THE BIBLE: Its Origin And Importance
The first thing we should note, is that the Bible does not attempt to prove the existence of God. The Bible assumes that everyone believes in the existence of God. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 14:1 that "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." I want you to notice that the fool who denies the existence of God keeps it to himself. "The fool has said IN HIS HEART...." (in his thinking). Even the fool is smart enough to keep his mouth shut about denying the existence of God. Both the Bible and scientific laws, if they are examined objectively, prove the existence of a supreme being. The problem is that most people are not objective in their thinking, they are very subjective and partial. But all you have to do is to look into a microscope, and you will know that there is a God. Or if you look into a telescope, you will know that there is a God. Therefore, God exists, and He exists eternally.
Logically speaking, if God is a superior being, and a loving and caring being, then He would want to communicate with man. He would want to share His life and love with man, and in so doing He would have written it down in a way that man could understand and learn. And God did just that. We call His Word, the Bible.
The Bible is not a systematic treatise on theology, history, science, or any other topic. The Bible is the direct revelation from God concerning His plan and purpose for the earth and the human race. The Bible was given to the human race a little at a time. In Hebrews 1:1 it says, "AT VARIOUS TIMES, AND IN DIFFERENT WAYS." In II Peter 1:21 it says, "HOLY MEN OF GOD SPOKE AS THEY WERE MOVED ALONG BY THE HOLY SPIRIT." The Bible provides the only true source of solutions to the problems of life. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, "ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED AND IS USEFUL FOR TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING, AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Some Facts Concerning the Origin of the Bible (1). The Bible was written over a period of about 1600 years. From about 1490 BC to about 100 AD.
(2). The Bible consists of 66 separate books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
(3). These 66 separate books were written by about 40 different writers: Kings, such as David and Solomon. Statesmen: such as Daniel and Nehemiah. Priests: such as Ezra. Men taught in the wisdom of Egypt: such as Moses. Men taught in the Jewish Law: such as Paul. Herdsmen: such as Amos. Tax collectors: such as Matthew.
Unlearned and ignorant fishermen: such as Peter, James and John. A physician: such as Luke. And mighty overseers: such as Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah.
(4). Parts of the Bible were written in the desert of the Sinai.
(5), Parts of the Bible were written in Arabia.
(6). Parts of the Bible were written in the hills and towns of Palestine.
(7). Parts of the Bible were written in the courts of the Temple.
(8). Parts of the Bible were written in the schools of the prophets at Bethel and Jericho.
(9). Parts of the Bible were written in the palace of Shushan in Persia.
(10). Parts of the Bible were written on the banks of the Chebar River in Babylonia.
(11). Parts of the Bible were written in the dungeons of Rome.
(12). Parts of the Bible were written on the lonely island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea.
Yet one of the most amazing and miraculous things about all this, is that after 1600 years and 40 different writers, they all talked about the same thing, with no contradictions and no errors (in the original languages of the Hebrew and Greek). They all spoke about the plan of God for man. Most of these men never even read the writings of the others. Everything recorded between the opening pages of the book of Genesis and the closing pages of Revelation was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is a book that man would not write even if he could. Because from Genesis to Revelation the Bible denounces the human race as being sinners. Totally depraved, evil and totally unable to help themselves, and totally unqualified to live with God.
The Bible is a book that man could not write even if he desired to. Because the Bible is the living book. "THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL" (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is actually the mind of Jesus Christ in written form, therefore, man could not have written it, because "WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD?" (II Corinthians 2:16). Therefore, the Christian should always be learning Biblical truth. Because only by learning Biblical truth is he able to detect false teaching.
THE BIBLE IS THE BOOK OF GOD
The Bible is actually the book from God. This means that throughout the entire Bible it constantly states that it is the message of God to man, and not man's message to his fellow man.
In the Bible God is set forth as the Creator and Lord of all. The Bible is the revelation of God and His plan. The Bible is the record of what God has done, and what He will do. The Bible declares the fact that every created thing is subject to Him. The Bible clearly teaches that every created being achieves the greatest happiness and fulfillment in life only when they conform to the will of God as it is revealed in the Bible.
It is also very important for every Christian to understand that the Bible is the inspired direct revelation of God to man only in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. There never has been and never will be a translation of the Bible that is inspired.
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Chaldean. Since the structure of these languages is basically simple, they can be translated into almost any language fairly easily. It is also important to note that the original languages of the Bible are never outdated. They communicate to modern man just as they did to all past generations. And if modern man thinks that the Bible is not relevant today, it is only because he is arrogant, and possesses an attitude that rejects truth.
