What Scripture Says, God Says

Our Credible Bible (Lesson 5)

What Scripture Says, God Says

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

         One way to undermine the significance of any teaching is to say it is unimportant. This is how some skeptics try to undercut the doctrine of inerrancy. They say, since we do not have the original manuscripts, the doctrine itself is superfluous. This is the equivalent of saying God Himself evidently did not think the written Scriptures were very important.

 

This doctrine matters. It is essential to the life and success of Christianity. In all of redemption history, Holy Writ has been deemed vital. For 40 years, Levites carried in the Wilderness the tablets God wrote. What Old Testament prophets wrote was often a product of "Thus saith the Lord".

 

In the early church, "Scripture says" and "God says" were one and the same thing. Luther, on trial at Worms, declared, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God." John Wesley said, "At any price give me the book of God!" My Grandpa Marshall called it "The Book", as if no other books were worth comparing to it.

 

No questioning of the authority of Scripture has ever had a positive impact on God's people. Whenever Israel strayed from God, they always strayed first from His word. Whenever they returned to God, they first returned to His Word.

 

I rejoice at calls to prayer for revival I hear in our day, but am appalled at the dearth of preaching I hear about the six great Old Testament revivals. This troubles me because by ignoring them we miss a deep truth; all six were begun, not primarily in prayer, but in response to rediscovering God's written Word.

 

Revivals under Joshua (JS 8:32), Asa (2 CH 14:4), Jehoshaphat (2 CH 17:9), Hezekiah (2 K 18:6), Josiah (2 K 22:8), and Ezra (EZ 7:10) were "Bible revivals". God convicted people by a re-discovery of Scripture.

 

If revival comes in our nation and churches, it will descend on the wings of prayer and ascend from the pages of the written Word. Revival hinges on both/and not either/or. Keep praying hard about revival. At the same time, let's ratchet up a notch our talking about the Bible.

 

Anyone who wavers on Bible-authority eventually fades off into trivial oblivion. Spiritual disaster looms at the end of this skepticism, as is being proved in Western Europe, and in High Protestantism in the USA.

 

The Trinity believed the holy writings were important. God the Father wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger. God the Son said Scripture cannot be broken, that is, annulled; its authority cannot be denied (John 10:35). The Son began His post-baptism ministry with thrice saying "It is written" (MT 4:1-11). Near its end, close to Emmaus, He said, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!" (LK 24:25). "Beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27).

 

God the Holy Spirit guided the authors themselves. "No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20b-21). They wrote for God because they were borne along by the Holy Spirit. They did not do this writing on their own initiative.

 

As a result, we have something better than if an eyewitness were giving testimony of something he or she saw firsthand. We have a Holy-Spirit-moved prophetic word. Scripture is more reliable than any eyewitness' testimony, for the latter is a matter of private interpretation. Scripture, though, is not a result of human investigation, or the production of the writer's thinking.

 

This role of the writers of Holy Writ in the moment they were writing Scripture is a study worth investigating. Paul dealt with this issue in his last epistle. After mentioning "the sacred writings" (2 TM 3:15b) Timothy grew up on, Paul gave us an analysis of their "sacred" nature, saying, "All Scripture is inspired by God" (2 TM 3:16a).

 

The word "inspiration" implies an influence from outside producing results inside. Inspiration means a supernatural impelling and directing of the words that were written. To say the Bible is inspired is to say its words are a divinely determined product given through the men Peter said were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 P 1:20b-21).

 

Literally interpreted, 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed". God breathed out the very words. Thus the words themselves have divine authority. The Bible not only contains the words of God, as if some of its words may not be God's words. It is the words of God. In Scripture the breath of God was often mentioned to picture the irresistible outflow of His power. The breath of His mouth made all the stars (PS 33:6b). God breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul (GN 2:7). The "breath of the Almighty hath given (us) life" (Job 33:4b). If God withdrew His breath from us, we would perish (Job 34:14-15); therefore you and I are divine creations. So is the Bible, for it was birthed and lives on the breath of God.

