Doctrines Of The Faith - A Study in Truth

What The Bible Says About...

BIBLIOLOGY
The Doctrine of the Bible

PASTOR ART KOHL

 Bibliology
The Doctrine of the Bible
by Pastor Art Kohl

Scripture verses in this booklet are

from the King James Holy Bible.

Doctrine of the Faith - A Study in Truth

Other booklets in this series:
 Angelology  Ouranology
 Anthropology  Paterology
 Baptism  Pneumatology
 Christology  Sotieriology
 Ecclesiology  Thanatology
 Eschatology  Theology
 Hamartiology  Tongues
 Mary

Published by
Faith Bible Baptist Church
8688 S. Main Street  Eden, NY 14057
www.fbbc.com

Copyright © 2007-19
Permission granted to freely copy.
 Bibliology
Doctrine of the Bible

I. Facts About The Bible .......................................................... 1

II. Necessary Words in Understanding the Bible .................. 4

A. Revelation .................................................................... 4
B. Inspiration .................................................................... 4
C. Inerrancy and Infallibility .............................................5
D. Authority........................................................................5
E. Canonicity ......................................................................5
F. Illumination ...................................................................5
G. Interpretation ............................................................... 6
H. Preservation ................................................................. 6

III. Necessary Practices in Understanding the Bible ............. 8

A. How Can We Understand The Bible? ........................... 8
B. Principles of Bible Study............................................... 9

IV. The Bible Bookcase .......................................................... 13

A. The Old Testament ...................................................... 13
B. The New Testament ..................................................... 13

V. Conclusion ......................................................................... 14
I. Facts About The Bible
1. The word “Bible” means “books.” The Bible is a library of
66 books written over a period of 1500 years. There are
thirty-nine books in the Old Testament (OT) and twenty-
seven books in New Testament (NT).
2. These authors claimed that their words were from God,
dictated to them by the Holy Spirit. More on that later in
this booklet.
3. Daniel referred to the Old Testament writings (the book of
Jeremiah) as the “books” in Daniel 9:2.
4. Jesus referred to the Old Testament writings as the
Scriptures (Matthew 21:42), The Law (John 10:34), The
Prophets (Matthew 5:17), The Psalms (Luke 24:44).
5. Jesus quoted the Old Testament seventy-six times from
these twelve books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Deuteronomy (most), Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel,
Hosea, Micah, Zechariah, Malachi.
6. Paul called the Old Testament writings: The Scriptures
(Romans 15:4), The Oracles of God (Romans 3:2), The
Law (1 Corinthians 14:2).
7. Paul quoted the Old Testament 131 times from seventeen
books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel,
1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah,
Jeremiah., Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Habakkuk, Malachi
8. Seven Old Testament books are not directly quoted in the
New Testament but are referred:
Numbers (1 Corinthians 10:9), Judges (Acts 13:20), Ruth
(Matthew 1:5), 1 Samuel (Hebrews 11:32), 2 Kings (Matthew
1), 2 Chronicles (Matthew 1), Jonah (Matthew 16:4).
9. Old Testament books which are neither quoted from nor
refered to in the New Testament: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther,
Lamentations, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon. Yet by the time of Christ these were
considered the Scriptures by the Jews and contained in
the Canon that Christ approved of. (“Canon” means “the
official list of the books contained in the Bible; books of
the Bible accepted by the churches.”)
10. A total of 314 verses are used from the Old Testament in
the New Testament. Ninety-two of the 314 refer to Christ.

