Foundations of

The Faith

Our Challenge: The Bible is a big book.

1,100 chapters30,000 verses

How can we get a handle on all that?

Organize and examine the teachings of the Bible by topic

The Systematic Approach

All Scriptures on Prayer

A. Purpose of PrayerB. Effectiveness of Prayer

C. Attitude of Prayer

Gen. 20:17

Matt. 6:5

Eph. 6:18

Getting a handle on the overall teaching of the Bible by topic gives:

Confidence: Ground your faith on understanding.

Competence: Give an answer to those who ask.

Clarity: Guard your faith against false teaching.

Revelation: Why did God initiate communication?

Inspiration: How did God give us His word?

Canonicity: What books were from God?

Transmission: Do we still have what was originally written?

Translation: Is my English Bible reliable?

How did we get the Bible?

How did we get the Bible?Revelation

God Initiated CommunicationGeneral Revelation: Creation and Conscience

Romans 1:20-3:20 Romans 2:15

Special Revelation: The teachings of Jesus and the Prophets recorded and preserved in the Bible

Romans 1:20-3:20 “God’s invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” … 3:9 “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God”

Romans 3:21-22 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”

InspirationThe Bible is the Product

God’s Special Revelation captured in writing2 Timothy 3:16 “all Scripture is God breathed”

Inspiration is the ProcessThe Holy Spirit directed men to write what He wanted.2 Peter 1:20-21 “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” s

“We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.”

-AIC Statement of FaithImplications of Inspiration -Inerrancy-Authority-Clarity-Necessity-Sufficiency

Canonicity: What is in, what is out?Three Principles

1) Authorship: Prophet or Apostle2) Consistency: No disagreement with previous revelation3) Acceptance: The churches recognized it as inspired

recognized not decided 2 Peter 3:15–16

“just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (65 AD mid-career)

1 Timothy 5:18 (67 AD) “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” (Duet 25:4) and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (Luke 10:7 (61 AD))

Finished by 96 AD

Transmission: Do we still have what was written?Textual criticism: comparing the many copiesOld Testament (Hebrew)

-Masoretic text (10th Century AD), Trust the Jews :-)-Septuagint (200 BC), Dead Sea Scrolls (200 BC)

New Testament (Greek)-over 5,000 manuscripts (whole or part)-some within a lifetime of original writing

99.9% sure what the original said

Transmission: Do we still have what was written?Textual criticism: comparing the many copiesOld Testament (Hebrew) Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia

-Masoretic text (10th Century AD), Trust the Jews :-)-Septuagint (200 BC), Dead Sea Scrolls (200 BC)

New Testament (Greek) Nestle-Aland Greek NT -over 5,000 manuscripts (whole or part)-some within a lifetime of original writing

99.99% sure what the original said

Video at www.AICFoundations.weebly.com

Translation: Is my English Bible reliable?

Old Testament (Hebrew) Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia

New Testament (Greek) Nestle-Aland Greek NT

Best Translations: English Standard VersionNew International VersionNew American Standard Bible

How close is your translation?

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Revelation: Why did God initiate communication?

Inspiration: How did God give us His word?

Canonicity: What books were from God?

Transmission: Do we still have what was originally written?

Translation: Is my English Bible reliable?

How did we get the Bible?

Homework1) Review and Go Deeper:

-Look over “How we got the Bible” handout

-Browse www.AICFoundations.weebly.com

2) Prepare: -Read Grudem Chapter 1 “What is the Bible”?-Write short answers to the questions