16. How the Bible helps us – We get to know His programme

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Keys to understanding the bible - how God has spoken to humanity.

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God has spoken and He has communicated His Word to us. Firstly by revelation when God spoke to the writers. Secondly, through inspiration as the writers were divinely guided by God, in the process of writing His message. However, in order to understand God’s revealed and inspired message, illumination is required. This is where God causes the Bible to be understood by both the human heart and the mind.

Why do we need of illumination? Without illumination, the reader is blinded both by his nature, and by Satan. Just as a light bulb needs power in order to give light, so does the Bible need somebody to provide the power! The person, who does this illuminating, is God the Holy Spirit.

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The actual word inspiration is only found once in the New Testament, where Paul explicitly states that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” or more literally “God-breathed.” Divine inspiration naturally proceeds from divine revelation. Whilst through revelation God speaks to man’s ear, it is by inspiration that God works the pen, thus ensuring that the message is written correctly.

This process of inspiration has several theories attached to it. One theory called the content theory, suggests that the author garnered the main idea from God, but God allowed the writer to choose his own words.

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Revelation is how God has communicated truths to people, who otherwise would not know them. The story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is a good example of this. As humanity was not created until the sixth day, it must have been God who revealed the knowledge about what occurred on the first five days to the author of Genesis, or it would not be possible to know what occurred.

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Has God ever roared? God is like a lion who roars whenever He so desires. As Christians, we believe that God has. We believe that God has spoken to this world because he loves this world. 1 John Chapter 4 verse 16 tells us that God is love. Part of love is a desire to both know and to be known. That is why the prophets spoke and the Bible were written. This is why the God became man in Jesus Christ, because God wanted to know and be known in the fullest, human way possible.

God speaks to the world by three methods. Firstly, through revelation, where God has caused the truth to be revealed. Secondly, where God causes the truth to be recorded. We call this inspiration. Lastly, illumination, because God causes the truth to be understood.

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So you have just become a Christian, been a Christians for a while or are just interested in what this relationship with Jesus business is all about. What we believe, affects what we do. Children behave like children, because that is what they are. Adults behave like adults, because that is who they are. So by remembering who we are as Christians, then we will behave like followers of Jesus Christ.

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Now that you are a Christian, there may well be times when you doubt you are His child or not. This may well be because you don’t feel saved. But being a Christian is not based on emotional feelings but rather the promise of God. God the Father has promised you salvation. He has promised to accept everybody who trusts in Jesus. This means you have the right to enter Heaven one day, and that He will work out all things for your good as you live a life worthy of being His child.

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