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 11. A total of 136 different Old Testament characters are
referred to in the New Testament.
12. Thirty out of thirty-nine Old Testament books are
represented in the New Testament. (See number nine
above.)
13. Luke referred to the Old Testament four times from three
different books: Exodus, Leviticus, Isaiah.
14. The disciples referred to the Old Testament as the
Scriptures (Luke 24:32).
15. Peter quoted from seven Old Testament books: Genesis,
Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Joel.
16. Peter referred to all of Paul’s writing as Scriptures: 2
Peter 3:16. Paul wrote fourteen of the twenty-seven New
Testament books. (The word “scriptures” means “holy
writ.”)
17. The New Testament directly quotes twenty-three Old
Testament books: Psalms- 78x (most), Isaiah- 57x,
Deuteronomy- 47x, Exodus- 31x, Genesis- 26x, Leviticus-
23x, Jeremiah- 9x, Hosea- 6x, Zechariah- 6x, Proverbs-
5x, Malachi- 5x, Habbakkuk- 4x, Micah- 3x, Joel- 2x,
Amos- 2x, Daniel- 2x, 1 Kings- 2x, 2 Samuel- 1x, 1
Chronicles- 1x, Joshua- 1x, Ezekiel- 1x, Haggai- 1x, Job-
1x.
18. The top ten characters refered to in the New Testament
from the Old Testament: Moses- 101x, Abraham- 94x,
David- 67x, Elijah- 41x, Isaiah- 26x, Jacob- 26x, Isaac-
24x, Adam- 18x, Judah- 16x, Joseph- 14x.
19. The writers of the Old Testament books include (but are
not limited to): Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah,
David, Sons of Korah, Asaph, Heman, Ethan, Solomon,
Haggai, Zechariah, Hezekiah, Agur, Lemuel, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Malachi.
20. The writers of the New Testament books include:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude.
21. The occupations of these authors are very diverse and
include: soldier, Egyptian prince, priest, king, rich farmer,
poor farmer, scribe, prophets, prime minister’s cupbearer,
tax collector, evangelist, physician, wealthy fisherman,
poor fisherman, carpenter, and tentmaker .
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22. Some of the authors, such as Moses and Paul, were very
educated men. Peter and John were considered unlearned
and ignorant (Acts 4:13). Yet the Lord used them all.
23. God is in no way mentioned in the book of Esther or the
Song of Solomon but His presence and works are seen
throughout.
24. The Canon of Scripture (66 books) was completed in 95
AD when John finished writing the “Revelation.” These
books were the only ones accepted by the first century
church leaders as inspired by God. Other spurious (false
or counterfeit) works were not accepted by the early
church.
The Roman Catholic Church attempted to add to the Bible
the Apocrypha Books (such as Tobias, Judith, Wisdom,
Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 1 & 2 Machabees) in the 1500’s. These
books were rejected as spurious and though they were added
between the Old and New Testaments of the King James
Bible for their “literary and historical value,” the outcry of
believers and lovers of the Bible was so loud they were soon
deleted so as not to be mistaken as scripture. These books still
appear in Roman Catholic Bibles (Douay-Rheims version) but
few others.
These protestors were right to cry out against them.
(Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19).

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II. Necessary Words In Understanding the
Bible

A. Revelation
Revelation may be defined as: God’s communication of
divine truth to man concerning that which man could not
otherwise know about God and His will.
Since man is spiritually dead, it is impossible for us to know
anything about God unless He reveals it to us. In a general
sense, man has always possessed a limited amount of
revelation concerning God as communicated through His
creation (Job 37:1-6; Psalm 19:1-6; Acts 14:17; Romans 1:20)
and his dealings with man (Genesis 1:26; Acts 17:24-27).
However, in order for man to gain a true and experiential
knowledge of God, special revelation was necessary. In
conveying His message, God spoke progressively and in
various supernatural ways including (1) dreams (Genesis
37:5-9) (2) visions (Genesis 15:1; Isaiah 6:1-8; Amos 7-9) (3)
direct communication (1 Samuel 3:3-14) (4) Theophanies
(Genesis 18; 32:24-30) (5) miracles (Genesis 6-9; 1 Kings
18:17-40; John 20:30-31). (6) prophets unto the people
(Hebrews 1:1; 2 Peter 1:21; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1) (7) the
Incarnate Son of God (John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:2 cf. John
14:7), and (8) the written Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-11;
2 Timothy 3:16).
God’s revelation ceased with the completion of the written
Word - the Bible (Revelation 22:18).
B. Inspiration
Inspiration is that inexplicable working of the Holy Spirit
whereby He guided the human authors of the Bible in
choosing the very words (verbal) they used in writing every
portion (plenary) of the original manuscripts so that the Bible
is, in all its parts, both infalliable, as to truth, and final, as to
authority.
The guidance of the human authors by the Holy Spirit was
such that He used their own individual personalities to record
without error God’s revelation which is to be the only
authoritative source for man’s faith and practice
(cf. Matthew 5:17-18, 24:35; Luke 21:15; John 5:39, 10:35; 1
Corinthians 2:10-13; 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21, Exodus
4:10-15; 2 Samuel 23:2; Isaiah 8:1, Jeremiah 1:9, 30:2, 32:2; 1
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 Corinthians 11:23; 14:37, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Galatians
1:11,12; Hebrews 1:1,2; Revelation 1:11, Genesis 1:26, Exodus
4:12; Isaiah 51:16; Ezekiel 1:3; Revelation 14:13; Hebrews
6:18; Titus 1:2).
C. Inerrancy and Infallibility
Since God is the Divine Author of the Scriptures, and since
the Holy Spirit guided the human authors, and since God is
true (John 3:33; 17:3; Romans 3:4) His Word must be true
and without error. That is inerrancy.
Not only is the Bible without error, but it speaks with
precise accuracy and reliability (John 17:17; John 10:35; Luke
24:44). That is infallibility.
D. Authority
That which the Scriptures proclaim, they speak with the
absolute authority of “Thus saith the Lord.” Since it is the
Word of the Almighty God, it is binding upon all men
(Matthew 21:42; 22:29-32; John 5:39; cf.Matthew 5:17-18;
26:53-54).
It is, therefore, man’s absolute authority for faith and
practice. The phrase “Thus saith the Lord” appears 413x in
the Old Testament.
E. Canonicity
The word “canon” comes from the Hebrew word for a
measuring instrument or “that which keeps a thing straight”
and implies the idea of a “standard.”
The Scriptures are an authoritative standard for the faith
and practice not because they passed man-made tests, but
because they are God-breathed, or inspired. During the
process of determining canonicity, the Holy Spirit simply led
men to recognize that which was already fact.
The Old Testament canon consists of thirty-nine books (cf.
Joshua 8:31-35; 23:6; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 4:6; Ezra 7:6;
Malachi 4:4; also Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27,44; Matthew
23:35; 2 Timothy 3:16).
The New Testament canon consists of twenty-seven books
(cf. John.14:26; 16:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 5:27: 1
Corinthians 2:7-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; 2 Peter 3:15-16).
F. Illumination
Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit whereby He
gives individuals the ability to understand the Word of God.

