This We Believe - Week 1

For Further Study

INTRODUCTION:

Over the next several weeks we are going to be sharing our “What We Believe” statements with our church.  Now you might be thinking….I already know what I believe….Dig it.  Jesus is the Reason!  It is always about Jesus and everything we do should bring Him glory!  God is the Good stuff. 

But questions come up!  At least to me they do from folks that are curious.

But what if someone asked you… What do the folks at 7 Creeks Church believe?  About who Jesus is?   What about God?  Isn’t the bible written by humans? What would you say if someone asked you, “What are your thoughts on sin?”....  Or “How did we get here, specifically in regards to creation?” See where we are going here?

Now, I know you may not agree with everything I say up here on a Sunday when it comes to “Jerry’isms” and random rabbit trails, but it is important that we are unified on foundational truths.  

Because of this, the Elders have approved a “What We Believe” document that we will be posting on our webpage at inthevineonline.com

Before we dive into the first statement, let’s talk about how these next few weeks can help equip you as a believer and as a part of a local church…

• Clarifying Beliefs - A "What We Believe" statement clearly outlines the core doctrines and theological positions of the church. This helps both members and visitors understand the church's beliefs and ensures consistency in teaching and practice.

• Unifying the Congregation - Having a common set of beliefs helps to unify the congregation. When everyone understands and agrees on the foundational doctrines, it fosters a sense of community and shared purpose.

• Providing Guidance - These statements serve as a guide for teaching, preaching, and decision-making within the church. They provide a framework for teaching scripture and addressing various issues that may arise.

• Communicating with the Broader Community - A public statement of faith helps the broader community and even other churches understand where a particular church stands on key theological issues. It can also be a tool for evangelism, helping to articulate the church's message to those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.

• Preserving Doctrine - In times of change or controversy, a "What We Believe" statement can help maintain doctrinal integrity. It serves as a reference point to ensure that the church stays true to its foundational beliefs.

What we believe molds us and motivates us and defines us. 

These belief statements, while they are specifically put together as a public statement for our 7 Creeks Church- they are the foundation we are building our church upon.  These belief statements are our public declaration of faith.  They are the foundation of everything we do as a church and  everything we teach as a church.  They are the boundaries within which we as a church stay.  

Today we will look at our statement on The Bible and a few scriptures that support what we believe about the Bible.

The Bible:

We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments that comprise the Bible are the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. 

We believe that the Holy Spirit supervised the writers of the Bible in what they wrote so that, using their own unique personalities, the very words recorded in the original manuscripts are the direct revelation of God.  

We believe the Bible not only contains the Word of God but actually is God’s Word and, therefore, is the complete and final authority for belief and behavior. As such, it can be completely trusted.  

We believe that inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility extend equally and fully to all parts of Scripture: historically, poetically, doctrinally and prophetically (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:21, 1 Cor. 2:13, John 17:17). 

Let’s break this statement down.

• We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments that comprise the Bible are the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. 

  • Inspired: This means that the Bible is influenced by God. The truth is that God guided the human authors in such a way that their writings reflect His will and truth. Here is a simple way to put it.  Inspiration implies that while humans wrote the text, God is the ultimate source behind it.

  • Inerrant: This means that the Bible is free from error in its original manuscripts, and that it conveys truth when interpreted in its intended way . 

  • Infallible: This means that the Bible is incapable of making mistakes or being wrong in its teachings. It assures that the Bible is a trustworthy and reliable guide in all matters.

    
    

• We believe that the Holy Spirit supervised the writers of the Bible in what they wrote so that, using their own unique personalities, the very words recorded in the original manuscripts are the direct revelation of God. 

  • Interesting Fact- The Masoretes, a group of Jewish scribes active between the 6th and 10th centuries, were incredibly meticulous in their work to preserve the accuracy of the Hebrew Scriptures. They developed a system of detailed notes and checks to ensure every single letter and word was copied correctly. For example, they counted the number of letters, words, and verses in each book and noted the middle word and letter of the text. If any discrepancies were found during the transcription process, the entire manuscript would be discarded, and they would start over. This incredible attention to detail has played a significant role in preserving the textual integrity of the Hebrew Bible over centuries.

    
    

Pretty impressive dedication, right?

• We believe the Bible not only contains the Word of God but actually is God’s Word and, therefore, is the complete and final authority for belief and behavior. 

  • How about an illustration…Ever heard of a Ghost Writer?  It is a person whose job it is to write material for someone else who is the named author.  Although there is one author, there are other hands actually doing the writing but it is the true author’s words.

• As such, it can be completely trusted.  We believe that inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility extend equally and fully to all parts of Scripture: historically, poetically, doctrinally and prophetically.

  • There’s those three words again we defined earlier.

