Authentic, enduring, sufficient, timeless, trustworthy, true

Words about the Bible

When speaking of the Bible, what is the meaning of :
Ample,
Authentic, Enduring,
Enough,
Forthright,
Lasting,
Reliable,
Sufficient,
Timeless,
Trustworthy,
True/Truthful,
Truth-telling,

There's also a PDF booklet of all the pages on Scripture, including all of the word definitions found here on spirithome.com.

What Is Authentic ?

Authentic [ Greek authentikos (of the author)]. Real; matching the truth or fact, and thus reliable or verifiable.

The Bible is what it claims to be, and is not an imitation or con job. It really is from God, and really is what God reveals to us about us, about our world, and about God. There are some well-publicized forums where they vote on what they believe is and isn't really historical or is and isn't really said by Jesus or the disciples. Their conclusions have at times been helpful in stripping away some of the illusions which have been shielded by Christian tradition. Yet, they seem bent on trying to create a new image of what Jesus was, and that image has a surreal feel to it. A sense develops that their 'historical Jesus' is a fascinating guy but not someone I'd be inspired to follow, much less die for. Yet the hard and unavoidable fact is that this is exactly what the people around him were inspired to do. The New Testament conveys an inspirational Jesus, an authority Jesus, a Spirit-empowered Jesus, a Jesus who would inspire what we know happened thereafter. An authentic Jesus. And it says this Jesus did the one thing most ultimately worth doing, setting us back aright with the Father who loves us. It would take something that big, that real, to be worth more than a passing glance 2000 years later. Through the Bible, the Spirit gives you the authenticity of Christ Jesus, from which comes authentic happiness.
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The Bible Is Sufficient

Sufficient [ Latin sufficere (to be or have enough) < sub- (secondary, beneath) + facêre (to make)]. Enough; to meet the needs of right now (or today)..

When said about the Bible, 'sufficient' refers to the belief that what is found in the Bible is all that is needed to be saved. This word is especially important for Anglicans. Some extremists have stretched this term beyond all sense by claiming that the Bible is 'enough' for designing one's life, and that what isn't there doesn't belong in a Christian's life. Get real. The Bible only directly covers a small part of life's doings. It wasn't meant to cover everything; it was meant to convey God's love and God's good news. It has guidance for your life, but it takes thinking and praying and doing to find out what that is. Yes, shape your life by it, but in God-given freedom. Serve God, not a book. All the foundational and essential stuff is in there, but you have to work it through yourself.

Other words in this same field of meaning include :

• ample
• enough

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Timeless

Timeless : what the Bible teaches transcends the eras in which it was written or edited, is still true and important today, and will continue to be true and important tomorrow. This does not mean that every aspect of it is 'timeless'; for instance, what was important about the widow giving money was not its specific value in Roman currency -- that is dated and of its time -- but that she gave for God's purposes from what little she had -- something true of the faithful poor in any era. As with anything else eternal or supernatural, and as God lived here as Jesus, the truths of the Bible show themselves through the natural and time-bound. So each Bible story is very much a part of its time, but its message is very much a part of ours, and for our children.

Other words in this same field of meaning include :

• enduring
• lasting

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Trustworthy

Trustworthy: You can rely upon the Scriptures.. The Spirit is working through the Bible, thus you can turn to it and trust that you're not being tricked. You can set your life on it.

Another word in this same field of meaning is 'reliable'.

Truthful

Truthful: It tells the truth. God will not deceive us, therefore neither does the Bible. We can trust the Bible to lead us down the right path, because the Spirit speaks through it for that purpose.

Other words in this same field of meaning include :

• forthright
• truth-telling