The Bible teaches that God is all-powerful and can do anything He chooses to do (Jer. 32:17,27; Matt. 19:26; Mark 14:36; Job 42:2). If He therefore chooses to preserve the Scriptures so that man cannot destroy them, He is completely able to do so. The question then is whether or not He has chosen to preserve the Scriptures.
A. God Desires All Men to Know, Believe, & Obey His Will.
Consider the following principles:
All men are guilty of sin and need forgiveness - Rom. 3:23; 6:23; I John 1:8,10.
God desires to have all men turn from sin and be saved - I Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Tit. 2:11,12.
Jesus died to make salvation available to all men - I Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9; John 3:16; Matt. 11:28-30.
To be saved, men must hear, believe, and obey the gospel - John 6:44,45; 8:24,32; Heb. 5:9; 2 Thess. 1:8,9; I Pet. 1:22; Rom. 6:17,18; 1:16; 10:14,17.
So God desires to have all men learn the gospel so they have the opportunity to believe and obey it - I Tim. 2:4; Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:38,29; 17:30,31; Lk. 24:47; Col. 1:28.
The gospel, revealed in the first century to the apostles, is complete, providing all that is good and all that we need to please God - John 14:26; 16:13; 2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; Acts 20:20,27; Matt. 28:18-20; Jas. 1:25.
From these passages we conclude that all people need the gospel, God wants all to have the gospel, so the gospel was completely, accurately, and adequately revealed in the first century.
Since all men need that gospel, people today need it too. And since God wants all to know it, we can be sure He will make it available to people today. The question then is: how does the gospel come to us today?
B. God Revealed the Scriptures So Men Could Know His Will.
The Old Testament was inspired by God to teach men his will.
Exodus 24:3,4,7 - Moses wrote in a book all the words and ordinances of God that the people were to obey.
Deuteronomy 28:58,59; 30:9,10 - If the people obeyed the commands written in the book, they would be blessed. If not, they would suffer.
Deuteronomy 31:9-13,24-29 - Moses wrote the law and placed it where the people could read it in the future and learn to fear God and to observe all the words of that law.
Jeremiah 36:1-4 - God commanded Jeremiah to write in a book all the words God gave him to teach Israel to repent.
2 Peter 1:21 - Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The New Testament was likewise inspired by God to teach men His will.
1 Corinthians 14:37 - What Paul wrote were commands of the Lord.
John 20:29-31 - John wrote so people would have an eyewitness record of Jesus' miracles and thereby could believe in Jesus and have life in His name, even though they did not personally see Him (cf. 21:24,25).
1 John 1:1-4; 2:1-17 - John wrote so people could have his eyewitness testimony regarding Jesus, could have fellowship with God, could know we should not sin, and could be told God's commands we should obey.
Revelation 1:1,2,10,11,19; chap. 2 & 3 - John was instructed by Jesus to write a message from Jesus and the Spirit to instruct the churches of Asia regarding Jesus' will for them (cf. 14:13; 19:9; 21:5).
Ephesians 3:3-5 - What Paul received by revelation from the Spirit, he wrote so others could understand what he had received.
Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1,2 - Luke wrote so the reader might know the certainty of the things he had been taught about Jesus' life and the early church.
Jude 3 - Jude wrote about salvation and exhorted people to earnestly contend for the faith despite the danger of false teachers.
1 Timothy 5:18 - That which is properly called "Scripture" includes quotes from New Testament writing (Luke 10:7) right along with Old Testament writings.
2 Peter 3:15,16 - Peter classifies Paul's epistles right along with "other Scripture." Hence, they should be treated with the same respect as any other Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 - All Scripture (both old and new) is inspired by God and was given to teach and instruct men so they could know all good works. Just as Old Testament writings were given to be a guide that people must follow to please God in their day, so the New Testament serves as an inspired guide in this age.
All men, we have learned, need to know God's will, and God desires all men to have that opportunity. To meet this need, God inspired men to record His message in writing in the Scriptures.
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