“The Bible is not the Word of God and if we believe this to be true then we have made the Bible into an idol.”
That’s all it took for the internet to become hysterical!
A number of years ago I wrote a controversial article titled, “THE BIBLE IS NOT THE WORD OF GOD: A POLEMIC AGAINST CHRISTENDOM”.
The article was a polemic on the idol-like status that many within Christianity attribute to the Bible. I wrote two follow-up articles expanding on the idea which you can read here and here. These articles are still relevant and good in and of themselves (in my humble opinion.) However, what I want to do in this article is cobble together the ideas in the previous articles and add some new thoughts that I think are important for us to consider as the Church continues to reshape its’ theology into the new year.
The Bible is our Golden Calf.
The Bible is the Golden Calf of Christianity in the Modern Era. The ancient Hebrews took the God of their forefathers and formed Him into their image. They made Him take on their identity because they could not grasp to what extent the WORD OF GOD was already present with them.
The same is true today. Many Christians need something physical they can point their adoration towards. They need something they can base their identity on. Think about how many “Bible” churches there are. Or how many churches find it necessary to assert the Bible’s inerrancy within their doctrinal statements. Some people place such importance upon the Bible’s divinity that their faith would completely unravel if they began questioning its inerrancy.
For many of these individuals, their faith and the Bible are inexorably tied together. Despite how heavily flawed the logic is, there is a logic to it all.
- If the Bible is not the Word of God, then it is not authoritative.
- If it is not authoritative, then it is not trustworthy.
- If it is not trustworthy, it cannot inform the Christian faith.
- If it can’t inform the Christian faith, then there is no truth to the Christian faith.
What Does the Bible Being the Word of God Mean?
I’m not sure that most Christians understand what they are saying when they refer to the Bible as the Word of God. What they are doing is placing upon the book a divine attribute. They are making the book coequal to Jesus who, according to the Apostle John, IS the eternal Word of God.
Some argue that the Bible itself claims to be the Word of God, but this is incorrect. In THE BIBLE IS NOT THE WORD OF GOD Part Two, I discuss in detail all of the occasions the phrase “Word of God” appears and what the phrase is in reference to. Suffice it to say that when the Bible refers to the Word of God, it is always referring to either the actual words of God (e.g. through prophecy or some other divine revelation), or they are referring to the Jewish Torah. The Christian Bible is never referring to itself in its current form because it wasn’t compiled until many years later.
The Problem with the Word of God.
If the Bible was the Word of God, the first question I would have is which Bible? The Western Catholic? The Western Protestant? The Eastern Orthodox? The Ethiopian? Since each canon is different, it would be important to know which version was the inerrant version. The second question would be on what authority was the original biblical version established as the Word of God? Even during the time the canon was being established there was great controversy as to what should and should not be included. These controversies provided the foundation for the Early Church heretical movements.
What’s more, attributing a divine nature to scripture does not add to its value or utility, but diminishes it by making it into something that it is not. Instead, when we respect Scripture and allow it to speak to us on its own terms, then we are laying the foundation for the Spirit to transform Scripture into the Word of God.
It also creates a significant textual problem. If scripture is divine in its entirety, then it means that all scripture is of the same weight. That is, the Book of Numbers is of equal importance to the words of Jesus. Not only is this nonsensical, but it also leads to the methodological fallacy of proof-texting.
When the Bible Becomes the Word of God.
At the core of Christian doctrine is the idea of the Trinity; that God exists as one essence in three persons. These persons are referred to as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although the Holy Spirit is part of this triunity, it rarely gets the attention that it deserves, particularly within non-charismatic sects of Christianity.
The primary function of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate scripture for the individual. This illumination occurs between the Christian and God. It’s based upon the special relationship the two have through faith in Christ. (1 Cor. 2:6-10).
“…these are the things God has revealed to us by [H]is Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” (v.10)
The Bible becomes the Word of God when it leaves its pages behind and infuses its words within the human soul. And when the stirring of the soul is so great that it becomes alive and active within the believer’s life, then and only then does the Bible become the Word of God.
Believe it or not, the doctrine of illumination is a core Protestant doctrine within Evangelical denominations, and yet, the same people who hold to this doctrine deny it in practice.
I believe the primary reason that Evangelicals cannot accept this (even though they do in theory) is because it is messy for creating theology. It relinquishes the certainty that they have become so accustomed to. The Bible ultimately renders a highly subjective (as opposed to objective) theology where it is difficult to reduce it to factual propositions. They believe these objective propositions are necessary for them to overthrow the current power brokers of knowledge (e.g. the scientific community). Ultimately, this means that they care more about maintaining the authority of scripture over and above its actual truthfulness.
It also means that they are committing the same sin they accused the Catholic Church during the Reformation – they have placed the authority of scripture above and beyond that of Jesus Christ, Himself.
Let me leave you with a quote from the end of my first Word of God article:
The WORD OF GOD is a moment that a human being encounters. It is Jesus Christ in His full glory and revelation. The WORD OF GOD occurs through a compilation of acts that bring forth the WORD OF GOD within the individual – prayer, reading, and meditating on sacred scripture, fellowship, and worship.
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Many people question who the author of the Bible is and wonder if the Bible is really the Word of God. I want to give you five reasons to affirm that the Bible is God’s Word.
The Word of God: Evidence that Scripture is Divine
First, I believe the Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy. The Truth of the Word of God tells us that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). How did Job know that the earth hung in space before the age of modern astronomy and space travel? The Holy Spirit told him. The scientists of Isaiah’s day didn’t know the topography of the earth, but Isaiah said, “It is [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). The word for “circle” here means a globe or sphere. How did Isaiah know that God says upon the circle of the earth? By divine inspiration.
