Bible

The Bible is a Book of 66 books written by various divinely led authors at different geographical location at different times in history (Heb.1:1). It is made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The OT has 39 books and the NT has 27 books. It's easy to remember the number by means of this mnemonic: if we understand that the word "Old" and "New" both have 3 letters, and the word "Testament" has 9 letters; so, OT=3,9=39; NT=3x9=27.

The Bible is God’s Book of instruction for salvation through the faith of Jesus Christ (2Tim.3:15). It was written by holy men of God who were moved by the prophetical anointing of the Holy Spirit  (Heb.1:1; 2Pet.1:20,21). It is, therefore, called the inspired Word of God (2Tim.3:16). The Bible cannot be understood in a worldly manner. The instruction of salvation is communicated to us through the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 2:10-16). Therefore, an unspiritual person can neither understand nor appreciate spiritual things. The Bible is the only infallible guide of divine instruction for man (Rev. 22:6).

The Bible or Scriptures testify about Jesus Christ (Jn. 5:29; Gal.3:8); therefore, it is said that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev.19:10). The believer is called to read and study the Scriptures (Ps.1:2). The Bible warns against Scripture twisting and against adding to or subtracting from the Scriptures (2Pet.3:16; Rev.22:18,19).

Notes from Outline of Theology
The Purpose of Writing (Woodrow Kroll)
1.  Precision: The Bible records the exact words in which God wanted to communicate with us.
2.  Propagation: The written word spreads the message.
3.  Preservation: The words are preserved in writing.

Verbal, Plenary Inspiration: Both divine and human elements are present in the production of Scripture. The entire text of Scripture, including the very words, are a product of the mind of God expressed in human terms and conditions.
2Ti. 3:16 (Theopneustos): God-breathed.
The personality of the writers was involved. The writers were Spirit-borne, led, moved (Phero) (2Pe. 1:21)

The inspiration is verbal; i.e., it extends to the words and not just the ideas.
The inspiration is plenary; i.e., full –”All scripture…” equally.

Infallibility: It is open to verification and falsification and is entirely perfect in its communication of the revealed Truth.
Inerrancy: It contains no errors. Complete Inerrancy: The Bible is fully true in all it teaches or affirms. Other Views: Limited Inerrancy:Inerrant in salvific doctrines; Teleological Inerrancy: Inerrant in accomplishing its purpose of reconciling man to God; Irrelevancy: The doctrine is irrelevant; the spirit or purpose of Bible should be considered.

The Bible is eternal and complete.

Canon: Lit. measuring rod, rule. Canonicity, canonical, canonize.
This word is derived from a Hebrew and Greek word denoting a reed or cane. Hence it means something straight, or something to keep straight; and hence also a rule, or something ruled or measured. It came to be applied to the Scriptures, to denote that they contained the authoritative rule of faith and practice, the standard of doctrine and duty. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary).

5-fold Criteria:
Authorship. The author of the book must have been a Prophet, Apostle, Holy Man.
Local Church Acceptance. It should have been accepted by the local churches.
Recognition by Church Fathers. The book must have been recognized and quoted by the Church Fathers.
Subject matter. The subject matter of the book must conform to Sound Doctrine.
It should be Personally edifying.

The OT canon is accepted as accepted by Christ and the apostles. The NT canon is accepted on the basis of apostolic authorship and recognition of the same by Church Fathers.

During the 3rd Council of Carthage (AD. 397) 27 NT Books were declared canonical. St. Athanasius (AD 297-373) in his 39th Paschal letter (AD 367), listed the books of the NT as we know them.

Symbols of it used in the Bible
1. Sword (Heb. 4:12) 2. Hammer (Jer. 23:29) 3. Seed (1Pe. 1:23) 4. Mirror (Jas. 1:23-25) 5. Fire (Jer. 23:29; Jer. 20:9) 6. Lamp (Psa. 119:105) 7. Food (1Pe. 2:2) 8. Water (Eph. 5:25-27) 9. Milk (1Pe. 2:2) 10. Meat (Heb. 5:12) 11. Bread (Mt. 4:4) 12. Silver (Psa. 12:6)

Other Names
The Lord’s Book (Isa. 34:16); The Book of Truth (Dan. 10:21); Scriptures (Jn. 10:35; Mt. 21:42); Holy Scriptures (Rom. 1:2); Sacred Books (Dan. 9:2; Heb. 10:7); The Oracles of God (Rom. 3:2); The Word of God (Heb. 4:12); The Living Oracles of God (Acts 7:38).

