By the time Jesus and His apostles lived, the Old Testament Scriptures had been completed for hundreds of years. They had been collected, preserved, copied, and circulated. First-century Jews quoted Old Testament Scripture as a standard of authority. In short, people used the Old Testament just like we today use the whole Bible.
What attitude did Jesus and His apostles show toward this use of the Old Testament?
Remember, Jesus and His apostles never hesitated to disagree with the Jews if they were spiritually wrong on any point. Did they object to how the Jews viewed the Old Testament? Did they say that God never intended the Scriptures to be written and circulated as authority and law? Did the say the Scriptures were not intended for future generations, as some today are saying about our use of the Bible?
By understanding how Jesus and faithful first-century men viewed and treated Old Testament Scripture, we can understand how we today should view and treat the completed Scriptures as we have them today.
A. The Attitude of Jesus toward the Old Testament Scriptures
Jesus quoted Scripture as authoritative revelation from God.
Matthew 15:1-6 - Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture as being what God said (v4), the command of God (v3), the Word of God (v6).
Matthew 22:23-33 - When Sadducees confronted Jesus about the resurrection, He said they were in error because they did not know the Scriptures. Then He cited a Scripture written by Moses to answer them. [Mark 12:24,27]
John 10:35 - "The Scripture cannot be broken."
During Jesus' lifetime, the Old Testament laws were in effect just like the New Testament laws are in effect for us today. He viewed them as the word and command of God. We will see that is the same attitude we should take toward the New Testament.
[Luke 16:29-31; 4:17ff; 24:27,44-46; John 5:39,45-47; 1:45; Matthew 26:54,56; Luke 3:4; 7:27; 18:31; 21:22; 22:37; John 2:22; 7:38; 13:18; 17:12; 19:24,28,36,37; 20:9; Matthew 2:5; 11:10; 26:24,31; Mark 1:2; 9:1-14; Matthew 5:17; John 12:14,16; 15:25]
Jesus obeyed the Old Testament, taught others to obey it, and rebuked those who did not understand or obey it.
Matthew 4:4,7,10 - When Jesus was tempted, He quoted Scripture as the unanswerable standard of right and wrong.
Luke 10:25-28 - When questioned about God's commands, Jesus urged men to go to the Scriptures for the answer.
Even though the Old Testament was written many generations before His day, Jesus never disagreed with the Jews that it was a pattern revealing God's will. He used it as authority and expected others to do the same. Some people today criticize us for using Scripture this way, but it is exactly the way Jesus used it.
[Matthew 21:42-45; 15:7-9; 22:41-45; 24:15; 21:13; 13:13-15; Luke 4:16-21; Mark 7:6; 12:10; John 6:44,45; 8:17ff; Luke 2:23; Matthew 8:1ff]
B. The Attitude of the Apostles and Other Inspired Men toward the Old Testament
They viewed the Old Testament Scriptures as the inspired will of God revealing His very words to man.
2 Peter 1:20,21 - The Scriptures came by the will of God, not the will of man.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 - The Old Testament contains examples for our learning and admonition.
New Testament writers realized that Old Testament laws are not binding today, but that is because God Himself removed that law and replaced it with the New Testament. But they still recognized that the Old Testament was the very word of God, and that as long as it was in effect, Jews of all generations had to obey it. Even today it reveals useful principles and examples.
[Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Romans 11:2,4; 15:4; 3:9-18; 1 Corinthians 9:9,10; 1 Timothy 5:18; Hebrews 1:5-14; Romans 9:17; 12:19; James 2:8ff; 1 Corinthians 1:19,31; 3:19,20; 2 Corinthians 4:13; 8:15; 9:9; 1 Peter 1:16; Romans 4:3,23,24; James 2:23ff; Romans 15:25,26]
They used the Scriptures to prove Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 17:2,3 - Paul reasoned from the Scriptures to prove Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 2:24-36 - Peter said prophecies from David were fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus.
In making such arguments, these inspired men recognized the Old Testament as authority and proof for their positions. This is exactly what people say we today should not do.
[Romans 1:1-4; 2 Peter 2:6-8; Acts 18:24,28; Galatians 3:10,13,22-25; 4:21-31; 1 Cor. 15:1-4]
They cited other New Testament events as fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
Acts 2:14ff - The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
Acts 15:13-21 - Old Testament prophecy provided evidence that Gentiles could be saved according to the gospel.
Both Jesus and His apostles recognized that behind the Old Testament Scriptures stood the authority and infallibility of God Himself. If the Scriptures said it, it must be true because that means God said it. The Scriptures were a pattern for future generations. When you know what the Scriptures say, you know what God Himself says.
This serves as a pattern for us (1 Peter 2:21f; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17; 4:9; etc.). We should have the same attitude toward the completed Scriptures that they had toward the Old Testament Scriptures.
[Acts 1:16,20; 8:32,35; Romans 10:11,13; Galatians 3:8; Acts 7:42; 13:29,33; Romans 11:2-4; Hebrews 8:8-13; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Romans 1:17; 9:13,33; 11:8,26; 14:11; Hebrews 10:7]
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I. The Claims of the Old Testament Concerning Itself
We do not follow the laws of the Old Testament today, but we will be better able to understand the significance of the claims of the New Testament if we first understand the claims the Old Testament writers made concerning their writings.
