The Bible serves three purposes. It functions as a historical account of events leading to the establishment of Christianity. It serves as a testimony of the correspondence between human beings and God, the Living Word. And lastly, the Bible functions spiritually as the Living Word itself. Therefore the Bible, though written by men and subject to human infallibility, nevertheless is a reliable document, the very center of the Christian faith.
The Bible is a collection of witness accounts. Some Bible authors were fortunate enough to have walked and talked with God Himself or His son Jesus Christ. Others recorded events of which they were not actual witnesses. The Bible, however, must be considered as a whole. The testimony of all witnesses, whether firsthand or secondhand accounts, corroborates and complements each other. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." God established his Word through the Bible, a document that serves both as historical and spiritual revelation. As a collection of accounts by witnesses, the Bible cannot be considered outside the context of a spiritual community. The Bible describes how individuals interacted with others and with God. Only by understanding this context can human beings gain insight into their own interaction with God within their own communities. When Biblical men and women encountered problems (and their lives were far from problem-free), they responded with prayer, worship, and faith. The Bible functions as an example for the contemporary world, with ramifications far beyond the personal insights and feelings of the Biblical authors. Thus our understanding of the Bible is dynamic. The more we apply Biblical principles, the deeper our comprehension of its relevance, the entire process being aided by the activity of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible further serves as a testimony of the correspond...