P5- Why the Bible is unique in it's authority? Power to convert the human soul

2 Timothy 3:15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Introduction and review

We have been engaging in a series this past week that I have entitled: "Why the Bible?" We have considered thus far the following reasons why the Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice:

1. It's proof of revelation

2. It's purity (i.e inerrancy)
3. It's unparalled unity

Today we continue on exploring this vital topic of "why the Bible" by considering another reason why the Bible alone is worthy of the title: "The Word of God". As we shall see, God uses the scriptures as His sole instrument in convert sinners unto salvation.

The Bible is uniquely authoritative because of it's power to convert the soul of the sinner
Notice the scriptures that speak of the Bible's ability to convert the human soul. Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." James 1:18 "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." When the Bible is present, and the Holy Spirit is present and faith is present, the result is I believe and I am saved. The scriptures are necessary for salvation. No other so-called Holy book claims this authority to be  used by God in working forth conversion. 

A story about a conversation with a Muslim about the Quran and as to whether or not it can convert the human heart
To prove this, let me tell a quick story about a conversation I had with a Muslim man years ago. For four years I had developed a working relationship with a Muslim man. This individual was a serious devotee to the Muslim religion. He had studied Arabic (the language of the Quran, the religious book of Islam), and did all of the necessary requirements. He could quote the Quran at will and was saving up money to make a pilgrimage to Islam's most holy spot: Mecca. One day he and I were talking and I asked him: "Can the Quran, if read aloud, be used by God to change a person's heart." He looked at me puzzled and then thought for a little bit. His reply was that a person simply chooses to be Muslim on the basis of their will alone. The Quran does not possess any inherent quality nor is it used by God to convert anyone. 

Closing thoughts
When we read Paul's words in 2 Timothy 3:15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus", we are seeing testimony of the scripture's power to convert sinners. No other book in the world can do this. 

P4 - Why the Bible is unique in its authority? Its unparalleled unity

2 Timothy 3:15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Introduction and Review

By using the word translated "holy" or "sacred" in 2 Timothy 3:15, we began unfolding two days ago the answer to the question: why the Bible is uniquely authoritative? Thus far we have looked at the fact of:

a). The Bible's character as revelation b). The Bible's purity 

Today we once again approach this question by considering the Bible's unparalleled unity.

The Bible's unparalleled authority as the Word of God
If historically verified fulfilled prophecy functions as the chief proof of the Bible's Divine revelation, then it's unity runs a close second place. Some may question the authority of a book that is 2,000-3,500 years old and which took over 1500 years to complete. Moreover, some may scoff that multiple human authors could in anyway compose such a group of books that are unified in both theme and thought. Such concerns are warranted if we are dealing with only a humanly contrived book. However the Bible as a collection of books are not just human documents, but as labored over the past few days, the books of the Bible are Divinely inspired human written documents. 

Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." Notice how the underlined words convey the idea of a collection of writings. Can it be possible that the 66 books of the Old Testaments are not just unified in thought and theme, but uniquely unified? If it can be shown that no other book claiming to be a book of God demonstrates the unity of the Bible, then it only stands to reason that the Bible alone is uniquely authoritative due to its unparalleled unity. Consider the following facts that we know:

1. The Length of the Bible's composition is unparalleled.

The Bible is a collection of books written over a period of 1500 years. The 39 Old Testament books took 1,000 years for completion, with 400 years separating them from the New Testament books. In turn, the New Testament is a collection of 27 books taking roughly 50-60 years to compose. When you compare say the Book of Mormon or the Quran, each of those books took a few years to be composed. There is no comparison in terms of length of composition. Notice secondly....

2. The variety of human authors is unparalleled

When we add up the total human authors of the 66 books of the Bible, we tabulate around 40 in all. Such diversity included farmers (like Amos), priests (like Samuel), scribes (like Ezra), shepherds (Moses, David), prophets of course (like Isaiah), physicians (like Luke), fishermen (like Peter), unknown people (like Hebrews) and well known kings (like Solomon). Such a diversity would under normal circumstances produce a disaster of a book. Yet when we see the themes of God's glory and salvation in Jesus Christ, the Bible can be none other than the Word of God. 

