P27 is now "Faith Journey"

The Statement of Belief

The Bible is the Word of God. The sixty-six books that are commonly used today came to us through the inspirational process by which God superintended the writers of Scripture (2 Peter 2:21) to accurately record His message (2 Timothy 3:16) and yet allow for their stylistic and personality peculiarities.

As a result of God’s careful supervision, the product is:

1. Inerrant – the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit protected the writings of Scripture from the entrance of any error (2 Peter 1:21)
2. Verbal – the very thoughts and truths of God were accurately expressed in the words of Scripture (Matthew 5:17-18). While God did not dictate every word, in early transcripts every word is important to God.
3. Plenary – the entire Bible is inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16)

The writings of Scripture were historically recognized as the completed and closed canon by God’s people. The sole test of canonicity is inspiration (that was God’s job) the recognition of canonicity is the responsibility of believers (that’s our main job).

It is the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit which enables one to recognize the authority of God’s Word (1 John 2:20). It is the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit that enables the believer to understand its significance (1 Corinthians 2:14). Scripture should be interpreted in its literal or normal sense, which special attention given to the grammatical, historical context of each passage. The Scriptures are our final authority in life and our sufficient rule of faith and practice (Joshua 1:8)

Vocabulary

Inerrant – incapable of making a mistake
Scriptures – γραφὴ – every portion of Scripture found in the 66 books of the Bible
Canonicity - the inclusion or status as an included item. In reference to the inclusion of the 66 books that together make up the Biblical Canon.
Inspiration – the divine guidance and influence on human beings
Plenary - Complete in all respects. The Scriptures found in the 66 books of the Bible are complete, nothing is lacking, as God intended it to be.

Group discussion

First read the statement carefully and follow the Scripture passages. Compare the Scripture passages to the Truth Statement.

1. What will happen if we study the Bible? (In our daily walk, values etc.)
2. What place should the Bible have in the Church?
3. What will Church look like on the basis of your previous answer?
4. Do you have a constant and consistent Bible reading schedule? If not, have the group commit to our 30 Day Challenge and hold each other accountable.