The Bible IS The Word Of God – scripturestudycenter.com

THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

     1) If God is real, how would He tell us?
     2) Why we should accept the Bible as the Word of God?
     3) What tangible proof confirms the Bible as the Word of God?

Let’s be absolutely clear: If the Bible is the Word of God, then He does not need us to endorse His words to support or confirm what He says. He is the master who created all things… including us and we should listen carefully to what He says! He declares what he wants in the Bible. Are we willing to pause and consider the words of the all-powerful Creator? We have free choice to accept or reject his word.

Remember: Of all the recorded words in the world, only the Bible begins with these words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth!” What human authority or entity could declare such a thing? Only God himself could reveal this.

When “God SAID: Let there be light” and there was light!” This is the spoken Word of God, and not just a declaration about him and what he had done. These are the actual words of God.

We see this confirmed in Psalm 33: 6 “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth….” v 9 goes on to say… 9 “For he (God) spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” There is no doubt that this passage confirms that God only had to speak for things to be done! Cannot find H5P content with id: 1.

If God is real, how would He tell us?

Have you ever thought of how God would let us know anything. The creator, the almighty God, how would he get his message across to mere mortal men? A great miracle? A vision, A voice that could be heard? And seen? How about write it down so that we can read it? If you’ve ever read the Bible, God has tried all of these methods, and then some.

Let’s remember that the Bible was written over centuries. Also, note that the Books of the Bible were written by regular, ordinary men. But what is unique is how these men came to write in thi way! As an example, consider Moses: he received two stone tablets on which were ten commandments inscribed by God himself (Exodus 20). However, in response to the godless actions of the Israelites, Moses smashed the stones on the ground! Yes, the very stones upon which God had scribed his word in ten commandments. Thankfully, God then offered to rewrite the words as we see in:

Exodus 34:1 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.”

We tend to look at this as interesting, but not dynamic. However, if we read on in the chapter, something unique happens. When Moses returns to the top of the mountain and stands in the presence of God to receive these new writings, v28 “And (Moses) was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; … v29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony … that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”

Moses had stood in the presence of the LORD to receive the written word of God, but after being in the presence of God, his face shone so unusually bright that it scared the people. This reflection of God’s glory is testimony to the people that Moses had stood in the presence of God himself to receive God’s words. The passage tells us that Moses spoke with God FACE TO FACE (Exodus 33:11)! The significance of this encounter should not be overlooked! God chose an ordinary man who initially felt inadequate to take on the responsibility of leading the nation, but ultimately is the one who has the most intimate encounter with God! Moses is attributed with writing the first five books of the Bible. In fact, it was to this ordinary man that God revealed his memorial name! (see Exodus 3:13-15) How else could the creator have presented his word in a way that man can receive it?

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Other examples of how God chose people to write his words!

We need to understand how men were compelled to write what God told them. Moses was quite adamant that he wasn’t making this up. Numbers 16:28 “Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works: for I have not done them of mine own mind”…. Moses received the words, but he “came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. (Exodus 19:7) King David also said: 2 Samuel 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and His word was in my tongue.”

The Apostle Peter clarifies how God revealed His message: 2 Peter 1:20 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” In other words, men did not just make this up. The next verse also is very powerful: 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.” Vine’s Expository dictionary portrays the idea that these men were “impelled” to write. Not of their own initiative, but driven, or compelled by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is certainly true for the prophet Jeremiah (20:9) when he thought to stop proclaiming the word of God because it resulted only in angering the people to whom he spoke: “Then I (Jeremiah) said, I will not make mention of Him (GOD), nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah couldn’t hold it back… It was like a fire burning!

Again to show how God moved men to write: Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”: …. the reason for doing this… 17 “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Again, in reference to the power of the word of God: 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Why should we accept the Bible as the Word of God?

God has conveyed his intention to mankind in many ways. By speaking, by writing, miracles, angels, and inspired men. It bears repeating that no other authority anywhere claims to be THE words from God! There are lots of books about God, but none that are declared to be God’s actual words. This is important, because only God himself can tell us how and why he does all things. There is no possibility that the men who scribed these words of God were able to make them up themselves. There are too many proofs. However, even though the existence and activity of God is often questioned and placed in doubt, with the majority of people denying his existence, God himself answers those critics with powerful sign as evidence: Israel.

How does the nation of Israel provide proof that the Bible is the Word of God?

