THE DOCTORINE OF SCRIPTURE

You will be introduced to three key Christian claims regarding the Scriptures: 1) That God has revealed himself by communicating directly to humankind, and that this communication has been collected and preserved in the Bible. It is not the only means of divine revelation, since God also reveals himself through people, nature, and even through history. But it is a primary means and the most conducive to examination. 2) That the Scriptures are the result of divine inspiration. Not that God wrote the words directly, but that he communicated his message through the agency of human writers. His message to us is inspired, or “God-breathed,” and that inspiration extends to more than merely the themes and ideas it contains. 3) That the Bible carries divine authority. If it is divinely inspired, and is a revelation of God, it is not only reliable, but it has a divine authority over us, an authority not ascribed to any other book.