Secondly, the Bible is affirmed through historical accuracy. Do you remember the story about the handwriting on the wall that is found in the fifth chapter of Daniel? Belshazzar hosted a feast with a thousand of his lords and ladies. Suddenly, a gruesome hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on a wall. The king was disturbed and asked for someone to interpret the writing. Daniel was found and gave the interpretation. After the interpretation, “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.” (Daniel 5:29). Basing their opinion on Babylonian records, the historians claim this never happened. According to the records, the last king of Babylon was not Belshazzar, but a man named Nabonidas. And so, they said, the Bible is in error. There wasn’t a record of a king named Belshazzar. Well, the spades of archeologists continued to do their work. In 1853, an inscription was found on a cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas, to the god Ur, which read: “May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And may reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born favorite son.” From other inscriptions, it was learned that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents. Nabonidas traveled while Belshazzar stayed home to run the kingdom. Now that we know that Belshazzar and Nabonidas were co-regents, it makes sense that Belshazzar would say that Daniel would be the third ruler. What a marvelous nugget of truth tucked away in the Word of God!
Third, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reads as one book. And there is incredible unity to the Bible. The Bible is one book, and yet it is made up of 66 books, was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of about 1600 years, in 13 different countries and on three different continents. It was written in at least three different languages by people in all professions. The Bible forms one beautiful temple of truth that does not contradict itself theologically, morally, ethically, doctrinally, scientifically, historically, or in any other way.
Fourth, did you know the Bible is the only book in the world that has accurate prophecy? When you read the prophecies of the Bible, you simply have to stand back in awe. There are over 300 precise prophecies that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. To say that these are fulfilled by chance is an astronomical impossibility.
Finally, the Bible is not a book for the times, but the Book of the ages. First Peter 1:25 says: “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” No book has ever had as much opposition as the Bible. Men have laughed at it, scorned it, burned it, ridiculed it, and made laws against it. But the Word of God has survived. And it is applicable today as much as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom. Yet so wonderfully shallow that a little child could come and get a drink of water without fear of drowning. That is God’s precious, holy Word. The Word of God. Know it. Believe it. It is True.
By Adrian Rogers. © 2006 Love Worth Finding Ministries. Website. www.lwf.org.
Dr. Adrian Rogers, preacher/teacher of Love Worth Finding Ministries, and one of America’s most respected Bible teachers. Under his 32 years of pastoral leadership, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN, grew from 9,000 members in 1972 to more than 29,000.
Most important to Dr. Rogers have been the tens and thousands of believers who have had their faith strengthened and thousands of others who have for the first time entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dr. Rogers passed away on November 15, 2005.
How Do We Know the Bible Is the Word of God?
Why the Bible Is So Special – Question 14
In both testaments, the Bible claims to be God’s communication to humanity; the only divine revelation from the one true God. But is this claim true? How do we know the Bible is what it claims to be—the Word of God?
There Are Two Basic Approaches to This Question
There are two different approaches that are taken when it comes to arguing for the Bible being the Word of God. First, there are those who believe that the Scripture is self-authenticating. The Bible is true because it says it is true, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to this truth. No other argument is necessary.
A second approach believes that the claims of Scripture have sufficient evidence to back them up. Those who hold this view believe there is overwhelming evidence to convince anyone that the Bible is what it claims to be—the Word of God. People, therefore, need to check out the evidence; not merely blindly believe the claims of Scripture.
We can summarize the two approaches as follows:
Approach 1: the Bible Is Self-Authenticating
To many people, the issue of the Bible’s authority is something that should not be debated. The authority of the Bible must be believed because the Scripture says so. This is usually argued in the following ways:
1. The Bible Claims to Be God’s Word: No Other Testimony Is Necessary
The Bible should be allowed to speak for itself. It clearly claims to be God’s Word. It doesn’t need defending. If we attempt to defend the Bible, then we are placing some other standard as the ultimate judge. Whether it is scientific or historical accuracy, human reasoning or some other standard, what we are doing is placing Scripture under that standard. What Scripture says should be our ultimate standard and everything should be judged by its claims; it should be judged by no one.
There is something else. The problem with providing evidence for the Bible is that human beings are both sinful and finite. They must still evaluate any evidence offered for the truthfulness of the Christian faith. Again, it places some sort of human standard as the final authority. Evidence gathered from other sources may be useful, but it has nothing convincing to say about the truth of Christianity.
2. The Bible Should Be Able to Testify on Its Own Behalf
In a court of law, people have a right to testify on their own behalf. Since the Bible is the Word of God, the Author, God, should be allowed to testify to what sort of Book the Bible is. This is particularly true because the Bible says that God cannot lie. His testimony should be received as final.
3. The Witness of the Holy Spirit Demonstrates the Truthfulness of Scripture
However, the Bible does more than merely claim to be God’s Word. The witness of the Spirit shows the reader that the Bible is the Word of God. When the truths of the Bible are personally applied, the credibility of the Bible is demonstrated. Paul wrote:
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. (2 Corinthians 3:2 NRSV)
Paul said that people would see the truths of the Word of God at work in the lives of God’s people. This was its testimony. When the truths are lived out in one’s life, we find that they work.
As people read the Bible, they find the Holy Spirit giving confirmation that what they are reading is God’s Word. Therefore, we not only have the claim of Scripture, we also have the witness of the Holy Spirit that the things written in Scripture are true.
Objection: This Is Arguing in a Circle: Assuming What You Should Be Proving
Those who criticize this approach say that it is circular reasoning—it is assuming what it should be proving. Quoting the Bible to prove the Bible does not prove anything. Why should the claims of the Bible be believed? There are many religious books that claim to convey truth. In addition, adherents can be found who will testify as to the power of the truths in these books to change their lives. How can anyone know which claims, if any of them, are right and which claims are wrong? Religious experience alone is not a valid test. Something else is needed.
Approach 2: Examine the Evidence That God Has Given
A second approach to the truth of the Bible’s claims is to examine the evidence about the truthfulness of Christianity. The Bible’s claim to authority is not in and of itself proof of its divine authority. Arguing that the claims of the Bible are more persuasive than the claims of all other religious writings does not always work in real life. There will be those who are not convinced of the Bible’s claims. What should we do with these people? Should they be ignored?
There Are Three Lines of Evidence for the Truth of Jesus’ Claims: Miracles, Fulfilled Prophecy and His Resurrection
The Bible never argues for the existence of God ? it takes this for granted. But the New Testament does argue about the truth of the claims of Jesus through three lines of evidence. The evidence consists of miracles, fulfilled prophecy and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. When the evidence is considered, the verdict becomes clear that Jesus is whom He claimed to be.
