Pentecost Baptist Church, Portsmouth: February 2012

The Bible Part I

Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. 91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. 92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction. 93 I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. 94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

The bible is the word of God.

Why do we Christians believe that the bible is the word of God? Despite increase in the number of critics and the daily development of lower and higher form of biblical criticism, the bible still come out fine as the word of God. We will look at some of the evidences that have stood the test of time to prove that the bible is the word of God.

The Christian bible is divided into the Old and the New Testaments. The Old Testament contains 39 books while the New testament is 27 making 66 in all. The Greek bible contains some other books called the apocrypha. These are not accepted or canonised by the early church fathers.

Reasons for accepting the bible as the word of God

We believe in God, the uncreated personal God who created all things and is self revealing.

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. 2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
He communicates his truth to us through the bible. As creator and redeemer who knew himself as well as us his creatures, he has the province of self disclosure to the extent of our ability to comprehend and experience him. There is no reason why he cannot tell us truly about himself even though not exhaustively (Milne).
Psalm 94:9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
God himself spoke personally to confirm his word.

Jesus quoted the Old Testament as the word of God. Around 40 AD when Jesus was ministering on earth, certain parts of the bible especially the Hebrew bible known today as the Old Testament has been codified. He read it Luke 4:16-21.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
He quoted it. Matthew 4:4; Mark 14:27. He accepted the Old Testament history as true John 8:56, Mark 12:26. He affirmed Old Testament Prophecies. Matthew 11:10; Mark 7:6.
Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

He lived the word and finally submitted to it. Matthew 26:24; Mark 8:31. Luke 22:32.
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
His word as well has equal authority. John 6:63; 15:3; Mark 13:31 Matthew 7:24.
John 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Even the apostles accepted the bible as the word of God and presented Christianity as the fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
Acts 2:16-35; 3: 22-25; 4:11; Romans 1:2 Galatians 3:16-18

The bible is internally consistent and externally confirmed by history, science, geography, archaeology, philosophy, and nature. What if someone does not believe in God? Does it change the truth?

In the next part we will look at certain undeniable facts about the bible. These include the bible as God

　

　

　

　

　

　

Pentecost Baptist Church
Portsmouth

The Cathedral of Grace

2012 THE YEAR OF HIS WORD

　

　

　

Worship God with us at:

Havelock Community Centre

324 Fawcett Road,

Southsea

PO4 0LQ

Sundays 5-7 pm

Contact person: Ade 07757627159
Email:
’s revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility and canonisation. We will as well look at some of the questions bible critics have raised and suggested answers.niyiola7@yahoo.com

PENTECOST BAPTIST CHURCH INTERNATIONAL, PORTSMOUTH.

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Pentecost Baptist Church, Portsmouth: The Bible (part I)

The Bible (part I)

Sunday 5 February 2012

Perfect Now