Note what these writers claimed regarding their writings:
A. The Writers Claimed to Write Commands Given Directly to Them from God for the People.
Exodus 24:3,4 - Moses wrote in a book "all the words of Jehovah" [cf. v1-8].
Deuteronomy 30:9,10 - Moses said God would bless the people "if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law." If they disobeyed Him, however, they would be under a curse (cf. 28:58,59).
Jeremiah 30:1-2 - The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, "Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: `Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.'" Jeremiah claimed that God told him to write down in a book the words God spoke to him.
Expressions such as "Thus saith the Lord," or "The word of the Lord came to me," are found literally thousands of times in the Old Testament.
Folks are mistaken when they claim the Bible writers did not know they were writing revelations of God's will intended to serve as law or authority people must follow. They did know it and they said so.
[Cf. Deuteronomy 31:9-13,24-29; Exodus 17:14 & 24:12; 34:1,27,28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22; 10:2,4; Exodus 32:15,16; 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10; 29:20,21,27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 27:1-8; Jeremiah 36:2 (see chap. 36); 25:13; 51:60; Isa 30:8; Hab. 2:2; Nahum 1:1; 2 Chronicles 26:22; Joshua 24:26; 1 Samuel 10:25]
B. These Writings Were Intended to Serve as Law or Authority for both the Present Generation and Future Generations.
Deuteronomy 31:24-29,9-13 - The words Moses wrote were a law intended to prevent the people from departing from God. This included future generations.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - Future kings of Israel were to have a copy of the law that they might keep them and do them, departing neither to right nor left.
Folks are mistaken when they say the writings were intended only for the current generation to whom they were addressed, not future generations. In fact, the messages were written down for the expressed intent that they would be preserved for people in the future.
[Psalm 102:18; Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 28-30; Isaiah 30:8]
C. By God's Guidance, Later Generations Did Use the Old Testament Writings as a Pattern of Authority.
Joshua 1:7,8 - After Moses died, Joshua was told to use the book of the law written by Moses as his guide that he might observe all the commands written therein. When he died, Joshua in turn charged the nation of Israel to follow the commands written by Moses (23:6).
2 Chronicles 34 & 35 - A copy of the law of God given by Moses was found in the temple. Josiah used it to restore the worship and service of God.
Note 34:14-19; Read 34:29-31 - This illustrates perfectly the "restoration principle." God's written word is so designed that, by simply studying and following it, we can restore the pattern of God's service even after years of departure and apostasy.
Nehemiah 8:1-9:3 - A similar example occurred when God's people returned from Babylonian captivity. They restored their service to God by studying the written record of the laws God had revealed.
It is a serious mistake to think that God's word is not intended to serve as a pattern of guidance, or that later generations should not study and adhere to it as the guide for right and wrong. The Scriptures say that is exactly how they should be used. To reject these claims is to say they are not good books at all, but are false and misleading. Why accept them as being from God at all? If they are wrong about this, how could we know what they say is right and what is wrong?
[Nehemiah 13; Ezra 6:18; 7:10; 2 Kings 22,23; Daniel 9:2; 2 Chronicles 17:9; 2 Kings 17:37; Josh 8:30-35; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 1 Chronicles 16:40; 2 Chronicles 23:18; 25:4; 30:5,18; 31:3,4; Ezra 3:2,4; Nehemiah 10:34ff; Daniel 9:11,13; Isaiah 34:16]
Note what these writers claimed regarding their writings:
A. The Writers Claimed to Write Commands Given Directly to Them from God for the People.
Exodus 24:3,4 - Moses wrote in a book "all the words of Jehovah" [cf. v1-8].
Deuteronomy 30:9,10 - Moses said God would bless the people "if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law." If they disobeyed Him, however, they would be under a curse (cf. 28:58,59).
Jeremiah 30:1-2 - The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, "Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: `Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.'" Jeremiah claimed that God told him to write down in a book the words God spoke to him.
Expressions such as "Thus saith the Lord," or "The word of the Lord came to me," are found literally thousands of times in the Old Testament.
Folks are mistaken when they claim the Bible writers did not know they were writing revelations of God's will intended to serve as law or authority people must follow. They did know it and they said so.
[Cf. Deuteronomy 31:9-13,24-29; Exodus 17:14 & 24:12; 34:1,27,28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22; 10:2,4; Exodus 32:15,16; 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10; 29:20,21,27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 27:1-8; Jeremiah 36:2 (see chap. 36); 25:13; 51:60; Isa 30:8; Hab. 2:2; Nahum 1:1; 2 Chronicles 26:22; Joshua 24:26; 1 Samuel 10:25]
B. These Writings Were Intended to Serve as Law or Authority for both the Present Generation and Future Generations.
Deuteronomy 31:24-29,9-13 - The words Moses wrote were a law intended to prevent the people from departing from God. This included future generations.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - Future kings of Israel were to have a copy of the law that they might keep them and do them, departing neither to right nor left.
Folks are mistaken when they say the writings were intended only for the current generation to whom they were addressed, not future generations. In fact, the messages were written down for the expressed intent that they would be preserved for people in the future.