We Should Do What Jesus’ Followers Did: Emphasize These Three Areas of Evidence
There is another important point to make. Because the claims of Scripture, on their own, do not constitute any type of convincing proof, we should argue the same way in which Jesus’ disciples argued. They presented compelling proof to the people that Jesus was the Christ.
For example, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter stated the following evidence to the large crowd that had gathered:
You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know—this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ (Acts 2:22-28 NRSV)
In this one passage, we find Peter appealing to these three different lines of evidence. First, he spoke of the miracles of Jesus Christ; it was something that all the crowd was aware of. He also testified to the fact that Jesus came back from the dead; something to which Peter and the other disciples were witnesses. Finally, Peter said that Jesus’ resurrection was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Therefore, he appealed to miracles, Jesus’ resurrection and fulfilled prophecy.
We also find that the Apostle Paul reasoned with unbelievers from the Scriptures. In the Book of Acts, we read the following:
Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” (Acts 17:2-3 NKJV)
Since this is the way that the New Testament believers reasoned with unbelievers about the claims of Christ, we should do the same when it comes to the authority of the Bible. Therefore, we should not limit ourselves to merely citing the Bible to prove the Bible.
Ultimately, We Must Taste and See for Ourselves
A person can know the Bible is God’s Word by first examining the claims of Scripture, considering the evidence for those claims and then personally accepting the challenge of Scripture to “taste and see” if these things are true. The psalmist gave the following challenge:
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)
The New Revised Standard Version says:
O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8 NRSV)
Ultimately, a person must individually experience the truth of God’s Word for themselves. This occurs by coming to God in faith and then believing in His promises.
Summary – Question 14
How Do We Know the Bible Is the Word of God?
While the Bible claims to be the authoritative Word of God, there have been two basic approaches as to how anyone can know these claims are true. One approach believes that the Bible should be taken at its Word and not defended. The Holy Spirit will show the truth of its claim to anyone who is interested in knowing. Nothing else is necessary. This way the Bible is not made subject to any other type of authority.
On the other hand, there are those who point to evidences that God has provided to argue for the truth of Scripture. These include miracles, fulfilled prophecy and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Taken together, they constitute overwhelming evidence for the truth of God’s Word. Christians employ both methods in defending and proclaiming Scripture.
However, merely knowing intellectually that the Bible is God’s Word is not enough. The Bible says that we need to personally experience the God of the Bible by believing in His promises and submitting to His commands.
Christians claim the Bible is God’s Word. That means that they believe the Bible is a verbal revelation from God that makes it unique from every other book. But how can such a claim be verified?
First, we would expect certain things to be true about a book from God. Such characteristics might also be true about humanly-authored books, but we would expect that, at the very least, they would be true about God’s book. Such characteristics would include the following:
- It would claim to be God’s Word.
- It would be historically accurate when it speaks on historical matters.
- Its authors would be trustworthy.
- It would be thematically unified and without contradictions.
- We would have received accurate copies of the original manuscripts.
Second, because God is unique, His book would bear characteristics that could be true of it alone. Such characteristics would distinguish God’s book from all other books in such a way that it could not be counterfeited. These characteristics would include the following:
- It would make statements that would reveal knowledge about the way things work beyond the knowledge of its day.
- It would make predictions about the future that could not be known through natural means.
- The message would be unique.
- The messengers would be confirmed by miracles.
- The words would have a transforming power.
Now let’s look at the characteristics listed to see if they are true about the Bible.
Characteristics That Must Be True of God’s Word, But Could Also Be True of a Human Book
1. The Bible Claims to Be God’s Word
- The Authors Claimed to Speak God’s Words Much of the Bible was written by prophets of God. The prophet was someone who was to say exactly what God told him to say, no more and no less. Jeremiah was commanded:
“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the LORD’s house and speak to all the people…Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word” (Jer. 26:2). The prophet was to speak “everything the LORD had said” (Ex. 4:30).
Throughout the Scriptures, moreover, the authors, whether they were called prophets or not, claimed to be under the direction of the Holy Spirit: “Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21; cf., 2 Sam. 23:2; Matt. 22:43).
- The Bible Claims to Be “Breathed Out” By God Writing about the entire Old Testament, the apostle Paul declared: “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16; emphasis added). Jesus described the Scriptures as the very “word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; emphasis added).
C. The New Testament Was Seen As Being Revealed Scripture As Well
When the New Testament authors used the word “Scripture” they usually had the Old Testament in mind, since the New Testament was still in the process of being written. Nevertheless, they were also well aware that Jesus had told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would continue the process of inspiring new Scripture (John 14:26; 16:13). Paul, for example, understood that his writings were “words taught by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:13; see also Gal. 1:11-12; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 3:15-16), and he taught that God was continuing the process of revelation in others as well (Eph. 3:4-5).
1
- What the Bible Says, God Says, and Vice Versa Another way the Bible claims to be the Word of God is expressed in the formula, “What God says, the Bible says.” This is manifested in the fact that often an Old Testament passage will claim God said it, yet when this same text is cited in the New Testament it asserts that “the Scriptures” said it. The reverse is true as well: What the Bible says, God says. The chart below cites only two of many examples.
| What God Says… | The Bible Says. |
| “The LORD said to Abram, ‘…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’” (Genesis 12:1, 3). | “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (Galatians 3:8). |
| What the Bible Says… | God Says. |
| “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalms 2:1, written by David). | “You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?’” (Acts 4:25). |
- The Biblical Writers Claim “Thus Said the Lord” Phrases like “thus says the Lord” (Isa. 1:11,18; Jer. 2:3,5; etc.), “God said” (Gen. 1:3,6; etc.), “the Word of the Lord came to me” (Jer. 34:1; Eze. 30:1; etc.) and other similar phrases occur hundreds of times in the Old Testament. Their significance is that the writer is claiming to be giving the very Word of God.
The Bible is also spoken of as being “the Word of God.” For example, Jesus told the Jews of His day: “Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matt. 15:6, emphasis added). Paul speaks of the Jews as having “been entrusted with the very words of God” (Rom. 3:2, emphasis added; see also Heb. 4:12).
