This small volume grows out of a desire to assist seminary and college students in their study of Christian theology. There is great value in looking up the Scripture references on a given topic listed in a textbook, but often time pressure and inertia conspire against such good intentions on the readers part. By listing important Scripture references in the order in which they are usually presented in standard systematic theologies, I hope to both save the reader time in this connection and keep the study of theology grounded in the actual text of Scripture,
This volume could also be used as a convenient survey of Bible doctrine for adult Sunday school classes, or for personal devotional reading. Many of the Scripture texts have explanatory annotations, and suggestions for further study are given for each topic.
I would like to extend a special word of thanks to Bill and Lisanne Bales who assisted in the research, and to Carrie Powell, who very patiently typed the manuscript.
Historic Christianity has from the beginning acknowledged the Bible to be the highest authority for faith and practice. Evangelical Christians believe in the verbal inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture: the very words of the original texts, and not merely the general concepts or ideas, were inspired by God, and hence are free from error in their teachings.
We must make a great difference between Gods Word and the word of man. A mans word is a little sound, that flies into the air, and soon vanishes; but the Word of God is greater than heaven and earth... for it forms part of the power of God, and endures everlastingly; we should, therefore, diligently study Gods Word, and know and assuredly believe that God himself speaks unto us (Martin Luther, Table Talk, XLIV).
Ex 4:1216: Now go; I [God] will help you [Moses] speak and will teach you what to say. But Moses said, O Lord, please send someone else to do it. Then the L ORDS anger burned against Moses and he said, What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?... You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
Ex 17:14: Then the L ORD said to Moses, Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely erase the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.
Ex 20:1: And God spoke all these words....
Ex 31:18: When the L ORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Ex 34:27: Then the L ORD said to Moses, Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.
Nu 22:38: Balaam replied.... I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.
Nu 23:5: The L ORD put a message in Balaams mouth and said, Go back to Balak and give him this message.
Nu 24:1213: Balaam answered Balak, Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the L ORD and I must say only what the L ORD says?
Nu 24:1516: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor... the oracle of one who hears the words of God.
Nu 33:2 [Israels wilderness journey]: At the L ORDS command Moses recorded the stages in their journey.
Dt 18:18: I [God] will raise up for them [Israelites] a prophet like you [Moses] from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
Isa 8:1: The L ORD said to me, Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
Isa 30:89: Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. These are rebellious people... children unwilling to listen to the L ORDS instruction.
Jer 1:9: Then the L ORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, Now, I have put my words in your mouth.
Jer 5:14: Therefore this is what the L ORD God Almighty says: Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.
Jer 25:13: I [God] will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.
Jer 30:12: This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the L ORD : This is what the L ORD , the God of Israel, says: Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.
Eze 24:1: In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me.
Hab 2:2: Then the L ORD replied: Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
Mt 4:4: Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Mt 22:4144: While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? The son of David, they replied. He said to them, How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him Lord ? For he says, The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.
Jn 14:26: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Jn 15:26: When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Jn 16:1215: I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.... the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.