Why you can trust the Bible - Part 2

In Part 1, we looked at mostly external evidence - things like archeological finds and the miraculous preservation of thousands of manuscripts, which all agree with each other with incredible accuracy. Now we're going to look at what the Bible says, or rather, what God says about His Word.

Before we do that, there is one point to make which rests between internal and external evidence. For some people, all the evidence in the world will not convince them. At some point, the recognition of the Holy Spirit working in your life in ways that could not be explained any other way is going to do more for your faith than historical, philosophical, or scientific evidence. Logic and knowledge will not save you in the end, only a relationship with God can.

"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:15-17

Paul was writing to Timothy, who we might call an apprentice of his in spreading the gospel, and he answered the question: What are the scriptures for? What is their purpose?

• "To make you wise for salvation" and strengthen your faith in Jesus
• To establish doctrine, or foundational beliefs
• For reproof and correction of sin in one's life
• "For instruction in righteousness", or how to gain freedom from sin and live a better life according to God's will
• The scriptures equip us for "every good work". Greek agathos (good) is something good that has a benefit, and Greek ergon (works) is an act, or labor

Since the last point here is about being "equipped", it's a good time to bring up the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and how the Bible is involved.

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."  Ephesians 6:11-13

• We need the armor of God, rather than the wisdom and strength of men, because we're dealing with supernatural forces (fallen angels, and we'll explore this in a future post).
• It's not obvious, but there's two types of "standing" in this passage
• "stand against the wiles" (deceptions) "of the devil"
• Stand before God, "having done all", in the day of judgement - Revelation 6:17, "who shall be able to stand?"

So how does the Bible fit into the armor of God?

"...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"  Ephesians 6:17

"Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."  Revelation 19:15

"He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."  Revelation 1:16

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12

Does Christ really have a literal two-edged sword sticking out of his mouth? No, it's symbolic of His Word. Our words come from our mouths. Revelation 19 reveals that there is a judgement coming and the standard for that judgement is the Word of God, which He spoke to prophets and apostles and preserved over many centuries. God made sure that you and I have access to these writings so that we could know who He is, and so that we have the answer key before the test comes. That's an incomplete analogy, I know, but hopefully it's clear that God made His Word available for our sakes, so that we can stand in the day of judgement.

But believe me, when your sins have been forgiven, and Jesus is both your defense attorney and your judge, the judgement is a good and positive thing. We'll get into this more in future posts, but a judgement means that God will take care of the sin problem, and no one will be victimized, lied to, taken advantage of, abused, neglected, discriminated against, ever again.  All of these problems that we humans are trying to solve in our own wisdom, and our solutions keep backfiring as things get worse - God is going to set everything right. 

Another side note: In the Old Testament when God created the world, met with Abraham before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18), passed before Moses on Mt. Sinai proclaiming His glory (character, Exodus 34) and thundered the 10 Commandments, met with Joshua before Jericho fell (Joshua 5) - this was Christ the Son of God showing up in person.  In the verses in Revelation quoted above, John saw the same person, only now it is Jesus Christ the Son of Man. It's the same God, but Jesus now has a glorified human body after being born as a human and living in this world with us, so that we can live in Heaven with Him.  Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, this sword or Word that Christ speaks is "living and powerful". 

One more observation before we move on: Notice that the Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon, while the shield of faith, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, are all defensive. Why is that? So you can use scripture to bash people over the head in internet forums and on social media? No! So you can cut through the elaborate and subtle lies our accuser (Satan) is placing all around us in our lives. We humans get fixated on the physical and literal, but this is spiritual and symbolism is used in the Bible to describe spiritual things. 

"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21

• Beginning with "And so" suggests that something previously expressed contributes to this passage or enables it to be so.  In verses 16-18, Peter had just described that he and the other disciples were not following "fables" because they had seen the glory and power God gave His Son Jesus with their own eyes.
• The "prophetic word", or messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, were all fulfilled (confirmed) in Jesus
• True prophecies are spoken by God and fulfilled by God, and any prediction we make up ourselves, or "private interpretation", is simply false
• The scriptures were inspired by God's Holy Spirit as He writes/speaks through humans
• This world is getting darker all the time, and God's Word is a light shining in the dark

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:4-6

• Interesting that patience is mentioned twice. If God is good, why suffering?  We need to be patient and wait on God to set things right in His time, as He has promised. 
• The Bible gives us comfort (also mentioned twice) and patience and hope
• Jesus lived on earth as our example of how to relate "toward one another"
• What it means to glorify God is a study in itself, but it's basically giving God credit for the things He does. And if He not only CAN but also WANTS to save believers from a sin-sick world, He certainly deserves to be praised.

