"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop." Lewis Carroll
"The beginning is the most important part of the work." Plato, The Republic
Introduction
Theology makes certain claims about the interconnection between the signs of language (words) and the things that make up reality. It is necessary to understand how words, spoken and written words, can convey God's message to men.1,2,3 We believe that an intelligent, rational, powerful, just, and compassionate God would communicate with His creation and do so in understandable and meaningful ways to develop the desired relationship of man with Him.
The Bible does not attempt to defend its inspiration. Genesis opens with the words, "God said," 9 times in the first chapter. "Thus says the Lord" appears 23 times in Malachi, the last Old Testament book. By this God affirms that this is His word from Genesis to Malachi. In the first five books of the Bible alone, "The Lord spoke" appears 560 times. Isaiah claims at least 40 times that his message came directly from the Lord; Ezekiel claims it 60 times, and Jeremiah asserts this 100 times! In the Old Testament "The Lord spoke" appears at least 3,800 times. The Lord Jesus simply quoted from at least 24 different Old Testament books. Jesus Christ also said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35).
These are facts that will be valuable for a person with an open heart - not that you have to throw your head away in order to believe these facts. If you do not want to accept the logical conclusion of the evidence and believe, nothing ever will convince you. Voltaire, more than 250 years ago, held a copy of the Bible in his hand and said, "In 100 years this book will be forgotten, eliminated." What is humorous is that 100 years later, to the day, his house was made the headquarters of the Geneva Bible Society, and from there Bibles were being distributed! God has a sense of humor for in Psalm 2 He says to us that He holds those mockers in derision.
Truth is Knowable
Mankind builds its base of knowledge in science, chemistry, physics, medicine, accounting, business, education, and many other facets of life upon one very important foundation. That foundation is truth. The basis for all communication whether in relationships of barter, business, friends, family or marriage is truth. Thus truth is understood to be knowable and by searching can be found. See: Looking at Truth
Truth possesses certain qualities. These are summed by the following:
1. Truth is certain.
2. Truth is distinct and clearly states something meaningful.
3. Truth is consistent and non-contradictory.
4. Truth is impersonal in its application.
5. Truth is enlightening for it reveals something to us about our selves and the world around us.
6. Truth is intentional and separates reality from conjecture.
7. Truth is liberating giving us a rational understanding of things and events around us.
8. Truth is eternal and stands up to scrutiny at any time.
References:
1. Doctrine of the Word, John M. Frame, Accessed 7/28/2003
2. The Power of God's Word, Robert Preus, Accessed 7/28/2003
3. Bible is the Inspired Word of God, Dr. Sidney W.K. Yuan, Accessed 7/28/2003