BIBLE PROPERTIES

BIBLE

The Bible is absolute authority and is the only standard for evaluating and understanding everything (2 Timothy 3: 16-17). The Bible stands as a judge of everything and has never been judged by any other source. Why is that? The answer is, because the Bible is the word of God, then there can be no other authority higher than that. Simply stated, the Bible must be trusted and followed because the Bible is the absolute or true word of God. The Bible is the only authority in every area of ​​life. Here are the facts about the authenticity of God's revelation.

A. Authority
            The whole Bible is the word of God; not believing in or obeying the Bible means not believing or disobeying God. In other words, the Bible holds the highest and final authority on the faith and life of believers because the Bible is a word that comes from God himself.

1. Evidence of the authority of the Bible
            In many passages in the Bible, it says, "Thus saith the Lord ..." These sentences in the Old Testament are identical to the sentence form, "says the King ...." which means a decree that comes from the owner of the highest authority (king ) and cannot be contested, must be carried out (for example: Numbers 22:38; Deuteronomy 18: 18-20; Jeremiah 1: 9). In the New Testament, there are several verses that clearly show that the Old Testament writings are God's word (for example: 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). In the New Testament there are also verses that show that the writings in the New Testament are the word of God (for example: 2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18; 1 Corinthians 14:37; John 14:26; 16:13).

2. Acceptance of the authority (authority) of the Bible
            Acceptance of believers in the Bible as God's word is from faith, given by the Holy Spirit, in the renewed human heart. Thus, the acceptance of the authority (authority) of the Bible in the life of a believer is due to faith, not from man himself (cf. 1 Corinthians 2: 13-14; John 10:27).



B. Inerrancy (Biblical Infallibility)


1. Definition / Definition
            In general, "inerrancy" means that the Bible (OT and NT) is all God's word written without error in the original text. The term "inerrancy" is often confused with the term "Infalabiliti", which means that the Bible cannot be misleading because all its teachings are truth (not against moral teachings). Meanwhile, the emphasis on "inerrancy" is the free quality of written errors and data in the Bible. The doctrine of biblical innocence is very important because it will influence other doctrines and Christian ethics. For example, in terms of the doctrine of sin, creation, God, miracles, and salvation. The view of the inerrancy of the Bible will also determine one's views on ethics, marriage, etc ...

2. The Importance of Inerrancy
            It is very important for Christians to hold the belief that the Bible as a whole is not wrong because the Bible is a word that comes from God himself, who is perfect and does not lie. If we do not believe in the innocence of the Bible, then the authority of the Bible is difficult to maintain because it means we cannot fully trust God.

3. Basic Acceptance of Inerrancy
Acceptance of "inerrancy" is not based on human ability to judge the Bible, but based on the belief that:

a. God is the truth. Therefore, everything that God says is true.
b. God never lies. So what he said must be true. (Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13).
c. The Bible itself calls Himself perfect (Psalm 19: 8), pure (Psalm 19: 9), right (Psalm 19: 9), right (Psalm 119: 43), and eternal (Psalm 119: 89; Matthew 24:34 )
d. The Holy Spirit gave full supervision to the authors, so they wrote it correctly, without error.
e. The measure of Bible truth is "arational". Human reason is not the standard size used.

4. What if the original manuscript does not already exist?
            It is admitted that we no longer have the original Bible text. There is only a copy of the original. Written original statements have three categories.
a. The original statement (not a copy) that has been completed is entirely written.
b. The statement of the copy that is rewritten is in accordance with the original (called the original copy).
c. The Bible, canonically, is an organizational unity that cannot be taken from the context of the entire contents of the book.

5. Inerrancy Theory
            There are several kinds of "inerrancy" theories put forward.

Batas karakter: 5000

a. Full Inerrancy (Full Inerancy)
            The Bible is not a scientific or historical book. Therefore, empirical accuracy is not required. Understanding the cultural context and background is most likely that inaccuracy is not necessarily a mistake.
b. Absolute Inerancy
            All data in the Bible is true, including matters relating to scientific and historical truths. Bible truth should also be proven from all angles including scientific and historical.
c. Limited Inerrancy (Limited Inerancy)
            Bible truth can be proven only in terms of its doctrine relating to salvation. If there are other data errors, it's okay because it's not in the interest of the Bible.
d. The view of the Reformer
            The "inerrancy" view of the Bible cannot be separated by inspiration. If God's word is given by God, then it cannot be subject to human error. Admittedly there are problems in the Bible that have yet to be solved, but that is not enough to prove that the Bible is guilty. This truth includes teachings (doctrine), lifestyle (ethics), or events that occur (history).
Thus, we believe in the inerrancy of the Bible because the Bible is inspired by a perfect God. God's perfection or God's attributes guarantee that the words of the Bible do not contain errors and are perfect in the autograph.
e. What about the parts of the Bible that are being blamed?
            In the case of the "inerrancy" Bible, the Evangelicals adhere to a "theological commitment", that is, the belief in faith that is held as obedience to the person and teachings of the Bible. This belief is not built empirically (based on experience) nor is it the result of research from the original text. Therefore, every difficulty encountered must be examined and studied by submitting to the authority of God.