F. The Bible Claims to Have Divine Authority in All Its Parts
The Bible claims to be divinely authoritative with respect to all that is written within it (2 Tim. 3:16). That includes its very words (Matt. 22:43; 1 Cor. 2:13; Gal. 3:16), the tenses of the verbs (Matt. 22:32; Jesus draws significance from the present tense of ‘I am’) and even to the smallest parts of the words (Matt. 5:17, 18). Even though the Bible was not verbally dictated by God to the authors, nevertheless, the result is just as perfect as if it had been. For the biblical authors claimed that God is the source of the very words of Scripture, since He supernaturally superintended the process by which they wrote but still used their own vocabulary and style: “but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
G. Christ Testified That the Bible Is from God Jesus had an extremely high view of Scripture. For example,
- He said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
- He said that the Bible is imperishable (Matt. 5:17-18).
- He asserted that the Bible cannot be broken, or fail in its purpose (John 10:35).
- He affirmed the ultimate supremacy of the authority of the Bible over human tradition (Matt. 15:3,6).
- He considered the Bible to be without error (Matt. 22:29; John 17:17).
- He considered the Bible to be historically reliable (Matt. 12:40; 24:37-38).
2. The Bible Is Historically Accurate
The Bible is not merely a book containing theological teachings that are unrelated to history, but the theological statements of Scripture are closely linked to historical events. For example, Paul maintained that if Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead was not an historical fact, then our faith is futile (1 Cor. 15:17). Scriptural characters, like Paul, were not a group of gullible religious people who were ready to believe anything that came along.
The history given in the Bible has been confirmed by archaeology to a remarkable degree. Noted archaeologist,
Nelson Glueck, states,
It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible.
Glueck, 31, emphasis added
Archaeologist Millar Burrows notes that “more than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine” (Burrows, 1, emphasis added).
William Ramsay is one such example of an archaeologist who went from believing that the Bible contained fabricated myths to believing that the Bible was not only accurate historically but that it was the Word of God.
Earlier in his life Ramsay had been influenced by a liberal theology, which taught that the writers of the Bible were more interested in promoting a biased theological perspective than in accurately recording history. In the course of his studies, however, Ramsay was surprised to find extensive archaeological evidence for the accuracy of the biblical narratives. One thing that impressed Ramsay about Luke, the writer of Acts, was his accuracy with respect to ostensibly insignificant details. For example, Luke accurately names the rulers of Thessalonica “politrarchs,” Gallio the “Proconsul of Achaea,” the official in Ephesus a “temple warden,” the governor of Cyprus a “proconsul” and the chief official in Malta “the first man of the island.” Such titles have since been confirmed in numerous Greek and Latin inscriptions.
What Ramsay began to realize was that the Bible was not mythical, but that it was a document that recorded history with extreme accuracy. He wrote, “Luke is an historian of the first rank” (Wilson, 114). And if the Bible was accurate in its historical details, then he considered there to be a good chance that the biblical authors could be trusted to accurately relate the spiritual significance of the historical events as well.
3. The Trustworthiness of the Biblical Authors
As we saw in point 1, the biblical authors claimed to be receiving their messages from God. Now, if the biblical writers were known perjurers, there would be no reason to accept their claim. But they were honest men of integrity, which lends support to the credibility of their claim of having been inspired by God. Their honesty and integrity is evident by the following things.
First, they taught the highest standard of ethics, including the obligation to always tell the truth: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25; see also Ex. 20:16; Ps. 15:2; Rev. 22:15).
Second, the writers of the Bible paid a high price for their truthfulness. For example, Peter and the eleven apostles (Acts 5), as well as Paul (Acts 28), were all imprisoned. Most were eventually martyred for their witness for Christ (2 Timothy 4:6-8; 2 Peter 1:14). Indeed, being “faithful, even to the point of death” was an earmark of early Christian conviction (Revelation 2:10).
People sometimes die for what they believe to be true and isn’t. But few are willing to die for what they know to be false. Yet the biblical witnesses died for the truth they proclaimed, believing that their message had come from God. While not being proof, such evidence is an indication that the Bible is what the biblical writers claimed it to be—the Word of God.
4. The Testimony of the Amazing Unity of the Bible The Bible is amazing in its unity amid vast diversity. Even though the Bible was composed by many persons of diverse backgrounds and different time periods, nevertheless it manifests a unity that would indicate there was one Mind behind its writing.
Consider the diversity of the Bible. The Bible:
- was written over a period of some fifteen hundred years or more (from at least 1400 B.C. to nearly A.D.100), • is composed of 66 different books,
- was written by some 40 different authors,
- was composed in three languages—Hebrew, Greek, and some Aramaic,
- contains discussions on hundreds of different topics,
- was written in a variety of different literary styles, including historical, poetic, didactic, parabolic, allegorical, apocalyptic, and epic,
- was composed by authors of many different occupations.
Yet in spite of all this vast diversity, the Bible reveals an amazing unity. First, it is one, continuous unfolding drama of redemption from Genesis to Revelation; from paradise lost to paradise regained; from the creation of all things to the consummation of all things (Sauer, The Dawn of World Redemption and The Triumph of the Crucified).
Second, the Bible has one central theme—the Person of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27). In the Old Testament, Christ is seen by way of anticipation; in the New Testament by way of realization. In the Old Testament He is predicted, and in the New Testament He is present (Matt. 5:17-18). The Old Testament expectation of Christ came to a historical realization in the New Testament.
Third, from beginning to end the Bible has one unified message: humanity’s problem is sin (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 3:23), and the solution is salvation through Christ (Luke 19:10; Mark 10:45).
Such incredible unity amidst such great diversity is best accounted for by a God who stands outside time and history and who was therefore able to direct the writing of the Bible. The very same Mind that the writers of Scripture claimed to have inspired them also appears to have superintended them, weaving each of their pieces into one overall mosaic of truth.
To highlight the incredible unity of the Bible by way of contrast, suppose that a book containing family medical advice was composed by 40 doctors over 1500 years, in different languages, on hundreds of different medical topics, etc. What kind of unity would it have, even if all the succeeding authors knew what the preceding ones had written? One chapter would say all disease is caused by demons that need to be exorcised. Another would claim that disease is in the blood, which needs to be drained out. Still another would claim disease is psychosomatic—mind over matter. Such a book would lack unity, continuity, and no one would seriously consider it a definitive source to answer what is the cause and cure of disease.