 

The Trinity invested in the Bible. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all focused attention on Holy Writ. This is why no one has ever been able to silence the Bible, and no one ever will. It is the God-book.

 

Just as we believe God directly intervened in human history to bring us redemption through the blood of Jesus, we also believe He intervened in human history to give us a guide whereby we could confidently know of His redemptive works among us. God did some things in the incarnation that no one can undo. God wrote some things in the Bible no one can erase. God did not leave us ignorant of Himself. We are not adrift, totally clueless as to God's dealings among us.

 

Before ending these lessons on the credibility of the Bible, I want to allude to a matter Warfield called attention to in his classic book. He gave instances of where "God says" and "Scripture says" were used interchangeably in New Testament passages referring to Old Testament passages. In Matthew 19:4 Jesus stated that God was the One who said in Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife." But the Genesis passage does not mention God as the speaker. It is merely a statement of Scripture. Jesus was saying the verse can be assumed to have been a declaration of God solely because it was a saying of Scripture. Paul followed the Lord's lead in this, and handled the Gensis 2:24 passage in the same way in 1 Corinthians 6:16.

 

In Romans 9:17 Paul wrote, "The Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you." But in the original text (Exodus 9:16) God, not Scripture, is speaking. Paul referenced this again in Galatians 3:8, where he wrote the Scripture says Abraham will be blessed. However, Genesis 12:1-3 records God said this.

 

When referencing Holy Writ, "God" and "Scripture" were, for Jesus and Paul, interchangeable. "Scripture" and "God" lay so close together in the minds of the writers of the New Testament that they could naturally speak of "Scripture" doing what Scripture records God as doing" (Warfield), and vice versa. In other words, what Scripture says, God says.

 

Other examples help reinforce this. Luke recorded the sermon of Peter, which stated the words of David were the words of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:16). Peter's thoughts on this matter were echoed by the congregation at large (Acts 4:25). Matthew (2:15) claimed the Lord spoke through the prophet Hosea (11:1). Paul believed God had promised good news through His prophets in the Old Testament (Romans 1:2).

 

A final addendum: we long felt the bulk of Jesus' teachings were passed down orally. Recent research indicates the early followers of rabbis in first century Palestine used wax tablets to write down the comments of their leaders. If the disciples did make private notes, it would help explain the recording of long speeches made by Jesus. Either way, the oral had to be made into the written fairly soon because of the demand for Scriptures to be read in church services.

 

Bible Lesson #4

Our Credible Bible (Lesson 4)

Perceived Bible Problems

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

The Bible is by far the most reliable book ever produced in the ancient world. Manuscript evidence supporting its trustworthiness is overwhelming. The abundance of manuscripts available to us has let us determine with reasonable certainty what the original autographs said. Very few passages are left in doubt as to what the writer wrote. Thus the question: why is this fact not enough to convince most unbelievers to become Christ-followers?

 

One, some refuse to take time to investigate the evidence. Rather than do research, they often make a prejudgment based on hearing arguments against us that are one-sided and distorted. In some public settings, nothing bars attacks against Christianity. Other religions are off-limits, negativism toward them is deemed politically incorrect, but brutalizing Christianity is fair game. People often hear this onslaught against us, but ignore thousands of articles, books, blogs, etc., that present cogent arguments defending us.

 

Two, some say they cannot understand the Bible. This is not true. The Bible is noted for what theologians call perspicuity; it is understandable. It is the world's #1 best selling book in all of history because people can read and understand it. Parts of it are difficult to read, but any person can take a Bible, read it from cover to cover, and walk away understanding what the Bible is all about. "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (PS 119:130 NAS). The Bible's main truths can be grasped.

 

Often the problem is not misunderstanding, but understanding, the Bible, and not liking what it says. Mark Twain said, "It ain't those parts of the Bible I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts I do understand."

 

Three, some reject the Bible not based on whether or not we have a reliable transmission of original writings, but due to what they consider to be culturally offensive messages in it. For instance, does the Bible promote slavery, or relegate women to a secondary role; did the Old Testament prescribe genocide? These attacks are specifically refutable with Apologetic rebuttals, but for our purposes we'll take an overarching look at the issues.

