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We believe that the whole Bible is God-breathed. The Holy Spirit worked through human authors so that the words of Scripture, in the original writings as first given by God, are God’s written Word. These original writings are sometimes called the autographs or autographa.
This divine inspiration extends equally and fully to every part of Scripture—historical, poetic, prophetic, and doctrinal. Because Scripture comes from God, it is true and trustworthy in all that it affirms and is the final authority for what we believe and how we live.
We believe that all Scripture forms one unified revelation centered in Jesus Christ—His person, His work, His first coming, His promised return, and His eternal kingdom. Each passage should be understood according to its historical, grammatical, and literary context. Yet no passage stands alone. Every part of Scripture contributes to God’s complete revelation, which finds its center and fulfillment in Christ.
Indeed, all creation and all history have their origin, purpose, and ultimate fulfillment in Him. All history moves toward the day when the lordship and glory of Jesus Christ will be fully and openly revealed.
Scripture was given not merely to inform us, but to make us wise for salvation, teach us the truth, correct us when we are wrong, train us in righteousness, give us hope, and equip us for every good work.
Supporting Scriptures
Inspiration and Authority
John 17:17; I Corinthians 2:12-13; II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:19-21
Christ at the Center of Scripture and History
Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:44-47; John 5:39; Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3
Instruction and Christian Living
Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16-17
Layman's Terms
The Bible is God’s message to us. It tells us who God is, why He made the world, what went wrong when humanity rebelled against Him, and what He has done through Jesus Christ to rescue sinners.
God made a world in which we could live, know Him, and reflect His glory. When we turned away from Him, He did not abandon us. In mercy and grace, He sent Jesus to bear our sin, defeat death, and reconcile us to God.
The Bible teaches us how to know God, trust Him, and live as His people. From creation to the final restoration of all things, the whole story finds its center and fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Further Study
God’s Word Through Human Authors
Biblical inspiration does not mean that God ordinarily dictated every word while the writers merely copied what they heard. The Holy Spirit worked through real people, using their personalities, experiences, vocabulary, historical circumstances, and writing styles. The result was exactly the written revelation God intended to give.
The original writings as first given by God are sometimes called the autographa. Inspiration applies directly to those original writings.
God has providentially preserved His Word through the centuries. Handwritten copies contain minor textual differences, and translations sometimes differ in how they express the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Translators, teachers, and individual readers can make mistakes. Nevertheless, the biblical text has been preserved with great reliability, and its message is clearly available to us.
For this reason, our interpretations and applications must always remain subject to correction by Scripture itself.
Christ Throughout Scripture
Jesus Christ is not artificially inserted into every verse as though every person, object, or event were a hidden symbol of Him. Each passage must first be understood within its own historical, grammatical, and literary setting.
At the same time, every passage belongs to one unified revelation. Creation was accomplished through Christ and for Christ. God’s promises find their fulfillment in Him. The sacrificial system prepared the way for His atoning death. The prophets anticipated His kingdom. The Gospel accounts reveal His coming, death, and resurrection. The New Testament letters explain His work and its meaning for His people. Revelation looks forward to His return and final victory.
Every passage therefore has its own proper meaning, but every passage also occupies a place within the larger story whose center and fulfillment are Jesus Christ.
“The Word Was God”
John begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus Christ as the eternal Word:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The Greek text reads:
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.
The phrase translated “the Word was with God” distinguishes the Word from God the Father. The final phrase, translated “the Word was God,” affirms that the Word possesses the nature of God.
In Greek, the word translated “God” appears before the verb for emphasis, while the grammar identifies “the Word” as the subject. The absence of the Greek article before “God” does not mean that the Word was merely “a god.” John carefully distinguishes the Word from the Father while affirming the full deity of the Word.
John then tells us that the Word became flesh and lived among us. The eternal Word is Jesus Christ—distinct from the Father, yet fully God.
Memory Verse
II Timothy 3:16-17
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