Origin of Scripture

The original manuscripts of Scripture are God-breathed; The Holy Spirit bore along and enabled men to write the Scriptures. Every word, thought, and concept in the original letters of Scripture is verbally and plenarily inspired (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21;1 Timothy 5:18). Because of the extremely good preservation of the Holy Writings, when using proper textual criticism, we are able to determine what was in the original letter to a point of accuracy in which we can confidently state we possess the entire letter (99.98% with the remaining .02% not impacting the meaning of the text). The books that were written through men by the bearing along of the Holy Spirit and therefore Scripture, are the 66 books comprising of the Old and New Testament as seen in the King James Version, which books constitute the entire written revelation from God.

Dispensations and Ages

When the Scriptures are taken literally, they teach of ages and seven dispensations (Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 1:21; Ephesians 2:7; Ephesians 3:2; Ephesians 3:9; Romans 11:36; Romans 12:2; Galatians 1:4; Colossians 1:25; 1 Timothy 1:4; Matthew 12:32; 1 Corinthians 2:6).

An age is a period in which God shows something about Himself to intelligent beings (including humans).

A dispensation is a period of time in which God shows something to humans about humans.

Purpose

The Scriptures are profitable for teaching (information to be learned but not practiced), reproof, correction, and child-training in righteousness (information that is to be put into practice) for the man of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 10:6,11). Scripture was written for the saints of the dispensation of grace for their admonishment, edification, and training in righteousness (doctrine). Rightly dividing Scripture – accurately determining what is for practice and what is for learning and admonishment – is a privilege all Christians have because they are placed as sons and therefore able to mature in their understanding of God and train their senses to know what is proper and what is wrong for them in how they live out their life while fully knowing what God’s desirous will is for them.