DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
The Bible is the divinely-inspired Word of God, the repository of His
plan of salvation and the record of His participation in history. The Bible
is God's revelation of knowledge that man cannot discover for himself. It is
the foundation of knowledge and the guidebook to life. The Old and New
Testament comprise God's written Word which forms the basis of Christianity
as taught by the Church and as practiced by the individual Christian.
DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW
The Bible is God's written revelation to mankind. It contains God's
instructions to man and the record of God's interaction with mankind. The
Bible provides the answers to mankind's fundamental questions of life. It is
the revelation of an omniscient, omnipotent and loving God; it reveals who
God is, and what His plan and purpose for human beings is.
The Bible exists to provide man with essential knowledge which he could not
learn apart from divine revelation. Thus, the Bible includes the fundamental
principles of how man should live, how he should govern his own life to
generate success and happiness, and how to work with his fellow man to
achieve peace and harmony. But at its foundational core, the Bible provides
the indispensable knowledge of how man may gain salvation and eternal life,
knowledge which he is incapable of discovering for himself (1 Cor. 2:7-11).
As the repository of this vital information, the Bible is God's basic
handbook for mankind.
The Church of God believes the Bible to be divinely inspired (2 Tim. 3:16),
the revelation of the missing dimension in man's knowledge, by the Supreme
Authority of the universe. The Church regards the Holy Bible as the
receptacle of God's essential theological knowledge, basic, accurate, and
complete in its original form. Of course, there are no original manuscripts
extant today. Few are from close to the time of authorship and even age does
not always assure accuracy and fidelity. Whatever shortcomings therefore may
be present in contemporary biblical manuscripts-because human instruments
were writers and copyist, because some translators lacked knowledge of the
original languages, or because of the complexities and vagaries implicit in
the transmission of the various texts-all together have not substantially
concealed the intent nor overshadowed the direct inspiration of the basic
biblical message as we have it today.
What part did God allow human fallibility to play in the transmission of the
many original biblical texts? This is a real question considering the fact,
for example, that there are three Hebrew versions for parts of the Old
Testament, all of which are pre-Christian in origin and which New Testament
writers used and quoted as recent research has shown. Furthermore, the
analysis of large numbers of ancient New Testament texts with their numerous
textual variations have not yielded obvious or conclusive results for many
scriptures, though the most meticulous and highly sophisticated techniques
have been employed.
Will new discoveries, investigation and scholarship generate yet new
questions or uncertainties about certain passages? It doesn't matter,
because the Bible's primary objectives have never been, and can never be,
perverted or corrupted. The sum total of all textual variations do not alter
the essential communicative function of the Bible. Its fundamental intent is
fully maintained: all the basic doctrines of God's Church, to a greater or
lesser degree, are discernible from any textual version or translation of
the Bible.
The Church accepts the books of the Old Testament as found in the canon of
the Hebrew Bible and the books of the New Testament as found in the canon of
the Greek New Testament. These have been sometimes called the "Protestant
canon." This same context has been accepted for most of Christianity for
1500 years (The apocryphal books are thus rejected as noncanonical.). The
Church has accepted this canon largely on the basis of internal biblical
evidence (such as Luke 24:44, etc.), informed faith and tradition (Jesus'
reference to "the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms" [or
writings] gives credence to ordering the Old Testament to end with 2
Chronicles [as in the "Jewish Bible"] instead of Malachi [as in the
"Christian Bible"].).
Essential to the teaching of the Church is the fact that the Bible can be
proved to be the written Word of God. The foremost proof that God's Word
is precisely what it claims to be is that it works in one's life. The
proof of obedience is the Bible's best stamp of divine authorship. Adherence
to its principles, laws and concepts bring about success and happiness in
one's own life, which is ultimately the most critical ratification of its
divine inspiration. Only one who sincerely seeks to apply the biblical way
to his own life will eventually learn that the practical instructions,
timeless wisdom, spiritual depth and living laws come from a Supreme Being,
and not merely from fallible, mortal men. Once a person has accepted the
concept of the Bible containing the inspired word of God, he is able, by
appreciating the intricate yet harmonious interaction of all parts of the
Bible, to conclude in faith that the whole Bible, all scripture, is
precisely what it claims to be-"inspired by God and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim.