Yet the Bible, with even greater diversity in the topics addressed, is the world’s perennial best seller and is sought by multiplied millions as the solution to humanity’s spiritual problems. It alone, of all books known to humankind, needs the Deity to account for its amazing unity in the midst of such diversity.
5. The Documents We Possess Are Accurate Copies of the Originals
In 1948, Bedouin shepherds discovered Old Testament manuscripts in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea. These manuscripts had been hidden for 2,000 years. They serve as a control by which to gauge the accuracy of the manuscripts that had been copied during the time that they were hidden in the caves.
What did the scholars find when they compared the Qumran manuscripts with the present-day copies? Millar Burrows, who wrote a book on the Dead Sea Scrolls, said,
It is a matter of wonder that through something like a thousand years the text underwent so little alteration.
Geisler, 1986, 366-367
Old Testament scholar Gleason Archer wrote concerning the two copies of the book of Isaiah found in the caves,
“[they] proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95% of the text. The 5% variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling” (Geisler, 1986, 367).
Thus, we can say with assurance that those who copied the text of the books of the Old Testament did so with great care.
What about the textual accuracy of the New Testament? The degree of accuracy of the New Testament exceeds 99%, which is greater than that of any other book from the ancient world (see Geisler, 1986, ch. 22). The reasons for this amazing accuracy are that, with respect to the Bible, the number of New Testament manuscripts that we have is greater than for other books from the ancient world, and the biblical manuscripts are much closer in time to the originals than those of other works from ancient times. Consider the chart below.
It must be clarified that Christians claim that God inspired, or “breathed out,” the text of the original manuscripts, not everything in the copies. The copies are without error only in so far as they were copied correctly. It is nevertheless true that the copies were copied with great care and a very high degree of accuracy. Christians believe that God in His providence preserved the copies from all substantial error.
There are, however, some minor copyist variants in the biblical manuscripts. It is important, though, to note of these copyist variants that:
- Such variants are relatively rare in the copied manuscripts;
- In most cases we know which one is wrong from the context or the parallel passages;
- In no case do the variants affect any doctrine of Scripture;
- The variants actually vouch for the accuracy of the copying process, since the scribes who copied them knew there were variants in the manuscripts, still they were duty-bound to copy what the text said;
- The variants don’t affect the message of the Bible.
In fact, one must make a distinction between the text and its message, for one can receive a text with variants and still receive 100% of the message. For example, suppose you receive a message from Western Union as follows:
#ou have won seven million dollars.
No doubt you would gladly pick up your money. And if the telegram read this way, then you would have no doubt at all about its message:
Y#u have won seven million dollars.
Yo# have won seven million dollars.
You #ave won seven million dollars.
Why are we more sure of the message when there are more variants? Because each variant is in a different place, and with each new line we get another confirmation of every other letter in the original message.
Three things are important to note:
- Even with one line—variant and all—100 percent of the message comes through.
- The more lines, the more variants. But the more variants, the more sure we are of what the intended message really was.
- There are hundreds of times more biblical manuscripts than there are lines in the above example. And there is a greater percentage of variants in this telegram than in all the biblical manuscripts combined.
Characteristics That Could Be
True Only of God’s Word
1. Scientific Knowledge Before Its Time
One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it makes scientifically accurate statements about the body, the earth, and the heavens that predate their discoveries by usually 2,0003,000 years. Moreover, such scientific statements were made in the midst of cultures that were largely superstitious and not scientific in their approach.
A. The Body
In the 1840s, there was a one in six rate of a pregnant woman dying from “childbirth fever” after entering a particular hospital in Vienna, Austria. Ignaz Semmelweis, one of the doctors, noticed that their deaths were not random, but that the patients had been examined by doctors who had just autopsied victims of “childbirth fever.” So Dr. Semmelweis implemented a policy that all doctors must wash their hands after doing autopsies. As a result, the mortality rate among pregnant women dropped dramatically to one in eighty-four. But instead of Dr. Semmelweis receiving accolades, the other doctors failed to see the connection, and considered the constant washing of hands to be a bother. Dr. Semmelweis was ostracized and eventually left Vienna to practice medicine in Budapest, where the same story repeated itself (Cairney, “Prescience 2,” 137-142).
What is significant about Dr. Semmelweis’s story is that the cleanliness laws set down by God through Moses predated by 3,500 years the principles of washing to prevent the spread of disease. Moses wrote:
“For the unclean person [someone who has touched a dead person or animal], put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them…. The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean” (Num. 19:17,19).
Such a statement assumes a knowledge about how that which is unseen to the naked eye—germs and bacteria—are responsible for spreading disease. But such knowledge was not discovered until the 1800s! Moreover, washing was not a common practice in the surrounding cultures at the time of Moses (Cairney, “Prescience 2,” 129).
B. The Earth
The following are physical phenomena mentioned in the Bible that not only went against the wisdom of the surrounding cultures at the time but that also predate the earliest scientific discoveries of such phenomena by usually 2,000-3,000 years:
- The ocean floor contains deep valleys (2 Sam. 22:16; Job 38:16; Ps. 18:15) and towering mountains (Jonah 2:6). The ancients thought the ocean floor was “flat, sandy, and bowl-like” (Barfield, 170).
- The ocean contains underwater springs (see Gen. 7:11; Job 38:16; Prov. 8:28). The other civilizations believed the ocean was fed only by rain and rivers (Barfield, 171).
- Moses wrote, “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused” (Ex. 23:10). Allowing the ground to lie fallow every seventh year was not a custom in the nonbiblical cultures. It is a practice, however, that scientists have since discovered was way ahead of its time (Cairney, “Prescience 1,” 134).
C. The Heavens
One of the amazing things about the Bible, when it comes to statements about the heavens, is the errors that the biblical writers did not make, even though such errors were common beliefs in the surrounding cultures. The biblical writers…
- Did not consider the stars to be near us and fixed in their positions. Genesis 1:8, 14-17 speaks of the heavens as an “expanse,” which literally means “spreading out.” Jeremiah implies that the heavens cannot be measured (31:37; Barfield, 102).
- Did not consider the heavens to have existed from eternity, but taught that they had a beginning (Gen. 1:1).
