In what basis do we believe the Bible? The God who created the world has told us emphatically, expressively, repeatedly that everything He wrote in His book is absolutely dependable, infallible, and inerrant. One of the many things that God tells us in the Bible is that the Bible is true, otherwise we could not be sure of anything that the Bible teaches. This is the foundation of doctrines of our faith as Christians, just as the foundation of doctrines of Israel before the Church was created. God has spoken and He did not lie but He has communicated the absolute truth which is guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ, every single part of the Bible is infallible and inspired because God has written it. In fact the Lord Jesus guaranteed also in advance all the New Testament Scriptures that would be written after His ascension to heaven. Sixty years after His ascension the Lord Jesus Christ said this word through His beloved apostle, John, in Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” He continued to speak to His people as He did to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The Lord Jesus Christ said that the New Testament, which is now called as new covenant which, is just as inspired as the old covenant. Therefore the Old Testament consists of 39 books and the New Testament consists of 27 books and thus there are 66 books which are infallible and inspired.
B. THE WRITING OF THE SCRIPUTRE IS GUARANTEED BY GOD
What does God say to guarantee us that whenever we teach and preach what this book says we are standing on holy ground? To answer this question we need to study not only what Jesus says about the Bible but also what the apostles of Him who have the authority of what they wrote and thus constituted the foundation of the church. Apart from this, we can know nothing for who Christ is and what he did. The apostles have the authority to what they wrote. We can not do but only the apostles because they are special.
1. According to the apostle Paul
a. 1 Corinthians
In 1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that freely given to us of God.” Paul was saying here that “we are not guessing, neither speculating but we know what we are saying to be true.” Furthermore in verse 13 says “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” In this verse we can see clearly the verbal inspiration of every word Paul wrote came not from human’s wisdom or opinion but from God Himself. That is why almost the end of his book in 1 Corinthians 14:37 as we recalled the problems of the Corinthians that some of them wanted to follow Paul, some to follow Apolos and some to follow Jesus Christ, Paul said his writing is the Word of God. Thus we read in 1 Corinthians 14:37-38 “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. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Although there were some who despised Paul and yet Paul says to the Corinthians that the final ultimate test is whether you are truly spiritually minded people or whether you are truly prophets from God, you will be measured according to the writings of Paul. This is to say that those who claim to possess the mind, the message of Christ they must recognize everything that Paul wrote is infallible (1 Cor. 14:37). If anyone says in this generation, everything that he writes is infallible; we need to be extremely careful that we do not fall to his trap.
b. 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:13 we read “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” The Thessalonians were not the same as the Corinthians which have so many problems with regard to the Word of God. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians the response was different from the Corinthians. The Thessalonians responded humbly and thankfully because they knew and believed what Paul had written to them was truly the Word of God that they must follow and obey.
c. 2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 3:6 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” This is the command and warning that Paul says to the Thessalonians that they may walk according to what they have received from Paul.
In this verse we notice one special Greek word used by Paul namely the word tradition “paradosis.” According to the context of this passage, the meaning of this word is that Paul was saying to the Thessalonians that everything you learn from God through us, you are infinitely responsible for because we came by God’s authority. This is to say that if anyone who resists following what Paul has said, the Thessalonians should take note of him. As He said in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” In other words, the person who disregarded, underestimated, ignored, and questioned the absolute authority of the apostle Paul in everything he wrote; he is a very dangerous person in the assembly of God’s people. Thus every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must be fully obedience to what the apostles have written because it is the word of God.
d. Galatians
Galatians 1:6-8 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” This chapter of Galatians is absolutely terrifying. One may say, “I do not believe that Paul wrote such letter. Was not he who wrote 1 Corinthians 13 about love? How could he write such word to Galatians? The answer is because Paul is writing the Word of God and what he writes is from God as we see in Galatians 1:11-12 “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” In other words Paul was saying here that if anyone who distorts the message I have taught you Galatians, he would answer to our mighty God and be under His judgement. This is to say that what Paul said is what Christ would have said. In fact Paul said, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). So what Paul writes is what Christ is writing through the Holy Spirit in His precious book and has infinite authority.
2. According to the apostle Peter
a. 2 Peter
In Galatians 2:11-14 we find that there was a conflict between Paul and Peter, because Peter who was once convinced that there is no different circumcision and uncircumcision in the Lord Jesus Christ. However when someone came from Jerusalem into their midst which was of the circumcisions, Peter withdrew and separated himself from those Gentile Christians in Antioch. For this attitude, Paul rebuked him publicly.
Although Paul rebuked Peter publicly, Paul has the heart to forgive and forget. On the other hand Peter also has done the same thing and even regarded the writings of Paul as truly from the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said in his epistle clearly in 2 Peter 3:14-16 “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” Peter was saying that Paul’s epistles were epistles from God whosoever distorted them will bring destruction to them. Therefore the epistles of Paul and Peter were the infallible and inspired by God.
3. According to Luke
a. Luke 1
As we see how the apostle Peter regarded the writing of Paul, now let us see how the apostle Paul regarded the writing of Luke. Luke was the only non-Jew who wrote the Scripture but in comparison Luke wrote more, than 13 books of Paul combined.