Meanwhile when we compare the Book of Mormon and the Quran, both of those volumes were written each by one man. Despite the expected outcome of complete unity, both books possess disunity and inconsistencies in both development of themes and message. 
For brevity's sake these assertions are being made in the general sense. Having presonally ready through the Quran and Book of Mormon myself, the comparison to the Bible is really no comparison. The unity of not only thought, but also progression and forward moving of overall plot is present only in the Bible. 
  3. The Bible alone is written in multiple languages
The Bible can truly be considered a transcultural book. The nearly 500,000 words underlying the Old Testament were written mostly in Hebrew, with 2-3% written in Aramaic. Hebrew was the language of the Jews prior to their exile and Aramaic became their spoken tongue following their return from exile in Babylon. The New Testament was written in the common Greek language of the first century. No other so-called holy book can claims such a diversity of languages. Herein again we find the Bible books to be completely unified despite their diversity of languages. In having studied all three of these languages, this blogger can testify first-hand that the English Bibles we have in our possession today are just as much the Word of God as any Hebrew/Aramaic Old Testament or Greek New Testament. 

These three facts could under normal circumstances making it impossible to produce a collection of books unified in theme, in thought and authority. Nonetheless, the Bible alone is unique in its authority and shows itself as the Word of God by sheer power of its unity in terms of its length of composition, diversity of authorship and make-up of original languages. 

P3 - Why the Bible is Unique in its authority? Purity of its writing (i.e inerrancy)

2 Timothy 3:15 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Introduction and Review
Yesterday we began considering why the Bible is uniquely authoritative. By using the word translated "holy" or "sacred" in 2 Timothy 3:15, we began unfolding the answer to this question by utilizing three main meanings of that word: the Bible's character as revelation; the Bible's purity and the Bible's unity


In focusing upon the first of those meanings, we looked at whether or not the Bible exhibited evidence of fulfilled prophecy, which we termed as the chief mark of Divine revelation. We then offered a logical argument and by a brief look at some evidence, concluded that the Bible can be nothing less than the revealed Word of God.

Today we consider the second meaning of that term used by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:15, namely that the Bible is Unique in its authority due to it's purity of writing.

The Bible is unique in its authority due to its purity of writing
In the opening verse of today's post, 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul tells Timothy that everything he learned from childhood came from the "sacred writings". That is to say, the Old Testament books which Timothy would had heard read and taught to him as a child and recited to him by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) were considered completely pure. Bible teachers use the term "inerrancy" or "without error" to describe this particular feature of scripture. Other passages such as 1 Timothy 5:18 and 2 Peter 3:16 also include the New Testament documents, thus completing the collection of books in our Bible that are called "sacred scripture". Below we will now flesh out the details of the Bible's "purity of writing" or "inerrancy" under the following three headings: 

a). Defining inerrancy
b). Inerrancy's relationship to our Bible translations
c).  Why inerrancy is important to the Christian

a. Defining Biblical inerrancy
When we talk particularly about inerrancy, what is meant? The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 gives an answer: "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."

In a post a few days ago I mentioned that since God by nature is perfect and Holy, and since anything He says would be perfectly and Holy, and since the Bible can be demonstrated to have been revealed by Him, then it stands to reason that the Book He would reveal would be inerrant.

This idea of the perfection of the books of the Old and New Testament as originally given by God to the Prophets and Apostles is the foundational claim of Biblical inerrancy. Passages such as Psalm 12:6-7; Proverbs 30:4-5; Matt 5:18; John 10:35; 16:13; 17:17; 2 Tim 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21 advocate this truth of the absolute perfection of the Bible as originally revealed by God. 

b. Inerrancy’s relationship to our Bible translations
Inerrancy, and its closely related doctrine of infallibility (incapable of leading astray or being wrong) lies at the heart of the Bible’s authority. The original documents of both Old and New Testaments, strictly speaking, were revealed without error, thus making any copy or translation that is consistent with their wording carrying forth the authority of inerrancy.

Many opponents of the Bible today like Dr. Bart Ehrman, who has written several books trying to discredit the Bible, will point out that the claim of inerrancy has no relevance when it comes to our translations or even the copies of the original documents, being that hand-copied manuscripts (of which the Hebrew/Aramaic Old Testament or Greek New Testament has thousands of examples). Why? Because overtime (according to the critics), when any document is hand-copied or translated into other languages, differences or “variations” will creep in, changing the document’s wording and meaning. Overtime, according to the critics, the Bible has been copied so many times that in effect, we have no idea what the original Old or New Testament Bible books really said. Is this true?

