Many people do not understand why Christians are so concerned with what the Bible says. After all, they say, isn’t the Bible an old book made by many different people and no real point? Isn’t it just a book of stories? What relevance could it have today? The answer to these questions is that the Bible is actually the Word of God, given by divine inspiration. It is not just an old book. It is a book written by God. And through it, we can know who God is, and what His message to us is. In other words, through the Bible, we can read the very words of God Himself! There are several ways in which this is true.
First of all, the Bible is the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Himself speaks of the Bible as “The Word of God.” (John 10:35) The Bible is inspired completely by God, which means that every word in it comes from Him. II Peter 1:20-21 states, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV) In other words, the words of the Bible did not come about by the thoughts of men, but God spoke through holy men by the power of the Holy Spirit. God moved the hearts and minds of human authors to write what God desired them to write, such that they wrote the very words of God. What the human authors of the Bible put down on the page was what the Divine Author God inspired them to write. And this process is called inspiration. It means that God inspired or gave the human authors of Scripture the words to say. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV). While the Bible has many human authors, it has one Divine Author, God Himself. It is in the whole and in the part the Word of God.
Second, as it is the Word of God, the Bible is completely true. It is without error. As the Lord Jesus states, “the scripture cannot be broken;” (Joh 10:35 KJV) This means that the Bible cannot be said to be false in any way, because it is the Word of God. As God Himself is true, His Word is true. “God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2 KJV) “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psa 119:160 KJV) This means that everything that we read in Scripture is true.
Much can be said regarding the various genres of Scripture. God inspired men to write in a variety of different genres and styles in the Bible. Some books are poetry, some are history, some are prophecy, some are legal code and some are epistles. Yet no matter the genre, all of Scripture is true because God is true. If poetry, then the poetry conveys a true point. If history, then the history is accurate and truthful. If prophecy, then the prophecy is true, and either has been or will be fulfilled in divine providence. If legal code, then that code authoritatively teaches the law of God, and right and wrong according to its place in redemptive history. And if epistle, then that epistle teaches truth. The point is that no matter the genre or style of Scripture, all of Scripture is truth. And this is because it points us ultimately to Jesus Christ the Truth.
Third, the Bible is given to teach us the way of salvation in Jesus Christ. All of Scripture points to the Person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God the Son was manifest in the flesh, and lived a perfect human life, and died upon the cross for the sins of men. He rose again the third day and ascended into Heaven. All of the Bible, from the earliest pages of Genesis unto the last of Revelation, points to Jesus. It is meant to lead us to Him, and to lead us to saving faith in Him. As Jesus told Jews in the temple, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” (John 8:56 KJV) The Bible is not meant to be a mere rule-book of do’s and don’t’s. Rather, it is meant to lead us into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Everyone who trust in Him will receive salvation and eternal life.
And so let us delve ever deeper into the Scriptures. For these words are truth. And they are life. And they lead us to the Savior, Jesus Christ.
