Part 2 - Outline One: The Bible

By: Porter Barrington

2 The Bible is a difficult book (I Corinthians 2:14-16)" But the natural man does
not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16) For " who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ."

Notes:
The Bible is a difficult book because it came from the infinite to the finite -
from the unlimited, all powerful God, to limited Man. Therefore, you cannot
understand the Bible as you would understand the writings of Plato or Socrates.
You can study the great philosophers with the natural mind, and by diligent application, grasp their profound meanings. If the Bible could be understood by
natural man, it would be a natural book and could not be the Word of God. Since
the Bible is from God, and therefore spiritual, before you can receive its teachings, you must be born of the Spirit John 3:6 and filled with the Spirit Ephesians 5:18. Always approach the Bible praying that the Spirit will be your teacher and will guide you to a better understanding of His Holy Word, or it will remain a difficult, closed book (John 16:12-15).

3 The Bible is a book of oneness (2 Peter 1:21)"for prophecy never came by the
will of Man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

Notes:
The oneness or unity of the Bible is a miracle. It is a library of 66 books, written by over 35 different authors, in a period of approximately 1,500 years. Represented in the authors is a cross section of humanity, educated and uneducated, including Kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers, and physicians. Included in the subjects are religion, history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography and prophecy. Yet its various parts are as harmoniously united
as the parts that make up the human body.

For 35 authors, with such varied backgrounds, to write on so many subjects,
over a period of approximately 1,500 years, in absolute harmony, is a mathematical impossibility. It could not happen! Then how do we account for the Bible? The only adequate explanation is: "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."