[Psalm 102:18; Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 28-30; Isaiah 30:8]
C. By God's Guidance, Later Generations Did Use the Old Testament Writings as a Pattern of Authority.
Joshua 1:7,8 - After Moses died, Joshua was told to use the book of the law written by Moses as his guide that he might observe all the commands written therein. When he died, Joshua in turn charged the nation of Israel to follow the commands written by Moses (23:6).
2 Chronicles 34 & 35 - A copy of the law of God given by Moses was found in the temple. Josiah used it to restore the worship and service of God.
Note 34:14-19; Read 34:29-31 - This illustrates perfectly the "restoration principle." God's written word is so designed that, by simply studying and following it, we can restore the pattern of God's service even after years of departure and apostasy.
Nehemiah 8:1-9:3 - A similar example occurred when God's people returned from Babylonian captivity. They restored their service to God by studying the written record of the laws God had revealed.
It is a serious mistake to think that God's word is not intended to serve as a pattern of guidance, or that later generations should not study and adhere to it as the guide for right and wrong. The Scriptures say that is exactly how they should be used. To reject these claims is to say they are not good books at all, but are false and misleading. Why accept them as being from God at all? If they are wrong about this, how could we know what they say is right and what is wrong?
[Nehemiah 13; Ezra 6:18; 7:10; 2 Kings 22,23; Daniel 9:2; 2 Chronicles 17:9; 2 Kings 17:37; Josh 8:30-35; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 1 Chronicles 16:40; 2 Chronicles 23:18; 25:4; 30:5,18; 31:3,4; Ezra 3:2,4; Nehemiah 10:34ff; Daniel 9:11,13; Isaiah 34:16]
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Claims of Scripture:
Did Bible Writers View Their Writings as Divine Revelation ?
Did Bible writers claim to be guided directly by God so their message was the inspired revelation of Divine Will? Did God intend the Scriptures to be a standard of religious authority to guide mankind to eternal life? Should they have been collected and preserved even for future generations? Is the Bible an infallible pattern of Divine instruction and commands even for us today?
Introduction:
Years ago I heard a public discussion between a gospel preacher and a denominational preacher in which the denominational preacher claimed he could write letters like those in the New Testament. He was not claiming to be directly guided by the Holy Spirit to write divine commandments. He meant that, because of his spiritual maturity and wisdom, he could be "inspired" to write helpful spiritual lessons like poets are "inspired" to write poetry.
This illustrates the view that many people today take of Scripture.
* Many people claim that the Bible writers never believed they were writing an infallible message from the mind of God. They just wrote good thoughts like a person today might express his own thoughts and wisdom.
* Still others claim the Bible writers had some good ideas, but they were not intended to be a pattern or Divine commands that men must follow to please God and receive eternal life.
* Other people claim that God never intended for these writings to be collected and preserved for later generations. They were simply intended to benefit the people to whom they were immediately written, not for people of other times and places, certainly not for people today.
The purpose of this study is to examine the claims made by the Scriptures about themselves.
Do they claim to be a message revealed from God Himself to man? Do they claim to be an infallible standard of religious authority for people to obey? Do they claim that people of future generations should study them to learn God's commandments?
Did Bible writers claim to be guided directly by God so their message was the inspired revelation of Divine Will? Did God intend the Scriptures to be a standard of religious authority to guide mankind to eternal life? Should they have been collected and preserved even for future generations? Is the Bible an infallible pattern of Divine instruction and commands even for us today?
Introduction:
Years ago I heard a public discussion between a gospel preacher and a denominational preacher in which the denominational preacher claimed he could write letters like those in the New Testament. He was not claiming to be directly guided by the Holy Spirit to write divine commandments. He meant that, because of his spiritual maturity and wisdom, he could be "inspired" to write helpful spiritual lessons like poets are "inspired" to write poetry.
This illustrates the view that many people today take of Scripture.
* Many people claim that the Bible writers never believed they were writing an infallible message from the mind of God. They just wrote good thoughts like a person today might express his own thoughts and wisdom.
* Still others claim the Bible writers had some good ideas, but they were not intended to be a pattern or Divine commands that men must follow to please God and receive eternal life.
* Other people claim that God never intended for these writings to be collected and preserved for later generations. They were simply intended to benefit the people to whom they were immediately written, not for people of other times and places, certainly not for people today.
The purpose of this study is to examine the claims made by the Scriptures about themselves.
Do they claim to be a message revealed from God Himself to man? Do they claim to be an infallible standard of religious authority for people to obey? Do they claim that people of future generations should study them to learn God's commandments?
Monday, January 26, 2009
IV. The Consequences of Denying Infallible, Verbal Inspiration
When people say the words of the Bible are not all God's words but some are human in origin, or when they say there may be errors in the Bible, consider the consequences.
A. We Are Left without Any Reliable Source of Authority or Guidance in Religion.
Matthew 22:32 - Jesus claimed the Bible language was so exact we can make arguments that rely on the tense of verbs. But if in fact there could be errors in the writings, no such arguments would be reliable. How would we know what parts are correct and reliable and what parts are incorrect and unreliable?
