I want you to think about this phrase for a moment.
“The Bible is God’s Word”.
If you know anything about the Christian faith, you will know the Bible is called God’s Word. If you have read this column before, you would also know I use this line in nearly every column I write. What does this phrase mean to you? The way you answer this defines your God.
We live in a day that is driven by moral relativism. Moral relativism is the view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individual choice. We can all decide what is right for ourselves. You decide what's right for you, and I'll decide what's right for me.
Moral relativism has replaced the Bible as a standard for morality in our modern society. This comes from a culture that was previously governed by a "Judeo-christian" view of morality. While these "Judeo-christian" standards continue to be the foundation for civil law, most people hold to the concept that right or wrong have no absolutes, but can be determined by each individual.
Are there absolutes? Are good and evil subjective?
Atheism says there are no absolutes. This a prime and crucial atheist battle ground. There is no wonder that atheists spend so much time trying to reassure themselves that there are no absolutes, for if they lose this battle, and absolutes are found, they know all absolutes will be traced back to One. Yet what they fail to see is, to say there are no absolutes is an absolute statement. It is either true or false. If it is true, then it is false...which is logically contradiction which proves the premise to begin with. Therefore, it can only be false and there are such things as logical and moral absolutes.
Do we then have the right to rewrite the Bible to match our needs or wants? Some have no problem doing so. We now have Bibles that are edited as not to call God “HIM” for it is sexist. We have another group that has changed the words so as not to offend the gay lifestyle. Now we have a seeker bible incorporating evolution so as not to offend the atheistic belief of evolution. Please remember, it is "church groups" that headup these changes to Gods Word. They say they believe in God, but only as they want to see God.
I mean really, what is the point? If you feel you have the power within you to change the Word of God, why even believe in God? Is God not God? Is the Bible not God’s Word? Can we just change the Bible to fit our needs? Do we have no absolutes? If God be God, let Gods Word stand as He wills it to be. It is not the Bible that needs to change, but our will to have our way.
You will notice on Mountain Monergism’s main page, that Sola Scriptura rests at the top of a list within the graphic at the top. This phrase was the main battle cry of the Reformation. Sola Scriptura or “Only Scripture” carries the meaning that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority, was and still is the "Formal Principle" of the Reformation. This is saying no word of man or church has power over God’s Word
.
The Belgic Confession stated,
"We believe that [the] holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein...Neither may we consider any writings of men, however holy these men may have been, of equal value with those divine Scriptures nor ought we to consider custom or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God... Therefore, we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule" (VII).
Those are very powerful words found throughout the above statement. But did you catch the words, “fully contain the will of God?” All Christians will agree that the Bible is God’s Word. Most all will even agree that the Bible is our highest authority, where in we find the absolutes not only for civil law, but also moral conduct. I am not sure I could claim that most believers live as if this were the case. Yet can we really say that we have the complete Word of God that God has given mankind, contained within the book called the Bible? Do you understand the implications of such a statement?
Being that there are indeed absolutes, and being also, that all absolutes can be traced back to One source and that being God, and being also that the Bible has all the Words which God has chosen to give man, would it not behoove all of mankind to read these Words, in order to understand not only God, but ourselves?
Why then is there a rejection of God’s Word as the absolute and final authority or "Formal Principle?” Just as a child wants his own way, mankind as a whole wants to be able to do as he/she wills, and not as God wills. Man loves sin, and will go to all ends not to be placed under the rule or control of anybody, including God. We have our right to do as we see fit in our own eyes.
The belief that Scripture is the Word of God is not the result of a pronouncement of man, or by a lesser authority such as a church, nor a conclusion inferred from rational principles. This is not to say that ration cannot be applied. Rather it is a belief which the Holy Spirit produces within the people of God. Non-believers do not recognize this authority, for many have not taken the time to study the Bible.
Not all non-believers claim to be atheist. Many say they believe in God, but never take the time to read His Word. So what would be the point of believing in God? Is God there just to help us out of jams? Is God just someone to pray to when we need healing powers? Why would anyone claim to believe in God and not care about what God has said to mankind? They do not study the Bible, for they do not like the will of God found in the Bible. They would then be forced by their own admission of God, to submit to God’s authority, or pay the consequence of rejecting that authority. Their answer is to ignore the Bible.
Any discussion of faith must begin with a statement in which that faith finds its authority. The Christian faith is based on the Bible and must begin with the Bible. It must begin with the confession that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God.
Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 1, article 6:
"The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men."
Beginning with that confession, that the Bible is the Word of God, we must then allow the Bible to instruct us about revelation.
If we believe in God, we must believe in God’s Word, the Bible. To do otherwise is to in fact reject God. Only Christ is the Redeemer. But without Scripture, Jesus will always remain unknown to us. Those that say there is a God, but never read His Word, are saying what God said is not important to them. This is a rejection of God’s revelation and God Himself, and making such claims to believe in God all but void.
So what is meant by “The Bible is God’s Word”?
The Bible is not a magic wand. It’s not something we place in our home to keep evil spirits away. If we simply carry it, it does not mean we have the power of God with us. The closed Bible is nothing other than a book.
The Bible has one true author and that is God. The Bible has a unifying purpose, namely to lead us to an obedient and worshipful knowledge of the true God. The knowledge of God comes only as the Bible is read by you or to you. The Bible does no good just setting on the coffee table. The power is found inside its pages. As you read the Bible, and as the Spirit works in you, the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit brings the Bible alive. This comes only to those willing to know the will of God as the Spirit of truth draws them.
Luke 24
32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
All Christians should be able to speak of this burning found when reading the Bible. The desire to know more and understand as much as we can about a great God is this burning feeling. The golden nuggets of truth, the understanding of purpose, the warming of our soul, we find only in its pages.
We must then conclude a few things.
1) God is the ultimate and supreme authority. God’s Word “the Bible” is the full revelation of God to man. Therefore, the Bible is the absolute final Word of good and evil.
2) God has a will for each human life. It should then be our goal to find God’s will. It is not only possible, but also expected by God, to know God's will. It is also expected of us not to go against His divine, supreme and ordered authority.
How do you view God’s Word? Is the Word of God, God’s Word to mankind? If so, the challenge is clear.
Read it. Study it. Submit to it. This is the will of God.