CVC_What_We_Believe_About_the

CrossView Church
What We Believe About The Bible
We believe the Bible is our absolute authority and guide for Christian living. We believe the original authors were inspired by God so that the Scriptures are without error. We believe God has protected and preserved the Bible’s translation by godly scholars, so we can trust our Bibles to be completely true. Therefore, we will strive to teach the Bible so that people are positively changed by its truths. (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13) I. We can trust the prophecy found in the Bible. There are thousands of prophetic teachings in the Bible. Genesis 3:15 is the first, which foretells the ultimate victory of the woman’s seed over the serpent (S Psalm 22, written more than 900 years prior to the Roman design of crucifixion clearly pictures Christ’s death for us on the cross. Isaiah 53, penned 700 years before the event, explains the concept of Jesus innocently being put to death to pay for the sins of mankind. Other prophecies regarding the rise and fall of kingdoms further attest to the reliability of God’s word. II. We can trust every fact found in the Bible. The Bible was not written as a science or history text, but whenever it touches on these subjects, it is still reliable. Remember that the human authors used terms and insights that fit their culture and day. “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”(Psa 34:15) We also know that “God is Spirit.” (Jn 4:24) This kind of reference is clearly an anthropomorphism- or attributing human characteristics to God for us to understand Him better. Supposed contradictions include dates such as the 400 years Egypt held Israel in captivity. Genesis 15:13 prophesies these 400 years. Exodus 12:40-41 tells us it was actually 430 years to the very day. First, Genesis 15 does not say it will be exactly 400 years. More likely, this is a rounded number. Someone may say they have a one-hour class. When pressed to say exactly how long they were in class, the response would be 50-55 minutes. III. We can trust the translations of the Bible through the centuries. Before even one of the Apostle Paul’s letters was copied to share with another church group, several important questions had to be answered to insure this was the actual letter from Paul. #1 Did Paul really write this, or is it a fake? (cf. Gal. 5:11) #2 Did the first people to receive the letter believe it themselves? (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13) #3 Does it come with God’s authority and authorship, or man’s? (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16) #4 Does the Holy Spirit use it to dynamically change lives? (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) These kinds of questions were applied to all the Scriptures throughout history. As the centuries progressed, manuscript evidence was carefully researched. The Bible has overwhelming proof ORIGINAL FIRST COPY COPIES AUTHOR WRITING MADE MADE* * (some partial copies) Caesar 100-44 BC 900 AD 10 Plato 59 BC-AD 17 900 AD 7 Euripedes 480-496 BC 1100 AD 9 Aristotle 384-322 BC 1100 AD 5 Tacitus 100 AD 1100 AD 20 New Testament 45-95 AD 90-400 AD 1,000 plus* From the original text, the Bible was copied and circulated to the Latin countries (lower Europe), Near Eastern countries (Arabia/ northeastern Africa), and Asian countries. Over 8000 manuscripts exist from Jerome’s 5th century Latin translation. Over 10,000 full or partial copies exist from all over the world. Modern scientific methods continue to affirm the accuracy of the Old King James of 1620, and the current translations. In 1948 God allowed a Bedouin Arab sheep herder to discover a cave of preserved Old Testament texts. Just outside of the arid Dead Sea, portions (and a complete scroll of Isaiah) dating back to the first century, could be compared with translations made in 900 AD. Again, the incredible accuracy of our current Bible was confirmed. IV. We can trust the authority of the Bible for our lives. Jesus quoted from the Old Testament when He defended Himself from Satan’s temptations (Matt. and Luke 4). He quoted frequently from the Bible with full assurance that God had spoken (cf. Matt 13:14; John 10:35, 13:18). The Apostles Paul (1 Thess 2:13) Peter (1 Pet 1:12, 24; 2 Pet 3:16; Acts 2:16), and John (Rev 1:1) clearly believed the Divine authority of the Bible. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17). “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15). V. In Summary… 1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). 2. The Bible is made up of 66 different books that were written over 1600 years (from approximately 1500 BC to AD 100) by more than 40 kings, prophets, leaders, and followers of Jesus. The Old Testament has 39 books (written approximately 1500-400 BC). The New Testament has 27 books (written approximately AD 45-100). The Hebrew Bible has the same text as the English Bible’s Old Testament, but divides and arranges it differently. 3. The books of the Bible were collected and arranged and recognized as inspired sacred authority by councils of rabbis and councils of church leaders based on careful guidelines. 4. Before the printing press was invented, the Bible was copied by hand. The Bible was copied very accurately, in many cases by special scribes who developed intricate methods of counting words and letters to insure that no errors had been made. 5. The Bible was the first book ever printed on the printing press with moveable type (Gutenberg Press, 1455, Latin Bible). 6. There is much evidence that the Bible we have today is remarkably true to the original writings. Of the thousands of copies made by hand before AD 1500, more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts from the New Testament alone still exist today. The text of the Bible is better preserved than the writings of Caesar, Plato, or Aristotle. 7. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed the astonishing reliability of some of the copies of the Old Testament made over the years. Some variations exist, most of which involve spelling. 8. As the Bible was carried to other countries, it was translated into the common language of the people by scholars who wanted others to know God’s Word. Today there are still 2,000 groups with no Bible in their own language. 9. We can trust our Bible.
CrossView Church - 750 Highview Drive - Antioch, Illinois - 60002 - 847.395.4117

