The Bible: The Nature of God's Word

Last week, Carl launched us into a new series entitled Sound Doctrine.  Our foundation verse for this series is Titus 2:1, 

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 

He explained that doctrine is teaching, and, Biblical teaching or doctrine is both practical, applicable, and includes the theology behind it.

The basis of what we teach is critical.  If we have the wrong foundation behind what we teach, it is worthless.

Jesus quoted the book Isaiah, saying, 

“… you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites!  Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings [doctrines] are but rules taught by men.’”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’”  --Matthew 15:6-11 

According to Jesus, wrong teaching or teaching things contradictory to what the Bible says makes our worship vain, without purpose, worthless.


Carl also addressed the question, “What is the Bible?” explaining that the Bible is a unique book.  It is unique in its history, its makeup, its wisdom, fulfilled prophecy, and its message.  The Bible is special.  It is unlike any other book.  It was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors in three different languages.  It has been open to critical debate for centuries and yet it stands firm.  Countless skeptics have set off on quests to debunk the Bible only to come to faith as a result.

We’re going to continue talking about the Bible today.  We’re going to look at answers to the question “What is the Bible like?”   What is the nature of God’s Word?  What are some of its attributes?

It is not possible to exhaustively deal with these topics in a Sunday morning message.  The points I do hope to reach today deal with the authority, inerrancy, and clarity of God’s Word.  How do we know the Bible is God’s Word?  Are there errors in the Bible?  Do you have to have special training or education to be able to understand the Bible correctly, or is this something possible for only certain people?

Let’s pray before we follow the Word to some answers:

Lord Jesus, our trust is in You.  We believe Your Word.  Help us to grow in understanding the foundational teachings of the faith.  Equip us to do Your work and accomplish Your purposes.  Open our hearts and minds we pray.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Generally, our family knows when I have to deliver the message on Sunday.  It’s usually the week before that it comes up.  So, it wasn’t really with pre-knowledge the week before last that we got to talking about the Bible during one of our devotional times.

We got to talking about different versions and how they were different.  That really came about because I read some verses from James 3 out of the Message.  One of the kids who has been reading through the Bible on their own this year, said, “Well, I just read that chapter, and it doesn’t say that in my Bible.”

This led to a search for that particular Bible so that we could read it and compare the two.  The conclusion to the comparison was that the two versions or translations said the same thing with the same meaning.  The problem in this case was not either Bible.  The problem was with our memory.

We happen to have a parallel New Testament at home which I think has eight different versions side-by-side.  So, we got that out and read the same passage from nearly all of them.  The consensus was the same.  All the Bibles said the same thing.  They may use slightly different words, but the essential meaning was the same.

Many translations, one Word.

Here’s another example of consistency between translations. 

I meddle in speaking German.  Occasionally, I write to friends or colleagues in German.  German is like English.  Words can have more than one meaning.  And, if you look up an English word, there’s a pretty good chance more than one word that could be translated with that word.  When I run into a particularly important word where misunderstanding could occur, I will try to think of where the English word I want to use is found in that context somewhere in the Bible.  Then, I look up the verse in a German Bible.

It works perfectly because translations of the Bible are so incredibly carefully made.

Are there Bibles which are not okay?  Unfortunately, there are.  I should start keeping a record of things I learn at Brookdale, the nursing home where we go to sing once a month.  One of the residents named David would share with me sometimes, and he asked me if I would read a passage in a Bible he had found and tell him if it was okay for him to read that Bible.

The passage was a favorite of his, and known to many, Psalm 103:1-5.  

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” –Psalm 103:1-5 

The Bible that he had found had several different words, but two points in particular stood out.  Instead of, “Praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins,” it said, “forget not all he has done—who forgives all your errors.”

Now, you may or may not feel like these are major problems.  I think it is fairly simple to evaluate and say that errors and sins are not the same thing.  And that saying benefits rather than all things God has done is an important distinction.  Also, the original Hebrew does not support the “all things/errors” translation.