Well let’s consider some quick facts about the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. First, let’s be honest and say up front that there are differences and variations between the hand-copied Hebrew Old Testament fragments and manuscripts (roughly 3,000) and hand-copied Greek New Testament fragments and manuscripts (6,800). With that fact out in the open, the weakness of the critics' arguments is in their overstating the issue. In otherwords, though there are variations between the copies and manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, those variants do not mean that the words of the original have been lost nor its doctrines nor contents. Whenever you consider that over 75% of the variations (whether the Hebrew/Aramaic or Greek manuscripts), they are due to spelling changes or minute issues such as the presence or the absence of the word “the” or “and”.

The differences for the Old Testament account for a fraction of a percent among the Hebrew manuscripts that were copied over a period of over 1,000 years. In a modern edition of the Hebrew Bible containing 1574 pages, all the variations could fit on 3-4 pages, with not a single variant affecting major doctrine or practice. The New Testament is remarkably even more well preserved, with an incredible 99% agreement among its 6800 Greek manuscripts and fragments and more than 20,000 ancient manuscript translations and versions. A typical Greek New Testament containing 789 pages could fit all of these small differences on just one page! Just like the Old Testament, not a single variation affects major doctrine or practice. Even though we don’t have the original manuscripts of the Old or New Testament books, nonetheless we do have for all intents and purposes every word spread among all the manuscripts and witnesses of the text.

To illustrate, the dollar bill I have in my wallet was made from an original plate at the U.S mint. That dollar bill is worn and tattered and is no longer in mint condition. However if I go to the store today and use that bill, the clerk will accept it as true currency and legal tender. It is for all practical intents and purposes and in truest sense just as authoritative as that plate. All together, the clerk, a bank and I would agree that we are pracitcally dealing with inerrant money. Proof of this can be found when people try to counterfeit. Unless the source is true and pure, the copies will be worthless and not usable. So it is with the scriptures. 

To demonstrate further the authority of inerrancy carried forth by translations, consider 2 Timothy 3:15 itself. Whenever Paul told Timothy that the scriptures he learned from were “pure” or “sacred”, Paul knew that Timothy, being a Greek speaking Jew, would had learned from the Greek version of the Old Testament of his day (called the Septuagint). The Septuagint was the first ever translation of the Hebrew scriptures and had already been in existence for nearly 300 years by Paul's day. Virtually every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament comes from that translation. The point? The Apostles and Jesus never worried about their translations carrying the weight and authority of inerrancy that they would had inherited from the inerrant originals. As Paul plainly states to Timothy: the "sacred" or "holy" scriptures. 

Thus the issue of inerrancy and the authority of inerrancy carried forth by the copies and translations ought not to trouble us here in the 21st century, since it did not trouble the Prophets, Jesus nor the Apostles.

So we have been considering the Bible’s authority as being due to it’s character of purity or inerrancy. We have defined inerrancy and have witnessed inerrancy’s relationship to our current translations. Let’s consider finally why inerrancy is important to the Christian.

c. Why is inerrancy important to the Christian?
As a preacher behind the pulpit or for the person in the pew, everything confessed, lived and practiced by Christians lives or dies upon the premise that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. If the Bible were wrong or in error in any of its parts, how then could Christians or the church proceed forward? Anytime a church, a Christian or denomination as denied inerrancy, other dominoes have fallen. When inerrancy is denied, preaching declines. When preaching declines, music and missions decreases. When worship and missions is absent, the church dies. Inerrancy is not just some pet doctrine invented by so-called “Bible thumping” preachers or backwoods fundamentalist Christians. To deny that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God is to do so at our peril. This is why inerrancy must be continued to be championed by preachers and church members alike.

More tomorrow…

P2 Why the Bible is Unique in its authority - Proofs of its revelation

2 Timothy 3:14-15 "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Introduction and review

Yesterday we began a new series we are entitling: "Why the Bible?" Each post in this series will have this phrase inserted in each title, either answering a particular question about the character of scripture or why the Bible is a certain way. Yesterday we dealt with the issue of "Why the Bible? Dark times need the Word of God". We labored to show how this particular time, and even generation had been predicted throughout the Bible. We made statements about scripture itself and demonstrated what the Bible has to say about its ability to be light in darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 refers to followers of Jesus Christ - "for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness." So how is it that the follower of Jesus is to shine forth His light? Notice later on in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction." So to answer the question: "Why the Bible?" we can say that the reason why the Bible is needed in today's world is because times are dark. 