2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 10:35; Acts 3:22,23; Matthew 28:18-20; John 12:48 - Bible writers said the Scriptures were reliable sources of authority and guidance in religion because they were God's will. They said we must accept all that is taught or stand condemned. They said we will be judged by what is taught. They said we must reject all human doctrines that differ from Scripture (Matt. 15:9; Gal. 1:8,9). But if there may be errors in Scripture, then we should obey only the parts that are true. How can we decide what is true and what is not?
B. We Begin a Course of Continual Rejection of Bible Teachings.
When we conclude that the Bible may be in error on some points, we almost invariably begin to question and deny more and more of what it teaches. People may start out saying they don't believe creation (or the Flood, or some other miracle) occurred the way the Bible describes it . Or they may say they don't believe the Bible is correct in its teaching about women being subject to men, or they reject the writings of Paul.
But such denials leave us with no grounds for believing anything else the Bible says. Disbelief is progressive. Whenever we say, "I know the Bible teaches this but I still cannot accept it as true," we have opened the door for more and more unbelief. The camel's nose is in the tent. We have started down the slippery slope. There is no logical stopping point. Soon we deny more and more miracles or more and more doctrines, etc., because we have undermined the foundation of belief.
C. We Deny the Claims of the Bible Writers, Necessarily Implying They Are Liars or False Teachers.
We have seen that the writers said they did speak from God, they did not speak their own ideas, all they said was from God, and therefore it could not be in error. To deny these claims is to say they were lying or insane. In any case, they were not true teachers of God, but by their own statements they must be false teachers. If so, we should not follow their words as having any authority in religion, but should completely reject them as we do the Koran or the Book of Mormon.
The claims of the Bible writers are such that they will not let us take a middle ground, as modernists try to do. Either we must accept the Bible as completely God's word - it is not the word of men, but every word was given by God with no possible errors - or else we must completely reject it as having no authority in religion at all. In that case we must conclude that the Bible is the product of evil, hypocritical men. We cannot say the Bible is a good book but may teach error sometimes.
D. We Deny that Jesus Is God's Divine Son and Make Him too a False Teacher.
Some want to say they believe in Jesus, but don't necessarily believe that everything in the Bible is true.
But the Bible is the only way to know anything about Jesus' life and teaching - John 5:46,47; 20:30,31; Acts 17:23; 18:28; etc.
How can you know Jesus is God's Son and a true prophet without appealing to Scripture? In fact, what good would it do you to believe in Jesus without the Scriptures, since you would have no idea what He did or did not teach?
We have seen that Jesus claimed the Bible was from God, and that both Old and New Testament writers spoke God's will.
He quoted the Old Testament writers as authoritative, and He said the New Testament writers would be guided by the Holy Spirit. If we say this is not true, then we have rejected Jesus and His teachings just the same as we saw, in the last point, that we are rejecting the Bible writers.
Luke 10:16 - Further, Jesus said that, if we receive His apostles and prophets we receive Him, but if we reject them we reject Him and His Father. Hence, if we say these men may have taught error, then as we have seen, we are rejecting what they said, and therefore rejecting Him.
E. We Bring the Curse of God on Ourselves.
To claim there are errors in Scripture is to reject the claims of the Bible writers and the claims of Jesus Himself. We cannot disbelieve those teachings and yet have the blessings those teachings offer.
Galatians 1:8,9 - If we preach a different gospel, we are accursed. But the gospel says, even in the context of this passage (vv 11,12), that the message is from God not man, therefore it is infallible, etc. If we say this is not so, we preach a different gospel and we are accursed.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 - To reject what the inspired men said is to reject, not men, but God, because God guided the men by the Holy Spirit. The men said what they wrote was God's word, not their own. If this is true and you reject, then you have rejected the word of God Himself.
Conclusion
There is no middle ground. We must accept the Bible as exactly what it claims to be: God's verbally inspired and infallible word. Or else we must reject it completely and give it no weight of authority in our lives at all.
To decide which to believe, we must consider the evidence that it is or is not from God (fulfilled prophecy, unity, miracles, etc.). This is material for another study (see links below). But to compromise and say we believe some of it but not all of it, is to take a position that the teachings of the Bible itself will not allow.
What is your view of Scripture? Do you accept it? If so, have you obeyed it?
A. We Are Left without Any Reliable Source of Authority or Guidance in Religion.
Matthew 22:32 - Jesus claimed the Bible language was so exact we can make arguments that rely on the tense of verbs. But if in fact there could be errors in the writings, no such arguments would be reliable. How would we know what parts are correct and reliable and what parts are incorrect and unreliable?
2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 10:35; Acts 3:22,23; Matthew 28:18-20; John 12:48 - Bible writers said the Scriptures were reliable sources of authority and guidance in religion because they were God's will. They said we must accept all that is taught or stand condemned. They said we will be judged by what is taught. They said we must reject all human doctrines that differ from Scripture (Matt. 15:9; Gal. 1:8,9). But if there may be errors in Scripture, then we should obey only the parts that are true. How can we decide what is true and what is not?
B. We Begin a Course of Continual Rejection of Bible Teachings.
When we conclude that the Bible may be in error on some points, we almost invariably begin to question and deny more and more of what it teaches. People may start out saying they don't believe creation (or the Flood, or some other miracle) occurred the way the Bible describes it . Or they may say they don't believe the Bible is correct in its teaching about women being subject to men, or they reject the writings of Paul.