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 Because of sin, man’s understanding has been darkened so
that no one can understand Scripture properly without Divine
assistance (Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14).
It is the Holy Spirit which enlightens the mind of the believer
to understand the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 1 John
2:20,27; cf. John 16:8; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

G. Interpretation
The Scriptures must be interpreted on the basis of sound
exegesis (explanation, exposition) and the illuminating
ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Scriptures are to be interpreted literally, giving
consideration to the historical, cultural, and grammatical
context of the passage.
The premillennial, dispensational system of interpretation
is the correct approach to understanding the progressive
unfolding of God’s plan. More on how to understand the
scriptures from a dispensational aspect later in this booklet.

H. Preservation
God has providentially worked to assure that His Word is
kept accurate through the centuries (Isaiah 40:8; 55:11, 1
Peter 1:23-25; Psalm 12:6,7; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 119:152;
Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33; Matthew 5:18).
Because the originals no longer exist, these verses are either
not true or God has kept His word and promise through
copies of the original and in other languages.
Inspiration without preservation is a divine waste of time.
Our church’s position is that God has preserved His eternal
Word for English people today in the Authorized Version,
also known as the King James Version Bible (KJV or KJB) of
1611. We believe all other English versions deviate from the
truth, leave out passages, change meanings of words, verses
and texts and weaken the major doctrines of the faith.
For example: of the 5332 complete New Testament
manuscripts in the original Greek still in existence today, only
ten of them leave out portions or all of Acts 8:37. The New
International Version (NIV) deletes this verse completely.
The NIV has 64, 576 less words than the KJB. The New
King James Version (NKJV) has over 20,000 less words than

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the KJB. See Matthew 24:35.
“The 1611 KJV is from a superior text, translated by
superior translators into a superior English,” said Bible
historian Dr. Jewell Smith.
There were fifty-four translators of the KJV 1611. Each was
commissioned by King James and knew how to fluently speak
between three and ten languages. They were not religionists
but linguists.
Thousands of martyrs have given their lives to protect and
promote the Textus Receptus (Received text from which we
get the KJV). It is hard to find anyone who ever died to
protect the perverted texts. They are not worth dying for.

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III. Necessary Practices In Understanding
the Bible
A. Criteria to Understanding
In answering that important question, consider first the
preparation necessary for Bible study. You see, the Bible is
written for the heart. Unless your heart is prepared, you will
miss the truths and blessings of God’s Word.
1. You Must Have A Regenerated Heart
Having been born of the Spirit through faith in Christ
(John 3:3). The unsaved person cannot understand God’s
Word, according to 1 Corinthians 2:14.
2. You Must Have A Humble Heart
Listening to God as a little child would listen to his
father (Matthew 11:25).
3. You Must Have An Obedient Heart
Willing to do whatever the Word says, with a deep
desire to know God’s Word (Psalms 119:97). The Christian
who sincerely loves God’s Word has no trouble finding
time to read it every single day (Acts 17:11).