Greek hupomone (patience) means "cheerful endurance" and "continual waiting"

Greek paraklesis (comfort) means comfort or consolation in the form of an exhortation or entreaty

Beautiful! This isn't a petty Greek god who is apathetic, easily insulted, and toys with humans! He really cares and loves us to want to give us hope of His return through His Word. 

Here's a couple questions about changing God's Word, which the Bible answers: 

Does God ever change His mind? 

"God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" Numbers 23:19, NLT

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace," Hebrews 13:8-9, NLT

When I take a closer look at that last passage, the message to me is that I should follow Jesus and the Bible the best that I know and understand, and I can be confident (strong) in this. Why?  Because if I misunderstand something but I have a sincere heart, God through His grace can show me the truth and correct me - either now, or when Jesus comes.  If I reject parts of His truth because I don't like it, that's a different story. 

 Can we modify God's Word to fit our modern lives? Does God's Truth change over time? 

"You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2

"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19

Whoa! That's pretty serious, but this warning shows up at both the beginning and the end of the Bible.  When we start substituting our traditions and ideas to override the Word of God, we're on very dangerous ground.  According to preceding chapters in Revelation, this world will end with some really nasty plagues and disasters, but there are wonderful things promised to those who stay faithful to God. And staying faithful includes not twisting His inspired Word. That's a stern warning to me, writing about the Bible, not to twist or misrepresent the Truth of God. 

The passage in Deuteronomy talks about "the commandments of the Lord your God". We are told not to change those. Why? Because: 

• Murder was wrong before God created our world, and it will still be wrong after this world is destroyed and recreated (6th of Ten Commandments)
• Breaking your marriage commitment and betraying your spouse because that's what you want to do (adultery) doesn't become acceptable over time. (7th of Ten Commandments) 
• Lying about someone to gain an advantage for yourself was wrong in Moses' time, and it will be wrong in the New Earth that God will create (9th of Ten Commandments)

What if the government contradicts the Bible in it's laws? 

In Romans 13:1-10, Paul makes the case for obeying government authority, which he said is given by God in order to maintain order in society.  He basically says if you behave yourself, you have nothing to fear from the government. But the laws he calls out in this passage are about adultery, murder, stealing, lying, and these are within the last six of the Ten Commandments. Yes, governments have laws forbidding these things, and as Paul suggests, that's a good thing when the government's law matches up with God's Law.  

But notice that the first four of the Ten Commandments are conspicuously absent in this passage. These commandments are about humans worshiping God. Governments can pass laws to discourage humans from harming each other, but earthly authority can never dictate how humans must worship God.  That is strictly between individuals and God.  If governments get between people and God, then God's highest priority of free moral agency and free will has been violated.  I say it's His highest priority because He wants to save everyone (2 Peter 3:9) and yet, this principle of free will that He maintains is the reason many will be lost.  He doesn't force, coerce, or use deception to save anyone. 

"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29

"To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20

• The Law: God's commandments and the way He wants us to live (for our own good)  
• The Testimony: The historical accounts of God working with humanity throughout the Bible, and His prophecies about the future. 

 You could apply Isaiah 8:20 to anything, including government commands, but the context is more specific. Verse 19 asks why you would consult mediums and wizards, and "seek the dead on behalf of the living?" It's a warning against spiritualism. If you're connecting with a spirit world that's not of God, you're dealing with the Devil and his demons.  

Verse 21 says that people in this world will be "hard pressed and hungry" and if you are not depending on God for your guidance and protection, because of all the terrible things you see in the world, you'll curse both God and king (government), and "be driven into darkness". And that's an echo of Revelation 9:20-21 and Revelation 16:11 about the end of this world.  

To wrap up this post about the Bible/the Scriptures on a positive note, here's the way Paul ended the book of Romans: 

"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen." Romans 16:25-27

• Greek sterizo (establish) means to "set fast" and in a literal sense to "turn resolutely in a certain direction", figuratively to "confirm" or "strengthen"
• The Old Testament Israelites were supposed to deliver God's Truth to the world, and sometimes they did and other times they failed. After Jesus came, the New Testament was written and the gospel was spread to the whole civilized world at that time. The secrets of God were revealed to all who would listen. 
• This was all according to God's will, so that we could obey through faith in Him
• Lastly, only God is truly wise, and His glory is revealed "through Jesus Christ". In other words, Jesus glorified God with His life in this world, and by His sacrifice to save humanity.

I hope if you're reading this that you enjoy the exploration about what the Bible gives us.  In the next post I'm going to explore what the Bible says about FAITH, from Genesis to Revelation.