Page 8 - Bible Writers Theology Original

ii ♦ Bible Writers' Theology Introduction
Theologyisthefoundationofinterpretingtheunadulterated, pure, holy Word of God. One's theology will form whatever ideas and perceptions a person holds concerning God, Christ, the Holy
Ghost, and the Bible itself. The Bible has notchanged since holy men of God wrote it. What it said and meant two thousand years ago is exactly what it saysandmeanstoday. Thecontentsarenottobealteredorchangedaccord ing to anyone's private interpretation, ideology, or life style. It is perfect, infallible,andmostimportantly,holy. Weasthosewhoreadit,aretoallow ittoconformusintotheimageofJesusChrist. Forpreciselythisveryrea son, we must know exactly what it says and how its commands and princi ples apply to our lives. Without this, we have nothing. We might as well read the new edition of the latest gossip magazine.
In today's world, there seems to be a vast amount of different interpreta tions and ideologies of what God's word really does say, and how it should be interpreted. Professional and armchair theologians abound They have attempted to accomplish a very spiritual task by fleshly and human means In other words, they try to interpret the Holy Scriptures with carnal minds!
The result is obvious.
The Bible is not a textbook as some have erroneously claimed It does not contain information to be learned or processed at an individual's whim or
leisure It is the divine Word of the living God. It is divine revelation, which must be understood through the Spirit of the living Cod It is not ooen to int^retationby^yone. Itistoimparttruthtothepemonwhostu^Tesit.
If it ISstudied with humility and the fear of God, truth is received If it is in terpreted incoirecUy, it is not truth, and therefore not the true Word of God.
Contrary to popular belief, there are not many different doctrines of sal vation. ThewritersoftheBiblewereexactandpreciseinwhattheywrote
In the Old Testament, the writers knew what God had spoken to them and theywroteitexactlyasGodmovedonthemtodoso. IntheNewTestament the writers knew what Jesus (Word made flesh) had said, and they were not confused in their understanding or wisdom concerning the Old Testament andtheinterpretationrevealedintheNewTestament. TrueChristiansknow that the Old and New Testaments are congruent and in perfect agreement, explaining the same doctrine of salvation exactly. The writers of the Bible all
hadacommonfaith Ifthiswerenotso,theBiblewouldbewroughtwith errors, inconsistencies, and contradictions too numerous to rectify The