The Bible has Authority over: Human Wisdom, The Church, Our Experience, The Christian.

Anyone reading the New Testament will immediately be able to observe a few distinctive things:
1. Variety. There is a great variety of styles by different authors. It is not just the perspective of one person. We find here the united testimony of several authors from various backgrounds and perspectives, doctors, government officials, theologians, and fishermen. Yet, they all share the same faith.
2. Sincerity. Not only the tone and the appeal is sincere, but the testimonies of life are also outstandingly genuine. Luke writes about the life of Paul and Peter also mentions him. Then, Paul himself speaks a few times about how he came to know Christ, about the spiritual revelation, about the presence and power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. What a testimony! What a sacrifice! Would anyone, and such intellectuals as Paul and Luke, dare to forsake everything to live such lives unless they were really encountered by God? Every word they spoke bore marks of sincerity. The words themselves prove them.
3. Unity. There is one uniting theme throughout the New Testament, the Gospel of the Cross of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead. “Christ died” was not just a secular phenomenon; it was a divine rendezvous. “Christ rose again” was the pinpoint where all history blended with the reality of the final purpose of God. The death of Christ puts an end to the Old Covenant; the resurrection of Christ liberates us into the new world of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. They all look back at the cross and draw their energy from it.
4. Certainty. All the Biblical writers are fully convinced of the truth they proclaim. We may have doubts about it today; but, they had seen Christ, touched Him, and gazed at Him intently (1John 1:1). There was no mistake about this. The hundreds of these believers, and in no way behind in intelligence and sensibility, were completely assured of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Faith was rock-certain.
5. Cogency. The proclamation of the New Testament is consistent and clear. The Gospels, the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation all evince unity, intelligibility, credibilty, and strong proofs for the points being made. Luke refers to Christ’s testimony as grounded on many irrefutable proofs. Christ’s teaching is rational against the superstitious and false interpretations of the religious leaders of the time. Paul’s writings are not only full of experiential proofs but also attestations from the Old Testament and use of rational interpretation. Cogency is woven into the very fabric of Scripture.
6. Practicality. The Bible never just theorizes or gives out hypotheses or speculative formulations. It calls us to belief and action in conformity to the Truth it proclaims. It calls us to not just sit and immerse in some philosophical or metaphysical meditation. It calls us to a living faith in Jesus Christ. For instance, in Mark 16:17 Jesus says that they who believe will have these signs following: “In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Of course, that doesn’t mean that believers can now go and play with serpents and drink poison; for that would be falling into the kind of temptation that the devil brought to Jesus, the temptation that tries to use God at one’s whim. But, it means that the believer has a faith that is not without substance. It is not a castle in the air. It is not made of “such stuff that dreams are made of”. Faith is the substance (Hebrews 11:1). This is the living faith that the Bible calls us to and that will be manifest in the lives of believers. Every promise of the Scripture is true. And, so if anyone believes the words and acts according to them in sincerity and purity of heart, he/she will experience the presence and power of God in his/her own very practical day to day life. If this is not so, the boldness of the Scriptural calling is annulled. But, it is so that while there are many theories and goals in the world that people fantastically strive at (every time, the goal only appears farther), the Bible calls to a simple faith in Jesus Christ by which one can receive every promise given for the believer therein, in reality and without any speck of doubt.

And, these are what zoom out of the Bible when we read it. It is impossible to cast it aside saying that all of them were either deluded or were imposters or were misled. No one can challenge their experiences, none can accuse them of falsehood or of credulity. Their words prove their sanity, their credibility, and their sincerity which is also repeatedly attested by testimonies by others. One cannot read the New Testament, and at the same time keep doubting it. The Scripture is self-evident.