3:16). The Christian will also conclude that even those parts of the Bible
which are by their very nature, unable to be "proven" in a mathematical or
scientific sense (e.g., as yet unfulfilled prophecies or historical points
which are unable to be substantiated by secular references) are indeed part
of the Bible, form part of the vehicle of its message, and are accurate in
their proper context. In this logical "jump"-this leap across undocumented
gaps-one cannot discount the importance of faith.
The Church, of course, acknowledges that the Bible does not claim to be a
textbook of comprehensive world history, science and technology, medicine or
any other non-theological discipline. Nonetheless, the Bible is the Word of
God, and as such, is the foundation of all knowledge, as well as being the
storehouse of salvation.
Fulfilled prophecy is likewise an important aspect of God's Holy Word. Only
God can predict and bring to pass events of the future (Isa. 41:21-24). Only
the Creator God could predict the name and actions of Cyrus long before his
birth (Is. 44-45). Only He could tell the intricate and accurate events
outlined in Daniel 11 or foretell in detail about the coming of His Son as
Savior of the world. While faith plays a role in assessing the significance
of already fulfilled prophecy in proving the Bible, there can be absolutely
no doubt regarding as yet unfulfilled prophecy. When the complex
sequence of events culminating in the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to
earth occurs, there will be no question whatsoever that the God who foretold
it all in biblical prophecy far ahead of time is the same being who inspired
the entirety of the Bible.
The Bible alone claims absolute preeminence over all other books esteemed by
mankind and challenges all mankind by its claims of purity (Ps. 12:6; Prov.
30:5), scope and completeness (Rev. 22:18-19). The challenges of the God of
the Bible (Is. 41:21-23) are powerful and direct. Its prophecies for the
future return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the world-ruling
Kingdom of God are straightforward and unmistakable.
In addition to being the written record of the essential theological
knowledge for mankind, the Bible is also great literature, with many
literary forms and devices-poetry, prose, allegory, epic, parable, history,
even humor. It is often open and frank, and yet at other times it is
discreet and obscure. The Bible exposes the weaknesses of its heroes, but
calls them the friends of God. It shows the glory and power of the Creator
through His many miracles but it shows Him to be intimately concerned with
the smallest details of human lives. It holds out the answers to the riddles
of life, yet hides enough of God's nature and the universe to tantalize us
and draw us further along in a profound growth process.
We see through the pages of the Bible the lessons of human experience. We
read of men and women like us, those who share problems common to all-with
the same pulls and passions, hopes and dreams, fears and frustrations. The
Bible not only shows the common heritage of human nature, but enables us to
understand the process whereby we may overcome the destructive elements
within us and attain our God-given potential.
The Bible is many books yet one, a superlative example of e pluribus unum
("one composed of many"). This remarkable unity of design is one of the
unique characteristics of the Bible. Another is its internal consistency in
its diversity, combining to form a coherent composite. The mark of one
author, for those who have eyes to see, is startlingly apparent.
The authors of the various biblical books came from differing backgrounds,
lived in disparate environments and were diverse in their personalities,
education and professions. They wrote in different styles, from different
standpoints, to different audiences and at different times. Yet the
continuing themes God inspired are the same. God used all their various and
contrasting perspectives to shape and to emphasize the same basic truth.
From Genesis to Revelation we read of the same God, the same massive plan
being unfolded and developed, with each book augmenting, supporting and
complementing that which has gone before. This unitary focus is due to the
God who initiated, organized and inspired the entire Holy Scriptures.
Although many different men played their part as they were moved by His
Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20), the Bible is in reality God's Word and not man's.