Which Bible was it that David had found?  It was the New World Translation which is published by the Watchtower Bible Society or Jehovah’s Witnesses.  There are other problems with this translation.  It has been well documented that it is not good to read the New World Translation as it is not sound translation, and as such is not truly sound doctrine.

If you have questions about specific Bibles, we can discuss them later, but it is generally a good thing that there are different translations.  It is important to understand that different translations are made for different reasons mostly to increase or improve understanding.

Real quickly, let’s look at the types of Bibles out there:

There are translations which strive to be word for word.  The KJV and NASB both strive to be true to the original words.  They will even italicize words that were added to clarify a sentence.

Then, there are translations that are made more at the phrase or sentence level striving to maintain the meaning but recognizing the comfortable sentence structure of English is a bit different than Hebrew or Greek.  The NIV and ESV both fall into this category.

Then, there are the paraphases.  These Bibles try to get at the meaning of what the original language is, the nuance that would be more obvious to a reader at the time the Scripture was written and put it back in at the paragraph level.  The Living Bible and the Message are both paraphases.

Each of these types of Bibles are useful.  It is a blessing that we can have many translations.  If you take these versions and lay them side by side, you will find that the meaning is the same.  As I prepare for a message, I will look at some passages across a multitude of Bibles just to help insure that my understanding is right.

Where do all these versions come from?  The more modern versions are actually made from older sources than from what the KJV was.  The NASB and NIV and ESV are made from older sources which were not available to the KJV translators.  I have been told on more than one occasion by genuinely serious people that all the modern versions are just taken from the KJV.  This is simply not true.  Each of these versions desires to go back to the earliest available manuscripts not just a single source.  They even point out where the source materials differ.  [Please understand that I’m not trying to knock the KJV.  It is a great translation that has blessed millions.  I just would like to explain where translations come from.]

So, what about those little footnotes in the Bible that say something like the Septuagint says it one way but the Hebrew manuscripts another or a particular passage is not found in some of the earliest manuscripts.  If the different source materials aren’t identical, does that mean the Bible has errors in it? Are there any errors in the Bible?

Original copies of what Moses or Paul wrote do not exist today and though the Bible is the most well documented ancient text by at least two orders of magnitude (more than 10,000 copies of ancient Bible texts exist whereas there are less than a hundred of most other ancient texts), our Bibles are translated from copies of copies.  Should that bring concern about the inerrancy of Scripture?

First off, more than 99% of the words of the Bible reflect what the original manuscript said.  And, even the small variances found among ancient texts do not change the meaning and nor cause difficulties to translation.  You don’t have to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar to find the less than 1% differences because like already mentioned, they are pointed out in the footnotes of most Bibles.  While study of these differences is not unimportant, it has not created a crisis or confusion as to what the original manuscripts said.

Probably the most well-known passage which is mentioned as not being available in the earliest manuscripts is the story of the woman caught in adultery found in John 8.  The story is 11 verses long.  There are 879 verses in the book of John.  This story makes up just over 1% of the book of John.

Back in 2012, we had a series on the book of John.  If you would like to read more about this passage and its background, please refer to that particular message in our archive:  http://clemsoncc.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html.

Another common objection to the inerrancy of Scripture is to say that there are clear errors in the Bible or as some would have it, “the Bible is full of errors.”

If you have this question or you get it from someone else, it is important to start with the return question, “where, which ones?”  This “full of errors” objection is often made because they have heard someone else say it.

There are folks who do have a particular passage in mind.  It is important to look deeply into those passages.  We should not be afraid of doing this.  The Bible has stood up to deep scrutiny for 1,900 years.  Even careful reading of the English will often bring up one or more possible solutions to the problem.

If that doesn’t lead to a satisfactory solution, then go to someone you look up to in the faith.  Also, it can be helpful to refer to a Bible commentary because others have “wrestled” with these “alleged” problem texts and given plausible solutions.

The Bible itself speaks of itself as an error-free book as shown in this sampling of verses (there are many, many more:  Psalm 19 and 119, Matthew 5:18, John 10:34-36, Hebrews 4:12, I Peter 1:24-25, Revelation 19:9). 

