Bibliology, What is it?

The study of the Holy Bible

Revelation is God making Himself known to mankind. I believe that God has done this in two ways, first, through general revelation and secondly, through special revelation.

Knowledge of God can be understood through what He has made or created (Ps. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:18-20). This includes His glory (Ps. 19:1), His wisdom (Ps. 104:24), His goodness (Acts 14:17), His justice (Rom. 1:32), His eternal power, and His divine nature (Rom. 1: 20).

Men also have an inner consciousness of God and a consciousness of the moral demands He has on each person’s life (Rom. 2:14, 15). This witness, which God has given to each individual, leaves each person without an excuse for their evil deeds. It also makes them accountable to God (Rom. 1:20-25), since men know the ordnances of God (Rom. 1:32).

General revelation brings a man to the point of realizing that there is a supreme being (Acts 17:23), however it does not explain how to know Him (Rom. 10:13).

Special revelation is God’s direct communication to man by one means or another. God has done this in many ways. Historically, He has used many mighty acts such as a burning bush to get Moses’ attention, and then speaking directly to him (Ex. 3:2-10), or of the crossing of the Red Sea to the nations in Canaan (Josh. 2:10). He revealed Himself to men of God by dreams and visions (Gen. 37:7) as well as by directly speaking to them (Num. 12:8). He spoke to His people through the prophets (Heb. 1:1) and eventually through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2). He reveals Himself to the lost through the witness of His saints (Rom.10:14, 15) and by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:8, 9). To all men He has chosen to reveal Himself through the writings of the scriptures (Jn. 5:37-39).

The special revelation in scripture has been progressive revelation through the Old and New Testaments (Heb. 1:1, 2). From the time of Moses to the time of the Apostles men have written the oracles of God. Recognize, however, that the canon of scripture, the special revelation of God to men through the writers of the Bible, is complete and is now closed. The test for admittance has been apostolic authorship, orthodoxy, and use in worship.

All scripture is inspired by God (II Tim. 3:16, 17). I believe the Holy Bible, in the original manuscript, to have plenary, full [complete, absolute], (II Tim 3:16) verbal inspiration (II Pet. 1:20, 21). It is inerrant (Mat. 5:18; II Pet. 1:20, 21) infallible in God’s intended truth (Is. 55:11) and final in divine authority (Lk. 4:4, 8, 12). I believe God worded the scripture through the writers in such a way that He did not destroy their individual style or use of words but still provided accurately the very words the Holy Spirit desired.

We have internal evidence that the Holy Bible is the word of God (Joel 1:1, 2). The Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:4; 19:4) and the New Testament authors confirmed the Old Testament as the word of God (Acts 4:25). They also confirmed the New Testament as being the word of God (II Per. 3:1, 2, 16).

The objective truths of scripture can only be understood through the illumination of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 2:14). The unsaved are unable to understand the scripture (I Cor. 2:14).