When we think about the Bible, we need to think like Christians. Many people may read the Bible without having proper conviction about what it is. They may read it like any other book they have read.
However, the Bible is different from other books and should not be interpreted like any other book. There are Christian beliefs, or assumptions, about the Bible that support not only the mission of biblical theology but also the importance of the study of the Bible itself.
We do not intend these assumptions to explain other works of literature in the way they explain the Bible.
Here are five prerequisites we should have about the Bible when we read it as Christians.
1. The Bible is inspired by God
This fact immediately distinguishes all Scripture from all non-Biblical literature. The Holy Spirit has inspired the text of Genesis throughout Revelation.
More than 40 human authors were involved in the compilation of the scriptures, but human authorship is only part of the question of origin. The very testimony of the Bible from the Bible is that it is the Word of God. The proper doctrine of the Bible gives unparalleled excellence to the divine inspiration of that document.
2. The Bible does not teach error.
This second truth is derived from the first truth. If a holy, righteous, and almighty God inspired the Bible's writings, then we can trust that the Bible teaches about God and the many subjects it covers. There are no contradictions in the Bible itself. Although some teachings may complement others, the Bible does not teach something that is true in some places and contradicts it in others.
In a world where deception and delusion are rampant, scripture can be trusted. It is inerrant, and its inerrancy is inextricably linked to inspiration. The work of the Holy Spirit through the Bible authors ensured the accuracy of what they wrote. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. And God is not capable of making mistakes.
3. The Bible is authoritative
This truth follows from the first two. Because the Bible is inspired by God and its teachings are inerrant, it has authority over all competing authorities. Christians must approach the text as those under authority. There are truths to note, recommendations to follow, and prohibitions to be aware of.
Everyone walks according to some kind of authority. Our beliefs and beliefs come from something or someone, even if they are just our imaginations or subjective whims. The Bible is the supreme court of authority. As God's authority, the Bible corrects error, brings light to ignorance, and guidance to confusion. When studying sacred texts, we must be ready to receive and submit to what is there.
4. Later Biblical authors correctly interpret earlier Biblical authors
Have you ever seen an edited version where one contributor disagrees with another? Things like this can happen in just a human book. Contributors negotiate arguments, push back on a given thesis, and reach different conclusions about things. The Bible is not like a book compiled by various contributors.
The writings of the Bible authors are inspired by the Spirit of the living God. This allows later writers to correctly understand and interpret earlier writers. Because the Old and New Testaments were compiled over many centuries, the miracle of Biblical consistency and unity is ultimately due to God's authorship of the Biblical canon. Throughout the long course of divine revelation, later Biblical authors correctly develop, interpret, and apply earlier Biblical writings. Not only do later Old Testament authors clarify earlier Old Testament texts, but New Testament authors make the Old Testament itself more clear.
5. The meta-narrative of the Messiah is the reason the Bible exists.
The attentive reader will notice the messianic hope that pervades the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament promises that the Deliverer will come, and the New Testament announces the Deliverer's arrival and tells His name. These two testaments trace the promise and fulfillment of Messianic hope.
This messianic meta-narrative is the larger context for understanding many of the micro-stories and teachings in the Bible. By divine design, the Biblical canon has a Christological form. Once you recognize that there is a messianic meta-narrative in the Bible, you will see that the covenant and history of Israel, and the many themes and story lines, all serve the greater purpose of the coming of the Messiah.
These five premises are critical to a Christian's attitude toward God's Word. We do not intend these assumptions to explain other works of literature in the way they explain the Bible. Indeed, the Bible is a book unlike any other.
This essay is first published Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack Biblical theology.