The first step in getting more out of your Bible study is

simply this: open your heart to God and let Him prepare it for
the blessings He wants to give you. Let Him cleanse
every corner as you confess every sin. Be sure your will is
yielded to Him. When your heart is quieted before Him,
breathe the prayer of the psalmist: “Open thou mine eyes;
that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” (Psalms
119:18).
The second step is this: realize that God has made
provision for you to understand His Word by giving you the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit wrote the Word (2 Timothy 3:16, 2
Peter 1:21) and is the Divine Teacher to explain the Word
(John 14:26; 16:13-15). Allow the Spirit to guide you and you
will be amazed at the way He will open your spiritual eyes! Of
course, this means you must be on good terms with the Holy
Spirit, not grieving Him with disobedience or unconfessed sin
(Ephesians 4:30). He is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
who will open the eyes of your understanding, according to
Ephesians 1:17-18; so allow Him to direct your study of God’s
Word.

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B. Principles of Bible Study

1. The Accuracy Principle

Be sure that all persons, places, objects, and events are
accurately identified, and all words accurately defined,
before you interpret a passage of Scripture.
You must be especially accurate in identifying persons
and places in the Bible. For example, there are ten
different Simons, four men named John, three James’, six
Marys, and several Herods! Some people have two names:
Jacob is also called Israel, Levi is another name for
Matthew, and Peter is called Simon and Cephas. The Sea
of Galilee is also known as the Sea of Tiberias and the
Lake of Gennesaret.
The Accuracy Principle also tells you to define Bible
words accurately. The King James Version of the Bible
was translated from the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts
in 1611. Since that time, many English words have
changed their meanings.
Take Hebrews 13:5 as an example: “Let your
conversation be without covetousness...” That seems to
teach that Christians must never talk about money, but
the writer had something entirely different in mind. The
word “conversation” means “speech” today, but back in
1611 it meant “behaviour.” This verse simply commands
us to live without the love of money controlling our
actions.
Or, look at Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing...”
which seems to suggest we should be careless about
everything! Of course, the word “careful” meant “full of
care, anxious” back in the seventeenth century; so the
verse implies, “Be anxious about nothing.”
To help you understand these old English words you
will eventually want to purchase an 1828 Webster’s
Dictionary and a Strong’s Concordance of Greek and
Hebrew words.

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 2. The Background Principle:
Be sure you understand the background and setting
(context) of a passage before you interpret it. Always
study a verse in the light of the entire chapter, and study
the chapter in the light of the entire book it is in. Ask
yourself these questions:
a. What is the main theme of this chapter?
b. Who is speaking: God, man, Satan, angels?
c. Who is addressed: God, man, saints, sinners?
d. When was this spoken or written?

3. The Cross-Referencing Principle:

Be sure the Holy Spirit is your ultimate teacher and
cross-reference all scriptures concerning a particular
word, doctrine, topic, character, principle, etc. Compile all
Scriptures about the subject and believe all the truth
about that subject not just part. This type of study is
called “comparing” in 1 Corinthians 2:13 and is the
method the Holy Spirit honors with His illumination.
Cross-references refer you to other scriptures that shed
light on the same subject. For example, why did Jesus
constrain (compel) His disciples to get into the boat and
depart after He had fed the 5,000? Matthew 14:22 does
not tell us, but the cross-reference refers us to John 6:15-
21 and here we find the answer. Verse fifteen says that the
crowd wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him a
king! Jesus refused to be crowned by people who were
only interested in full stomachs!
Never study a verse or passage as an isolated piece of
Scripture. Look at it in its setting and study all the
passages related to it. That way you will find many of the
problems solved and the so-called “contradictions”
answered.
Use good sense and cross-referencing when interpreting
parables, too. Look for the main lesson in a parable and
the details will give you little trouble. Often the Bible
explains the various symbols in a parable, such as “The
Parable of the Sower” in Matthew 13:3-8 (explained in
13:19-23), or the “Vision of the Woman” in Revelation 17
(explained in 17:9, 12, 15, and 18).

