Chapter 19

The Bible

God's Word to Man

The Bible, as we shall see in this chapter and the next, is the Word of God revealed to mankind. It contains the only authoritative and reliable source of precise knowledge about God and His relationship to creation and humanity. All that man can arrive at apart from Scripture is merely speculation.

SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GOD

The Creation

A person may come to know about God in two ways. One way is through the created world in which he lives. The Bible makes it clear that a thinking person can easily see the hand of a greater intelligence behind the detailed design of the world. It takes far more faith to believe that the process of evolution brought about the beauty and design in nature than it does to believe that an intelligent being made it all work together.

The Bible

Paul wrote about God, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). A simple reading of this verse shows that the created world gives a person with an open mind understanding of the eternal power and divine nature of the Godhead.

The Scripture is also clear, however, that one can search for God through creation and never arrive at a personal relationship with Him. It is absolutely necessary for God to reveal Himself for mankind to know Him as a person. The only way to come to know Him personally is through the revelation which He has given about Himself in the Scriptures. That is why the Bible is of such great importance in human life and history.

THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

The Old Testament Declares Itself to Be

Someone may ask, "What makes you think the Bible is God's word to man?" There are several good reasons to believe in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. First of all, the Bible declares itself to be the Word of God. The Old Testament affirms time and again that its message comes directly from God. Deuteronomy 4:2 says, "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Jeremiah the prophet says:

		Jeremiah 1:7-9
	7	But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.
	8	"Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord.
	9	Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth."

These are only two passages out of many, one from the Law and one from the Prophets, which come directly from the mouth of God.

William Evans mentioned in his book, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, that Genesis 1 has the words "God said" ten times. Others have said that the Old Testament contains phrases like "the Lord said," "the Lord spake," and "the word of the Lord came," some 3,808 times. Certainly the Old Testament writers thought of themselves as the revealers of the will of God, and often began their messages with the words, "Thus saith the Lord." Clearly, the Old Testament is a book which declares itself to be from God.

The New Testament Declares Itself to Be

The New Testament writers also declare divine inspiration for themselves and for each other, as well as for Old Testament writers. An example of the latter is found in 2 Peter, where the Apostle Peter writes:

		2 Peter 1:20-21
	20	But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
	21	for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Several passages in the New Testament show that the writers understood that they were being used by God to give us His message. Paul said: "which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:13). He likewise wrote, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment" (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Peter Recognizes Paul's Writings as Scripture

It is a remarkable thing that the Apostle Peter declares Paul's writings to be Scripture. It is remarkable because, in the book of Galatians Paul rebuked Peter in front of other people in Antioch. He told him that the thing he was doing was wrong. And even though this happened to him, Peter later wrote that Paul's letters were on the same level as the rest of Scripture. This is what Peter said:

		2 Peter 3:15-16
	15	… regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
	16	as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Notice that Peter says, "the rest of the Scriptures," thus making Paul's writings the very Word of God.

Jesus Pre-Validated the New Testament

Jesus speaks of the New Testament as being inspired in John's Gospel. Just before He was crucified He told the apostles that they had many things yet to learn. However, the Holy Spirit would show them those things after His departure:

		John 16:12-13
	12	I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
	13	But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Through these words, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would lead the apostles into areas of truth they had not yet learned. Both the Old and New Testaments state in no uncertain terms that they are truly the Word of God.

The Bible Has Proven to Be God's Word

Some people question the validity of the Bible's self-declaration to be the Word of God. It is one thing to state something, but quite another thing to prove it. Through the years the Bible has proven to be the Word of God. When the Law was given about 1400 B.C., miracles took place to show the people that God was in it. Israel could not deny the presence of God because of the evidence. Moses' face shone so brightly when he came down from the presence of God that he had to wear a veil so the people could look at him. Paul compared the ministry of the Law of Moses with that of the Spirit:

		2 Corinthians 3:7-8
	7	But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
	8	how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?

Israel not only heard what was happening on Mount Sinai, with the thunder and lightning, but they saw Moses' face shining so brightly they could not look upon him without a veil covering his glory and brilliance.

On the day of Pentecost, God manifested His presence in a mighty way. Fourteen different language groups were represented in Jerusalem on that day. Each of those language groups heard the good news about the mighty deeds of God (Acts 2:11) preached to them in their own tongue by uneducated fishermen. And miracles, where needed, have been performed when the Gospel is preached. God never does a miracle to satisfy human desire – there must always be a real need. Jesus refused to perform a miracle while on trial as a means to save His own life; but He did many to meet the needs of other people.

Ever since it was written, the Bible has proven to be God's Word by every test one can imagine. It has been hated, spoken against, burned, and declared illegal. Yet it is still with us, not only on the printed page, but in the hearts and minds of millions of people. Those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior know the truth of its origin in God.

Make It Personal

Since the Bible is the Word of God, we should heed the warning given by the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in chapter 12, verse 25, "See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven." If you have never received Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, remember that He is God come in the flesh, born of a virgin, and died on the Cross of Calvary for your sins and mine. He had no sin of His own, but He voluntarily gave Himself to save you. Paul wrote to the Romans,

		Romans 5:6-8
	6	… while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
	7	For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
	8	But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Don't spurn such love as God demonstrated toward us in sending His Son. Christ demonstrated His love in His death, burial, and resurrection for us. Trust Him today as your own Lord and Savior. Remember, you can count on God and His Word!

		Psalm 119:89
	89	Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.

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