Building Blocks for Believers - An Introduction to Systematic Theology

Christianity is a faith based on cognitive information.  The gospel is a cognitive message.  It is a message with content which is to be believed.  Therefore, from the outset what one believes is vitally important (Jude 3; 1 Tim. 6:13-14, 20).  The primary source of information that we possess about God is found in Scripture.  As a result of this reality, any true valuable study will begin with the Doctrine of the Bible.

I) Bibliology
    A) Nature (authorship)
Bibliology, or the study of the Bible, is foundational for born-again Christians.  It provides the basis for all other studies.  Scripture originated from God (2 Pet. 1:20-21).  We learn that the Holy Spirit moved men to write what was recorded and passed down to use in the 66 books of the Bible.  This acknowledges a human role in the process of Scripture being composed.  In fact, there are only a few sections of Scripture which were verbally dictated by God to the author (ex. Rev. 2-3).  In the majority of places God "moved" the authors to record what He wanted to communicate without overriding the individual personality of the writer (ex. Lk 1:1-4; 2 Tim. 4:9-15).  God was superintending the process of writing Scripture.

Scripture is also described as being "breathed out" by God (2 Tim. 3:16).  Again, this is an indication of the divine origin of the 66 books of the Bible.  God was speaking His truth through those who wrote the Scriptures.

      B) Inerrancy
The subject of errors in the Scripture is hotly debated even today.  The issue must be discussed first, at the level of the original manuscripts (the autographs).  This refers to the first letters written by Paul, Moses, etc...  These documents were inerrant.  The basis for this belief is the nature of the Scriptures.  The Bible is God's Word.  He is the one superintending the process of Scripture being recorded.  God authored the Bible by using men to write what He wanted communicated.  He guided them.  Scripture teaches that God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18).  Since God was the one in charge of the process, we believe that He did not allow errors or false information to be included (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29).

The doctrine of inerrancy is extremely important for one's understanding of Scripture.  Yet one must be honest in the process.  The original manuscripts were inerrant.  We possess none of the originals.  Today we possess translations of copies of the original manuscripts.  Over time as the originals were copied, scribal errors were introduced.  Now as scholars study copies of the original manuscripts, they discover differences between various copies.  Through careful study, comparison, and investigation they are able to discover what is likely to be the original reading.  No major doctrine is compromised by the variants found in the copies.  In fact, of the over 5,000 pieces of N.T. copies there is 99% agreement among what is recorded.  Therefore, even though you carry a translation of copies of the original manuscripts, you can be assured that you are carrying the Word of God.

God desired to communicate His Word to His people so that they would be equipped to live in a way that glorifies Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  This message is so important that God has preserved His Word over many thousands of years.