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4. The Dispensational Principle.
The Bible is divided into at least twelve different ages.
We must “rightly” divide the word of truth (2 Timothy
2:15). Some of the laws, rules, rituals, etc. that God
expected people to live by in one dispensation (age) were
changed in another. Someone who does not know this will
think there are contradictions in the Bible. For example,
some meats that were not allowed to be eaten in the Old
Testament are now allowed in the New Testament.
Here is a look at the twelve dispensations:
a. Eternity Past - before God created the earth.
b. The Creation - six days in which God created all
things.
c. Age of Innocence - Perfection, Adam and Eve, Very
short in duration.
d. Age of Conscience - Expulsion from the Garden of
Eden till the flood of Noah.
e. Age of Human Government - after the flood. Man
given the responsibility of capital punishment.
f. Age of the Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
(twelve sons).
g. Age of the Law of God - through Moses and Nation
of Israel.
h. Apostolic Age - Day of Pentecost until the
completion of the Bible, various gifts, signs, and
wonders.
i. Church Age - from the completion of the New
Testament until the rapture of the church in
Revelation 4:1; 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

Some have suggested that the seven churches of

Asia spoken of in Revelation 2-3 represent the past
two thousand plus years of church history in exposing
the personality of the churches during these years.
This seems to be more than coincidental:
• Church of Ephesus - 1st Century Church. Sound in
doctrine and works but they left their first love
(Revelation 2:1-7).

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 • Church of Smyrna - 100-376 AD. The persecuted
church that was poor materially but rich
spiritually (Revelation 2:8-11).
• Church of Pergamos - Middle ages. Mixed with the
world. The heretical Church (Revelation 2:12-17).
• Church of Thyatira - 1054-1305 AD. The Medieval
Church. Idolatry. Attached to the world. Spiritual
fornication (Revelation 2:18-29).
• Church of Sardis - 1305-1517 AD. The almost dead
church. Apostasy (Revelation 3:1-6).
• Church of Philadelphia - Reformation to early
1900’s. The Church in Revival (Revelation 3:7-13).
Some churches will continue in this spirit until
Christ comes.
• Church of Laodecia -1940’s to present. Apostasy
and Humanism. Ecumenical. Christ is on the
outside (Revelation 3:14-22).
j. The Tribulation - Time of Jacob’s (Israel) trouble,
seven years long.
k. Millennium - Christ’s Kingdom on earth! 1000
years.
l. Eternity - Heaven or Hell.
Note: Many preachers and teachers do not include “Eternity
Past” and “Eternity Future” with the dispensations. Others
combine “The Creation” with “Age of Innocence” and “Age of
Human Government” with “Age of the Patriarchs.” These are
minor differences of opinion, and should not be a matter of
contention.
Do not allow the difficult portions of the Bible to discourage
or detain you. Live by what you clearly understand from
God’s Word and trust Him to shed light on the obscure
passages in His good time.
The test of successful Bible study is not simply how much you
learn, but how much you live. The proof that Christ has taught you
is not a big head, but a burning heart (Luke 24:32).
Prepare your heart, yield to the Spirit, and apply these basic
principles. The Bible will become a new book to you and you
will become a stronger Christian!

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IV. The Bible Bookcase

The books of the Bible are not compiled in chronological order.

They are placed in order by subject, as follows:

A. The Old Testament

1. Law - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
2. History - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings,
1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
3. Poetry - Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of
Solomon. (In Hebrew these were in poetry form.)
4. Major prophets (the big books) - Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
5. Minor Prophets (the smaller books) - Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

B. The New Testament

1. Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
2. History - Acts
3. Paul’s Letters (epistles)
a. To the churches - Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2
Thessalonians
b. To the pastors - 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
c. To his friend - Philemon
d. To the Jews - Hebrews
4. General Letters (epistles) - James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3
John, Jude
5. Prophecy - Revelation

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V. Conclusion

We believe in the verbal, plenary, inspired, inerrant Word of

God. It is our primary source for information concerning God,
His church and is the final authority in all matters of faith and
practice.
We believe God controlled the mind and hand of the writers of
His word. We believe this accuracy to be extended to every
portion of the Bible, so that it is infallible as to truth and final as
to divine authorship.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the central person and theme of
this whole book. If we see Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God
the Son, throughout the study of its pages our conclusions will
probably be accurate.

All success in the Christian faith must be tied to this book.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but
thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
good success.” (Joshua 1:8).

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 “Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15