The New Testament was written in the Koine Greek Language. The Koine Greek is almost a perfect language for the communication and classification of Bible doctrine. Koine Greek is not a supernatural language; there is no such thing as a supernatural language, just as there is no such thing as a holy language. To the contrary, the Koine Greek was the language of the streets, and it came into being in a most unusual way.
The word "Koine" means, "common." The Koine Greek language originated in Greece about 350 BC. In those days Macedonia emerged as a well organized and
powerful kingdom under the leadership of King Philip II. In 338 BC, Philip conquered Greece and laid the foundation for what was to become a mighty empire.
Philip married Olympias. They had a son and named him Alexander. He became known in history as Alexander the Great. He was a very rare individual whose genius ranks among the greatest of all time. In his brief life Alexander conquered most of the ancient world and changed the direction of human history.
By the time Alexander was sixteen he was a divisional commander in his father's army. Four years later Philip was assassinated, and Alexander came to the throne as the dictator of Macedonia. Alexander was a brilliant leader. He quickly suppressed all revolts against his kingdom and united the Greeks under him, and formed a united Greek army. But there existed a great communication problem. The Greek language of Athens was different from the Greek language of Macedonia, or Sparta. In fact, there were a number of different Greek dialects.
Alexander realized that if he were to have a perfectly coordinated military organization, his commands would have to be translated into the various Greek dialects. That idea was useless and very impractical. Instead of that, he decided to develop a new language. A language that had only one interpretation. So through the genius of Alexander the Great a "common" form of Greek was devised. This common Greek, or "Koine" Greek eventually became the Greek of the New Testament.
After unifying and organizing the Greeks, Alexander decided to expand his kingdom. With each victory Alexander gained new territory. As he conquered other nations, he forced them to learn his language, the Koine or Common Greek. By the year 300 BC the world was speaking a new language, a common language, the Koine Greek.
Later, under Roman rule, Latin became the international language. Although latin beautifully expressed principles of logic, it could not compare with the Koine Greek for explaining the various shades of meaning and yet maintaining the correct interpretation. Consequently, even the Romans realized the importance of Alexander's language and learned it. Therefore, while Latin remained the official language of the Roman Empire, Koine Greek became the language of culture and was spoken by every educated Roman.
Because of the unique quality for communication, the Koine or common Greek continued to be the common language used throughout the time of the writing of the New Testament. By the purpose and design of God, the Koine Greek became the standard of divine revelation.
When we study the Bible we recognize that there may be many applications to any given passage of scripture, but there is only one correct interpretation. Many times we must go back to the original languages of the Bible in order to find that correct interpretation. Therefore, as we proceed through our studies of the Bible we will refer back to the Hebrew and Greek languages from time to time so we can obtain a correct and clear understanding of what God wants us to know from His Word.
In our study of the Bible it is very important to note, that the only way anyone can arrive at a correct interpretation of any given Scripture is through what we call ICE teaching. ICE is an acronym for ISAGOGICS, referring to historical background. CATEGORIES, referring to other parts of the Bible that teach the same thing. EXEGESIS, refers to a word by word study of each verse. When these things are accomplished, it is very easy to understand what the Bible is teaching in any particular passage.
America is a great nation for one reason and one reason alone, the acceptance of the Bible on the part of a large number of its citizens. From the very beginning of our country The Bible has played a very important role in the lives of a great many of its citizens. Because the Bible has been honored by many of the citizens of this country, God has honored and blessed this country in a way that no other country has ever been blessed in the history of mankind.
Apart from our Christian Pilgrim and Puritan forefathers who originally settled on the shores of the North American Continent, many of our national leaders have been born-again, Bible believing Christians themselves, or they have been very sympathetic to the Bible and its teachings. For example:
GEORGE WASHINGTON, known as the father of our country. When he was sworn into office as the first elected President of the United States on April 30, 1789, he added these words to his own oath he had just taken: "So help me, God." He then reverently stooped down and kissed the Bible used in the oath. He recognized the value and importance of the Bible in American national life.
JOHN ADAMS, the second President of the United states, wrote in his diary of his resolve to "Study the Scriptures on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings." In his early years he even considered entering the Christian ministry
THOMAS JEFFERSON was the third president of the United States. Although his personal faith in Jesus Christ is very much in the dark, the Bible still left its mark on him. Jefferson is known to have spent many months studying the Gospels in an effort to understand the basic moral teachings of Jesus; he arranged passages from the New Testament in consecutive order to form what has been called "The Jefferson Bible."
