only of milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those
who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:13-14)

 Honey: God’s word is like a dessert that satisfies our taste buds and gives energy.
They are more precious than old, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb. (Psa. 19:10)