Page 5 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible Student Textbook

The Bible says that God has revealed Himself to mankind in various ways. It says that the creation
speaks clearly of His existence and of His handiwork. All mankind has to do is look at what exists to see
the handy design of an omniscient Designer. Throughout history, man can see God moving and directing
its course to accomplish the story found in the Bible. Often in this journey, God steps in and performs
miracles and visions by prophets to move history in the proper direction. But the greatest revelation of
God is in the person of Jesus Christ who claimed to be God himself in flesh. John best describes His
entry into the world of man:

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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
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beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that
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was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son
from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-4, 14, ESV)

The Greek word for WORD is logos, which literally means “the expression of God.” The Logos with
whom John states is a Person. Readers of the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) had long been
familiar with the term "Word of God" as equivalent to the Gospel; but the essential idea of John's Word
is Jesus Himself, His Person. He is stating that Jesus was in the beginning with God and that Jesus was
the God of the beginning. He is announcing to his readers that God fulfilled his promise and came to
earth in a fleshly body --- that Jesus Christ was a visible expression of who God is since He was God in
the flesh. When we see Jesus, we see God. God now has revealed himself in a physical way so that
mankind can see and know Him.

We know from the Old Testament that God promised to come in flesh in the person of the Messiah.

Isaiah 7:14 says “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). (ESV)

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his
shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (God with us), Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.” (ESV)

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ is the physical revelation to man of who God is.

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me,
Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (ESV)

The majority of that which we can know about God comes from the Bible. You have a choice. You can
hold the Bible in high esteem as the inspired and inerrant Word of God and handle it properly through
careful interpretation and application, or you can turn to other sources as authority such as human
reason, science, tradition, mysticism, experiences, or as listed above, or the writings of religious men. If
the Bible is a book full of nice stories and thoughts, but is not to be taken seriously, then what does it
matter? We all die and that’s the end of it. However, if the Bible is true, and if you take alternate paths
to knowing who God is, you will certainly lose out on the eternal promises of salvation and eternity with
God. You will spend eternity in Hell being judged for your sins. Your life on earth and your entire hope
of eternal life is all based on how you respond to the Bible.

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