Today we are going to continue on with this series: "Why the Bible" by noting the uniqueness of its authority.

Why it is proper to say the Bible is unique in its authority

2 Timothy 3:15a states in the NASB -  "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings....". The KJV and NIV render the underlined word as "holy" whilst the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and English Standard Version (ESV translate the word as "sacred". In doing a quick word study on the word translated "holy" or "sacred", the Greek word underlying these renderings can mean: "set apart, dedicated to be used by God, divine, wonderful, sacred" and of course "holy". Oftentimes this word will be used with reference to the temple of the Jews in Jerusalem. Any site, object or things set aside by God or given by God utilizes this term.  The idea of "holy" or "sacred" identifies a given object as having been touched by God, Who is called in the Bible "Holy". (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 99) Anything that is sacred has the quality of being unique, in a class of its own and pure. 

All that has been discussed thus far about the word translated "holy" or "sacred" can be applied to what Paul is saying to Timothy about "the sacred scriptures". We know "what" the word "holy" or "sacred" means when applied to the Bible. However why is this the case? Three words coming out of the above discussion on the definition of "holy" or "sacred" will be used to show why the Bible is unique in its authority: a). The Bible's character as revelation b). The Bible's purity c). The Bible's unity  

Why the Bible's character as revelation makes it uniquely authoritative 

Now on this first thought we will be delving more deeply in later posts, however we need to comment in brief on what marks the Bible as revelation from God. When we use the term "reveal" or "revelation", we are referring to making known what was previously unknown or unveiling that which was previously hidden. On 3800 occassions the Bible contains statements such as "thus says the Lord" or "The Lord says" or "it is written", pertaining to the Divine authority of Divine revelation.  Various tests for Divine revelation can be administered to determine whether or not a given document is Divinely inspired, with verified fulfilled prophecy being chief among them. Consider this logical statement:

Premise #1 If God does not exist, then fulfilled prophetic prediction (defined as 100% accurate, historically verfied, scientifically testable, and of religious significance) cannot exist,

Premise #2 If God does not exist, then written fulfilled prophetic prediction (defined in #1) cannot exist.

Premise #3 If only naturalistic laws can explain our universe, or if our universe is a closed system that emerged by chance or self-creation, then we should not see any evidence of fulfilled prophetic prediction.

Premise #4 If the phenomena of fulfilled prophetic prediction exists, then an explanation is demanded other than what naturalism and the model of a closed, self-created universe can explain. Hence that explanation can only be an intelligent Mind that is both outside and inside our universe (i.e Theism).

Premise #5 If any written document could adequately meet the criteria of premises #1-#4, then on a reasonable basis, the reality of Divine revelation as demonstrated by fulfilled prophetic prediction would be confirmed. Moreover, if such a document exists, then the reality of the deity claimed on its pages would also be confirmed by default.

Premise #6 When we survey every religious volume in the world, none contain one example of fulfilled prophetic prediction (defined in Premise #1), and none fulfill the criteria of premises #2-5, save the Bible.

Therefore: The Bible is the unique, revealed Word of God.

Now let's back up the claims of this logical argument by first testing out what is expressly stated in premise #6, since the entire weight of the argument rises or falls with it. Over the years of having surveyed different books from non-Christian religions, here is what I found: 

1. Mormonism's books: When we survey the Book of Mormon and its two companion volumes of Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, not one example of fulfilled predictive prophecy as confirmed in the manner above is found. 

2. Islam's book, the Quran. In reading through that volume (which is slightly bigger than the New Testament), not one example of fulfilled predictive prophecy is found. 

3. Hinduism's major books, the Upanishads, Veda and the Bhagavad-Gita contain not one example of predicted fulfilled prophecy. 

4. The writings of Confusius, the ancient religious writings of Persian Zoroastianism and Babylonian Creation epics do not contain one example of predicted fulfilled prophecy.

So in scouring major religious texts, plus reading reports from scholars who have done the same in religious texts not mentioned above, not one example of predictive fulfilled prophecy has been found. But now what about the Jewish Old Testament and Christian New Testament (together comprising the books of the Bible)? We find not just one, but dozens and hundreds of examples of fulfilled, predictive Bible prophecy. Two examples will be given from both the Old and New Testament: Daniel 9:23-27 and Matthew 24:1-20. 