But such denials leave us with no grounds for believing anything else the Bible says. Disbelief is progressive. Whenever we say, "I know the Bible teaches this but I still cannot accept it as true," we have opened the door for more and more unbelief. The camel's nose is in the tent. We have started down the slippery slope. There is no logical stopping point. Soon we deny more and more miracles or more and more doctrines, etc., because we have undermined the foundation of belief.
C. We Deny the Claims of the Bible Writers, Necessarily Implying They Are Liars or False Teachers.
We have seen that the writers said they did speak from God, they did not speak their own ideas, all they said was from God, and therefore it could not be in error. To deny these claims is to say they were lying or insane. In any case, they were not true teachers of God, but by their own statements they must be false teachers. If so, we should not follow their words as having any authority in religion, but should completely reject them as we do the Koran or the Book of Mormon.
The claims of the Bible writers are such that they will not let us take a middle ground, as modernists try to do. Either we must accept the Bible as completely God's word - it is not the word of men, but every word was given by God with no possible errors - or else we must completely reject it as having no authority in religion at all. In that case we must conclude that the Bible is the product of evil, hypocritical men. We cannot say the Bible is a good book but may teach error sometimes.
D. We Deny that Jesus Is God's Divine Son and Make Him too a False Teacher.
Some want to say they believe in Jesus, but don't necessarily believe that everything in the Bible is true.
But the Bible is the only way to know anything about Jesus' life and teaching - John 5:46,47; 20:30,31; Acts 17:23; 18:28; etc.
How can you know Jesus is God's Son and a true prophet without appealing to Scripture? In fact, what good would it do you to believe in Jesus without the Scriptures, since you would have no idea what He did or did not teach?
We have seen that Jesus claimed the Bible was from God, and that both Old and New Testament writers spoke God's will.
He quoted the Old Testament writers as authoritative, and He said the New Testament writers would be guided by the Holy Spirit. If we say this is not true, then we have rejected Jesus and His teachings just the same as we saw, in the last point, that we are rejecting the Bible writers.
Luke 10:16 - Further, Jesus said that, if we receive His apostles and prophets we receive Him, but if we reject them we reject Him and His Father. Hence, if we say these men may have taught error, then as we have seen, we are rejecting what they said, and therefore rejecting Him.
E. We Bring the Curse of God on Ourselves.
To claim there are errors in Scripture is to reject the claims of the Bible writers and the claims of Jesus Himself. We cannot disbelieve those teachings and yet have the blessings those teachings offer.
Galatians 1:8,9 - If we preach a different gospel, we are accursed. But the gospel says, even in the context of this passage (vv 11,12), that the message is from God not man, therefore it is infallible, etc. If we say this is not so, we preach a different gospel and we are accursed.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 - To reject what the inspired men said is to reject, not men, but God, because God guided the men by the Holy Spirit. The men said what they wrote was God's word, not their own. If this is true and you reject, then you have rejected the word of God Himself.
Conclusion
There is no middle ground. We must accept the Bible as exactly what it claims to be: God's verbally inspired and infallible word. Or else we must reject it completely and give it no weight of authority in our lives at all.
To decide which to believe, we must consider the evidence that it is or is not from God (fulfilled prophecy, unity, miracles, etc.). This is material for another study (see links below). But to compromise and say we believe some of it but not all of it, is to take a position that the teachings of the Bible itself will not allow.
What is your view of Scripture? Do you accept it? If so, have you obeyed it?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
III. These Are True Words - No Errors in Scripture
Revelation 19:9 - These are true sayings of God. If the men chose the words in the writing of Scripture, some say maybe there are errors in it. But if every word is from God, then there cannot be errors because God is infallible and makes no errors.
Numbers 22:35,38; 23:5,12,16,19,20 - A prophet must speak what God says. But God does not lie nor repent. He does not deliberately tell things not true, and he cannot make mistakes because of lack of knowledge since He knows everything. So there cannot be anything untrue in what He reveals.
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 - The test of a prophet is, if he makes a mistake in prophetic utterance, he is not from God. Don't fear him.
Note: if a man claims to be a prophet, but he makes a mistake in his prophetic speech, then the thing you know is that God did not send him at all, so don't accept anything he says as being revealed by God. In truth he is a false teacher. Some say they accept some of the Bible, but reject other parts of it; this passage says take it all or reject it completely.
Psalm 19:7-9 - God's word is perfect, right, true.Psalm 33:4 - God's word is right & done faithfully.Psalm 119:128,142,160 - All God's precepts are right.John 17:17 - God's word is truth.Romans 3:4 - Let God be true, though men may lie.Titus 1:2,3 - God, who can't lie, manifested the word.Hebrews 6:18 - It is impossible for God to lie.Revelation 21:5 - The words written are true and faithful.
If one claims that the Bible errs, then either he must completely reject the Bible as God's will, or else He is saying that God is not infallible. For the Bible says it is all from God, and it says any teacher should be rejected if he says he speaks for God when he doesn't. If the message is in error anywhere, then either the speaker is not from God at all or else God made a mistake!