The words of the Lord are words that are pure, silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times.  –Psalm 12:6

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.  –Matthew 24:34

Your Word is truth.  –John 17:17 

If we want to say the Bible has error, whether scientific, or historical, or just small stuff, or in some other way, we’ve opened up a can of worms.  We are basically saying that either God is not all-powerful or He is not all-truthful.  This creates a doubt of whether or not we can trust God at all.  At that point, we’ve made our own minds a higher authority than God’s Word.  If we say God can’t protect His own Word which the Bible repeatedly says is perfect and true, then we are saying that God Himself isn’t who He says He is.  This is not a minor detail, but a major doctrinal concern.

This addresses the consequence of not considering the Bible to be the Word of God.  Let’s take a moment and look at some of the points by which we know the Bible to be the Word of God.

Do you remember my story about our family devotional where were comparing versions of the Bible?  Coming out of that, Rebekah was surprised to find that the King James Version was found in the parallel Bible.  She had thought the only King James Bible that we had with larger than microscopic print was one that the pastor who married us had given to Melissa and I when we got married.  It’s a really big Bible, but the pages are like newsprint.  It is a bit impressive in its size, but other than that, it’s a Bible like others.

Her comments did remind me about the Bible that wowed me when I was a kid.

 

 

Here’s a picture of the Bible that belonged to my great-grandparents.  It was published in 1882, I think.  My dad has the Bible now.  I asked him to bring it out when we were visiting them last weekend.  It is quite an artistic piece.  The cover is an engraved leather binding.  You can see the Ark of the Covenant and Noah’s ark there in the middle.  At the top is the Lord’s Supper.  Moses is on the left.  I think it is David, or maybe Abel, on the right side.  The nativity and Jesus preaching are there, too. 

There are all sorts of resources in the Bible:  a concordance and a Bible dictionary among others.  It must be about 6” thick.  There are color pictures and engraved prints inside.  The Tabernacle is there, the Ten Commandments and the Great Commandment, pictures from Jesus’ life and parables, and even pictures of the plants described in the Bible.

It still impressed me seeing it again after more than 20 years.  This time, however, most interesting for me was the introduction.  I’ll share the opening paragraph with you:

“The Bible is a great preacher.  It teaches more infallibly and quite as persuasively as human lips.  We need not undervalue the ordinance of human preaching, yet in many a case the Bible has reached a heart which human words never would have reached, and there are many souls which have been left alone to the written Word or God for the food of their highest and dearest life.  The emigrant, bending over his solitary Bible; the soldier or sailor on his nightly watch; many whom business or necessity has taken away from the abodes of men where there is no church, no ordinance, and the preacher’s voice is never heard; the sick man in the solitude of his chamber, to whom the privileges of the sanctuary are denied – they all draw from their Bible their soul’s daily food, and all their spiritual strength.”

There is so much that we could talk about regarding the authority of God’s Word.  Thankfully, Carl addressed some of this last week.  The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God.  I would say in my life, it has been true that I have learned to trust the Bible more and more as I have read it more and more and heard teaching on it more and more.

Jesus said, 

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.  John 16:13 

We are led by the Spirit into truth.  Paul also wrote about the guidance of the Holy Spirit in understanding spiritual things. 

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  –I Corinthians 2:11-14 

There are also other evidences which help confirm the Bible, but ultimately, we cannot put external sources above the Bible as the standard by which it is judged as we discussed earlier.

Here’s another passage from the Introduction of the family Bible we looked at earlier:

“The growing interest manifested in Biblical research and in Christian labors among all religious denominations in the present age is unprecedented.  In their labors to Christianize the world, with the assistance of God’s Holy Word, good men are untiring.  The recent explorations in and around the Holy Lands have been prosecuted with energy and zeal, exhuming undeniable proofs of the divine origin of the Holy Scriptures, and affording material for illustrating by fine engravings valuable information with regard to the early Christians, which a quarter of a century since was unknown; and it has been the aim of the Publishers of this edition to avail themselves of these researches, especially of the explorations made in Palestine.”

In the last century, and certainly the last two hundred years, so many things have been discovered which support the Bible as historically accurate.  It is fun to read this statement from more than 130 years ago and think about some of those early discoveries coming about. 