 

We err in interpreting any writings if we fail to enter into the worldview of the writers when we try to judge their beliefs. We have to understand their setting in life. For instance, it would be easy for me to condemn my great-great-grandfather for supporting slavery and fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War. To do so, though, would make me an elitist--as if to say I would have been above such behavior. Humility is a winsome virtue, even when exhibited across the ages. Was my ancestor wrong? Yes. Do I thus write him off as a terrible man? No. In fact, he became the spiritual patriarch of our family. He lived till 1924, and had a profound spiritual impact on my Grandpa Marshall, who in turn heavily influenced my spiritual formation. Perfection is not required for us to be effective, and it should not be required for us to think kindly of others.

 

Four, some reject the Bible because they feel the original writers were not trustworthy men. The manuscript evidence doesn't matter because we can't be sure the writers wrote the truth. The answer to this objection lies in whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. If Christ rose from death, all of Christianity is true. If Jesus did not rise, none of our faith is valid. Paul bluntly said, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep (died) in Christ have perished" (1 Cor. 15:17-18 NAS). I believe we can confidently say the original followers of Jesus, including the writers of the New Testament, were credible, believable, trustworthy eyewitnesses of His resurrection.

 

When in college, I met an older student who was an ex-priest. He had renounced his vows, Roman Catholicism, and Christianity as a whole. We were one day discussing our lives. He had left behind the ministry and faith. I was in the beginning stages of ministry. I asked why he had renounced the faith. He answered, and asked why I believed. No one had ever confronted me with the question. My spontaneous answer to him then remains my more developed answer today. I believe primarily because the original followers of Jesus were willing to die for what they claimed about His resurrection.

 

Five, some reject the Bible because they believe it contradicts what they deem obvious teachings of science. Did creation take only six 24-hour days? What about evolution, geological dating, dinosaurs, the fossil record; was Noah's flood worldwide? What about those miracles (BL 11)? This kind of questioning especially matters because many of our young adults who grew up in church are forsaking the faith, often due to these very issues. The arguments against our beliefs are often expressed in settings hostile to our faith. Our kids can find themselves bombarded with pressures of unbelief, and are in danger of ridicule or worse if they opt to believe and vocalize it.

 

Our churches and families need to do a better job of providing credible evidence to our youth to help them refute our critics. We are not doing well in preparing our own for the cultural wars they are entering. Sometimes the problem is not so much knowing a precise answer, but rather finding somewhere in our churches a safe place to ask and debate the tough questions. We would hope those who grow up in church could find there places of gentle Christian understanding, but many times they are inculcated with a sense of a harsh all-or-nothing choice from their childhood.

 

         We in the church too often come across as being impatient with any who disagree with us, including our own children. We must be careful. Our Master said, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6 NAS).

 

An atheist, Loftus, wrote in "Why I became an Atheist" that for many who leave the faith, there are three factors often involved (p. 24). One of the three relates to this very point. He says many leave the faith due to an initial serious investigation of a different worldview they had never examined in any detail previously. One problem is; young adults who ask questions are cut off quickly by their family and friends because they don't know the answers; the questioner is thus treated like their having questions is wrong in and of itself. There is nothing wrong with questioning and debating issues. Many of us are too embarrassed to admit we do not know the answer, and rather than admit our weakness, and offer to take time to do some research, we cut off the questioner, which in essence usually drives them farther away.

 

Six, some reject the Bible due to a failure to understand how a good God can allow suffering. Surveys say the problem of suffering is the main reason people who seriously consider the faith refuse to accept Christianity. The atheist Loftus says one reason people leave the faith is a personal crisis of some kind that forces one to struggle with why God allows suffering.

 

Would a kind loving omnipotent God allow suffering among the innocent, or send people to an everlasting lake of fire? These question marks turn like fishhooks in many people's hearts.