Daniel 9:23-27 gives the reader a time table set by God for the nation of Israel in His prophetic dealings with her. A total time of what is called "70 weeks" is stated in Daniel 9:24. We know from other passages such as Genesis 29:20 and 29:27 that the Jews used the term "week" to refer to a period of seven years. Moreover, the Jewish Calendar was a lunar calendar and thus one year of time would had equalled 360 days. As we apply this to Daniel's prophecy, we discover that the "70 weeks" are also equal to "490 years" and thus in terms of days equal 176,400 days. 

The first part of the prophecy states that God will begin the official time from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah is cut-off corresponds to two sub-divisions of "7 weeks or 49 years" and "62 weeks or 434 years", with both equalling out to "69 weeks or 483 years". The second part of the prophecy could be dealt with, but for sake of brevity we will just focus upon the first part. 

The identity of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is recorded in history and the scriptures (Nehemiah 2) as being issued forth by the Persian King Artaxerxes Longitmanus on March 14, 445 b.c. If one were to count the 483 years or 69 weeks expressed in the first part of Daniel 9:24-26a, with each year containing 360 days as discussed above, the total number of days would equal 173,880 days. If you count 173,880 days from March 14, 445b.c, you arrive at April 6, 32 A.D, the very day Jesus came riding into Jerusalem to present Himself as Israel's Messiah (i.e "Palm Sunday")!

The second amazing prophecy is found in Jesus' final sermon in Matthew 24:1-20. When Jesus' statements concerning the destruction of the temple are compared to the Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus writing of that very event 40 years post-Jesus' prediction, remarkable, detail by detail accuracy is found. This very event of the destruction of Jerusalem and it's temple by Titus Vespasian in 66-70 A.D is well documented in history. Matthew's Gospel, composed after Jesus' ascension into Heaven, can be reliably dated between 50-65 A.D, easily before the turn of events leading to Israel's destruction. The point is that with just these two examples of historically verified Bible prophecy, the Bible's character as genuine revelation from God is demonstrated.

More tomorrow.....

P1 Why the Bible? Perilous times need the Word of God

2 Timothy 3:1, 10-13 "Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, andsufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."

Introduction:

One of the most difficult and perilous things I have ever done is tackle the ropes course at fallscreek. Imagine being 20-30 feet off the ground and being tethered to a single rope. As you navigate the course, you have to walk on wires, jump on teetering platforms and if need be, hang upside down with all that air between you and reinforced concrete. I will say this, if it had not been for two operators of the course guiding me every step of the way, I would have gotten hurt and given up. 
Today begins a new series that will tackle questions that revolve about the issue as to why the Bible alone is to be considered the Word of God. Without a doubt I will aim to communicate as clearly as I know how what I preach, teach and attempt to live out by God's grace daily when it comes to the scriptures. Knowing what one believes about the scripture informs ultimately how one lives for the Lord. However, in the midst of unprecedented attacks on Christianity in this country in general and the trustworthiness of scripture in particular, this blogger felt it necessary to equip readers with the tools needed to answer the question: why the Bible, and no other book? 

In the KJV we read the beginning verse of this section in 2 Timothy 3:1 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." The New American Standard renders that same word as "difficult". Whether we use the term "difficult" or "perilous", the point is that such times needs the Word of God. The remainder of 2 Timothy 3:2-9 details the nature of the dangers that will be faced by Timothy and subsequent generations of Christians. 2 Timothy 3:10-17 is in Paul's second letter to a young pastor by the name of Timothy. This particular letter or epistle would had been Paul's final words prior to his martyrdom, which means that what we read is not only a matter of truth, and certainly without a doubt inspired by the Holy Spirit, but also a matter of conviction. Paul warned Timothy of coming days that would grow darker. At the end of this post we will deal specifically with how Paul prescribes the scriptures for perilous times. 

Why the Bible? Persistent need for the lamp of truth

I thought it would benefit the reader to see what God says in the Bible concerning its ability to shine light in the darkness. Psalm 19:8b notes: ".....The commandment of the Lord is pure,enlightening the eyes." Psalm 119:105 states: "Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path." Proverbs 6:23 "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;And reproofs for discipline are the way of life." 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words." Then finally, Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." 