CrossView Church

What We Believe About The Bible

We believe the Bible is our absolute authority and guide for Christian living. We believe the original authors were inspired by God so that the Scriptures are without error. We believe God has protected and preserved the Bible’s translation by godly scholars, so we can trust our Bibles to be completely true. Therefore, we will strive to teach the Bible so that people are positively changed by its truths.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

I. We can trust the prophecy found in the Bible. There are thousands of prophetic teachings in the Bible. Genesis 3:15 is the first, which foretells the ultimate victory of the woman’s seed over the serpent (S Psalm 22, written more than 900 years prior to the Roman design of crucifixion clearly pictures Christ’s death for us on the cross. Isaiah 53, penned 700 years before the event, explains the concept of Jesus innocently being put to death to pay for the sins of mankind. Other prophecies regarding the rise and fall of kingdoms further attest to the reliability of God’s word.

II. We can trust every fact found in the Bible. The Bible was not written as a science or history text, but whenever it touches on these subjects, it is still reliable. Remember that the human authors used terms and insights that fit their culture and day. “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”(Psa 34:15) We also know that “God is Spirit.” (Jn 4:24) This kind of reference is clearly an anthropomorphism- or attributing human characteristics to God for us to understand Him better.
Supposed contradictions include dates such as the 400 years Egypt held Israel in captivity. Genesis 15:13 prophesies these 400 years. Exodus 12:40-41 tells us it was actually 430 years to the very day. First, Genesis 15 does not say it will be exactly 400 years. More likely, this is a rounded number. Someone may say they have a one-hour class. When pressed to say exactly how long they were in class, the response would be 50-55 minutes.

III. We can trust the translations of the Bible through the centuries. Before even one of the Apostle Paul’s letters was copied to share with another church group, several important questions had to be answered to insure this was the actual letter from Paul.
#1 Did Paul really write this, or is it a fake? (cf. Gal. 5:11)
#2 Did the first people to receive the letter believe it themselves? (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13)
#3 Does it come with God’s authority and authorship, or man’s? (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16)
#4 Does the Holy Spirit use it to dynamically change lives? (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) These kinds of questions were applied to all the Scriptures throughout history. As the centuries progressed, manuscript evidence was carefully researched. The Bible has overwhelming proof

ORIGINAL FIRST COPY COPIES AUTHOR WRITING MADE MADE*
* (some partial copies)
Caesar 100-44 BC 900 AD 10
Plato 59 BC-AD 17 900 AD 7
Euripedes 480-496 BC 1100 AD 9
Aristotle 384-322 BC 1100 AD 5
Tacitus 100 AD 1100 AD 20
New
Testament 45-95 AD 90-400 AD 1,000 plus*

From the original text, the Bible was copied and circulated to the Latin countries (lower Europe), Near Eastern countries (Arabia/ northeastern Africa), and Asian countries. Over 8000 manuscripts exist from Jerome’s 5th century Latin translation. Over 10,000 full or partial copies exist from all over the world. Modern scientific methods continue to affirm the accuracy of the Old King James of 1620, and the current translations. In 1948 God allowed a Bedouin Arab sheep herder to discover a cave of preserved Old Testament texts. Just outside of the arid Dead Sea, portions (and a complete scroll of Isaiah) dating back to the first century, could be compared with translations made in 900 AD. Again, the incredible accuracy of our current

Bible was confirmed.
IV. We can trust the authority of the Bible for our lives. Jesus quoted from the Old Testament when He defended Himself from Satan’s temptations (Matt. and Luke 4). He quoted frequently from the Bible with full assurance that God had spoken (cf. Matt 13:14; John 10:35, 13:18). The Apostles Paul (1 Thess 2:13) Peter (1 Pet 1:12, 24; 2 Pet 3:16; Acts 2:16), and John (Rev 1:1) clearly believed the Divine authority of the Bible.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17). “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15).

V. In Summary…
1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
2. The Bible is made up of 66 different books that were written over 1600 years (from approximately 1500 BC to AD 100) by more than 40 kings, prophets, leaders, and followers of Jesus. The Old Testament has 39 books (written approximately 1500-400 BC). The New Testament has 27 books (written approximately AD 45-100). The Hebrew Bible has the same text as the English Bible’s Old Testament, but divides and arranges it differently.
3. The books of the Bible were collected and arranged and recognized as inspired sacred authority by councils of rabbis and councils of church leaders based on careful guidelines.
4. Before the printing press was invented, the Bible was copied by hand. The Bible was copied very accurately, in many cases by special scribes who developed intricate methods of counting words and letters to insure that no errors had been made.
5. The Bible was the first book ever printed on the printing press with moveable type (Gutenberg Press, 1455, Latin Bible).
6. There is much evidence that the Bible we have today is remarkably true to the original writings. Of the thousands of copies made by hand before AD 1500, more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts from the New Testament alone still exist today. The text of the Bible is better preserved than the writings of Caesar, Plato, or Aristotle.
7. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed the astonishing reliability of some of the copies of the Old Testament made over the years. Some variations exist, most of which involve spelling.
8. As the Bible was carried to other countries, it was translated into the common language of the people by scholars who wanted others to know God’s Word. Today there are still 2,000 groups with no Bible in their own language.
9. We can trust our Bible.

CrossView Church - 750 Highview Drive - Antioch, Illinois - 60002 - 847.395.4117