In 1 Timothy 5:18 “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” Where is this quotation from? The phrase “the labourer is worthy of his reward” is only found in Luke 10:7. Paul was saying that what Luke wrote in his gospel is the Scripture.
The word “grape” in Greek occurred 50 times in NT and every times it occurs it means “God saith.” Thus Paul was saying here that what Peter and Luke wrote are the Scriptures. On the other hand Peter was saying that what Paul wrote are Scriptures. And what Jesus said concerning the apostles’ writing are scriptures. Therefore what we have now is “A basic foundation for the authority of the New Testament of Scriptures.”
Then one may ask this question, how do we know that what the Bible teaches is infallible truth from God? Some said I agree that the Bible is the basic foundation but not every detail, individual concerning history, science, geographical is infallible and inspired. This is not correct. If anyone has this kind of understanding concerning the word of God, this is to say that he has the beginning of the enemy to undermine the foundation of the Word of God. If we are not sure for the details that found in the Bible are infallible, then there is no assurance for the general either. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:12 “if I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” If we can prove the Bible is erroneous in the thing that we can check upon, how do we know that the Bible is not erroneous in the things that we can not check upon such heavenly, hell, creation and eternity, regeneration and forgiveness of sins?
In Luke 1:3-4 “It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” Luke was saying, “I am not interested in communicating of one single error.” But we must remember that the Holy Spirit overruled and protected Luke from the writing of the error even he did not want to. The Bible said about this truth two thousands times from Genesis to Revelation namely “thus saith the Lord.” In Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie.” Titus 1:2 “God who can not lie.” Hebrew 6 “it is impossible for God to lie.” Thus everything that God said in the Holy Scripture is true and infallible.
C. IS IT RIGHT TO MAKE A BOUNDARY LINE TO DIFFERENTIATE THE WRITING OF MAN AND OF GOD?
1. God gave the absolute authority to His servant to write His word
What is the boundary line to differentiate the writing of man and of God? In the writing of Moses we can see some of the things that we need to know concerning the word of God and what we must do and what we must not do. Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Why is God so concerns about adding and taking from His word? Deuteronomy 4:8 “And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day.” God was saying because My Word is infinitely above any other so-called “word” and so-called “gods,” do not try to improve on my word neither revise, nor add to it, nor subtract from it, because it is perfect.
In Deuteronomy 12:32 Moses commanded the people of Israel to obey what all the things that he has given to them. Deuteronomy 12:32 “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it, thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” Furthermore Moses warned the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 13:1-3 “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Thus based on the Word of God in the book of Deuteronomy we may conclude that we must not make any boundary line to differentiate the word of the human writer from the divine writer. If anyone is doing so, he will be a false prophet. Only the false prophets and teachers dare to divide the Bible according to their wishes.
2. God did not accommodate human’s error in the writing of His Word
In the writing of God’s Word God did not accommodate human’s error in science or history recorded in His word because firstly, He is the Lord of human language. God knows how to talk, in fact He said to Mosses in Exodus 4:11 that He knows how to make people to communicate. That is why His Word is very impressive, just like Jesus who communicates absolute truth through human language. Secondly, since the Scripture is eternal, it would be forever witness to His use of error, if He ever accommodated human’s error anywhere in this book. The book of Psalms 119:89 says, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” This is to say that because the Word of the Lord is already settled in heaven, thus there is no need to differentiate the writings of men and of God, all the things we have is the final product of God’s revelation. Thirdly, if God indeed makes the erroneous idea as a means of speaking to us, He will be setting a false example for us when He told to put away false thought and to speak the truth as Ephesians 4:24 tells us. How can God tell us to speak nothing but the truth and yet He cooperated in human error in the only book that He ever wrote? Thus God never did such things in the writing of His Holy Word. Fourthly, the Word of God is inerrant. There are many people said that the purpose of the Bible is written is to tell us how to be saved and it is not telling us about the science and history. However, it is the fact the Bible was not written for this purpose only although this is one of the purposes. The Bible also is telling us about the angels, creation, and etc. The main purpose may be about salvation but there are hundreds of purposes are mentioned here. If we do not believe it as true how do we know salvation is true?
In Proverb 30:5-6 we find the statement after hundreds of years from Moses, saying “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” This passage tells us about the many commentaries today. We need to be careful about the footnotes on the study Bible. We should not take them as the Word of God because they are not inspired. Every word of God is tested from all eternity. He knew what exactly He says because what He has given in the Bible is His final revelation.
However though some books of the Bible contain the very difficult passages which cause people to ignore, underestimate, misinterpret and finally reject, we, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should study the Word diligently and carefully. The book of Revelation is one of the books contained many hard passages but we are commanded to study it in order to understand what it means. In Revelation 22:18-19 the Lord gave us the warning concerning His word that we must not add and nor take away what He has given in His Word. As He says “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” There is more than one way to reject the word of the Bible. For example, to ignore the meaning of some portions of Scripture is actually rejecting the Word of God. Many people in the university and Seminary have rejected the Word of God, the Bible. God knows what the people of this world have done to His word. Thus we may conclude that the Bible is exactly what God says what it was and it is exactly what God claims to be.
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