When is a bible not THE BIBLE?

What makes the Bible the Bible? In this lesson, Pastor Ed Decker takes us back to the foundation of what we believe about the Word of God. The Bible contains 66 books, written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of roughly 1,500–1,600 years, yet these books form ONE BOOK—the Word of God. Pastor Decker looks at the unity of Scripture, the two major divisions of the Bible—the Old Testament and the New Testament—and the relationship between them. The Old Testament points forward in promise, preparation, foundation, and type, while the New Testament reveals fulfillment, presentation, the building, and the truth. The lesson then moves into the doctrine of inspiration. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit moved human writers so that they recorded the very words and sense of God while writing in their own literary styles? Pastor Decker examines both the human and divine aspects of Scripture and introduces the important truths of confluent and verbal inspiration. If we are going to know what we believe—and why—we must first know what we believe about the Book upon which our faith rests.