The biblical statements about the heavens are common assumptions today, but they were anything but common in the days when the books of the Bible were penned.
2. The Supernatural Predictions of the Biblical Prophets
Unlike any other book in the world, the Bible is the only one to offer specific predictions hundreds of years in advance that were literally fulfilled. In some cases very different prophecies were made—and then fulfilled—about cities that were relatively close to each other. The following is only one of several possible examples.
A. Memphis and Thebes:
The prophet Ezekiel wrote in the sixth century B.C.:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis…I will…inflict punishment on Thebes. I will…cut off the hordes of Thebes”
Eze. 30:13-15
Both Memphis and Thebes were destroyed hundreds of years after Ezekiel’s prophecy. What is most significant, though, is that the idols were removed entirely from Memphis but they were not removed from Thebes, just as Ezekiel had predicted. (Bloom, 179-181).
B. The Coming Of Christ
Many of the Bible’s predictions center around the coming of Christ. Consider the following predictions, made centuries in advance, that said the Messiah would:
- be from the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18; cf., Matt.
1:1; Gal. 3:16),
- be of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; cf., Luke 3:33; Heb.
7:14),
- be of the house of David (2 Sam. 7:12f; cf., Matt. 1:1),
- be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; cf., Matt. 1:21f),
- be born in the city of Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2; cf., Matt. 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7),
- be anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2; cf., Matt. 3:16-17),
- perform miracles (Isa. 35:5-6; cf., Matt. 9:35),
- be rejected by the Jews (Ps. 118:22; cf., 1 Peter 2:7),
- die a humiliating death (Ps. 22; Isa. 53:3; cf., Luke 9:22) at about 33 A.D. (Dan. 9:24f),
- be rejected by His own people (Isa. 53:3; cf., John 1:10-11;
7:5, 48),
- be silenced before His accusers (Isa. 53:7; cf., Matt. 27:12-19),
- be mocked (Ps. 22:7-8; cf., Matt. 27:31),
- be pierced in His hands and feet (Ps. 22:16; cf., John 20:25),
- be put to death with thieves (Isa. 53:12; cf., Luke 23:33),
- pray for His persecutors (Isa. 53:12; cf., Luke 23:34),
- be pierced in His side (Zech. 12:10; cf., John 19:34),
- be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isa.53:9; cf., Matt. 27:5760),
- have people casting lots for His garments (Ps. 22:18; cf., John 19:23-24)
- rise from the dead (Ps. 16:10; cf., Acts 2:31; Mark 16:6).
Note several unique features about the biblical prophecies, in contrast to all other examples of attempted predictions today. First, unlike many psychic predictions, many of these prophecies were very specific, giving, for example, the very name of the tribe, city, and time of Christ’s coming.
Second, unlike the forecasting found in the tabloids at the check-out counter, none of these predictions failed.
Third, since these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Christ was born, no one could have been reading the trends of the times or just made intelligent guesses.
Fourth, many of these predictions were beyond human ability to force a fulfillment. For example, as a mere human being, Christ had no control over when, where, or how He would be born, how He would die (considering others were responsible for His death), or rise from the dead.
The best explanation for the fulfillment of such predictions made hundreds of years earlier is the existence of a transcendent God who knows all things, including “the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10).
Skeptics sometimes claim equal authority for predictions from psychics. But there is a quantum leap between the fallible human prognosticators and the unerring prophets of Scripture. Indeed, one of the tests of the false prophets was whether their predictions came to pass (Deut. 18:22). Those whose predictions failed were killed by stoning (v. 20)—a practice that no doubt caused serious pause in any who were not absolutely sure their messages were from God! Amid hundreds of prophecies, biblical prophets are not known to have made a single error. By comparison, a study made of top psychics revealed that they were wrong 92% of the time (Kole, 69-70)! Jean Dixon, for example, predicted that Jacqueline Kennedy would not remarry, but she married Aristotle Onassis the next day (Kole, 70).
3. The Uniqueness of the Biblical Message
Romans 6:23 encapsulates the uniqueness of the biblical message: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A. Spiritual Death
The Christian Gospel begins with the message that the spiritual condition of humanity is hopeless in that humanity is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). In this, Christianity is unique.
Other religions acknowledge that there is something spiritually wrong with humanity, but they also hold out the hope that we are somehow fixable through some form of human effort. According to the Bible, however, we are not fixable through our own effort. Just as physically dead people can’t give life to themselves, so there is no way we who are spiritually dead can give life to ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9).
Our being spiritually dead, moreover, is related to God being absolutely holy. God will not allow sin in His presence: “with you the wicked cannot dwell” (Ps. 5:4). The problem is that “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23).
B. Eternal Life
Even though the news about humanity’s spiritual condition is terribly bad, God has given us tremendously good news. That good news is that we can have the assurance of eternal life. Such eternal life is not merely some continued existence after death on a spiritual plane, but it is fellowship with God Himself (John 17:3). No other religion promises to draw us as close to God as does the Gospel of Christ (Heb. 4:16). Such fellowship with God, moreover, can begin now.
Plus, no other religion can confirm the hope of eternal life like Christianity, because Jesus Christ is the only founder of a religion who has bodily risen from the dead.
C. A Gift
The Christian Gospel is also unique because the gift of eternal life is entirely free. A gift is not a gift if it is earned; it can only be received. The means by which to receive God’s gift is, first, to acknowledge our need for life, since our sin has caused our spiritual death; and, second, to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty of sin—death—on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
The offer of the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ is the core message of the Bible, and it sets the Bible apart from all other books in all of history.
4. The Miraculous Confirmation of the Biblical Witnesses
The biblical prophets claimed to receive their message from
God. Of course, as even the Bible admits, there are false prophets (Matt. 7:15). This is why the Bible exhorts us: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). One of the sure ways a true prophet can be distinguished from a false one is by miracles (Acts 2:22; Heb. 2:3-4). A miracle is an act of God, and God would not supernaturally confirm a false prophet to be a true one. When Moses was called of God, for example, he was given miracles to prove that he spoke for God (Ex. 4:1f).