Israel as a nation was told by God in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 they would receive great blessings for obedience, but also the consequences of disobedience (v15-68) such as v66 “Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life”. In the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, God reminds them of this role placed upon them. The nation of Israel is presented as evidence that God exists. This was in keeping the promise of his love for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (CP Genesis 26:3 …. “I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father: and I will make thy seed to multiply”…)
Isa 43:12 (This is God himself speaking) “I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.”

This was not due to the nation itself taking on this role. This wa the design of God. To reinforce what is being said here: Read v10,11 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.”

This is not just God, but this is the LORD, Yahweh. This is the name he revealed to Moses! God actually has a name! Incidentally, when we see GOD or LORD all in caps, it is typically this name Yahweh. (sometimes pronounced Jehovah)

How then do we link the concept of God as the Creator, with the Authorship of the Bible?

When God asks challenges the people of the nation of Israel about their knowledge of their past history and outlook for the future, God reminds them that their ‘gods’ are but useless idols! Their knowledge about the past is bound to how the LORD himself is intertwined with them. Their outlook for the future is also determined by what the LORD predicted!
Isaiah 45:18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

If we compare Yahweh (the LORD) against the false gods of the Nations, the difference is clear: Isaiah 45:20 “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

These passages are examples of words direct from the LORD. There is no interpretation needed to confirm what he is saying! We could bring out several more similar passages where God Himself declares His sole Authority.

Remember: God is not looking for endorsement of his word, but He is looking for those who will believe and respond to his word with faith. This is NOT a blind faith, but faith based upon the things He has revealed about Himself. Faith accepts God as the Almighty Creator even though we cannot see Him. It is up to all who are called to hear and do what he says.

Our final point is that unless we believe in the Word that God has spoken, there can be no acceptance by God: Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

In review: The Bible is the self-proclaimed Word of God! It stands alone in declaring His message to mankind. God doesn’t need endorsement to verify His words. What He says is the Truth. It is not contingent on what we think. He has spoken. Do we want to hear? Or will we reject his word? We have freedom to make this choice. But remember, He created mankind for a purpose!

God does stand alone as the Creator. He provides not only His purpose in the Bible but reveals His name “Yahweh” to Moses. From what we have read in these declarations from God it is evident that we can’t begin to compare the Creator, GOD, Yahweh with anything or anyone else. No man-made image or replica that is supposed to represent GOD can be a substitute for His actual words. We are invited to listen to the word he has spoken and believe it.

There is one final question that we want to leave you with: If God stands alone as the Creator… How does His son Jesus Christ fit into the context of this fundamental truth? We believe and pray that God’s message of salvation will be received by all who want to hear, and accomplish the purpose to which he has revealed.

Since creation, men have questioned the existence of God and whether the Bible is His written word. Even Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s authority! Then Adam’s son Cain and his descendants, rejected the word of God! Conversely, another son of Adam, Seth, and his descendants, began to call themselves by the name of the LORD. To reject the Bible as the word of God is not new!

The Bible offers the only credible explanation of the true purpose of human existence; namely that through careful design by a creator, mankind was placed on the earth for the purpose of the makers choosing. We understand that not everyone can accept or believe this. We offer the following discourse to suggest that we are here by special creation on the basis the Bible is the recorded word of God.

Because the Bible is the Word of God, He does not need our endorsement or alternate confirmation of what He says! What we think about it or how we interpret it does not change God’s intent! It naturally follows that He then is the mastermind of all created things… and as such, we are obligated to pay attention.

Of all the recorded words and books in the world, only the Bible begins with these words:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth!” Genesis 1:1
Is there any human authority or entity that could declare such a thing? Only God himself could reveal this. Further:
“…God SAID: Let there be light, and there was light!” Genesis 1:3
This is not to be confused with us telling you what we think about what God said. These are the actual words of God! When we open the Bible at this passage, we are reading the spoken Words of God, and not just a declaration about him or what he had done.

The Bible is consistent throughout because God does not change, nor does His purpose. Further confirmation that it was God speaking at creation is provided in Psalm 33: 6 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”  v9 “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
God merely had to speak for things to be done! One more example is in the gospel of John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
These few verses suggest the ‘word’ and ‘God’ are one and the same. Everything we know of God is revealed by God. This is telling us that He merely speaks and it is done!

So, how can we be satisfied that the Bible IS the Word of God? We will review four points on this topic:
1) If God is real, how would He tell us?
2) What is the ‘Power’ said to be in the Word?
3) Is there tangible proof to confirm the Bible is the Word of God?
4) Why we should accept the Bible as the Word of God.

