Word of God
Jesus: the Word of God
When we talk about the Word of God, we should first of all focus on the fact that Jesus is called the Word of God in several places in the Bible.
John 1:1-5, 14 says:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 John 1:1-3 goes on to say:
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:11-13 says:
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
These passages clearly acknowledge that Jesus is the Word of God.
Also with the prophets, in what we call the Old Testament, you find references that indicate that the Word of God is more than just the words spoken, an example is in Jeremiah 1:4-5 when he is being called as Prophet.:
4Then the word of the LORD came unto
me, saying, 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and
before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I
ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
You find this expression a lot in the Bible. So the Word of God is God Himself coming and speaking, so this determines the authority of the Word of God. If we do not see this truth, then the authority of the Bible, the written Word of God, is reduced. When we’re reading the Bible, we’ve got to always remember that.
The Bible – the Word of God
There are many references in the Bible to the fact that the Bible itself is the Word of God. A few verses to underline this are
2 Timothy 3: 14-17:
14But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
And 2 Peter 1:19-21:
19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21For 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.
This is also pointed out in the Psalms. Psalm 119:160 says:
160Thy word is true from the beginning:
The NAS translates it as: The Sum of Your Word is truth. This means that the Bible as a whole is the Word of Truth. In the Psalms, and especially in Psalm 119, this theme is often repeated.
It is also very clear from the following verses that nothing may be added to it or taken away from it. Deuteronomy 4:2 states:
2Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
And Deuteronomy 12:32:
32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
A similar text is found in the last chapter of the Bible. Revelation 22:18-19 states the following:
18For 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: 19and 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.
Finally, let me mention a verse from the Epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews 4:12-13 says:
12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
The importance of a careful approach to the Bible seems to me to have been sufficiently emphasised.The tendency to adapt the text of the Bible to our views and desires does not seem wise to me. We should therefore treat the text as true and historical. This has also been confirmed by recent archaeological discoveries.
Unity of Scripture
If we allow doubt about sections of the Bible, we also undermine the authority of the rest of Scripture. For example, without Genesis 1, I have no understanding of the fact that we are created by God, for His purpose, and therefore accountable to Him. Without Genesis 2 and 3, we can’t really understand what sin is, so we have no idea why Jesus had to die on the cross. There are countless other examples with the same effect. Either the Bible is the Word of God from cover to cover. Or the Bible belongs in the dustbin, there is no room in between. The fact that in the latter case we are selective in our approach to the Bible means that everyone is free to pick and choose what they want, according to their own purposes. Doubts about the historicity of Genesis 1-11, especially from secular and theological backgrounds, remove the entire foundation from under the Bible and its authority. In the most profound sense, we do not have a Bible any more.
The Purpose of the Scriptures.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3: 15-17:
15 and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Doctrine:
To give practical guidance on how to live to serve God..
Reproof:
This means the exposure of lies and misleading teachings..
Correction:
In this way the Bible is used as a mirror on the basis of which the necessary adjustments can be made.
Instruction:
This is using the Bible as food for our growth into spiritual maturity.
