Without the Bible, there is no such thing as either Judaism or Christianity. If we deny the authenticity of the Bible, then there is no need to read further, because without the authenticity of the Bible, we have no foundation for believing anything regarding the existence of the God of the Bible, the One who there in professes to be the creator of all things. If, however, we believe that the Bible has validity or if we are curious to know more about what the Bible says, then read on.
II Pet 1:21 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.
Prophecy is most often thought of as a prediction of the future, yet there is another meaning to the word. To prophesy, is to speak under the inspiration or anointing of God. Any words, spoken by way of the anointing of God, become prophecy. Webster’s defines prophecy as “something declared by the prophet.” Peter writes that the words of the old testament prophets came from the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. But what is the Holy Spirit?
Jn 4:24 God is a Spirit: . . .
I Pet 1:16 Be ye holy; for I am holy
God is a Spirit and God is holy, therefore, he is the Holy Spirit.
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, . . .
The Hebrew people have worshiped God for millinea before the Messiah came. A Rabbi, when asked about their understanding of the Holy Spirit, simply proclaims it is the same Spirit as that of the Creator.
This would mean that they were not speaking on their own, but speaking by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. In other words, God was speaking through them by his Spirit. God was inspiring the thoughts of the prophet, and the prophet was verbalizing the thoughts, he was given. This is the same as saying, the men were not speaking at all, but rather the Spirit of God, himself, was using the human vessel to speak to other men.
II Tim 3:12 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, . . .
Timothy reiterates this point, by saying that all scripture was inspired by God. In other words, men did not imagine the things written in the scriptures. Scripture is not the documentation of the applied wisdom or philosophy of men. It is the literal Word of God, recorded by men, as spoken by God. This is profound, when you consider the ramifications. The Bible is not just literature, philosophy, or history. It is a record of what the Spirit of God wanted men to know. When we read the word of God, we are reading things that God wants us to know. It is the same thing as if God were speaking directly to us, but rather than hearing God speaking, we are reading what he has already spoken. The word of God is timeless. In other words it is for all generations. It is written down so that God does not have to say it over and over. All we have to do is pick up the book and read it. If we want to know what God thinks about a subject, just find out where it is addressed in the Bible and read it.
Neh 9:13-14 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
Nehemiah records, it was God himself, who came down on mount Sinai, and spoke to Moses. God spoke face to face with Moses, just like we do when we are having a conversation with someone face to face. Moses, wrote about what God had spoken to him in the first 5 books of the Bible, known to the Jewish people as the Torah. He simply made a record of what God both spoke to him and the thoughts or words God inspired him to write about, concerning the events that the Jewish people had experienced during his life time.
Psalms 119:89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
The Bible, the recorded word of God is absolute. The meaning is not up for debate, discussion or interpretation. The meaning is forever settled in heaven. The Bible has an absolute meaning and interpretation. This is difficult for many to accept.
Heb 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son . . .
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
John 12:47-48 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
The Bible records that God spoke through the Messiah. Therefor the words that Jesus spoke, are the words of God. Jesus himself said, men would be judged by the words he had spoken. These words are recorded in the Bible. It is our choice as to whether we accept his spoken word, or reject it. Rejecting God’s word does not diminish our responsibility to God’s word. Either way, the Lord promises, we would be judged by what was recorded in the written word of God. It is therefore, important that we understand, the document by which all men will be judged. Obviously, if men reject the Bible, the recorded word of God, then nothing that is herein written will be accepted by them either.
I Pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
There are a lot of ideas about the meaning of Scripture, however the Bible tells us, it is not about what it means to us personally. Peter says it is not of any private interpretation. The interpretation does not come from the minds, hearts or philosophy of men. It is defined by God. We can not necessarily, just sit down and read the Bible and understand it’s meaning by our own intelligence or ability. We need to search the scriptures to see how God defines and interprets the Bible. In other words the scriptures are self explanatory or self interpreting.
Jn 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John writes, it is the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit of God, that will teach us. When we study the scripture in the light of scripture, the Spirit begins to bring to our remembrance those things we have read. We begin to understand the meaning of scriptures as defined by other scriptures. The Spirit of God is pleased, when we begin to study the word, and he then begins to help us understand. The Spirit will direct our thoughts, and our efforts so that we can begin to see truth.
Ps 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The Psalmist tells us, the word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. In other words, if I want to find the path back into the presence of God, to be illuminated for me, I must do so from the word of God. His words will shed light on the meaning of scripture. His word will define the meaning of the word, in such a way, I will have no trouble finding the right path.
Is 28:13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
So how is the Bible organized. It is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are scattered throughout the word of God. Isaiah says here a little and there a little. We must then find the pieces of the puzzle, and build the picture, line upon line, precept upon precept, until the picture becomes clear to us.
II Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
This is why Paul writes to Timothy and tells him we must study the word of God. It is not good enough just to read it. We must study it to understand it. Only through study, will we be able to correctly divide the word of truth. In other words we must be careful to put the pieces in the correct order, to reveal what God is trying to tell us.
Mal 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; . . .
The prophet Malachi wrote of the unchanging nature of God. God does not change and his word does not change. If God spoke it, it will come to pass, just the way he said. It may not be in our life time, but we can trust our lives to his word. It is absolute unchanging truth. Unlike the world we live in today, constantly undergoing change. How refreshing to find something that is consistent. Something that we can trust with our lives.
Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
Joshua, the leader of the Nation of Israel, at the time they came into their promised land, said, that not one thing that God had spoken had ever failed. It will always come to pass. Not all that God spoke to Moses occurred in his lifetime, just like it did not all occur in Joshua’s lifetime. Everything that God spoke for their time did come to pass at the instant he spake it.
1 Pet 1:23 . . . the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
The word of God is a living document. It is a timeless, supernatural document that according to God will live forever. It is impossible to know the significance of everything that God spoke, and was recorded in his word. Much of what is written will not be fully understood, until some future time, when we can look back and say as the apostles did, this was done to fulfil what was written by the prophet.
II Tim 3:12 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The purpose of scripture is given to us, that we might use it for doctrine or teaching what is right. It is for reproof, teaching what is not right. We can use it for correction or changing our behavior and instruction in righteousness. In other words we can build the principles of what we believe about God on scripture.
Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
This use of scripture in the governing of our lives is not a casual thing. Jesus said that we must live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Every principle that comes from scripture. We must strive to modal our lives after these principles. It is not a once a week proposition. It is rather an ongoing relationship with our creator. It must be the most important aspect of our lives, because to do so is to serve him in the way he designed us to. The word of God is the bread of life. It is the heavenly food for the spirit. If we want a strong spiritual relationship with God, we must feed our human spirits, the word of God.
Act 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Scripture is also to be used in evangelization of the non believer. The only hope for lost humanity, is for someone to use the scriptures, as a tool to get them to see the truths, that are written therein. As disciples of Jesus, we are to reason with people from the scriptures. In other words, use the Bible as a tool of reasoning, to illustrate the truth, principles, and plan of salvation of our God.
Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
We need to look at the word of God as the supreme authority in the lives of men. If we accept this, then we can reason with men, from the scriptures, as the apostle Paul did in the book of Acts.