Answers to biblical passages that are still often at issue.
6. One event does not always have to be told with the same term / story by two different authors (example: Luke 6:17; Matthew 5: 1).
7. The quote of the word does not have to be the exact same, the important truth is (example: The thing about Paul's testimony from Acts 9: 7; 22: 9).
8. The scientific technical term is not known at the time / culture / time
(example: Matthew 5: 1 with Luke 6:17: Mark 10:45 with Luke 18:35).
9. Not every difference means error. Unanswered problems do not have to be interpreted as errors (examples: - rounding off days, hours, etc.).
The story of the death of Judas from Matthew 27: 5 and Acts 1:18.
10. The revelation period is not all the same, depending on the context.
11. The following things also need to be remembered.
Eastern customs (Jewish and Palestinian) are not the same as current culture.
Not opposed, it does not mean wrong. (not clear)



Definition / Definition
            Biblical clarity means that the Bible is written in such a way that it is clear the purpose of its preaching and teaching, so that it can be understood by anyone who truly reads and seeks God's help and is willing to do God's word. However, it does not mean that all parts of the Bible will be easily understood. It also does not mean that everyone will understand it correctly. But it is true that to understand the contents of the Bible correctly one must have certain moral and spiritual requirements (1 Corinthians 2:14). Also, it is possible that one can understand one part of the Bible more clearly than others (2 Peter 3:16).
The difficulty of humans to understand / interpret the contents of the Bible is often due to the human mind being blinded by sin, not because of their intellectual abilities. (1 Corinthians 1: 18-3: 4; Hebrews 5:14; 2 Peter 3: 5).
How can we understand or interpret the contents of the Bible clearly, correctly and precisely?
. It is only in the light of the Holy Spirit that man can understand God's word correctly and correctly (Ephesians 3: 4, 5; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 13; John 14:26; 16: 13-15; 2 Peter 1:21).
a. It has the right motivation, not for pride, greed, self-interest, and lack of faith (not believing) (Luke 24:25; 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4).
b. Have sufficient knowledge and skills to interpret. By applying the principles of interpreting the healthy and developing it as a skill, we will be able to interpret it well. The means for interpreters are also very influential in getting complete data.
Necessity
Definition / Definition
The necessity of the Bible means that the Bible is absolutely necessary to know Christ so that we can be saved. Only the Bible preaches the truth of the Good News about Christ (Romans 1:16). The emphasis is not on the need to recognize God's general characteristics, but specificallyto nurture spiritual life and to know God's will.
Absolute Needs Evidence of the Bible
Romans 10: 13-17: For humans to be saved, they must hear the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12: There is no salvation outside of Christ. 1 Timothy 2: 5-6: There is no other Intercessor other than Jesus Christ to be a Peacemaker between man and God.
Conclusion: because the Bible is the only source to know Christ; The gospel that has the power to save, then humans must read the Bible or hear from others, the words that are in the Bible.
Sufficiency
Definition / Definition
The adequacy of the Bible means that the Bible contains all the words of God needed by believers for their salvation and to live in their salvation, so there is no need for additional "revelations" outside the Bible. Thus, we believe that the Bible is sufficient as the only source of God's word needed by humans to survive and live in their salvation.
Evidence of the Sufficiency of the Bible in the Bible
Some of the verses below state various proofs of the adequacy of the Bible.
. 2 Timothy 3: 15-17
a. James 1:18
b. 1 Peter 1:23
c. Revelation 22: 18,19
Never Fails in Meaning (Efficacy)
Definition / Definition
The purpose and purpose of the Bible is to give news about God and His plan of salvation to humans. In conveying this message, the Bible never fails to achieve its purpose, both for those who receive salvation or for those who refuse. For those who are saved, the word of God provides peace and eternal life, for those who reject His word, God reveals His justice by punishing them into the flame forever.
Evidence in the Bible
Isaiah 55:11: God's Word never returns in vain.
Unity
Definition / Definition
The Bible has a unity of content and news, namely God who reveals himself to man in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible is "unique"
The unity of the Bible shows that the Bible is different from other books, very unique. Why? The following is a list that proves that the Bible is very unique.
. The only book written in a period of 1600 years and involving stories from 60 generations.
a. Written by approximately 40 writers from various circles (kings, prophets, fishermen, poets, rich people, farmers, philosophers, statesmen, political experts, pastors, military, doctors, etc.).
b. Written in different places (in prison, in the wilderness, on the hill, in the palace, on a desert island, etc.).
c. Written in times, times, places (three continents), and different circumstances.
d. Written in three kinds of languages ​​(Hebrew, Aramic, Greek).
e. The most honest book tells all the goodness and ugliness of human nature.
f. The book that contains prophecy and the truth of the prophecy has been proven.
g. The Bible is also a book that can survive through time, persecution, criticism, destruction, etc ...
h. The Bible is the first book to be translated repeatedly, in the most number of languages, and has been distributed throughout the world.

CONCLUSION
The Bible is the word of God, or the thoughts of God which are written in writing to read and carry out what is specified in the Bible. So the Bible must be a benchmark in every believer's life.