How to Study
the Bible
Dr.
Student’s Study Guide
How the Bible Came into Being
Chapter 1
Revelation
Divine Revelation
Everybody knows the Bible has been and continues to be the world’s bestseller, but not
everybody knows just how this amazing book came down to us today. It could have happened this way. At some
early ecumenical “Scripture
session,” a group of prophets and priests got together in
We said it could
have happened that way. But of course it did not. God used three wonderful
methods as he carefully carved out that most blessed of all books, the Bible.
These three “tools of the Trinity” are
referred to as revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Each of the tools were use
beginning with revelation.
Sometime around 1400 BC God began to quietly call
forty men and women into his presence. He did not call them in all at once. In
fact it took Him nearly fifteen centuries to complete the job. God spoke the
burden of His great heart in simple but sublime language to those chosen forty.
With a holy hush they heard God tell of creation and corruption, of
condemnation, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Weighty words,
indeed. When God had finished, the first tool in carving out the Bible was set
aside. Revelation had occurred.
With the first step completed the God began to
carefully guide each of the chosen human vessels in his assigned writing task.
Each of the forty was dealt with individually. Job, a rich farmer, wrote
differently than Amos, a poor farmer. The words of the educated Paul were more
complicated on occasion than those of the uneducated John or Peter. But in the
end they all carried with them the divine approval of heaven itself. Finally,
the last scribe laid down his pen. The angels watched as their Creator laid
aside the second tool in the making of His manuscript. Inspiration has taken place.
Soon many thousands of men and women joined the
ranks of those original forty and begin their assigned task of taking God’s
story of grace and glory to the uttermost parts of the earth. As they did,
untold multitudes were stopped in their tracks, convinced in their hearts and
saved from their sins. The secret power that accomplished all of this is called
illumination. Illumination continues
to take place by the ministry of God the Holy. To summarize thus far, God used
three tools to produce the Bible.
· God used revelation,
which refers to the way the Scriptures
come to us from God. Man hears that which God wants written.
· God used inspiration,
which refers to the way man wrote down that which God wanted written.
· God used illumination
which refers to the way man receives the light of that which God has written so
there is proper understanding concerning the divine will.
The Process of Receiving the
Bible
With these three concepts in mind the process of
how the Bible came into existence can be considered in detail. We know God
spoke to man, but how did He speak? The answer is given in Hebrews 1:1-2. “God, who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds.”
The Bible informs us God spoke to the fathers and
prophets in many ways. A careful examination of the Bible reveals at least
seven different modes of communication.
First,
God often spoke to men through angels.
· Angels reassured Abraham of the birth of Isaac
and later informed him of God’s decision to destroy
· Angels warned
· The angel Gabriel explained to Daniel the nature
of the judgement to come upon
· Gabriel informed Zacharias he would have a son
who would become the forerunner of Christ (Luke
· Gabriel informed Mary that God had chosen her as
His vessel for Christ’s birth (Luke
· Angels announced the birth of Christ to the
shepherds (Luke 2:8-14).
· An angel announced the resurrection of Christ to
some women (Matt. 28:5-7).
· An angel directed Philip to the seeking eunuch
(Acts
· An angel directed Peter out of a Roman prison
(Acts 12:7-10).
Second, as
God spoke to men through angels so He spoke through a loud audible voice.
·
God spoke
directly to Adam (Gen. 3:9-19).
·
God spoke
directly to Noah (Gen. 6:13-21).
·
God spoke
directly to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3).
·
God spoke
directly to Moses (Ex. 20:1-17).
·
God spoke
directly to Joshua (Josh. 1:1-9).
·
God spoke
directly to Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-14).
·
God spoke
directly to Nathan, about David (2 Sam. 7:4-16).
·
God spoke
directly to Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-4).
·
God spoke
directly to Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4, 5).
Third, God spoke to men through nature.
·
Psalms 19:1-3 The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There
is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Fourth, God once spoke to a man through the mouth
of a donkey.
·
Numbers 22:28 And the
LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done
unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Fifth, God spoke to men through dreams.
On a number of occasions God chose this method.
·
Jacob
received the confirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant in a dream (Gen. 28:12).
·
Solomon
received both wisdom and a warning in a dream (1 Kings 3:5; 9:2).
·
Joseph in
the New Testament received three
messages in three dreams to assure him of Mary’s purity (Matt.
· The wise
men were warned of Herod’s evil intentions in a dream (Matt.
Sixth, God spoke to men through visions. Unger’s
Bible Dictionary defines a vision as, “A
supernatural presentation of certain scenery or circumstances to the mind of a
person while awake.” It may be noted that many great truths in the
Scriptures were related to men through this unique method.
·
Jacob was
instructed in a vision to go to
·
David was
warned of judgment in a vision (1 Chron.
·
Isaiah saw
God’s holiness in a vision (Isa. 6:1-8).
·
Daniel saw
the great Gentile powers rise and fall in a vision (Dan. 7, 8).
·
Daniel saw
the glories of Christ in a vision (Dan. 10:5-9).