D2 – PHASE 4 D2 Phase 4 — Part 3 How to Study the Bible Which Version? Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2 John 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Today there are as many deceivers who do not admit the inspiration of the word of God in the Bible, as who do not admit the incarnation of the word of God in Jesus. Yet the incarnation of a divine Christ is inextricably tied to the inspiration of inerrant scriptures. 1 John 4:3, 1 Tim 3:16, 1 John 2:18, 1 Tim 4:1 ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ The spirit of the adversary is to deny the Bible was historical and say it is only mythical, or else to say it was only a human production and does not preserve the divine mind of God without error for us today. His goal, since the beginning, is to establish doubt and skeptical uncertainty (Gen 3:1). This is why the apostle Paul urges us, 2 Tim 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 143 D2 – PHASE 4 The form of sounds words – the certainty of the words of truth that have come to us – is designed by the Spirit of God as he was watching over God’s word in history. So the key to this section is to see the hand of God in history, as interpreted by the sound truth of God in the Bible. And it is also in holding to the same view of God and his word as you had when you first got saved. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 144 D2 – PHASE 4 D2 Phase 4 — Part 3 How to Study the Bible Which Version? I. The Bible’s basis for this study A. The attack of Satan is through the Word of God, using a kernel of truth as the base, then twisting it for his purposes. 1. The law of first mention – First attack of Satan – Gen 3:1-6, Matt 4:6 cf Psa 91:11-12 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Satan is the greatest counterfeiter in the Bible and in history 2 Cor 11:4-15; Gal 1:6-9 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. The only threat to the Devil is the authority of God’s word – Job 40:15-19; Heb 4:12; Eph 6:10-18 4. The questions we will answer here: a. Do you have the words of God? b. If so, how did you get them? c. If not, where are they found? d. How can I get them now? B. The Bible doctrine of preservation 1. _____________________________– God using men to speak His word by the Spirit 2. _____________________________– God using scribes to catch those words and commit them to writing 3. _____________________________– God using bilingual believers to bring his word from one language to another 4. _____________________________– God using the saints to protect His scripture in existing documents 145 D2 – PHASE 4 God’s promise is to preserve his word, Psa 12:6-7 (this passage is corrupted in most modern translations); Mark 13:31 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. Conclusion – Scripture was still available in Paul’s day even though they were NOT the “original manuscripts”, 2 Tim 3:15-17 C. The internal biblical evidence for Biblical authority 1. God’s words are more sure than the audible voice of God – 2 Pet 1:16-21 ________________________________________________________________________ 2. God’s word is exalted above his own name – Neh 9:5; Acts 4:12; Phil 2:9-11; Psa 138:2 3. The Holy Spirit substitutes scripture for God / gives the Bible the attributes of God Rom 9:17 / Exo 9:16, Gal 3:8 / Gen 12:3 GOD IS… THE WORD OF GOD… Spirit Reveals Spiritual Truth Infinite Transcends Time and Culture Eternal Has 3 Simultaneous Applications Unchangeable Teaches Absolute Principles GOD’S CHARACTER IS… MIRRORS GOD’S PERSONALITY Wisdom Reflects His Foreknowledge Power Reflects His Works Holiness Reflects His Perfection Justice Reflects His Administration Goodness Reflects His Mercy Truth Reflects His Consistency THE LIVING WORD (CHRIST) IS… THE WRITTEN WORD (BIBLE) IS… God Unfolded God Enveloped Life Letter Spirit IN the Soul Spirit TO the Soul ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 146 D2 – PHASE 4 II. The historical basis of this study A. The authoritative definition of church history is in the Bible 1. Church history begins with the gospels. Luke 6:12-16, in Matt 16:18 and 18:17, Acts 2-28, 1 Corinthians and Ephesians, Acts 28, Rev 2-3 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 7 Stages of Church History As 1 Dispensation of Human History Ephesus, 2:1 Smyrna, 2:8 Pergamos, 2:12 Thyatira, 3:1 Sardis, 3:7 Philadelphia, 3:14 Laodicea, 3:22 Apostolic Persecuted Compromised Pagan Reformation Missionary Modern AD 30 Purposed 200 Suffering 325 Married 500 Afflicted 1500 Bloody 1750 Loving 1881 Rights 20xx 2. The only issue of history is God vs the Devil ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Bible preservation is a geographical and historical issue THE GENEALOGICAL METHOD TWO NT GREEK TEXTS THE TRADITIONAL RECEIVED TEXT THE MODERN ECLECTIC TEXT City: Antioch in Syria City: Alexandria in Egypt Eastern Western Traditional “Neutral” From Lucian From Hesychius & Origen A Majority of Texts A Minority of Texts 95+% of all existing MSS <5% of all existing MSS Located in the Byzantine Church Lost by the Western Church Written by Great Apostles Revised by Gnostic Apostates Unintentional Scribal Errors Intentional Heretical Corruptions Printed in the Reformation Presented in the 1880s Traditional or Received Text (Textus Modern Critical or Eclectic Text Receptus) Based on Believers Assumptions Based on Unbelieving Approach The Providentially Preserved Text A Lately Discovered Text 147 D2 – PHASE 4 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ B. After the book of Acts, two cities emerge as key centers of spiritual activity – Antioch (the model of a missionary church, where believers were first called Christians), and Alexandria in Egypt, hotbed of heresy. Acts 6:9; 18:24-28 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ TWO LINES OF BIBLES REFORMED REVISED Masoretic Hebrew OT Text OT corrected by Greek LXX God-Preserved Apostolic Texts Man-Made Altered Texts Erasmus-Staphanus-Beza-Elzevir Westcott & Hort / Nestle & Aland / Metzger & United Bible Societies NT Greek Received Text (TR) Modern NT Greek Eclectic Text OR ESV “Reasoned Eclecticism” OR “Majority Text” c.1982 Handed Down through History Recently Discovered (After 1840s) Apocrypha Treated as Information Apocrypha Treated as Inspired Literal Translation From Essentially Literal to Paraphrased Settled and Certain Readings Uncertain & Changing Readings KJV NIV, ESV, NKJV, etc. C. Definition of terms 1. ___________________________– A portion of a handwritten document, sometimes containing an entire book or chapter, or sometimes simply fragments 2. ___________________________ of manuscripts – The scholars and critics divide them mainly in two (with break-off genealogies tracing back to one of the two): Alexandria (also called Western, Egyptian, Caesarean, Neutral, Eclectic) or Antioch (also called Byzantine, Eastern, Received,