NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH REV ED PB [Paperback]

Edwards' book is a monument to systematic theology, Biblical hermeneutics & exegesis and Bible scholarship. There are only a few minor problems I have with it, the foremost being that it is so long. Yet, this also allowed Edwards to cover an immense menagerie of topics. The book comes with some significant praises from key apologists, theologians and so forth. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Biblical history or scholarship, or in reading a great overview of systematic theology.

Why do Christians believe the Bible to be the Word of God? Is the Bible infallible and inerrant? Read this book and find out. Written in normal well-written English, (not that used by academia to make simple things sound important) easy to understand, non-repetitious and chock full of great information. Not only is it Biblically solid it's spiritually affirming. One may think a book like this would be dry but this one is not. I'm reading this book for the second time, wishing I could memorize every word. From those I've read I can say there's no better book on the subject. Not only will reading this book help you grow in your faith in Christ it will also equip you in defending the Gospel. It's a must-read for everyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ.

The following list is the table of contents. I thought it may be helpful to know what's in the book.

1. Whatever happened to the Bible? - A short history of the critics
2. How God makes himself known - Revelation and the Bible
3. The master plan - Many books, one story
4. Telling the future - The remarkable fact of prophecy
5. Authentic authority - The sound of truth
6. Inspiration and inerrancy - A book without error
7. Jesus and his Bible - Learning from the Master
8. The apostles and their Bible - Learning from the Master's men
9. Sufficient and final - Is the Bible enough?
10. The first thirty-nine books - The canon of the Old Testament
11. The final twenty-seven books - The canon of the New Testament
12. Completing the jigsaw - Introducing textual criticism
13. From Vulgate to vulgar - The story of our English Bible
14. How to understand the Bible - Hermeneutics, a key to treasure
15. Sense as well as faith - The accuracy of the Bible
16. Durable rubbish - Archaeology and the Bible
17. Supposed errors and contradictions - Are they real?
18. Sorting the pieces - Solving apparent errors and contradictions
19. Blowflies, a lion and the evangelical!
Postscript - The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

1 Star = Pathetic
2 Stars = Fair
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

'It is sufficient to say that, if the human race is to know anything about God, then it must be God who takes the first step. He must draw back the curtain, remove the thick cloud and reveal Himself and His will in clear and unmistakable ways. The essential fact we need to grasp is that when we talk of God's revelation, we mean that God reveals Himself to us. Revelation must therefore be true and reliable, or else it is meaningless.' pp. 40 - 41

Brian Edwards eloquently maintains the thesis of the book, biblical truth, in all the relevant fields pertaining to historical Christianity. He neither seeks to manipulate nor detract from the true events as they unfolded. This epitomizes the book's thread. With equanimity he resolves conflicts and informs the uninformed reader. The scope is all-encompassing, the reading invigorating, and the views biblical.

'Just one quotation from Calvin must be sufficient: 'It is not enough to believe that God is trustworthy, who can neither deceive nor lie, unless you hold to be beyond doubt that whatever proceeds from Him is sacred and inviolable truth.' p 142

A point that did not escape the attention of Brian Edwards was modern critics who have found the Bible to be full of historical errors. He refers to I Howard Marshall who in his New Testament Interpretation does not adhere to inerrancy and cites him as stating that 'the number of alleged historical difficulties for which there is yet no solution must lead the conservative scholar to conclude that the absolute historical reliability of the NT is a mirage'. p 376

'John Newton, (the author of Amazing Grace) said: 'He has not promised to reveal new truths, but to enable us to understand what we read in the Bible; and if we venture beyond the pale of Scripture, we are upon enchanted ground, and exposed to all the illusions of imagination and enthusiasm.' p 189

John 14:26 and John 16:12 are interpreted by the consensus of church commentators to be specifically directed to the apostles only. Their consistent witness to church doctrine in every age should not be gainsaid lightly, as is a popular and growing practice amongst charismatics. Brian Edwards lends his support to this view: 'When our Lord was speaking to His disciples in John 14 - 16, some of what he promised was especially for them, and we cannot apply it to every Christian in every age.' p 186 Edwards agrees the offices of apostle and prophet be tied in only to the apostolic age: 'Once again there is finality here; no one else is mentioned as part of this foundation. There will be no more apostles and no more prophets.' p 187 Edwards cautions against wild abandon: 'When Paul urged the Galatians to 'keep in step with the Spirit' (Gal 5:25), he was not expecting the Christians to watch for visions, interpret dreams, listen in to voices, or relay the fallible impressions of their minds.' p 483 Sadly, such Christians do not possess a clear understanding of the age of revelation and the age of illumination.

'We should notice an interesting development through the NT which must be significant. There is less & less reference made to prophets & prophecy, and more & more emphasis is placed upon teaching & preaching. This is indicative of the sufficiency & finality of Scripture. In other words, as the NT progresses there is a clear shift from revelation to proclamation.' p 187

'Finality and sufficiency do not guarantee unity. The confusion - tragic and often unnecessary - is at a much lower level. When we need to know the will of God for our lives, a belief in the sufficiency of Scripture will direct us to find our answer from the statements and principles of God's final verbal revelation, and nowhere else; we must train ourselves to use God's Word rather than to seek answers elsewhere. A belief in the sufficiency of Scripture is humbling, for it reminds us that there are some things we would like to know, but on which God has chosen not to give us an answer.' p 191

This regard for the authority of written revelation was even evident in the early church: 'Tertullian wrote at length about the apostles' authority and one brief quotation must be sufficient: 'In the Lord's apostles we possess our authority, for even they did not of themselves choose to introduce anything, but faithfully delivered to the nations the doctrine they received from Christ.' p 217

A worthy effort for those who desire to know and defend the truth claims of Christianity. Edwards, who fully justifies the assertion of plenary verbal inspiration, pays particular attention to The Westminster Confession of Faith.