The method in which the Bible came together is also an amazing thing.  Certainly, there are portions of the Bible spoken by Jesus.  There are portions dictated by God.  And yet, there are other sections which came about in an almost “ordinary” sort of way.  Luke’s Gospel and the Book of Acts both were written as orderly accounts.  Luke served as a reporter and researcher interviewing people and pulling together these details to record them.  God is able to work in this kind of creative method as well as when He spoke to Moses and the other prophets, “Thus saith the Lord …”

It’s crazy to think, but what the writers of Scripture wrote were their own words on one hand and at the same time, they were the exact words that God wanted them to write.  We can’t quite wrap our heads around that, but it is an example of the sovereignty of God.  The beauty and uniformity of Scripture and the message are proof that God’s hand was behind it.

I was seated on a jury when I was 18 or 19 years old.  It was quite an eye-opening experience.  It was a somewhat complicated civil trial so we were dealing with burden of proof and not beyond a shadow of a doubt.  When we were sent out to deliberate the case, I was amazed and even a little bit appalled at the memory of some of the jury.  At one point, other jurors had to encourage me to let someone else have their say.  I just kept interrupting this lady because much of what she was trying to say wasn’t accurate.  I wasn’t trying to be unkind.  I was just trying to keep us constrained to the facts about the case that we had all heard.

God chose to write the Bible through 40 authors over 1,500 years.  How is it possible that you can end up with anything resembling a consistent message out of that apart from God’s own hand working it out? 

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  –Psalm 19:7-11 

God is holy.  He is perfect.  He cannot lie or speak falsely.  “Therefore, all the words in Scripture are completely true and without error in any part.  His words are the ultimate standard of truth.   Written Scripture is our Final Authority.”—Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

The last point of emphasis for today’s message is the clarity of Scripture.  It would be silly for me to say the Bible in its entirety is easy to understand.  In fact, Peter talks about portions of Paul’s epistles being hard to understand.  (II Peter 3:15-16)  And yet, the Bible itself both Old and New Testaments affirm that it is written in such a way that anyone can understand it.  Some things may be hard to understand, but not impossible to understand.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is the passage which speaks of teaching the commands of God to your children.  Not just teach but diligently teach, talking of them on the way, in the house, when you sit, lie down and rise.  Each person was expected to understand Scripture well enough to teach it diligently to their children.

The Psalms (19:7 and 119:30) explain that the “simple” can understand the Bible and be made wise by it.

Jesus routinely addresses his hearers as though they should know the Old Testament and know it well.  He says often, “Have you not read …” or “You know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”  Jesus never said, “I’m sorry, you’re right, the Old Testament wasn’t quite clear on that.”

Most of the New Testament is written to all believers, whole congregations and even multiple congregations, rather than just to church leaders.  Even though much of the New Testament is directed at Gentile believers who didn’t know much more about the history and culture of Israel than we do, its writers did not think it strange to expect Gentile Christians to learn from translations of the Old Testament in their own language and understand it correctly.

We’ve talked already about the Spirit as a means to clarify Scripture for us.  It is not about how smart you are whether or not you can understand Scripture.  It is thankfully our spiritual condition and moral bent that lead us into understanding.  When we place our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then He takes care of our spiritual condition.  Our desire should be to live a holy life, like Jesus.  If we are unwilling to receive and follow the teachings of Scripture, it will be cloudy.

It’s also possible for unbelievers to understand Scripture when they come seeking God’s help to understand it. 

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.  –I Corinthians 1:18-25 

“The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all who will read it seeking God’s help and being willing to follow it.”—Grudem

What about misunderstandings?  Well, based on this doctrine of clarity, it means the problem is on our side.  The same kind of thing occurs with the authority of Scripture.  While Scripture has all the authority of God, many do not acknowledge or submit themselves to that authority.  And, while all teachings of Scripture are clear and able to be understood, people can still misunderstand it.

I wish that I had more time.  This is such a rich area to explore and discuss.  The Bible is such a wonderful gift to us from God.  We should all be encouraged to read more, read more often, feast on this heavenly bread which God has given.

