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Great Doctrines of the Bible
1 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
5 people want to read
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November 1, 2025
Great Doctrines of the Bible, Volume 1: Bibliology (W.A. Criswell, edited by Paige Patterson, 1982) is a strong, Scripture-saturated defense of the authority and inspiration of the Bible. Pentecostals can affirm much of Criswell’s high view of Scripture, but they would expand the discussion by emphasizing the Spirit’s ongoing role in illuminating, interpreting, and actualizing the Word in the life of the church.
Criswell’s Bibliology emphasizes:
Inspiration: The Bible is God-breathed, fully inspired in every part.
Inerrancy: Scripture is without error in its original manuscripts.
Authority: The Bible is the final authority for faith and practice.
Canon: Defense of the Protestant canon of 66 books.
Sufficiency: Scripture contains all that is necessary for salvation and godly living.
- Strengths:
High view of Scripture: Pentecostals share Criswell’s conviction that the Bible is inspired and authoritative.
Biblical centrality: Pentecostal preaching and teaching are rooted in Scripture, often with the same passion Criswell modeled.
Practical application: Like Criswell, Pentecostals see the Bible as a living word for everyday life.
- Points of Divergence:
Illumination by the Spirit: Pentecostals emphasize that the Spirit not only inspired the text but also actively illuminates it for believers today (John 16:13).
Charismatic hermeneutics: Pentecostals often read Scripture through the lens of Spirit-empowered experience, seeing continuity between biblical miracles and contemporary manifestations.
Word and Spirit together: While Criswell stresses the written Word, Pentecostals insist on the dynamic interplay of Word and Spirit in interpretation, worship, and mission.
Experiential dimension: Pentecostals highlight testimonies of how Scripture comes alive in prayer, prophecy, and Spirit-led ministry.
Criswell’s Bibliology is a solid evangelical-Baptist foundation for the doctrine of Scripture. It provides clarity on inspiration, inerrancy, and authority, which Pentecostals wholeheartedly affirm. Yet Pentecostals would want to expand the framework by stressing the Spirit’s ongoing role in making the Word a living, transformative reality in the church today.
Criswell’s Bibliology emphasizes:
Inspiration: The Bible is God-breathed, fully inspired in every part.
Inerrancy: Scripture is without error in its original manuscripts.
Authority: The Bible is the final authority for faith and practice.
Canon: Defense of the Protestant canon of 66 books.
Sufficiency: Scripture contains all that is necessary for salvation and godly living.
- Strengths:
High view of Scripture: Pentecostals share Criswell’s conviction that the Bible is inspired and authoritative.
Biblical centrality: Pentecostal preaching and teaching are rooted in Scripture, often with the same passion Criswell modeled.
Practical application: Like Criswell, Pentecostals see the Bible as a living word for everyday life.
- Points of Divergence:
Illumination by the Spirit: Pentecostals emphasize that the Spirit not only inspired the text but also actively illuminates it for believers today (John 16:13).
Charismatic hermeneutics: Pentecostals often read Scripture through the lens of Spirit-empowered experience, seeing continuity between biblical miracles and contemporary manifestations.
Word and Spirit together: While Criswell stresses the written Word, Pentecostals insist on the dynamic interplay of Word and Spirit in interpretation, worship, and mission.
Experiential dimension: Pentecostals highlight testimonies of how Scripture comes alive in prayer, prophecy, and Spirit-led ministry.
Criswell’s Bibliology is a solid evangelical-Baptist foundation for the doctrine of Scripture. It provides clarity on inspiration, inerrancy, and authority, which Pentecostals wholeheartedly affirm. Yet Pentecostals would want to expand the framework by stressing the Spirit’s ongoing role in making the Word a living, transformative reality in the church today.
Displaying 1 of 1 review