How is it that the scriptures are able to perform this function? They can only do so because of the fact they are the revealed Word of God. Proof of these assertions will be brought forth in later posts. It is important to remember that the scriptures claim themselves to be God's authoritative Word in places such as Proverbs 30:4-5; Psalm 112:6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Jesus reminds us in John 10:35 that the scriptures cannot be broken and in Matthew 5:18 the the Word of God is preserved by ordinance of God. 1 Peter 1:25 states that the Word of the Lord will endure forever and Isaiah 55:6-10 explains the Word of God not returning void but achieving the purposes for which God reveals it. To say that the Bible is God's revealed word is only repeating what the Bible claims for itself.  

It can be stated without apology that to deny the inerrancy, infallibility and Divine authority of scripture is to depart from the view that the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles held while the scriptures were being produced in their days.  

Why the Bible? Past times needed God's Word
We see examples of this time and time again throughout history - from the decadence of Greece and Rome to the rise and fall of cultures and kingdoms from those days until now. In general terms, we also see throughout Old and New Testament history cases where in the darkest hours of humanity, God gave His Word.  Think about the following few examples:

1. Adam and Eve were given Gen 3:15

2. Noah was revealed the ark Gen 6-9

3. Abram was told to leave and go to the promised land. Genesis 12

4. Moses was given the revelation of Genesis - Deuteronomy to lead 2 million unruly people

5. David was given a covenant of promise assuring that coming of an ultimate king. 2 Samuel 7:8-16

6. Israel throughout her history was given the prophets to speak God's Word
Amos 3:7

7. Jesus came as the living Word made flesh. The Gospels, John 1:14-18

8. The early church received the Holy Spirit and was formed and grown by prophetic preaching, despite persecution. Book of Acts

9. The Apostles were given revelation in the form of letters to guide the church through her trials and to better understand what Jesus achieved and how they were to live. The Epistles

10. The Apostle John penned his book of Revelation on an isolated island in exile.

Why the Bible? The present time was predicted by it

One of the first places we can turn to in discovering how long our day and age had been predicted by God is Proverbs 30:11-14 "There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." The KJV handles this particular text better than the NASB in that it refers to "a generation". Certainly this gives a picture of what happens when an entire society, and even generation of people are given over to their own base desires and sinful pleasures. 

However there is a particular sense in which the sinfulness of man will reach untold, unprecedented proportions in the days preceeding the coming of Christ. Jesus Himself predicted in Matthew 24:37-39 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking,marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did notunderstand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

The author of this Proverb, Agur, states that the above mentioned generation will have no regard for parents, pour out words of death, no longer value life itself and devour the poor. The fact that God is not even mentioned in this description suggests that the generation here will have totally forsaken God all together, a step by step process outlined most clearly in places such as Romans 1:18-31.

As further exploration of the Bible is made, more mention is found of the particular day and age in which we are living, lending further proof to the need for God's Word in dark times. This age is known as the "information age" and the prophet Daniel predicted it in Daniel 12:4 "But as for you, Daniel,conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”  It has been observed that roughly speaking, if we were to take all of the human knowledge we acquired from 3000 b.c to 1950 as representing our knowledge of the world around us, we discover that from 1950 - the 1970's we acquired the same amount of information. Through the 1970's to today we have seen the same amount of time decreasing as we double our knowledge of the world, to the point where today, we are doubling our knowledge every twelve months or less. 

As fascinating as these days are in which we are living, they also present conditions whereby the evil and sinful choices of human beings can be carried out at rapid speed. Without a doubt, dark times have existed on our globe, which led to God's Spirit injecting His church with the twin desires to be on it's knees in intercession and thrusting itself back into the scriptures. Texts such as these set the stage for what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:10-17 to young Pastor Timothy, and ultimately us in the 21st century. 

Why the Bible? Perilous times need the Word of God

A brief scan of 2 Timothy 3:10-14 will yield details that complete the picture explored in the verses above. Why the Bible? Why the need for God's Word? What kind of darkness are we talking about that would prompt us to turn to the Word of God to get a Word from God?  Notice.....

1. Perilous times require increased ability to see God's faithfulness. 2 Tim 3:10-12

Paul reminds Timothy of how his own ministry began some 20 years prior with persecution in 2 Timothy 3:10-12 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience,love, perseverance,11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me atAntioch, at Iconium and atLystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!" 

