A Clay Jar

Encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12 NIV)

The Doctrine of the Bible

This is the Doctrine of the Bible homepage. All of the posts listed on this page are about the Bible. The initial post was written as a part of a systematic theology class I taught. The following posts are those that I have generated over the years that have some relationship to the Bible. I also have a brief summary of my beliefs, or credo, on the Bible.

  • The Doctrine of the Bible (6/12/2021) - From the human perspective, the Bible is a diverse collection of literature written over a long period of time. From a divine perspective, it is the authoritative guide to faith and practice.
  • Guide to Dating the New Testament Gospels (6/19/2021) - The New Testament gospels are our primary source of information about the life of Jesus. So what is the dating of the gospels?
  • Textual Criticism: Copying the New Testament Texts (4/20/2012) - How close to the original New Testament documents is our current Bible? Copying the New Testament texts has introduced some error. But textual criticism has, by comparing the existing manuscripts, been able to very closely reproduce the original.
  • The Reliability of the New Testament Texts (12/17/2013) - Can we have any confidence in the reliability of the New Testament texts? Is what we have today essentially the same as the original?
  • Canonization of the New Testament (12/26/2013) - How did we get the New Testament that we have today? What process was used in its canonization? And who decided what to include?
  • The Bible Is Inspired and Authoritative (1/2/2019) - The Bible is inspired by God and is the supreme authority for the believer in all matters of faith and practice. The Bible is without error in all that it teaches and affirms. However it is essential that it be understood in light of the culture that produced it, otherwise we are in danger of misunderstanding its message.
  • What Version of the Bible is Best? (5/31/2019) - So just which version of the Bible is the best? There are many good English translations. But ultimately, the best one is the one you will read.
  • The Importance of the Human Authorship of the Bible (6/14/2019) - If the Bible is indeed the divinely inspired word of God to us, is the human authorship of the Bible important? Does it matter if Moses wrote the Torah?
  • The Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee (3/27/2020) - What is the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee mentioned in the Old Testament? Do they have any relevance for life today? Or only for Old Testament times?
  • Jesus’ Fulfillment of Prophecy in Matthew (6/5/2020) - One of the significant aspects of Matthew's gospel of Jesus is his concern with showing Jesus' fulfillment of the prophecy made about him.
  • What Does it Mean That the Bible is Authoritative? (2/26/2021) - What do we mean when we say the Bible is authoritative? Is it just a rule book or set of faith statements. Or does it shape our worldview?
  • How to Read the Bible and Get the Most Out of It. (3/26/2021) - There are many different ways that people read and study the Bible. We should seek to read the Bible profitably, allowing it to change us.

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