JAMES MADISON, the fourth President of the United States, and also like John Adams considered entering the Christian ministry at one time. It is clear that the Bible was a great influence in shaping his life.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President of the United States wrote in his diary dated September 26, 1810 that he had made a practice of reading the Bible through in the course of a year. His method was to read the Scriptures for the first hour each morning upon arising.
ANDREW JACKSON, the seventh President of the United States wrote in his diary that he read three to five chapters daily from the Bible. He died at "The Hermitage," near Nashville, Tennessee, May 24, 1845, proclaiming his faith in God. He said on his death bed as he pointed to the Bible, "Gentlemen, on that book is where our Republic stands."
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth President of the United States was greatly influenced by the Bible. His public speeches are filled with undertones not only of the Bible's words, but of the deep spiritual issues the Scriptures illuminated for him. He spoke many times of his faith in Jesus Christ.
JAMES A. GARFIELD, the twentieth President of the United States served as a lay preacher for the Disciples of Christ in his early years. The Bible had a considerable influence in shaping his sturdy and forthright character.
BENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty third President of the United States considered entering the Christian ministry as a young man. He was elected deacon and later an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He taught Sunday School, and the Bible was an important part of his life.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, the twenty-sixth President of the United States was a devout reader of the Scriptures and a very strong believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. It comes out in most of his writings.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, the thirty-fourth President of the United States was raised River Brethren, a Mennonite fellowship. In his home the Bible was read daily at family devotions. Dwight grew up under the great influences of the greatest book ever written, the Bible.
RICHARD NIXON, the thirty-seventh President of the United States grew up under very strong influence of the Bible. He was raised a Quaker, and claimed a born-again experience in the Lord Jesus Christ.
JIMMY CARTER, was a well known born-again Christian who was elected as the thirty-nineth president of the United States.
RONALD REAGAN, the fortieth President of the United States was raised in the fundamentalist church called "The Disciples of Christ," where he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. His policies as president revealed his clear understanding of the Bible. Therefore, we conclude that the Bible had a clear impact on the life of Ronald Reagan.
These are only a few examples of great American leaders over the centuries who have placed their faith in the Bible and used it on a daily basis. Many of them even accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Neither space or time allows me to go into the lives of other national leaders like Thomas Johnathan (Stonewall)Jackson, one of General Lee's corps commanders in the civil war who wrote in his diary that he read at least five chapters a day from the Bible. Or General Robert E. Lee who was a devout Christian man who remained true to the Bible and its teaching all the way to the end. Then there was Douglas MacArthur, who said that the two greatest symbols of freedom is "the cross, and the flag."
The list of Americans who have endorsed the teachings of the Bible and the Christian movement, and are believers in Jesus Christ is endless. The United states is much better today because of all those in the past, and in the present who have proclaimed the divine truths found in the Bible.
Has anyone ever stopped to consider that the more we get away from the Bible the worse things get? The more we get away from the Bible the more teen violence we see. The more we get away from the Bible the more widespread becomes child and spousal abuse. The more we get away from the Bible the greater becomes the lack of respect for each other, as road rage becomes increasingly worse, and the great work ethic that went with the Christian teaching of the Bible is becoming scarce.
There are not only Presidents, and cabinet members, and senators, and congressmen, but there are supreme court justices, governors, local politicians, school board members, local police force members, school teachers, mothers and fathers and children throughout this great land who place great emphasises on the Bible and its teaching.
Therefore, everyone who reads this should know that it is the teaching of the Bible throughout the United States of America that has brought us our great prosperity and peace, nothing else. The Bible tells us in Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation whose
God is the Lord..." Proverbs 14:34, "Righteousness exalts (lifts up) a nation, but sin (rebellion, violence, disrespect for authority) is a reproach to any people." II Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face; and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."
The point I want to make is this: whenever the Word of God is clearly taught and accepted, that nation rises to great heights economically, socially and politically. In other words, everything good, decent and upright is connected to the Word of God, and the proclamation of it. "The Word of God is alive and powerful and will accomplish whatever the Lord desires." (Heb 4:12 & Isaiah 55:11).
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Copyright 1999 by Robert H. Kreger. All rights reserved. Anyone may reproduce this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.