Chapter 15 The Bible

There were a lot of things that disturbed my faith and led me home to Rome. Birth Control, Divorce, Authority, Apostolic Succession, and the Bible. I can not believe I was a protestant for 45 years and never asked my self “Where did the Bible come from?” (page 204). What a shock to learn that the Catholic didn’t add books to the Bible.

I am reminded of the old preacher who said he believed every word of the Bible from Genesis to the book of maps. But what about the table of contents? Where did the table of contents come from? Kelly gives us some great ammo in pages 206-208. My personal favorite is the whole Sola-scriptura (The Bible alone). This is self refuting as it is not found in the Bible. 1^st Timothy 3:15 say the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. The Church gave us the Bible (not the other way around). The Church has the sole right to interpret (page 208) Peter said that scripture is not given for private interpretation (2^nd Peter 1:20) and even warned (3:16) ..hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to there own destruction”. So much for perspicuity. Who wants to be Pope? We have over 30,000 Christian Church that claim to teach the Bible alone. I mean how many views of Church Government, Baptism, The Lord’s Supper, or views are there. Can they all be right? Remember “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Kelly touches on some great prophesies fulfilled by Jesus (pages 210) Here are some more:

SUBJECT	OT Prophecy	NT Fulfillment
As the Son of God	Ps 2:7	Lu 1:32,35
As the seed of the woman	Ge 3:15	Ga 4:4
As the seed of Abraham	Ge 17:7 22:18	Ga 3:16
As the seed of Isaac	Ge 21:12	Heb 11:17-19
As the seed of David	Ps 132:11 Jer 23:5	Ac 13:23 Ro 1:3
His coming at a set time	Ge 49:10 Da 9:24,25	Lu 2:1
His being born of a virgin	Isa 7:14	Mt 1:22,23 Lu 2:7
His being called Immanuel	Isa 7:14	Mt 1:22,23
His being born in Bethlehem of Judea	Mic 5:2	Mt 2:1 Lu 2:4-6
Great persons coming to adore him	Ps 72:10	Mt 2:1-11
The slaying of the children of Bethlehem	Jer 31:15	Mt 2:16-18
His being called out of Egypt	Ho 11:1	Mt 2:15
His being preceded by John the Baptist	Isa 40:3 Mal 3:1	Mt 3:1,3 Lu 1:17
His being anointed with the Spirit	Ps 45:7 Isa 11:2 61:1	Mt 3:16 Joh 3:34 Ac 10:38
His being a Prophet like to Moses	De 18:15-18	Ac 3:20-22
His being a Priest after the order of Melchizedek	Ps 110:4	Heb 5:5,6
His entering on his public ministry	Isa 61:1,2	Lu 4:16-21,43
His ministry commencing in Galilee	Isa 9:1,2	Mt 4:12-16,23
His entering publicly into Jerusalem	Zec 9:9	Mt 21:1-5
His coming into the temple	Hag 2:7,9 Mal 3:1	Mt 21:12 Lu 2:27-32 Joh 2:13-16
His poverty	Isa 53:2	Mr 6:3 Lu 9:58
His meekness and want of ostentatious	Isa 42:2	Mt 12:15,16,19
His tenderness and compassion	Isa 40:11 42:3	Mt 12:15,20 Heb 4:15
His being without guile	Isa 53:9	1Pe 2:22
His zeal	Ps 69:9	Joh 2:17
His preaching by parables	Ps 78:2	Mt 13:34,35
His working miracles	Isa 35:5,6	Mt 11:4-6 Joh 11:47
His bearing reproach	Ps 22:6 69:7,9,20	Ro 15:3
His being rejected by his brethren	Ps 69:8 Isa 63:3	Joh 1:11 7:3
His being a stone of stumbling to the Jews	Isa 8:14	Ro 9:32 1Pe 2:8
His being hated by the Jews	Ps 69:4 Isa 49:7	Joh 15:24,25
His being rejected by the Jewish rulers	Ps 118:22	Mt 21:42 Joh 7:48
That the Jews and Gentiles should combine against Him	Ps 2:1,2	Lu 23:12 Ac 4:27
His being betrayed by a friend	Ps 41:9 55:12-14	Joh 13:18,21