Hence, we must conclude that there are no errors at all in the Bible writings. This is sometimes referred to by saying the Scriptures are "infallible and inerrant." To truly believe the Bible is inspired one must believe there were no errors in what the men wrote.
[Psa 147:4,5; Job 37:16; 1 Peter 5:12; Galatians 1:20; John 10:35; Jas 1:25]
Numbers 22:35,38; 23:5,12,16,19,20 - A prophet must speak what God says. But God does not lie nor repent. He does not deliberately tell things not true, and he cannot make mistakes because of lack of knowledge since He knows everything. So there cannot be anything untrue in what He reveals.
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 - The test of a prophet is, if he makes a mistake in prophetic utterance, he is not from God. Don't fear him.
Note: if a man claims to be a prophet, but he makes a mistake in his prophetic speech, then the thing you know is that God did not send him at all, so don't accept anything he says as being revealed by God. In truth he is a false teacher. Some say they accept some of the Bible, but reject other parts of it; this passage says take it all or reject it completely.
Psalm 19:7-9 - God's word is perfect, right, true.Psalm 33:4 - God's word is right & done faithfully.Psalm 119:128,142,160 - All God's precepts are right.John 17:17 - God's word is truth.Romans 3:4 - Let God be true, though men may lie.Titus 1:2,3 - God, who can't lie, manifested the word.Hebrews 6:18 - It is impossible for God to lie.Revelation 21:5 - The words written are true and faithful.
If one claims that the Bible errs, then either he must completely reject the Bible as God's will, or else He is saying that God is not infallible. For the Bible says it is all from God, and it says any teacher should be rejected if he says he speaks for God when he doesn't. If the message is in error anywhere, then either the speaker is not from God at all or else God made a mistake!
Hence, we must conclude that there are no errors at all in the Bible writings. This is sometimes referred to by saying the Scriptures are "infallible and inerrant." To truly believe the Bible is inspired one must believe there were no errors in what the men wrote.
[Psa 147:4,5; Job 37:16; 1 Peter 5:12; Galatians 1:20; John 10:35; Jas 1:25]
Saturday, January 24, 2009
II. These Are Words of God - God Gave the Words.
Revelation 19:9 - These are true sayings ("words" - ASV) of God. God did not just give the ideas and let men choose the words to express them. God guided the men in the very words they chose so that every word was the word God wanted, not the words the men chose by human wisdom. This is exactly what 2 Peter 1:20,21 said. Note other Scriptures.
Exodus 4:14-16; 7:1,2 - In calling Moses, God defined the work of a prophet. Aaron was Moses' "prophet" like Moses was God's prophet. A prophet was a spokesman. The one who originated the message put the words in the prophet's mouth.
The point is that Moses claimed he could not speak well. He thought it would be up to him to express the ideas God gave him (like some people think today). God said He would be with the prophet's mouth. It wasn't up to the prophet to decide the words. He just spoke what words God put in his mouth.
Exodus 24:3,4,8 - Moses gave the words the Lord spoke.Deuteronomy 18:18-22 - God put His words in prophet's mouth.2 Samuel 23:2 - The Spirit's word was on my tongue.Isaiah 51:16 - I [God] put my words in your mouth.Isaiah 59:21 - My words which I put in your mouth.Jeremiah 1:4-9 - I have put My words in your mouth.Jeremiah 30:1-4 - Write all the words I have spoken.Jeremiah 36:1-4 - Write all the words I have spoken.Ezekiel 3:4 - Speak with My words to them Zech. 7:12 -The words the Lord sent by His Spirit.Matthew 10:19,20 - Given by Spirit what and how to speak.
1 Corinthians 2:4 - Preaching was not in words of human wisdom, so faith would not stand in man's wisdom but in power of Spirit. This could only be so if the words were given by the Spirit, not by the man.
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 - The message spoken was given to the men by the Spirit. Then they spoke in words taught them by the Spirit not by man. If the Spirit just gave the ideas and the men chose the words, this would be just the opposite of what this verse teaches.
What these passages describe is sometimes called "verbal" inspiration. To truly believe the Bible is inspired, one must believe every word is exactly the word God wanted.
This does not mean there is no human element in the words, for God used the men as they were with their human language, human vocabulary, human forms of expressions, and sometimes even the knowledge they had gained by research of personal eyewitness, etc. (Luke 1:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:1-8). But God then used them as they were and guided them to speak the words that accurately expressed His will.
[Exodus 32:15,16; 24:12; 34:1, 27,28; 31:18; 20:1; Numbers 22:35; 23:5,12,16; Ezek 1:3; Hos 1:1; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Jeremiah 25:13]
Exodus 4:14-16; 7:1,2 - In calling Moses, God defined the work of a prophet. Aaron was Moses' "prophet" like Moses was God's prophet. A prophet was a spokesman. The one who originated the message put the words in the prophet's mouth.
The point is that Moses claimed he could not speak well. He thought it would be up to him to express the ideas God gave him (like some people think today). God said He would be with the prophet's mouth. It wasn't up to the prophet to decide the words. He just spoke what words God put in his mouth.
Exodus 24:3,4,8 - Moses gave the words the Lord spoke.Deuteronomy 18:18-22 - God put His words in prophet's mouth.2 Samuel 23:2 - The Spirit's word was on my tongue.Isaiah 51:16 - I [God] put my words in your mouth.Isaiah 59:21 - My words which I put in your mouth.Jeremiah 1:4-9 - I have put My words in your mouth.Jeremiah 30:1-4 - Write all the words I have spoken.Jeremiah 36:1-4 - Write all the words I have spoken.Ezekiel 3:4 - Speak with My words to them Zech. 7:12 -The words the Lord sent by His Spirit.Matthew 10:19,20 - Given by Spirit what and how to speak.
1 Corinthians 2:4 - Preaching was not in words of human wisdom, so faith would not stand in man's wisdom but in power of Spirit. This could only be so if the words were given by the Spirit, not by the man.
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 - The message spoken was given to the men by the Spirit. Then they spoke in words taught them by the Spirit not by man. If the Spirit just gave the ideas and the men chose the words, this would be just the opposite of what this verse teaches.
What these passages describe is sometimes called "verbal" inspiration. To truly believe the Bible is inspired, one must believe every word is exactly the word God wanted.
This does not mean there is no human element in the words, for God used the men as they were with their human language, human vocabulary, human forms of expressions, and sometimes even the knowledge they had gained by research of personal eyewitness, etc. (Luke 1:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:1-8). But God then used them as they were and guided them to speak the words that accurately expressed His will.
[Exodus 32:15,16; 24:12; 34:1, 27,28; 31:18; 20:1; Numbers 22:35; 23:5,12,16; Ezek 1:3; Hos 1:1; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Jeremiah 25:13]
Friday, January 23, 2009
D. The Writers Denied They Wrote by Human Wisdom
Some people think the writers wrote some ideas that were their own. Hence, the Bible may contain some things from God, but it may also contain some things the writers originated without Divine guidance. What do the Bible writers say about this?
Jeremiah 14:14 - If a man speaks as though he has a message from God when God really did not speak to him and the message is just his own idea, that man is a false prophet and deserves to be punished and rejected as a prophet (23:16,26; Ezekiel 13:2-7,17).
Clearly if the Bible writers wrote a message of their own origin, then they are condemned as false prophets by their own words.
Ezekiel 3:26,27 - A prophet was not to speak until God opens his mouth ... When God did move him to speak it would be a thus says the Lord God.
Matthew 10:19,20 - It is not you who speaks but the spirit of the Father speaks in you.
1 Corinthians 2:4,5 - Preaching was not with words of human wisdom. Their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but power of God. Faith is based on the message preached (Romans 10:17). To the extent the message is human in origin, then the faith rests in the men who originated it. Paul expressly did not want their faith to rest on human wisdom but in God's wisdom and power.
Galatians 1:8-12 - The gospel came not from man but was revealed from Jesus. To preach another is to be accursed. Hence, to preach a message that is human in origin is to bring God's curse upon us.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 - The message is not word of men but the word of God.
2 Peter 1:20,21 - Prophecy never came by will of man, but holy men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 22:18,19 - If men add their teachings to the book, God will add the plagues written. They were not just forbidden to write something entirely human. They were forbidden to take a message from God and then add something human to it.
The writers themselves say they did not write human ideas, but it was God's will. They said if anyone did put in human ideas, God's curse would be on them and they deserved to be destroyed. If we claim there are human ideas in the writings, then we are calling the men liars, false teachers, deserving of punishment.
[Numbers 22:35; chap. 23 (see below); Deuteronomy 18:18-22; Matthew 15:9]
E. The Writers Claimed Inspiration for Everything in Scripture
The writers did not claim that part of their writings were God's will and maybe part was not. They claimed everything they wrote was from God so it was all authoritative.
This follows from the last point. The writers were prohibited from adding anything human. If anything human was added, they were under a curse. Hence, if none of it is human, then all of it must be of God.
Note also the following Scriptures:
Exodus 24:3,4,7,8 - God's will included all that was written. The people agreed to keep it all. But man-made teachings are not authoritative such that men must obey them in religion (Matthew 15:9). If all must be obeyed, then all must be from God.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - The king was to copy the law and keep all that was written.
Joshua 1:7,8 - Joshua was to observe all written in the book.
Matthew 4:4 - Man must live by every word from the mouth of God.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching & furnishing to all good works.
The belief that we should obey everything Scripture requires of us goes hand in hand with belief that it is all God's word. Invariably when people begin to say there may be some parts of the Bible that are not from God or not accurate, you soon find there are Biblical requirements that they do not want to obey.
There is simply no reason to believe you must obey all Biblical requirements unless you believe it is all accurately God's word. Bible passages claiming we must obey it all, then are saying necessarily that it is all inspired.
Note especially these passages from 2 Peter:
2 Peter 1:20,21 - No Scripture is of private interpretation; for prophecy never came by will of man, but men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit. Consider the significance of "interpretation" here. The context shows the reference is to the prophets who wrote the Scriptures, not to the readers of the Scriptures.
Note: For (this explains the previous statement) prophecy never came by will of man, but men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit. The passage is discussing how prophecy came and how prophets spoke, not how it is studied.