If the God of the Bible IS real, how should He tell us?
Have you ever considered how God would let us know what he wants? Given that He is the Creator and the Almighty God, how would he tell us? We are in an age of doubting every authority and questioning every opinion. Perhaps God could do some great miracle for everyone to see? Or provide a vision? Speak verbally in a voice we could hear? Or, how about writing His word and inscribing it somehow so that we could read it? Once you read the Bible, you will know God has tried all these methods, and then some, and still most people ignore or even reject Him. Some even change His word to describe who He is to suit their belief. So how can we discover the real message that God provides? God did not create mankind as a type of ‘robot,’ doing only what he commands. We have ‘Free Choice’ to make decisions. Accept God or not, everyone has a choice, or as often happens, we can just forget there is a Creator and live our lives without divine purpose.

Gods’ thinking is so far removed from our own, that we must receive the word from God’s perspective. While our knowledge is limited, God’s is not! As the one who created all things, His power, knowledge and existence are far beyond what we can even imagine! Here is what God says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8.9

This is also evident throughout creation. Consider his knowledge:
“Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:24 (see also 1Timothy 1:17 & 6:15,16)

The Bible was revealed and recorded over a period of about 1500 years! The writings of the Books of the Bible were by regular, ordinary men. But what is unique is how these men came to write in such a unique way that provides a consistent and complete message! While individuals recorded the word, it was God who was revealing what was to be written. As an example: consider the man Moses. Moses is attributed with writing the first five books of the Bible. He had received two stone tablets on which were ten commandments inscribed by God himself (Exodus 20). However, in response to the godless actions of the Israelites, Moses smashed the stones on the ground! Yes, the very stones upon which God had scribed His word in ten commandments. Thankfully, God then offered to rewrite the words as we see in: Exodus 34:1 

“The LORD said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.”

“So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 29  When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”

Moses had stood in the presence of the LORD to receive the written word of God, but afterward his face shone so unusually bright that it scared the people. This reflection of God’s glory in his face was a testimony to Israel that Moses, in fact, had stood in the presence of God to receive the written words. Moses spoke with God FACE TO FACE (Exodus 33:11)! The significance of this encounter should not be overlooked! God chose an ordinary man who initially felt inadequate to take on the responsibility of leading the nation, but ultimately is the one who has the most intimate encounter with God!

It was to this ordinary man that God revealed his memorial name! “Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 

… 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”  Exodus 3:13 & 15

Is there any other way the Creator could have revealed His word in order that man can receive it?

Further examples of how God chose people to record his words!

It is important to understand how men were compelled to write what God told them. Moses was quite adamant that he wasn’t making this up.

“Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.” Numbers 16:28

…. So, Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. (Exodus 19:7)

Also, King David said: “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2

We have mostly considered this topic from the Old Testament of the Bible because it is the foundation upon which the New Testament is laid. In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter clarifies how God revealed His message: “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” 2 Peter 1:20 In other words, men did not just make this up. The next verse also is very powerful: 21 “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Vine’s Expository dictionary of the Bible portrays the idea that these men were “impelled” to write. Not of their own initiative, but driven, or compelled by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is certainly true of the prophet Jeremiah when he thought he could stop proclaiming the word of God because it resulted only in angering the people to whom he spoke: “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. . (20:9) Jeremiah just couldn’t hold it back… It was like a fire burning within him!

Further, to show how God moved men, Paul writes to Timothy: “thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Where is the ‘Power’ said to be in the Word?

There is power in God’s words! Paul again tells us: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”  Romans 1:16

To add to this, another reference to the power of the word is found in Hebrews 4:12  “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Word of God is designed to help us to know things about ourselves. We are susceptible to influences and even deceiving our own selves, but the Bible helps us discern our own true motives. It is quite apparent that the word provides us with understanding, or ‘light’. IE “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 In other words, the word of God provides the light of understanding which guides us in our life.

This is repeated in the following words of the Bible: 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” This is an echo back to Moses’ shining face after he stood in God’s presence, but it’s also telling us the ‘light’ or ‘word of God’ is reflected in Jesus, and refers to the knowledge of Jesus Christ which lights our way to the means by which the earth shall be filled with the ‘glory of the LORD’.

In our next session, we will expand on the subject ‘The Bible is the Word of God and see what tangible proof is available to convince us.

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