 

The 9/11 attacks, done in the name of religion, are seen by some as the event that spawned our modern day attacks from attacking atheists. These attacks are more and more aimed at Christianity. "How could a good God let this happen? Religion seems more bad than good."

 

Seven, a sensed lack of love and support from believers at a critical crossroad in life. This is the third reason the atheist Loftus gives for why people forsake the faith. Many who adopt a sinful lifestyle sense the absence of love and care from the Christian community they were depending on; there is no place in the Christian community where they can be enfolded, accepted for what they are; not told their sin is okay, but where they know they are loved; only in a loving community like this can people who made wrong choices find a runway greased to make their return to the faith easier.

 

Eight, some reject the Bible because they think if it is the powerful Word of God we say it is, there shouldn't be as many hypocrites as there are. Our detractors say many who say they believe the Bible don't live the Bible.

 

Christianity groans under the burden of heavy baggage, sinful lives lived by people claiming to be Christians. We bear the burden of bad history, including the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, racism, anti-Semitism, ethnocentricism, being perceived as cultural hit-men who disrespect the views of unbelievers we disagree with. If reminded of these past failures, rather than becoming defensive, we must reply with humility.

 

This is a complex issue requiring long answers, but one thing I would like to interject here is; it is wrong to always equate failure with hypocrisy. A hypocrite is a fake, a person who knowingly pretends. Many sincere believers fail often. Their shortcoming is not hypocrisy, but rather frailty. We believers are not perfect.

 

We also need to distinguish between cultural Christians and committed Christians. Not all who claim to be Christians actually are.

 

Jesus spoke bluntly to this truth. "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven: but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Many were baptized as infants, or as adults merely went through the formality of becoming members of a church, and yet never entered into a personal relationship with Jesus.

 

Amen

Romans 11:34-36

Amen

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Romans 11:34a For who has known the mind of the Lord?

 

In our text, Paul is continuing his tribute of praise to the mind of God. The Lord's wisdom and knowledge are beyond us. His judgments and ways baffle us. Why? Because no one has been able to traverse the vast expanses of God's mind.

It behooves us all to be humble in our assessments of Providential details. Surely none of us would claim greater knowledge than Paul, and the Apostle bluntly stated we are all at a loss.

It is pure arrogance to claim infallibility with regard to the purposes behind the actions of God. Scripture and Providence are infallible, but our understanding and interpretations of these two are highly susceptible to error.

 

Romans 11:34b Or who has been His counselor?

        

         Another reason our human minds fail to understand the ways of salvation is; human reasoning had no part in planning salvation. No human confidants advised the Ancient of Days. He needed no counselor, for He is ever infinitely wise.

         When Job questioned the ways of God, the Lord rebuked him by asking, "Where were you when I established the earth?" (Job 38:4). King Alphonso of Spain once blasphemously said had he been present at creation, he would have told God of improvements He should have made. Not surprisingly, foolish and prideful Alphonso's reign ended in ruin.

         It is nonsense to try to prescribe to God or to tell Him how to handle His affairs. Would we advise God? It would be smarter to offer a flashlight to the sun.

 

Romans 11:35 Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid?

        

In other words, to whom is God in debt? Does He owe anything to anyone? He is not obligated to tell us His secrets. God is not beholden to us in any way.

Everything we are or have we owe to Him. Every time we breathe, our debt to God increases. Our oxygen supply does not come from inside us. We "take" a breath. It comes from God's atmosphere. A Godly physician, Dr. James Seese, reminded me of this truth when my son took his first breath.

         We need God, but He does not need us. If we were all taken away, He would still be God and be no less infinite than He is now. We need to remember this whenever we are tempted to complain about His ways.

 

Romans 11:36a For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

        

In our salvation, God is all in all. It is "from Him and through Him and to Him"; "from Him" means He is its first cause; salvation was His idea and plan.

         Salvation is "through Him." He empowers and upholds. People are merely instruments, having no right to brag. A pen might boast, "I wrote the Declaration of Independence." Poor pen! It could have done nothing at all without Jefferson's hand to move it. Without someone's mind behind it, a pen can't write A, B, or C.

