PARA 1 – The Revelation of God
- In General Revelation
- In Special Revelation
- Deed and Word Revelation
- Written Revelation
PARA 2 & 3 – The Canon of Scripture
- The identity of the canonical books.
- Old Testament – 39 books
- New Testament – 27 books
- The rejection of the apocryphal books.
- The test of canonicity.
- Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
- The implications of canonicity.
- Scripture is the rule of faith and life
PARA. 4 & 5 – The Authority of the Bible & The Witness of the Spirit –
- The duty of faith in the word of God.
- Does not depend on the testimony of any man or church.
- Is rooted in the authority of God Himself
- The evidences that the Bible is the word of God.
- The church bears witness that Scripture is the word of God.
- The church encourages a reverent esteem for the word of God
- It’s heavenly or divine content.
- The power of it’s doctrines.
- The majesty of it’s style.
- The unity of it’s parts.
- The scope of the final product of written revelation.
- The complete and sufficient revelation of God’s salvation to sinners.
- Many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections.
- The full persuasion and assurances of the believer by the witness of the Spirit
Para 6 – The sufficiency of the Bible & The Illumination of the Spirit
- Scripture contains the whole counsel of God.
- Scripture addresses all things necessary for man’s salvation, faith and life.
- Expressly stated (commands, directives)
- Necessarily contained in (principles, implications, applications)
- Nothing need be added.
- By new revelation of the Spirit.
- By the addition of the tradition of men.
- A commonality to human actions and societies which are ordered by:
- The light of nature.
- Christian prudence.
- The General rules of the word of God.
PARA 7 – The Clarity of the Bible
- All Scripture is not equally plain and clear.
- Things necessary for salvation are very clear
PARA 8 – The Preservation & Translation of the Bible
- The Scriptures are the product of Divine Inspiration.
- The Scriptures have been providentially preserved by God through history.
- The Scriptures are therefore authentic.
- The Scriptures must therefore be translated into the languages of all nations
PARA 9 and 10 – The Finality of the Bible
- The Bible is it’s own final interpreter.
- The Bible is the supreme judge of all controversies and final resolution of our faith.
Acknowledgements:
- Heraldofgrace.org. John Reuther.