Miracles were an earmark of Jesus’ ministry (Acts 2:22), as they were of other prophets and apostles (Heb. 2:3-4; 2 Cor. 12:12). When asked by John the Baptist if he was the Messiah, Jesus cited his miracles, such as making the blind to see, the lame to walk, the lepers to be healed, the deaf to hear, and the dead raised to life (Luke 7:20-22). Nicodemus, one of the Jewish religious leaders, acknowledged such miracles (John 3:2).
Miracles, then, are a divine confirmation of a prophet’s claim to be speaking for God. But of all the world’s religious leaders, only the Judeo-Christian prophets and apostles were supernaturally confirmed by genuine miracles of nature that could not possibly have been psychosomatic or trickery. For example, they turned water into wine (John 2), instantaneously cured organic sickness in people (John 5), multiplied the number of loaves of bread for a huge crowd (John 6), walked on water (John 6), immediately cured one who had been born blind (John 9), and raised the dead (John 11).
Significantly, even though Muhammad acknowledged how the prophets before him were confirmed by miraculous signs (Surahs 3:184; 17:103; 23:45), he refused to perform similar miracles when challenged by unbelievers (Surahs 2:118; 4:153; 6:8, 9, 37).
Only the Bible has been supernaturally confirmed to be the Word of God by special acts of God (see Geisler, 1994, chs. 8-9).
5. The Testimony of the Transforming Power of the Bible
The writer of the book of Hebrews declared,
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
There is indeed something “living and active” and “penetrating” about the Bible that is different from any other book. The Bible rings with the chords of truth, and it speaks to the hearts of men and women. It has changed the lives of millions of people. Of course, whether or not the Bible speaks to one’s heart is a personal matter, but that does not make it any less significant.
Our challenge to you is, if you have not read the Bible, try it. A good place to begin is with the book of John, which is in the New Testament portion of the Bible. The book of John was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ …and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
Conclusion
We have seen that the Bible has met the criteria that supports its claim for being the Word of God. With respect to the criteria that could also be said about a humanly-authored book, the Bible claims to be the Word of God, it is historically accurate, its authors were trustworthy, it is unified amidst an amazing diversity, and accurate copies of the original manuscripts have been passed down to us. With respect to the criteria that could be said only of God’s Book, the Bible contains scientific statements that predate their discoveries by 2,000-3,000 years, it made predictions that were fulfilled hundreds of years later, its message is unique, its messengers were confirmed by miracles, and the words have a transforming power.
There is no other book like the Bible!
Bibliography and Resources
Archer, Gleason L., Jr. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1982).
Barfield, Kenny. Why the Bible Is Number 1. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker, 1988).
Bloom, John. “Truth Via Prophecy.” Evidence for Faith. John W. Montgomery (ed.). (Dallas, Tex: Word, 1991).
Burrows, Millar. What Mean These Stones? (New Haven, Conn.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1941).
Cairney, William. “Biomedical Prescience 1: Hebrew Dietary Laws.” Evidence for Faith. John W. Montgomery (ed.). (Dallas, Tex: Word, 1991).
Cairney, William. “Biomedical Prescience 2: Pride &
Prejudice in Science.” Evidence for Faith. John W. Montgomery (ed.). (Dallas, Tex.: Word, 1991).
Geisler, Norman L. Answering Islam: The Crescent in the Light of the Cross. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1994).
Geisler, Norman L. and Nix, William E. General Introduction to the Bible: Revised and Expanded. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986).
Geisler, Norman L., ed. Inerrancy. (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 1980).
Glueck, Nelson. Rivers in the Desert: A History of the Negev. (New York: Farrar, Strauss & Cudahy, 1959).
Kole, Andre. Miracle and Magic. (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1984).
McMillen, S.I. None of These Diseases. (Old Tappan, N.J.: Revell, 1961).
Ramsay, W.M. St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.
(3rd ed.) (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1949).
Sauer, Erich. The Dawn of World Redemption. (G.H. Land, trans.) (London: Paternoster, 1951).
Sauer, Erich. The Triumph of the Crucified. (G.H. Land, trans.) (London: Paternoster, 1951).
Sherwin-White, A.N. Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1963).
Warfield, Benjamin B. Limited Inspiration. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., 1961; originally published in 1864, Baker reprint, n.d.).
Warfield, Benjamin B. The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1948).
Wilson, Clifford. Rocks, Relics, and Biblical Reliability. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1977).
Scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the
Holy Bible, New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Written by Dr. Norman L. Geisler, the author/co-author of A General Introduction to the Bible (Moody, 1978, 1986), From God to Us: How we got our Bible (Moody, 1978, 2012), The Big Book of Bible Difficulties (Baker, 2008), Explaining Biblical Inerrancy: The Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy, Hermeneutics, and Application with Official ICBI Commentary (Bastion Books, 2013), Preserving Orthodoxy: Maintaining Continuity with the Historic Christian Faith on Scripture (Bastion Books, 2017) and dozens of other books.
The Bible is not the WORD but testifies of Him. The Bible contains words of God but it is not the Word.
The question is; what is the Bible and what is the Word?
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a book written by men inspired by God.
2Tim 3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God
In Greek, Bible is called ‘βιβλίον’ (vívlos). Remember that the first full compilation of the Bible was in Greek.
The word βιβλίον itself has the literal meaning of ‘paper’ or ‘scroll’ and came to be used as the ordinary word for ‘book’.
Therefore, the Bible is a book, a scroll, or a paper containing words inspired by God. But is the Bible the Word?
In the Bible we have ‘word’ (small lettered) and ‘Word’ (capitalized)
Small lettered ‘word’ in the Bible carries the meaning found in our worldly dictionaries – as a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.
The capitalized ‘Word’ or ‘WORD’ as written in the Bible carries a different meaning not as found in the world
What is the Word?
‘Word’ is a person.
John 1:1-3, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him nothing was made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
Word is Jesus Christ.
See what the gospel is
When the Bible uses small lettered ‘word’ which can be pluralized to ‘words’ you must understand the word being talked of and when it uses ‘Word’ or ‘WORD’ which cannot be pluralized, you must know it is Jesus Christ.
In the same manner the Bible uses small lettered ‘lord’ and capitalized ‘Lord’ or ‘LORD’.
Small lettered ‘lord’ means a master/ruler but capitalized ‘Lord’ or ‘LORD’ is Jesus Christ.
