Why We Believe the Bible Is God's Written Word
Pastor Art Sims
1. One reason we believe the Bible to be the Word of God is because our Lord Jesus Christ believed this and spoke of the Scriptures in this way.
Referring to the commandments of the Law, Jesus said, "For God commanded, saying, honor thy father and mother..." (Matthew 15: 4). So according to Him, it wasn't simply that Moses said this, but God. In John 10:35 He said, "The Scripture cannot be broken." Thus, according to Jesus, the teachings of the Bible are solid and strong, so strong, they cannot be broken but will always stand true. Jesus' own words are the words of God. In Matthew 24:35, He declared, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away." While praying to the Father, He said, "I have given them thy word" (John 17:14). He told His apostles there were things He could not yet say to them but that the Holy Spirit was going to guide them into all the truth, giving them these further things (John 16:12). So we have the New Testament books of the Bible and statements such as 1 Cor. 14:37 where the apostle Paul wrote, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
2. Another reason we believe the Bible to be the Word of God is because of fulfilled prophecy. Many prophecies, written hundreds of years in advance, have been fulfilled in detail. A few examples are these:
Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of a Messiah (Christ). Daniel even predicted the time at which He would come. See Daniel 9:25.
The place where Christ would be born was predicted more than 600 years in advance. Micah 5:2, compare Matthew 2:1-6.
The fact that Christ's garments would be parted and lots cast for them was foretold. Psalm 22:18, Matthew 27:35.
It was also prophesied that the temple would be destroyed after Messiah was rejected (Daniel 9:26). History tells us the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the army of Titus the Roman.
The great world empires of history were foretold in the book of Daniel. Daniel lived under the Babylonian empire, and predicted there would be 3 great empires after Babylon. These were Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. See Daniel 2:37-40, 8:1-9, 8:20-23.
We also find references to facts now known that weren't yet understood at the time the Bible was written. For example, the book of Job says God "hangeth the earth upon nothing" (Job 26:7). We wonder how Job could know this? We now know, of course, that the earth is suspended in space, but the Bible has said all along that God "hangeth the earth upon nothing." Again, we have tests today by which it can be determined that a piece of flesh is either dog, bird, human, etc. All along, however, the Bible has said, "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds" (1 Cor. 15:39). Facts like these, contained in the Bible, are easily accounted for if we acknowledge that God directed the writers of Scripture in what they wrote.
3. A third reason is because it is logical for this book to exist.
The Bible presents a consistent message concerning God, the world, life, death and beyond. Answers are found in this book to the great questions human beings want and need to know. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Why do people die? Is there life after death? What is God really like? Can I know God? How can I know Him? If there is an intelligent, personal God who made mankind, it surely follows that He would desire to communicate these things to intelligent, personal beings He made. As God, He certainly would be capable of this, and if He did do this, it is reasonable He would put this communication into a permanent, reliable form, writing, a book, the Bible. Thus, it makes sense for a book to exist that gives us information from God.
4. We also find that the Bible claims to be the Word of God.
Over and over again, the writers of Scripture say, "Thus saith the Lord" and "The word of the Lord came unto me saying..." This oft repeated claim by writers of the Bible is either true or false. We believe it is true. Peter said, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Pet. 1:21). In Second Timothy 3:16, we read, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." This is what the Bible claims for itself.
5. The consistency of the Bible, with intricately interwoven details, impresses us more and more as we read and study its teachings.
This fact about the Bible isn't appreciated right away, when we first become Bible students, but as we learn the structure of the Bible and its teachings, and grasp the details involved, considering that the books of the Bible were written over long centuries of time, all these things together powerfully confirm to us that the Bible has to be more than a collection of human ideas. How could so many details fit together like they do? God's hand had to be in it. Take, for example, Daniel chapter 9, Matthew 24, Second Thessalonians 2 and Revelation chapter 12. Study the details involved in these passages and consider how they dovetail together. And as you do, note this: that the amazing, detailed, intricate harmony of these passages isn't pointed out by the writers. Rather, this is left for Bible students like us to discover. It's nearly impossible to imagine human writers leaving things this way. Human writers, on their own, wouldn't want to chance their readers failing to notice how these details fit together. This speaks subtly, but powerfully, to our hearts as we study the Scriptures carefully. The Bible is indeed more than just a book written by men. It is truly the Word of God.
6. Vanishing "contradictions" confirm us even further in our belief that the Bible is truly what it claims to be.
Observing how weak the claims of critics who say the Bible contradicts itself actually are, and seeing again and again, examples of so called "contradictions" vanish away, we are confirmed even more in believing the Bible to be the written Word of God.
There really aren't any contradictions in the Bible. Sometimes a person reading the Bible may not be aware of a clarifying statement or teaching and this lack of knowledge may cause difficulties in some passages, but this is not a contradiction in the Bible. Sometimes people are careless in their reading and think the Bible says something it really doesn't. When someone compares what they think the Bible says with something it does say, this may well produce a contradiction. But this isn't a contradiction in the Bible. It seems to be a contradiction because true facts aren't known or understood.
One thing that causes more seeming contradictions than anything else is a failure by Bible readers to understand the dispensational programs of God in the Bible. Many people assume that God has been working out His purposes under just one program all the way through the Bible. Therefore they expect to find exactly the same teaching throughout the whole Bible. When they don't find this they condemn the Bible because it doesn't say what they think it should. This is truly unfortunate. We must learn that we today are living under a special dispensation of God's grace (see Eph. 3:1-10) and that significant differences exist between God's instructions to us in this dispensation and His instructions to people at other times. Religious circumcision (Gen.17:9-14), stoning people for breaking the sabbath (Ex. 31:15, Num. 15:36), restrictions upon certain foods (Lev. 11:7,8), preaching only to Jews, not to Gentiles (Matthew 10:5-6) are examples of teachings in the Bible that don't apply in our dispensation today. These are differences for sure, but not contradictions. Instead, they are deliberate changes God has made in His dealings with mankind. Thus, it is important for Bible students to learn about the dispensations of God. Doing this greatly increases our appreciation for the Bible, clarifying that differences which may seem contradictory to some people aren't contradictions at all but are teachings, testifying together as important stages in the overall plan and purpose of God. This knowledge greatly strengthens our faith in the Bible and makes our study of God's Word a very delightful and satisfying endeavor.
7. Finally, we believe the Bible because we are caused to believe it by the Holy Spirit of God Who testifies to our hearts that the teachings of the Bible are true.
In Ephesians 6:17 the Scriptures are referred to as "the sword of the Spirit." We believe the Holy Spirit does indeed pierce the hearts of men with this powerful sword. In John chapter 16 we find that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and of judgment. These teachings of the Bible, impressed upon people by God's Holy Spirit, influence us to see that the teachings of the Bible are true.
Recovery Of Truth - O'Hair - YouTube
How
God Saves Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read
Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
(A 10 Minute Video)
E-mail
this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends
No comments:
Post a Comment