John Newton on Reading the Bible:

“I know not a better rule of reading the Scripture, than to read it through from beginning to end; and, when we have finished it once, to begin it again. We shall meet with many passages which we can make little improvement of, but not so many in the second reading as in the first, and fewer in the third than in the second—provided we pray to Him who has the keys to open our understandings, and to anoint our eyes with his spiritual eye-salve! The course of reading today, will give some light for what we shall read tomorrow, and throw a farther light upon what we read yesterday. Experience alone, can prove the advantage of this method, if steadily persevered in. To make a few efforts, and then give up—is like taking a few steps and then standing still, which would do little towards completing a long journey. But, though a person walked slowly, and but a little way in a day—if he walked every day, and with his face always in the same direction, year after year—he would in time travel over the globe! By thus traveling patiently and steadily through the Scripture, and repeating our progress—we would increase in Scriptural knowledge to the end of life!

“The Old and New Testament, the doctrines, precepts, and promises, the history, the examples, admonitions, and warnings, etc. would mutually illustrate and strengthen each other—and nothing that is written for our instruction would be overlooked. Happy would I be, could I fully follow the advice I am now offering to you. I wish you may profit by my experience. Alas, how much time have I lost and wasted, which, had I been wise—I would have devoted to reading and studying the Bible! But my evil heart obstructs the dictates of my judgment, I often feel a reluctance to read this book of books, and a disposition to hew out broken cisterns which afford me no water, while the fountain of living waters are close within my reach!” 

Your Words were found, and I ate them. Your Words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart! —Jeremiah 15:16 

Rick Whitney shares the following in the Faithwalkers devotional January 16-19, 2014"

“… When you asked me to share the main lesson I have learned, I did not hesitate. You asked if I had to do it all over again, would I change anything? Yes! I would be much more careful to read carefully, every day, in God's Word, expecting Him to lead me.

“I would read large sections of His Word, and I would confidently expect our Lord to equip me through that day's reading. I would not be arrogant about this, but I would quietly trust that if I read much less from Christian authors and much more from His Word, it would be better.

“I would set my face not to be satisfied with the 'echoes of God.' Christian authors, speakers, blogs, emails, and websites are all 'echoes.' Instead, I would determine to hear directly His voice through His Word. When we only hear His echo, we become shrunken in soul. When we only hear His echo, we miss the best Voice of all. Demand the best. Go to Him, then bring what you read in God's Word into that day's many conversations and problems. Don't think you need to read all the Christian echoes out there. All we need is to believe that He will daily feed us and guide us into eternal, life-changing, impacting ministry.

“From this foundation of direct conversation with our Lord, our inevitable reading of the many Christian echoes that are available will then be balanced. In His Bible, read first and in quantity. Expect to find your answers there.

“… the Bible is the most amazing book on your shelf. Its claims for itself are incredible. It is, in truth, God's Word and is therefore unique among all books. It is a one-of-a-kind.

“God has promised that He will reveal Himself through its pages. If we read it, we run the risk of hearing from God. It is amazing that Christians settle to read and hear only what others have heard from God and not insist on hearing themselves. First person. Hot from God! We are often content to read about the experiences of others who have met their Savior while reading their Bible, but we do not read His Word ourselves. What a loss. The crumbs are tasty, but the real bread is as close as your own Bible.

“… Sometimes we need to turn down, maybe even turn off, some of the voices in our lives. We need to adjust the volume of this world, so that we can hear from our Savior.

“When we quiet our souls, then His still, small voice will break through, clear and honest.”

I’ll close with the end of the introduction from the family Bible.

“In perusing this sacred book, may we fervently repeat the words of the Psalmist:  “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” Psalm 119:33 “The entrance of Thy Word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple; order my steps in Thy Word.”  Psalm 119:130, 133”

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, thank You for the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.  Set each heart here on fire to read Your Word every day.  Let us not think of television or internet or movies or podcasts or YouTube first, but put a hunger in us for Your Word.  Teach us by Your Spirit to apply what we read.  Speak into our lives I pray, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.