The question is; is the Bible the Word?
Bible is a paper, a book, a scroll while the ‘Word’ is Jesus Christ (God). Word is a person while bible is a paper, book or scroll.
Bible is dead, not living but the ‘Word’ Jesus Christ is living not dead
Word is a person not a paper/book. Word is Jesus Christ. Word is God – a book is not God.
There are many proves that the Bible is not the Word – it is not Jesus Christ.
1. Word was in the beginning while Bible was not in the beginning
Jesus who is the Word was in the beginning.
John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word
Bible was not in the beginning. It is Moses who wrote the first books of the Bible and the first full compilation of the Bible came in 332 AD.
Adam never saw a book called the Bible, neither Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the children of Israel, the Old Testament prophets, etc, but they had the Word.
The word of God come to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, etc – it is not the bible which came to them but the word of God. Word of God is Jesus not the Bible.
2. Bible was not with God in the beginning but the Word (Jesus) was
Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning with God
John 1:1 … and the Word was with God
Bible was not in the beginning with God – Bible came in 332 AD
The Word was before the Bible was
3. Bible is not God but Jesus is God
Jesus, the Word, is God
John 1:1 …and the Word was God
Bible is not God.
4. Jesus created and creates, the Bible creates not
Jesus created and creates everything
John 3:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him nothing was made that was made
Bible created and creates nothing
5. Word become flesh, Bible did not become flesh
Word, Jesus, became flesh
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us
Bible did not become flesh
6. Bible lacks life, Jesus is life
Jesus said to the Pharisees,
John 5:39: You search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and these are they which testify of Me
Life is in Jesus Christ not the Bible (scriptures)
John 1:4: In Him was life; and the life was the light of men
John 14:6: Jesus said unto Him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me
Bible is lifeless – lacks life
Pray and ask God for more proves why the Bible is not the Word.
Bible is a book, paper, scroll, scripture which only testifies of Jesus Christ, itself not being Jesus Christ.
John 5:39: You search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and these are they which testify of Me
What are the outcomes of making bible the Word?
Outcomes of Making Bible the Word
1. Bible becomes a god to you
Bible can be a god to you – many people have made the Bible their god. There is a very big difference between Bible and Jesus Christ.
Making bible your god leads to worship of a book called bible. It is idolatry.
The god of theology is the Bible. Without the Bible, theology dies – exists not. There is no Jesus Christ in theology.
2. Deny Jesus
When Bible becomes your god, you will definitely deny Jesus Christ though claiming to accept Him. Like the Pharisees, they accepted the scripture but denied Jesus.
3. Lack power
Bible does not have power – the power is in Jesus Christ.
When bible becomes your god, you deny Jesus, the power. These leads to having a form of godliness.
2 Tim 3:5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power
For this reason, people read the bible, study, cram, memorize, quote it but it does not change their minds and hearts.
The kingdom of God is not in word but in power
1 Cor 4:20: For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power
It is for this reason scoffers can quote the Bible and nothing happens because they have the scripture but not power (Jesus Christ)
But when a true servant with Jesus Christ quotes the Bible, the power of the gospel is revealed. See what the gospel is
4. Lack life
People study the bible thinking in it they will have life. The Bible itself is dead; consists of dead paper (tree) and ink – how can you have life on what is dead?
John 5:39: You search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and these are they which testify of Me
It is for these reason people study the Bible thinking they will have life in it but it does not change their minds and hearts only making them have a form of godliness – hypocrisy.
The scripture (words in the Bible) take a life form only when Jesus Christ is present – only when power is present.
Jesus is present only when He is dwelling in you – it is when you can read the Bible and the words in the Bible take life; become living. Jesus lives is us when He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. See baptism of the Holy Spirit
You can use that bible to cast out demons, but when the power (Jesus) is not in you, no demon will come out but instead they will attach you.
Satan is not afraid of the scripture but afraid of scripture/word accompanied by power
If the scripture is quoted by a human with power (Jesus) dwelling in him/her, the word is powerful able to create and destroy. But if the scripture is quoted by a powerless human who does not have Jesus dwelling in him/her, the words s/he speaks are dead.
Look at your scoffers in their buildings and kingdoms called ‘the church’ – they have scripture but not Jesus (power).
5. Do not understand the Bible
When you do not have Jesus Christ dwelling in you, the scripture to you is dead – no matter how you study and cram it, you will never understand it. But when Jesus Christ is dwelling in you, the scripture becomes life and Holy Spirit teaches you everything and you understand.
That scripture/words came from God and it is only Him who can help you understand them – came from Jesus and only Him can help you understand
Reason the world and religious people do not understand the Bible for they lack Jesus Christ in them – they do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.
See functions of the Holy Spirit
6. Make religion from the Bible
Because of people not understanding the Bible (Scripture) they end up with religion – making religion. They do not understand that everything in the Bible testifies of Jesus Christ, the bible itself not being Christ Jesus.
The bible points/leads you to Jesus Christ not to itself
The god of religion is scripture. The god of Christianity religion is the Bible – not Jesus Christ
7. Worshiping, serving a dead god
The Word was in the beginning, He spoke and His words were recorded in a book called the bible. This was in the past. Does it mean after He spoke (in the past) and His words got recorded in the Bible He stopped speaking?
No! Because Jesus Christ is living, He is speaking today the same way He spoke in the past – He is same yesterday today forever (Heb 13:8)
People who have bible as their god have shut out Jesus Christ voice today; they cannot hear Him speak. They stick to what He spoke in the past wanting not to hear what He is saying today. Their god spoke in the past and died – he does not speak today – be aware of them.
If your God is living, He is speaking now. If he is not speaking, your god is dead.
There are so many outcomes of making the bible your god – pray and ask Jesus to teach you more through the Holy Spirit.
Now you understand why the disciples chose to only listen and do what Jesus told them, not what is written. See how to walk with in the Spirit
The Bible is not the Word – bible only testifies of the Word; Jesus
The bible is a book, paper, scroll but the Word is a person Jesus Christ
Jesus was in the beginning while the Bible was not
The bible testifies of Jesus Christ and leads you to Him – it does not take the place of Jesus neither is it Jesus Christ.
Jesus is Coming
Repent Repent Repent
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand