Is it not amazing how Scripture proves Scripture true? We could think of the foretelling of John the Baptist who would announce the Messiah and prepare a people for Him. We could think of the many prophecies about the Messiah that are fulfilled through Jesus Christ. We could think of God’s promise to Abraham to include the Gentiles nations under His blessing. In saying this, as followers of the Lord Jesus we must never become so familiar with the Scriptures that we become like certain Jews and ignore the many warnings God has for us in His Word. Please read:
Ac 28:25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
Although there was severe disagreement between those who were starting to believe Paul and those who refused to believe him … they only dispersed once Paul said what we have just read above.
1) Paul attributes the writings of Isaiah to the Holy Spirit. He says … “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet. So many dispel the Bible to be just another book, yet it testifies about itself to be God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word. Let us remember the following three passages …
(1)
2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Paul writes that Scripture is God out breathed. It is from His heart to His people and needs adherence!
(2)
2Pe 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Peter writes saying that the prophets were Holy Spirit inspired, meaning that the very words they spoke were the actual Word, God the Spirit inspired them to speak and pen.
(3)
2Pe 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Peter says the most astounding thing confirming Paul’s writings (and we may include all of the New Testament) equal to the Old Testament which is the Law, Prophets and Writings. He speaks of “ignorant and unstable people” being unable to understand Truth (which Paul wrote under inspiration) that they “distort, as they do the other Scriptures (the Old Testament), to their own destruction. There are consequences when the Bible is abused, rejected and spurned. We need to be reminded that God has given us His Word. This is past tense. We have the Bible. This is present tense. Every word and verse from Genesis chapter 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word. As soon as people start to play with God’s Word, choosing what they want as His Word and cutting the rest out of their belief, their faith changes because they, from then onwards are not trusting God totally.
Please hear this … as soon as you reject or ignore any aspect of the Bible you are not trusting God completely. A seminary student said to me a few months back that he did not believe in a literal six, twenty-four hour days of creation. One of his professors told him that if he did not believe God’s creation story as it is found on the first page and a half of the Bible you cannot interpret the Bible accurately. I believe the professor to be correct! As I labor the point, one must never forget that Jesus says in His high priestly prayer of the Word of God
Jn 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
The Bible is not a relic, a charm, a good read or an additional extra! It is God’s gift to us His people. He is clear that He wants us to be righteous in practice and requires His Word to be used for … teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. David in Psalm 119 explains the worth of God’s Word to His people at length. He points out:
Ps 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
After the question he provides the answer … By living according to your word. Later he reminds us that should we want to walk through the dark world of distractions remaining faithful to God, we use His Word because:
Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
The great divide in the Christian Church is not our baptismal procedures and formulas. It is not whether we baptize infants of believing parents or whether we only baptize adults who have come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is not whether we order our Church Government with deacons, presbyters and bishops or with teaching elders, ruling elders and Church Courts. It is not whether we do or don’t use musical instruments, whether or not ladies wear hats or not and whether men need to wear suits and ties or not in Church. It has nothing to do with ladies wearing makeup or pants or not. It’s all about how we see the Bible and how we use the Bible. As soon as a believer or a Church decides there are passages in the Bible he, she or they don’t believe, the divide starts. They might be lovely people, generous and gracious, but when they tamper with God’s Holy Word they fall into the bracket that John warns against on the last page of the Bible:
Rev 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Whatever you do to one part of the Bible you do to all the Bible. We have almost completed studying the Book of Acts devotionally … and it is good and wise for us to understand that when we tamper with God’s Word, we tamper with God’s will for His people. Our Glorious God and Father, thank You for the Bible. Thank You God the Holy Spirit for inspiring people of Your choice to pen the Bible. Thank You God the Son that the Bible is all about Your rescue mission.
Thank You Lord for giving us a “holy guide” for salvation, all of life and service and with which to prepare ourselves for heaven. Amen.