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the Bible •
why should we read the Bible •
Bible translations
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We Believe... ... in the infallibility of the Word of God. The Bible The Bible is God's written revelation of Himself
to mankind: "...surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but
he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets". The Bible was written by human beings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit". The Bible tells us of God's plans for individuals and for nations. It speaks of God's people Israel and God's Son Jesus, the Christ. The Bible tells us of the need to repent and outlines how we are to make our approach to God. It tells us about how the church should be run and gives instruction in every important aspect of our lives. It describes where we came from and importantly, why we exist. It tells us where we are going. It details the history of God's dealing with mankind and foretells events before they become history. The Bible (or 'Scriptures', or 'Word of God') consists of the Old Testament (39 "books") and the New Testament (27 "books"). |
What does "infallibility" mean? Infallibility means we believe the Scriptures (as originally written) are free from error, and completely correct, right and true in all that they say. The Scriptures are the authority when it comes to matters of salvation, and all other aspects of our life.
Infallibility also means we believe the Scriptures are accurate when speaking of historic matters, scientific matters and, in fact, any topic on which it makes a statement. Jesus believed the Scriptures were true and quoted from them.
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Is the Bible really the Word of God? The Bible says of itself: All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness... In the Revival Centres we have a great respect for the Bible. We know it to be true because the coming of the Holy Spirit promised in its pages is the personal and real experience of every one of our members. While there are many other 'proofs' of the Bible, it is this personal revelation of the working of God that first makes the Bible so totally real.
Studying the Bible There are thousands of religions, all claiming that the Bible is their foundation, yet all saying different things to each other. Even "major" religions with their own armies of theologians come up with opposing views to each other on what is "right". An academic approach, on its own, to the Bible is not sufficient. The Bible tells us that the gospel must be mixed with faith to be effective. The studying of the (then only Old Testament) Bible as an end in itself was not useful to the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day. Their study of the Scriptures did not lead them to Christ - despite the fact that Jesus clearly said the Scriptures (Old Testament) spoke of Him. The guiding of the Holy Spirit enlivens the study of the Bible. Faith in God makes the Scriptures effective in our lives. The apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to give diligence to his study of the "word of truth" that he may "rightly divide" its meaning. Jesus reminded His disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes: "He will guide you into all truth". Being filled with the Holy Spirit makes the Scriptures come alive.
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