  • And they apply to all the different writing styles found in the bible

Now let’s look at a few scriptures chosen to support this statement, understanding that there are many more that could be included.

• 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

  • Remember what we just talked about.  Every part of the Bible is considered to be inspired by God. He breathed it out.

  • Scriptures are useful for several things: teaching, reproof (or pointing out errors), correction (guidance to correct errors) and they train us in how to live a righteous life that glorifies God.

• 2 Peter 1:21 - For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

  • Here Peter is emphasizing that the messages delivered by prophets, in the Bible, didn't come from their own personal ideas or interpretations. Instead, these prophecies were inspired by God, communicated to the prophets through the Holy Spirit, which underscores the divine authority and authenticity of biblical prophecy.

• 1 Corinthians 2:13 - And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual

  • This verse emphasizes that the messages found in the Bible did not come from the personal ideas or intentions of the human authors. They weren't just making things up or writing based on their own understanding. The words came by the Spirit.

• John 17:17 - Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

  • To sanctify means to set apart or make holy.  Here we read, Jesus is praying for His disciples to be made holy or set apart through the truth.

  • Jesus then refers to God's word, which is the Bible. He emphasizes that God's word is the ultimate source of truth.

CONCLUSION -  As we wrap up today, and throughout this series, we will anticipate a few questions you may have and take a few moments to answer some of these. However, if any additional question crosses your mind that you have or that you have been asked, please write that down on the note cards provided on the tables and drop them in the offering box and we will get them answered!  

Who chose the 66 books and why?

The list of books included in the Bible are known as the canon and it took centuries to write and compile. The canon refers to the books regarded as inspired by God and authoritative for faith and life.  There is a LOT on this but I will give you a couple quick “whats ups”.

So who, when and how? 

Old Testament: The process began around 200 BC and was largely completed by 200 AD.  It was pretty straightforward who God’s messengers were and they were accepted along with their writings as inspired by God.

New Testament: The core books were recognized by the early Christian Church by the 4th century, with key milestones including the Muratorian Canon which was compiled in 170 AD, the Council of Hippo (393 AD) and the Council of Carthage (397 AD).

By the time of these councils, there was a general consensus among Christian leaders about which books were considered inspired and authoritative which was ultimately supported.  

GotQuestions.org says this about the Councils and the process...

“The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? 2) Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large? 3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching? 4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

Again, it is crucial to remember that the church did not determine the canon. No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God’s imparting to His followers what He had already decided. The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.”

How can we know that the bible we read today is a reliable record of the original writings?

• Manuscript Evidence: There are thousands of manuscripts of biblical texts, some of which date back to the early centuries. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance, include texts that are over 2,000 years old and incredibly consistent to modern versions of the Hebrew Bible.

• Textual Criticism: This is a scholarly method used to compare various manuscripts and reconstruct the original text as accurately as possible. Textual critics examine differences between manuscripts to determine which variations are likely to be closer to the original.

• Translations and Consistency: Over the centuries, the Bible has been translated into numerous languages. Comparing these translations, alongside ancient manuscripts, helps verify the consistency and accuracy of the text.

• Historical and Archaeological Corroboration: Archaeological discoveries and historical records often support the events, places, and people mentioned in the Bible, lending further credibility to its accounts.

All of these, to our “simple humanness” support that the Bible has been transmitted with a high degree of accuracy.

Is there any evidence that supports that the Bible is actually God’s Word?

• We have the Historical and Archaeological Evidence we just mentioned

• Prophecy Fulfillment - Numerous prophecies are documented and fulfilled in the Bible.

• Consistency and Unity, as mentioned earlier…40 different Authors over about 1500 years and the Bible maintains a coherent and unified message

• There are Logical and Philosophical Arguments and External Historical sources but what I find to be the biggest evidence…..Changed lives all over the world around this man named Jesus, The Messiah….Our Savior

That is a LOT! Not sure if that was helpful or gave you more questions. There is a lot of historical information on the process and gotquestions.org is a great place to check out.

For further thought and study

1. We mentioned 5 ways these next few weeks will help equip you as a believer and as a part of a local church. Why are each of these things important?

   1. Clarifying Beliefs 

   2. Unifying the Congregation 

   3. Providing Guidance 

   4. Communicating with the Broader Community 

   5. Preserving Doctrine 

2.  It is a great time with a New Year to reflect on this for yourself. 

   1. Ask yourself, what do you believe about the Bible?

   2. What additional questions do you have?

   3. If the bible is the Word of God, how does that impact your choices, thoughts, actions, etc….?

3. 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

   • What is the context of this verse?

   • Make 5 observations about what this verse says.

   • Come up with 1 principle or truth based on the context and your observations.

   • How can you apply this truth practically in your daily life?

4. What is one thing you could confidently share with another person who may be curious about the bible?