This is the only factor which could explain the uniqueness and remarkable
coherence of the Bible. Dozens of writers spanning a period of over 1500
years from Moses to John of such dissimilar traits and characteristics could
never have achieved that unity as a result of human effort alone. Yet the
unity is there, not as the product of numerous human minds, but of one
mind-the mind of God-interacting with, and directing, the grand sweep of
biblical authors in many unlikely forms, but always in such a way that their
own personal emotions, feelings, personality and individual writing styles
were employed. God inspired the message, but it was conveyed through
language and vocabulary that was peculiar and natural to each man. The Bible
is thus a human vehicle through which God has chosen to convey His
revelation to mankind.
The Bible and the physical universe were designed in a similar fashion: they
both work as the products of enormously complex interactions resulting in a
wondrously purposeful product. The similarity between the Bible and the
universe is, of course, to be expected since the same creator designed them
both. The Bible is thus not a simplistic, deterministic catechism of
childish declarative statements. Rather it is a living record of complex
interactions, actions and reactions, stimuli and responses, mistakes and
miracles, successes and failures.
There is a paradox in true biblical understanding. In order to properly
understand any specific biblical doctrine, it is first necessary to
comprehend the entirety of all biblical doctrines; and, of course, it is
impossible to comprehend the entirety of all biblical doctrines until one
understands all the specific biblical doctrines separately. Seldom can one
biblical teaching be fully understood in isolation. There is an essential
interdependence between nearly all biblical doctrines. Each must be
understood in light of all the others. The reason for this is the inherent
unity of the biblical focus and the coherent thread of its message. Proper
biblical understanding must be achieved by visualizing and comprehending the
full sweeping scope of its message that only the whole Bible can project.
In this regard, the Bible functions more like a living brain than a
computer. In a computer, each "bit" of data is stored in only one location,
while in a brain, the same "bit" is usually stored in numerous different
locations, though in slightly differing forms and associations. In the Bible
(like the brain), all teachings on any individual subject-for example,
honesty, marital fidelity, salvation, the Sabbath, the millennium-are not
limited to just one location and not discussed in any other location. Just
the opposite is in fact true: The Bible discusses many subjects within the
same chapters and even within the same verses, while each subject may be
discussed throughout numerous books and dozens of verses. So here again is
the paradox: How can we comprehend the Bible if we must understand all the
doctrines before we can understand any one, and we cannot understand all the
doctrines until we understand the sum total of each individual one? The only
solution to the paradox is through the leading of God's Holy Spirit and by
diligent, dedicated Bible study. The Bible is indeed the full expression of
God's mind and purpose for humanity.
One of the ways to begin to comprehend the unifying flow of the whole Bible
is to follow its primary themes all the way through. Of all these, surely
the most consistent, decisive and relevant is Jesus Christ. He, in
essence, is the focal point of the entire Bible. He is the personality
around whom everything revolves. Jesus Christ was the Creator of all things
(Col. 1:16); the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the Rock of Israel as
Messiah (Gen. 31:53; 2 Sam 23:3) and Lawgiver (Isa. 33:22), and exemplified
throughout the New Testament as Savior and King. He is the Redeemer of all
mankind, the supreme Lawgiver and consummate Teacher. He was the firstborn
from the dead and is the Captain of our salvation, our constant intercessor
and merciful High Priest. Jesus Christ is now the active head of God's
Church and is prophesied throughout the entire Bible to return to earth as
King of kings and Lord of lords to set up the Kingdom of God for all
eternity.
Perhaps one of the most basic statements of how God has revealed Himself to
man is found in Hebrews 1:1-2: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to
our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a
Son."
This passage evinces several important things about God's communication to
man. First, God's message comes in many various forms. Second, that message
is also mediated by human beings. This means that the divine Word comes to
us in a human vehicle. Even Jesus Christ, the divine Son, was Himself in the
flesh when He gave many of His teachings; furthermore, those teachings were
not written down by Him but by His human followers.