         A sling might brag, "I slew Goliath!" Not so! Without David's training and skill, a sling is useless. It is merely an instrument. Imagine a paintbrush boasting, "I created the Mona Lisa." No! It was the product of a genius, of a Da Vinci. The artist could have used any one of thousands of brushes.

         You and I have no ground to boast in our salvation. We are but instruments. When chosen and used, it is an honor. God could have easily found others.

         Salvation is "to Him." Our salvation will ultimately draw us back to the God who saved us in the first place. As the rivers return again (Ecclesiastes 1:7) to the ocean, God's salvation flows forth from Himself that we might be returned to Him. He came seeking us, and will someday draw us all to Himself!

         Salvation is "from Him and through Him and to Him". He conceived our salvation, upholds us, and will eventually bring us to Himself.

Ascribe all adoration to God. Hold none back for ourselves. With regard to salvation, we offer praise to no one other than God Himself.

 

Romans 11:36b To Him be the glory forever.

        

This should be the desire of every Christian—to bring glory to God. Here we find our intended purpose. This is an important discovery to make.

         We need to know what our purpose is. Authors, when writing on a particular subject, must evaluate each sentence in light of their purpose. At every juncture, the writer must reconsider the original reason for writing. A sentence that does not contribute directly to the purpose needs to be removed.

         Similarly, believers must remember their purpose: to please God, and bring Him glory. Everything in our lives must be weighed in light of this. Self-evaluation must never end. Are our every word and every deed contributing to the reason for our existence, or are there things in us that need to be removed? Does anything detract from our purpose?

         A man who lived with this constant self-searching attitude was Johann Sebastian Bach. He is most famous, of course, for his music. His complete works fill sixty volumes. His career is one of the wonders of music. Between sixty and seventy of his descendants also became musical composers.

         However, there was something much deeper in Bach's character than just a career. He was a devoted father who faithfully loved and supported his large family of twenty children. Bach was also deeply spiritual, a devout Lutheran who believed everything a person does ought to be weighed in light of the sacred.

         Bach wanted praise ascribed to God in all his compositions. On the manuscripts of his secular works, he wrote the initials I.N.J. for the Latin words meaning "In the Name of Jesus." At the beginning of his sacred pieces he would write J.J. for the Latin words meaning "Jesus, help me." At the end he would write S.D.G. meaning, "To God alone be the glory." May God grant us a similar spirit.

 

Romans 11:36c Amen.

        

One of the great losses in our church services is the forgotten purpose of this word. Unfortunately, it has become little more than a talking period, a signing off word at the end of a prayer. I jokingly say many Baptists think the "Amen" at the end of a prayer is the Latin word for "sit down".

         Years ago, in Grenada, Mississippi, a pastor did an unwise thing. He called on a man to pray publically without first asking the man's permission beforehand.

The poor fellow had never prayed in public before, but was too embarrassed to decline the request. He began stumbling his way through a prayer, and kept talking and kept talking and kept talking. Everyone was embarrassed. The man was halting and stammering, but refused to end his prayer.

         Unknown to the congregation, the frightened man had forgotten the customary ending of a prayer. He could not, for the life of him, remember the phrase, "In Jesus' Name. Amen." Finally, in desperation, he ended his prayer by saying "Sincerely yours, John Smith" (name fictitious).

         Mr. Smith's forgetting to use "Amen" at the end of his prayer is not near as damaging as our forgetting the original purpose of the word. It is a Hebrew word that means "to make firm, to support." Its purpose is to confirm, to reinforce, as in saying "so be it, let it be."

         "Amen" is much more meaningful than just a verbal punctuation mark. It is a word of affirmation and carries the weight of enthusiastic personal approval. It is a way to make what is sung, declared, or prayed, one's own. In Christian worship it is always proper, never inappropriate. In Paul's assessment of salvation, and his ascription of praise to God, I find something I want to make my own. I agree with what he has said and express my own consent to it with a hearty "Amen."