How can we have the ability to see God's faithfulness to us in times of persecution? By the Word of God. Paul Timothy to God's faithfulness to him, and the faith he himself had in God as an example to follow. Despite the persecutions and sufferings that he experienced in Acts 14 at the hands of the Jews in Iconium and Lystra, wherein they had left Paul for dead, God miraculously raised him (Acts 14:20). Then get this: Paul went back into the city to preach some more! To then further demonstrate how much he saw God's goodness, Paul is recorded saying in Acts 14:22 "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, andsaying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 

What Paul expressed some twenty years prior in Acts 14 was communicated to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:11b-12 "what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesuswill be persecuted." Paul appealed to his experience, which in turn was nested inside the Divinely revealed record of Acts 14. God's Word enables the saint to see God's faithfulness in darktimes, which is why we need God's Word. Now notice the second reason why God's Word is needed in darktimes.....

2. Perilous times require the ability to hear God. 2 Timothy 3:13-14

Notice what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:13-14 "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however,continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them." The kingdom of darkness and the sinful designs of human beings are described here as literally "continuing to cut an advancing path." The word translated "imposters" in verse 13 speaks of someone who seduces, does sleight of hand, a juggler or a worker of the magic arts. The idea here is that for such people, the line between illusion and reality is blurred and eventually erased. The lies of men and the words of such imposters will be carried far and wide to every ear who is willing to listen. 

What then is the solution? How can a child of God, a pastor or a church ever hope to not only survive but thrive in such a hostile environment? Paul gives the answer in 2 Timothy 3:14-15a "You, however,continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings.....". In verse 15 Paul is alluding to the Old Testament, which Timothy would had learned from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) and in verse 14 he is alluding to the Apostles, like Peter and himself, as well as some of the New Testament books which would had been in circulation. When we say the Bible is God's Word, we are equating it with God's voice. In an age where we hear an overabundance of men's voices, we need to get back to the Bible. It alone communicates God's voice in its words and pages. 

Closing thoughts

Today we considered why perilous times need the Word of God:
1. Persistent need for the lamp of truth

2. Past times needed God's Word

3. Present time predicted by it

4. Perilous times need the Word of God to both see God's faithfulness and hear His voice. 

Poem - My Daddy's Bible

Psalm 118:8 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

It is hard to believe that it has been almost a month since my dad's passing. In writing these posts on the subject of Biblical authority, I got to thinking about my dad's Bible. When I was at his funeral, I got the chance to hold his Bible and look through the numerous verse references he jotted down in the front flyleaf. The presiding pastor used those verses as the basis for his funeral message and as a result I was comforted. The above opening text of today's post features one of my dad's favorite scriptures. He would quote Psalm 118:8 all the time and I would come to discover that this verses is the middle verse in our English Bibles. Today's poem is dedicated to my dad and tells a little bit of the comfort I found listening to the message spoken from those verse references written by my dad in his Bible. May the reader find encouragement, hope or perhaps use the poem to comfort someone else. To God be the glory!

My Daddy's Bible

On my lap the Bible laid

Final respects to my daddy paid

I opened the book, to behold the sight

Like gems in the sun glistening bright

Verses wrote, tucked in every space

Each one written and having a place

The day a family member left the home

Four years to college and world to roam

He wrote down a verse, to watch and pray

To see his child finish their way

There was another, celebrating love

Memories to cherish, gifts from above

The preacher unfolded the truth of those words

Like a string of pearls his message was heard

God gained a tenor; a son is now home

No longer on this globe to ever roam

Yet here is his Bible, proof of a man

Who by faith on God's Word surely did stand

Dad is in glory, faith made sight

In that land of never night

My daddy's Bible, my mind's eye behold

A precious book, more valuable than gold

Since God is perfect, the Bible is inerrant

Titus 1:2 "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie,promised long ages ago."

Introduction:

When we consider the character of the books of the Bible and when we claim that all together the sixty-six books are the Word of God, we necessarily are basing such claims off of their being of Divine origin. At the heart of the Christian faith is the idea that God is a talking God that has revealed His power in creation, His Presence in the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His purposes in a book - the Bible. God by nature is Holy, Perfect and without flaw. (Isaiah 6; Habakkuk 1:13) Through the scriptures themselves we discover explicit statements that verify the fact that God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18-19) but always tells the truth and reigns over His world by the basis of truth (Psalm 89:14). 

