Proving That The Bible Is All We Need

Furthermore then w beseech you, brethren, 

and beseech you by the Lord Jesus,that as 

ye have received of us how ye ought to walk 

and to please God, so ye would abound 

more and more. For ye know what 

commandments we gave you 

by the Lord Jesus. 

1Thessalonians 4:1-2

     Yesterday the blog was all about the fact that we have a "rule" book, the Bible and that "rule" book reveals to us the will of God for His children. The revelation found in the Bible embraces more than just some historical record of events: it reaffirms the eternal truths and that the eternal truths have been obscured by sin, yet more than that, it gives us an affirmation about God and His act towards His creation: man. This is unique for this type of revelation is not found in any other religious book. It is this fact that the Bible contains a true revelation from God and gives a full account of error. We must before giving proof of the authority of the Bible we must add the Christian doctrine as to inspiration. This doctrine of inspiration is more than just a record of things, but that it also gives itself the account that it is true, preserved from error, even while we come to understand the writers habits, thoughts and expression, that the result of this inspiration to those men the Bible is the "infallible" rule of faith and practice. 

     People love acronyms, initials, and have given meaning to words even Christianizing certain words. A problem exist for many of those Christianized words are not understood by many of the populace in the Churches. Here is one: Plenary, or plenary inspiration. Many pastors and teachers throw that word out as though the congregation understands the meaning: for many they do not. Here is the meaning: full, complete, entire, absolute, unqualified, fully constituted (Webster's Dictionary). If you do not understand this doctrine of "plenary inspiration" then they is a great probability that there will be misrepresentation. Here is one misrepresentation: mechanical theory of the activity of the Holy Spirit. What this is theorizing is that the men who wrote the Bible were nothing more than stenographers. Is there a basis for this theory? I am surprised that those who are caricaturing the Bible this way, those "intelligent" men that they are so blinded. How? By their prejudice about this matter and have not examined for themselves what is perfectly accessible to them from the very words of the Bible where the doctrine of "plenary inspiration" is set forth. It is easy to study, read those books, works of men that agree with a person' presupposition or prejudice than it is to take time to do a thorough study. People love ridicule? Serious criticism is replaced by an attack of an opponent knocking down what they have established: a man of straw.

     Let us get this straight for the doctrine of "plenary inspiration" does not deny the individuality of the Biblical writers: it does not ignore their use of ordinary means for acquiring information. Those Biblical writers wrote in the language of the day: Greek, with their time on earth, with all the things that any man would be influenced by, and to those with whom they have given the words of Jesus. Those early Biblical writers did not ignore history or have a lack of interest in the historical situations that gave rise to the Biblical books. HERE IS WHAT "PLENARY INSPIRATION" DENIES: THE PRESENCE OF ERRORS IN THE BIBLE. What the Holy Spirit did was to inform the Biblical writers so that they were kept from error, errors that mar all other books. God was directing those records, those letters that contain what the Church at that time needed and the need is for our Churches today. Sin, error, none of this has changed and the affects of this may differ at times but still is the same old error, the same old sin affecting people who seek the truth. It is a matter of fact, the Bible is a true account and and "infallible rule of faith and practice." 

      When you read the Bible you are communicating with God for God inspired men to write that which we need to live as God intends for His people to live. So then: READ YOUR BIBLE!

And further, by these, my son,

     be admonished: of the making

many books there is no end; and

    much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Let us here the conclusion of the whole

   matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments:

for this is the whole duty of man.

                   Ecclesiastes 12:12-13

This is not speaking about Scripture: the many other books

Richard L. Crumb