Some further points are important to understand in setting the stage for
proper biblical understanding. Third, no human vehicle is fully adequate to
convey the fullness of God's message. Human language is inadequate to
express what can be discerned in its complete spiritual sense only by means
of the Holy Spirit. There is also the problem of transmission of the text;
this is done by human beings and subject to human error. The problem of
understanding ancient languages which have changed structure and meaning
through the ages or have even ceased to be used as a living form of
communication adds a further difficulty.
Fourth, the message of the Bible must speak to all people in every age. Yet
society changes, culture modifies, and each Christian finds himself living
in a particular situation which does not exactly fit that of the original
writers of the Bible. Christians do not live in the Old Testament theocracy
of ancient Israel with autonomous control of a particular territory. Nor do
they live in the New Testament world of Greco-Roman culture. Rather,
Christians have lived in radically different environments down through the
centuries, from Cologne in the Middle Ages to London in the 17th century to
Los Angeles in the nuclear age. Therefore, there is always a certain
"communication or generation gap" between the written word and the later
reader.
Fifth. God has deliberately hidden much of His important truth from mankind
so that the full progression, and eventually resolution, of human history
would proceed according to God's timetable. As a result it is not man's
fault that he doesn't understand the Bible. Even the prophets of old didn't
always grasp the meaning of their own biblical statements (e.g. Dan. 12:8);
and they surely didn't comprehend the fullness of the mystery of the purpose
of human life (Matt. 13:17; Eph.3:4-5). Jesus Himself spoke in parables so
that the common people would not understand what He was saying (Matt.
13:10-11); He was teaching His disciples not the masses (v. 10-1 7), since
God's plan did not yet call for the vast majority of people to be called and
converted.
Once these five points are recognized, a specific progression of biblical
logic must be followed and accepted unless one is to falsely assume that God
has left man in the dark about His basic purpose for mankind and plan of
salvation. This progression can be summarized as follows:
1. The essential truths God wishes to convey will be intelligible to any
normal person with even below average intelligence and education (if
God has chosen to open his mind). They can be discerned from any basic
version or translation of the Bible which the reader understands. This must
be true regardless of textual revision and/or poor translation.
2. God must open a person's mind in order for him or her to understand the
fullness of His truth. It is, of course, possible for human beings to learn
many aspects of the Bible on their own, utilizing the mechanisms of
intellect and the tools of scholarship. Yet God has so designed the Bible
and the human mind that even with the most intense effort men cannot fully
grasp the profound spiritual depth of the scriptures without the active
involvement of the Spirit of God. The mind of man cannot understand the
things of God-the mysteries of God-without the supernatural help from the
Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:7-11). Since human language is always inadequate to
break through the boundaries of spiritual reality and truth, a perceptive
spiritual understanding of the Bible requires the direct intervention and
action of the Holy Spirit "bearing witness with our spirit" (Rom. 8:16),
thereby effecting a change in the mind of the individual. Only God can make
this decision to open our minds through His Spirit. It makes no difference
how vehemently a human being desires to understand the Bible, nor how hard
he studies it. Though such study will produce much knowledge, this knowledge
will remain physically oriented and bound, forever missing the vital key of
spiritual enlightenment; Paul wrote, "So it depends not upon man's will or
exertion, but upon God's mercy" (Rom. 9:16); so it is with true biblical
understanding. Faith, as well, is a critical factor in achieving the
spiritual comprehension necessary to understand the Bible. One must be
convinced beyond the scope of the experimentally controlled and repeatable
data demanded by scientists as verified "proof," that God exists and that
the Bible is His inspired Word. The faith for such an absolute belief can
come only through God's Holy Spirit.
3. The message of the Bible is theological. The Bible is not a history or
science text. Its purpose is not to dictate on matters of art, technology,
personal taste or the vast world of knowledge which man is capable of
discovering for himself via the precious gift of man's God-given mental
capacities. The Bible rather gives those essential theological and religious
truths which man could not find out for himself through the academic
disciplines.
