Page 23 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible Student Textbook

6. “Decrees” (huqqim) is derived from the root for “engrave,” “inscribe.” God reveals his royal
sovereignty by establishing his divine will in nature and in the covenant community.

7. “Precepts” (piqqudim) occurs only in the book of Psalms and appears to be synonymous with
“covenant” (103:18) and with the revelation of God (111:7). Its root connotes the authority to
determine the relationship between the speaker and the object.

8. “Word” or “promise” (imrah) may denote anything God has spoken, commanded, or promised.

How the Bible Cannon was formed

Uniqueness of the Bible

The facts of the Bible cannot be explained solely by human theories concerning its origin. The Bible itself
claims that it is unique among all books and is God’s Word to humanity. The God of Scripture has
revealed himself as a God of truth, so errors in the original manuscripts of the Bible’s books would prove
that God was not their author.

The Bible was written by prophets, shepherds, kings, doctors, fishermen, rich men, poor men, people of
all walks of life, over a period of 1600 years (beginning with Moses in 1500 BC to John in 90 AD) written
on three continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) and in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).
These people were moved by the Holy Spirit to write down God’s revelation to them for us. While over
40 authors wrote the Bible, the canon (measuring rod) was brought together as one Book, one doctrinal
system, one moral standard, one plan of salvation, one program for the ages. And among all the
authors, there is neither one inconsistency nor disagreement. There are no contradictions or errors in
the unity of the books; each supplements the other.

Like the instruments in a symphony, each writer of the Bible is quite different from the others. When
you hear an orchestra playing with flawless harmony, you naturally assume that it is being directed by

22