His disciples forsaking him	Zec 13:7	Mt 26:31,56
His being sold for thirty pieces silver	Zec 11:12	Mt 26:15
His price being given for the potter's field	Zec 11:13	Mt 27:7
The intensity of his sufferings	Ps 22:14,15	Lu 22:42,44
His sufferings being for others	Isa 53:4-6,12 Da 9:26	Mt 20:28
His patience and silence under suffering	Isa 53:7	Mt 26:63 27:12-14
His being smitten on the cheek	Mic 5:1	Mt 27:30
His visage being marred	Isa 52:14 53:3	Joh 19:5
His being spit on and scourged	Isa 50:6	Mr 14:65 Joh 19:1
His hands and feet being nailed to the cross	Ps 22:16	Joh 19:18 20:25
His being forsaken by God	Ps 22:1	Mt 27:46
His being mocked	Ps 22:7,8	Mt 27:39-44
Gall and vinegar being given him to drink	Ps 69:21	Mt 27:34
His garments being parted, and lots cast for his vesture	Ps 22:18	Mt 27:35
His being numbered with the transgressors	Isa 53:12	Mr 15:28
His intercession for His murderers	Isa 53:12	Lu 23:34
His Death	Isa 53:12	Mt 27:50
That a bone of him should not be broken	Ex 12:46 Ps 34:20	Joh 19:33,36
His being pierced	Zec 12:10	Joh 19:34,37
His being buried with the rich	Isa 53:9	Mt 27:57-60
His flesh not seeing corruption	Ps 16:10	Ac 2:31
His resurrection	Ps 16:10 Isa 26:19	Lu 24:6,31,34
His ascension	Ps 68:18	Lu 24:51 Ac 1:9
His sitting on the right hand of God	Ps 110:1	Heb 1:3
His exercising the priestly office in heaven	Zec 6:13	Ro 8:34
His being the chief corner-stone of the Church	Isa 28:16	1Pe 2:6,7
His being King in Zion	Ps 2:6	Lu 1:32 Joh 18:33-37
The conversion of the Gentiles to him	Isa 11:10 42:1	Mt 1:17,21 Joh 10:16 Ac 10:45,47
His righteous government	Ps 45:6,7	Joh 5:30 Re 19:11
His universal dominion	Ps 72:8 Da 7:14	Php 2:9,11
The perpetuity of his kingdom	Isa 9:7 Da 7:14	Lu 1:32,33

Kelly makes some great points about the power of the Word (pg 211). If we actually truly believed some of these points we would be changed. One of my favorite is Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart´

Yes the world of God is alive and breathing! The Word (Logos) is God himself (Jn1, Heb 1:1-3).

In the section “Stories” Kelly reminds us of the purpose of the written word which reminds me of 1^st Cor 10:6&11 Now these things were done in a figure of us…Now all of these things happen to them in figure: and they are written for our correction. Kelly refer to this as looking into a mirror and seeing our self. James says it best in James 1 But prove your selves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

On page 218 Kelly states “I often hear his call in the moments of the day. I find myself wandering from the path, and he calls to me, “Where are you” I pray you too can learn to hear his gentle voice in the circumstances of your daily life” One of the ways God speaks to us is through his word. The Psalmist said “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee” God’s challenge to us is “Let not this book of the law depart from thy mouth: but thou shall meditate on it day and night, that thou may observe and do all the things that are written in it: then shall thou direct thy ways and understand it” Josh 1:8

Well I won’t comment on the “Dad, if you really love me story.. other then my son said it made no sense and my wife thought it could be a parable about the pearl of great price.

I would like to share one more of my favorite verses. It’s a 3:16 verse, Can you guess what it is?

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2^nd Tim)