4. The Bible contains various types of literature, each of which must be
understood on its own terms. It contains history, poetry, parable, metaphor
and symbolic revelation. It is often a record of those things which it
elsewhere condemns, such as false opinions, lies, misunderstandings,
deceptions and heinous sins of every type. This leads to the next point.
5. The biblical message is gained from the Bible as a whole, not from
reading a verse or two in isolation or otherwise "proof-texting". What may
seem to be a blanket statement in one passage can be greatly qualified
elsewhere. The picture given by one book may be somewhat altered in the
light of the teachings in another. One must perceive and comprehend the full
spectrum of biblical doctrine in general in order to properly understand
almost any specific element in particular.
6. The resources of modem scholarship, properly handled, can add insight,
detail and historical color to the basic biblical message. God has designed
the Bible so that the essential message of God must be clear to any
Spirit-led person seeking humbly to learn the plan of salvation as expressed
in His Word. Indeed an uneducated Christian reading an inadequate
translation will be able to understand the fundamental doctrines necessary
for salvation. Nonetheless, a technical understanding of ancient languages,
literature, history, society and other information put at our disposal by
contemporary scholarship will enhance a person's total understanding of the
Bible. The various books of the Bible were not written in a vacuum. To
achieve a deeper understanding of their teachings, one must strive to grow
in the knowledge of the history and background of the Bible, and the
cultures in which they arose. Thus a Christian may add scholarly knowledge
which can come only from God. This physical data will in turn embellish and
enhance his spiritual understanding.
7. Because of changed situations and society, there has to be some
institution to clarify the meaning of the Bible for the Christian in the
particular age in which he lives (Acts 8:31). Recognizing this need, Jesus
Christ established and sustains His Church, to which He has given the
responsibility to determine how to apply the Bible in particular situations
in which the various individual Christians would not necessarily be unified.
Even though the Bible always stands at the foundation of Christian belief,
the Church can still come to decisions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
which were not specified in the pages of the Bible itself. For example, just
as Moses modified the statutes and judgments of Israel for use in an
agrarian society and just as Paul made decisions that he did not learn from
the Lord (e.g.. 1 Cor. 7:12), so the Church today must render judgments
based on biblical laws and principles in order to keep itself relevant and
vital in our modern age.
The essential element here is unity of the believers and coherence of the
Church. Members of the Church must have a common body of beliefs,
traditions, customs, practices and procedures in order to remain united. And
this unity is vital if a collective work is to be done. A Christian in
isolation will have to render his own judgments, and two such Christians
will not always agree. But if we must have fellowship together (which God
says we need for our spiritual development), if we must be in the same
Church together (which God states is critical for our spiritual sustenance),
and if we must accomplish a major work together (which is our collective,
God-given commission), then God's government must be authorized to finalize
doctrine, discern interpretations, administrate decisions, etc. And God's
government can be established only by and through God's Church.
In summary, Christians should study the Bible diligently, respect it as the
Word of God and seek its guidance through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
(John 14:26; 16:13) and the teachings of the Church. In order to become like
God, we must seek to understand the Bible, which is the clearest expression
of the mind of God. This we can only hope to achieve through profound and
regular Bible study, and through the internalized implementation of its
precepts and values.
Thus, God's
Word is a totally unique collection of writings absolutely profound in every
sense, making commonly available to all mankind the words of life-the hope
for today and the promise of tomorrow. It is man's responsibility and
privilege to seek out the incredible depths and riches of God's mind as
revealed in His Word.
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This publication is intended to be
used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man's word
for anything, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible.
The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association
P.O. Box 747
Flint, TX 75762
Phone: (903) 561-7070 • Fax: (903) 561-4141
More FREE literature is available at our Internet Web Site:
www.garnertedarmstrong.org