The character of God is the basis for any belief in the doctrine of the Bible's character as a 100% truthful document without error (hence inerrancy). Today's post will consider scriptures that assert the character of God as perfect, flawless and always telling the truth as being the basis for the doctrine of inerrancy, and by claiming the Bible as God's revealed book, what it is only fitting to deem it the inerrant and infallible Word of God. 

Bible Scholars weigh in on connecting God's character supply the character of scripture as the basis for asserting Biblical inerrancy

Henry Theissen in his "Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, page 109, gives this clear statement: "Will not God, Who has provided so abundantly for man's lower needs, provide also for his higher? It seems that the answer must be an abundant yes. God being such a God as that (person, almighty, holy and loving) may be expected to make His standards and plan of salvation known." Theissen then quotes another theologian, W.G.T Shedd, who states: "Hence it is more natural to suppose that a prophet or an apostle who has received directly from God a profound and mysterious truth inaccesible to the human intellect, will not be left to his own unassisted powers in imparting what He has received. Especially is it improbable that communications from the deity would be veiled in extravagant and legendary costume." Dr. Norman Geisler and William E. Nix in their book: A General Introduction to the Bible, page 49, note: "In order to demonstrate the divine authority of the Scriptures, it must be shown that the Bible has a divine claim corroborated by a divine character and supported by divine credentials."  All of these scholars are in essence saying that because God is truthful and reveals Himself, the Book which He has revealed in written form came through His prophets and apostles as completely truthful (or inerrant).

God in the Person of the Father cannot lie, thus the Bible is inerrant

Numbers 23:19 states - “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" God is One God Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equally a sharer in the fullness and oneness of Deity. Hence, whenever we say that the Father (alluded to here in Numbers 23:19 and in Titus 1:2) cannot lie, we are necessarily saying that whatever He says will be without error. The statements we find with reference to God's perfection lead to the main point of His revealed words being without error. If we were to track this out logically, we could note the following:

Premise #1 God is a God that cannot lie and thus is without error

Premise #2 Anything spoken or recorded in written form from the One, true, Perfect God is without error, being that God cannot lie

Premise #3 The Bible is the only book, that contains fulfilled prophecy, unparalleled unity, correct explanations of history and the power to convert sinners, which are marks of Divine revelation

Premise #4 Divine revelation can only come from One source, God

Therefore: The Bible is without error and cannot lie, thus always truthful (i.e inerrant)

The Person of the Son cannot lie, hence the Bible is without error

Jesus Christ is the only perfect human being who ever lived. Furthermore, He being also God at the same time means He cannot lie. Jesus as God in human flesh asserts that the scriptures are about Him (Luke 24:44); cannot be broken (John 10:35) and retain their authority as Divine scripture throughout all the ages (Matthew 5:18). Jesus' Divine character and perfect human character is tied to the character of scripture itself. Scholar Dr. Daniel Wallace observes in a blogpost he wrote in his blogsite, danielwallace.com - "At bottom, the reason I hold to a high bibliology is because I hold to a high Christology (the branch of theology dealing with the Person and work of Jesus Christ). Jesus often spoke of the Bible in terms that went beyond the reverence that the Pharisees and Sadducees had for the text. They added traditions to the Bible, or truncated the canon, or otherwise failed to handle scripture appropriately. Jesus had a high view of the text, and it strikes me that I would be unwise to have a view different from his. Indeed, I believe I would be on dangerous ground if I were to take a different view of the text than Jesus did. Thus, my starting point for a high bibliology is Christ himself." This is highly important to recognize, since whatever is said about Jesus is said about the scriptures, since both are recognized by the title "The Word". (John 1:1,14; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 4:12)

The Person of the Holy Spirit cannot lie, hence the scriptures are inerrant

1 Samuel 15:29 states - "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”  Jesus states in John 16:13ff that the Spirit of truth will come to guide His people into all truth. According to 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21, the Holy Spirit is identified as the chief Agent behind the production of scripture through the Prophets and Apostles. When the original documents were penned by these men, the Holy Spirit Himself insured that they were without error. 

Closing thoughts

Today's post aimed to show the reader why belief in Biblical inerrancy must begin with the fundamental assumption of God being a truth-telling, never lying God. The affirmation of Biblical inerrancy in the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments, along with such authority that flows down through their copies and translations, is a by-product of the belief that God indeed revealed and inspired them. I close today with this exerpt from the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message which connects biblical inerrancy to God's character: "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter."