What about the Bible? - Trinity Lutheran Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

	Trinity Lutheran Church RR#3, 2027 Niagara Stone Road Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 (905) 468-2611 Pastor: Rev. Larry Ritter rev.lritter@trinitynotl.ca Divine Service: Sunday, 10 AM
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What We Believe The Divine Service The Bible The Gospel The Ten Commandments The Creed The Lord's Prayer Baptism Confession The Lord's Supper Issues, Etc. Links	+ The Bible + What is the Bible? The word “Bible” is from a Greek word that means “book.” What is this “good book”? That question has a two-part answer. First, the Bible is actually a collection of books—66 of them to be exact—from the first book, Genesis, to the last, Revelation. These books cover thousands of years and were written in either Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. There are many different kinds of writing in the Bible: historical narrative, prophecy, poetry, speeches, letters, and so on. From a merely human perspective, there is no question that the Bible is a masterpiece of literature. Second, the much more important answer to the question, “What is the Bible?” is this: The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the collection of the thoughts—even the very words—that God gave to the authors of the biblical books. The Bible is a gift God has given to His church. It is not a collection of ancient fables and myths. The Bible is the sure and certain means that God the Holy Spirit uses to communicate God's Word to us today. Why is the Bible so important? Jesus said, “The Scriptures testify about me” (John 5:39). The main message of the Bible is the good news of God's work to reconcile the world to Himself through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Throughout Old and New Testaments, the central message of the Scripture is the account of how God was in the world preparing it to receive His Son and then what His Son did when He was here. It also tells how the church received this glorious message of salvation, and how it grew and spread throughout the known world. Luther once compared the Bible to the swaddling clothes the baby Jesus was wrapped in. Thus the Bible is Christ-centered. Our Lord Jesus said, “If you remain in my Word, truly you are my disciples” (John 8:31). The Divine authority and reliability of the Bible does not rest on the persons God used to write the Bible, nor on the endorsement of the Bible by the church, but rests entirely on the fact that it is the Word of the Lord. How do we know this? This confession of the Bible's complete authority is part of the certainty of the faith God gives to us as a gift. Real human beings were given real words from God to write down. As our Lord Jesus Christ was both true God and true man, so the Bible is truly the Word of God and also the writing of human beings. Even as our Lord Jesus took on human flesh free from sin and error, so God used human beings to provide a written revelation of Himself that is free from error. Thus, we believe that the Bible is both incapable of error (infallible) and free from error (inerrant). The Bible has a very important distinction one needs to keep in mind in order to understand the Bible correctly: the difference between Law and Gospel. The Bible reveals God's perfect holiness and righteousness, and His expectation of perfection. His Law, summarized best in the Ten Commandments, reveals our sinful rebellion and our inability to save ourselves. The Gospel is the joyful news that our Lord Jesus Christ has given us complete forgiveness from our sins through His life, death and resurrection for us. The proper distinction between Law and Gospel is the key to understanding the Bible correctly. The most important message of the Bible is not the Law of God. The Bible is not merely a collection of principles for daily living. The Bible is not a textbook that answers every possible question we may have. Nor for that matter is the Bible a book that predicts every last detail about the future. The central and most important teaching in the Bible is the Gospel, the good news of God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the message that predominates throughout the Bible, from Old Testament to New Testament. Thus the Bible is Gospel-centered. We know that the Bible was not given merely for the sake of itself. We are not saved because we own a Bible. We are saved by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Bible. We believe the Bible because it is the Lord's Word. We believe in Him, thus we believe His Word to be true. We receive what He has given. He has given us the Scriptures. Thus, the Bible is the foundation and touchstone for everything that the church believes, teaches, confesses and practices. Why? Because the Bible is the inspired, Christ-centered and Gospel-centered Word of the Lord. from “What About the Bible?” by Dr. A.L. Barry, former President The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod For more information about the Bible, please see the following resources: + What about the Bible? (by Dr. A. L. Barry) + Martin Luther and the Bible (by the Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie) + The Bible is the Authoritative Word of God (by Rev. Ken Schurb) + Lessons from Luther on the Inerrancy of Holy Writ (by Dr. John Warwick Montgomery) + Working out with the Word of God (Part 1: Do You Need Spiritual Exercise?) (by Rev. Don Matzat) + Working out with the Word of God (Part 2: Meditating Upon the Word of God) (by Rev. Don Matzat) + The Power of God's Word (by Dr. Robert Preus) + Frequently Asked Questions: The Bible Online Daily Bible Readings The links shown below will connect you with daily Scripture readings in a number of different formats. All of these use the English Standard Version (ESV) bible, an accurate and very readable new translation that was published in 2001. + The One Year Bible The popular One Year Bible format features a reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Millions of people have discovered how to read through God's entire Word using The One Year Bible. This daily reading Bible divides the text into 365 sections, so you can read through the entire Bible in one unforgettable year--in as little as 15 minutes a day. In one year, you read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Proverbs once, and the Psalms twice. + One Year Bible Reading Plan This tract is based on the M'Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings for use in both family and personal devotions. Each day has two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice. + Through the Bible in a Year Each day includes a reading from the Old Testament and New Testament. Starting in Genesis and Matthew, the readings continue sequentially—over the course of a year, you never read the same passage twice. Bible Study and Devotional Resources + Kretzmann's Popular Commentary + Portals of Prayer (A Daily Devotion from Concordia Publishing House) + Today's Light: Discussion Questions (from Concordia Publishing House) Online Audio Resources + The Bible Study + Issues, Etc. + Law and Gospel

+ The Bible +

What is the Bible?

The word “Bible” is from a Greek word that means “book.” What is this “good book”? That question has a two-part answer.

First, the Bible is actually a collection of books—66 of them to be exact—from the first book, Genesis, to the last, Revelation. These books cover thousands of years and were written in either Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. There are many different kinds of writing in the Bible: historical narrative, prophecy, poetry, speeches, letters, and so on. From a merely human perspective, there is no question that the Bible is a masterpiece of literature.

Second, the much more important answer to the question, “What is the Bible?” is this: The Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is the collection of the thoughts—even the very words—that God gave to the authors of the biblical books. The Bible is a gift God has given to His church. It is not a collection of ancient fables and myths. The Bible is the sure and certain means that God the Holy Spirit uses to communicate God's Word to us today.

Why is the Bible so important?

Jesus said, “The Scriptures testify about me” (John 5:39). The main message of the Bible is the good news of God's work to reconcile the world to Himself through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Throughout Old and New Testaments, the central message of the Scripture is the account of how God was in the world preparing it to receive His Son and then what His Son did when He was here. It also tells how the church received this glorious message of salvation, and how it grew and spread throughout the known world. Luther once compared the Bible to the swaddling clothes the baby Jesus was wrapped in. Thus the Bible is Christ-centered.

Our Lord Jesus said, “If you remain in my Word, truly you are my disciples” (John 8:31). The Divine authority and reliability of the Bible does not rest on the persons God used to write the Bible, nor on the endorsement of the Bible by the church, but rests entirely on the fact that it is the Word of the Lord. How do we know this? This confession of the Bible's complete authority is part of the certainty of the faith God gives to us as a gift.

Real human beings were given real words from God to write down. As our Lord Jesus Christ was both true God and true man, so the Bible is truly the Word of God and also the writing of human beings. Even as our Lord Jesus took on human flesh free from sin and error, so God used human beings to provide a written revelation of Himself that is free from error. Thus, we believe that the Bible is both incapable of error (infallible) and free from error (inerrant).

The Bible has a very important distinction one needs to keep in mind in order to understand the Bible correctly: the difference between Law and Gospel. The Bible reveals God's perfect holiness and righteousness, and His expectation of perfection. His Law, summarized best in the Ten Commandments, reveals our sinful rebellion and our inability to save ourselves. The Gospel is the joyful news that our Lord Jesus Christ has given us complete forgiveness from our sins through His life, death and resurrection for us. The proper distinction between Law and Gospel is the key to understanding the Bible correctly.

The most important message of the Bible is not the Law of God. The Bible is not merely a collection of principles for daily living. The Bible is not a textbook that answers every possible question we may have. Nor for that matter is the Bible a book that predicts every last detail about the future. The central and most important teaching in the Bible is the Gospel, the good news of God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the message that predominates throughout the Bible, from Old Testament to New Testament. Thus the Bible is Gospel-centered.

We know that the Bible was not given merely for the sake of itself. We are not saved because we own a Bible. We are saved by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Bible. We believe the Bible because it is the Lord's Word. We believe in Him, thus we believe His Word to be true. We receive what He has given. He has given us the Scriptures. Thus, the Bible is the foundation and touchstone for everything that the church believes, teaches, confesses and practices. Why? Because the Bible is the inspired, Christ-centered and Gospel-centered Word of the Lord.

from “What About the Bible?”
by Dr. A.L. Barry, former President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

For more information about the Bible, please see the following resources:

+ What about the Bible? (by Dr. A. L. Barry)
+ Martin Luther and the Bible (by the Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie)
+ The Bible is the Authoritative Word of God (by Rev. Ken Schurb)
+ Lessons from Luther on the Inerrancy of Holy Writ (by Dr. John Warwick Montgomery)
+ Working out with the Word of God (Part 1: Do You Need Spiritual Exercise?) (by Rev. Don Matzat)
+ Working out with the Word of God (Part 2: Meditating Upon the Word of God) (by Rev. Don Matzat)
+ The Power of God's Word (by Dr. Robert Preus)
+ Frequently Asked Questions: The Bible

Online Daily Bible Readings
The links shown below will connect you with daily Scripture readings in a number of different formats. All of these use the English Standard Version (ESV) bible, an accurate and very readable new translation that was published in 2001.

+ The One Year Bible
The popular One Year Bible format features a reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Millions of people have discovered how to read through God's entire Word using The One Year Bible. This daily reading Bible divides the text into 365 sections, so you can read through the entire Bible in one unforgettable year--in as little as 15 minutes a day. In one year, you read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Proverbs once, and the Psalms twice.
+ One Year Bible Reading Plan
This tract is based on the M'Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings for use in both family and personal devotions. Each day has two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.
+ Through the Bible in a Year
Each day includes a reading from the Old Testament and New Testament. Starting in Genesis and Matthew, the readings continue sequentially—over the course of a year, you never read the same passage twice.

Bible Study and Devotional Resources
+ Kretzmann's Popular Commentary
+ Portals of Prayer (A Daily Devotion from Concordia Publishing House)
+ Today's Light: Discussion Questions (from Concordia Publishing House)

Online Audio Resources
+ The Bible Study
+ Issues, Etc.
+ Law and Gospel