If God just gave ideas and men explained them as they thought best, Scripture would be of private interpretation (like the difference between what the president says and what the news commentators say about what the president said)! But this is not the case with any Scripture or any prophecy.
Instead, the men spoke as moved by the Spirit. The Spirit carried them along to a destination of His choosing, not of the prophets' choosing (like a person carrying a burden - Luke 23:26, or a ship being borne by the wind - Acts 27:15,17). This passage directly disproves the view that God gave men ideas and they explained them as best they could by human wisdom.
2 Peter 3:15,16 - This concept of inspiration applies to the New Testament as well as to the Old Testament, because later in the same book Peter said writings of Paul in the New Testament are Scripture like "other Scriptures." [Cf. 1 Timothy 5:18 to Luke 10:7]
[John 14:26; 16:13: Deuteronomy 31:9-13; 18:18-22; Josh 23:6; Jeremiah 25:13; 30:1-4; 26:1-4; Acts 3:22,23; Mat. 28:18-20;
Jeremiah 14:14 - If a man speaks as though he has a message from God when God really did not speak to him and the message is just his own idea, that man is a false prophet and deserves to be punished and rejected as a prophet (23:16,26; Ezekiel 13:2-7,17).
Clearly if the Bible writers wrote a message of their own origin, then they are condemned as false prophets by their own words.
Ezekiel 3:26,27 - A prophet was not to speak until God opens his mouth ... When God did move him to speak it would be a thus says the Lord God.
Matthew 10:19,20 - It is not you who speaks but the spirit of the Father speaks in you.
1 Corinthians 2:4,5 - Preaching was not with words of human wisdom. Their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but power of God. Faith is based on the message preached (Romans 10:17). To the extent the message is human in origin, then the faith rests in the men who originated it. Paul expressly did not want their faith to rest on human wisdom but in God's wisdom and power.
Galatians 1:8-12 - The gospel came not from man but was revealed from Jesus. To preach another is to be accursed. Hence, to preach a message that is human in origin is to bring God's curse upon us.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 - The message is not word of men but the word of God.
2 Peter 1:20,21 - Prophecy never came by will of man, but holy men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 22:18,19 - If men add their teachings to the book, God will add the plagues written. They were not just forbidden to write something entirely human. They were forbidden to take a message from God and then add something human to it.
The writers themselves say they did not write human ideas, but it was God's will. They said if anyone did put in human ideas, God's curse would be on them and they deserved to be destroyed. If we claim there are human ideas in the writings, then we are calling the men liars, false teachers, deserving of punishment.
[Numbers 22:35; chap. 23 (see below); Deuteronomy 18:18-22; Matthew 15:9]
E. The Writers Claimed Inspiration for Everything in Scripture
The writers did not claim that part of their writings were God's will and maybe part was not. They claimed everything they wrote was from God so it was all authoritative.
This follows from the last point. The writers were prohibited from adding anything human. If anything human was added, they were under a curse. Hence, if none of it is human, then all of it must be of God.
Note also the following Scriptures:
Exodus 24:3,4,7,8 - God's will included all that was written. The people agreed to keep it all. But man-made teachings are not authoritative such that men must obey them in religion (Matthew 15:9). If all must be obeyed, then all must be from God.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - The king was to copy the law and keep all that was written.
Joshua 1:7,8 - Joshua was to observe all written in the book.
Matthew 4:4 - Man must live by every word from the mouth of God.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching & furnishing to all good works.
The belief that we should obey everything Scripture requires of us goes hand in hand with belief that it is all God's word. Invariably when people begin to say there may be some parts of the Bible that are not from God or not accurate, you soon find there are Biblical requirements that they do not want to obey.
There is simply no reason to believe you must obey all Biblical requirements unless you believe it is all accurately God's word. Bible passages claiming we must obey it all, then are saying necessarily that it is all inspired.
Note especially these passages from 2 Peter:
2 Peter 1:20,21 - No Scripture is of private interpretation; for prophecy never came by will of man, but men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit. Consider the significance of "interpretation" here. The context shows the reference is to the prophets who wrote the Scriptures, not to the readers of the Scriptures.
Note: For (this explains the previous statement) prophecy never came by will of man, but men spoke as moved by the Holy Spirit. The passage is discussing how prophecy came and how prophets spoke, not how it is studied.
If God just gave ideas and men explained them as they thought best, Scripture would be of private interpretation (like the difference between what the president says and what the news commentators say about what the president said)! But this is not the case with any Scripture or any prophecy.
Instead, the men spoke as moved by the Spirit. The Spirit carried them along to a destination of His choosing, not of the prophets' choosing (like a person carrying a burden - Luke 23:26, or a ship being borne by the wind - Acts 27:15,17). This passage directly disproves the view that God gave men ideas and they explained them as best they could by human wisdom.
2 Peter 3:15,16 - This concept of inspiration applies to the New Testament as well as to the Old Testament, because later in the same book Peter said writings of Paul in the New Testament are Scripture like "other Scriptures." [Cf. 1 Timothy 5:18 to Luke 10:7]
[John 14:26; 16:13: Deuteronomy 31:9-13; 18:18-22; Josh 23:6; Jeremiah 25:13; 30:1-4; 26:1-4; Acts 3:22,23; Mat. 28:18-20;
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