The Bible makes a claim that it is not the product of human reason but the very thoughts of God received by humanity in history and passed to us in written form. It is one hundred percent revelation – God’s perspective on everything. It’s God’s word. It originated from His mouth – then was recorded in written language. It was given to us as an act of pure grace. There is nothing we did to deserve it. We did not even look for it or seek for it.
This is what the Bible tells us about itself:
1. It is the absolute truth. It is free from error. It is accurate in all that it says.
– Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth. (John 17:17 MKJV)
– Your Word is true from the beginning; and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalms 119:160 MKJV)
2. It is complete. Nothing new can be added. Nothing in it can be taken away.
– I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; (Revelation 22:18 NASB)
3. It is the measuring rod by which everything else is measured. Reason doesn’t measure it. Reason is measured by it. Its truth can be experienced. Its truth can be understood.
– Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6 NASB)
Getting Into It
I want to show you how the Bible claims this happened.
The process that describes how we received is found in the words “prophetic” or “inspired.”
– All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)
– …knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV)
These two concepts can be clearly seen in the growth, development, and establishment of both the Old Testament and New Testament.
The Old Testament (Hebrew Writings)
The Old Testament was not written in one sitting. It is a collection of books written by different authors over a period of one thousand years, even though the contents of some of the early volumes span a period of much greater time (passed on orally and through previously recorded means).
What caused the early community to preserve the books that we have today rather than other books that were written during the same period? What caused the early community to revere the Old Testament to the point of calling them scripture – the very word of God?
The Old Testament was written chiefly by those considered by the community to be true prophets of God or those who flowed in prophetic enabling. Writings were seen as more than writings – sacred scripture – only when they were the written or recorded words of a true prophet of God / one who walked in prophetic unction.
This original test of what constituted scripture was given by Moses, the one who is attributed to have recorded the first five books, and seen by people to be a prophet. Or quite literally, one who is the voice piece of God.
When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22 NASB)
Yet, the community also looked for other outside evidence that the speaker was a prophet of God / someone who walked in prophetic authority. A second test for the authority of the prophetic flowing through a person was in the immediate test of some external supernatural supporting evidence that what is being spoken and/or written was authoritative – what the people called “a sign.” Yes, the person may have been speaking with some type of authority that seemed beyond human capacity (something that they felt burning in their hearts as the person spoke) but they looked for supernatural evidence.
As you walk through the Old Testament today, years after it was compiled, you’ll find that virtually every book lays claim to divine authorship or can be traced to an author who is said to flow in prophetic unction.
- The first five books of the Bible – called the Torah or Pentateuch were written by Moses who is called a prophet. “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10)
- The prophets – You find phrases like: “The word of the Lord came to…” (73+ times) / “I have put my words in your mouth…” (Isaiah 51:16 / Jeremiah 1:9)
- Writings – The most difficult to justify as scripture because many of the books hold no claim of divine authorship – yet these are held to be scripture because they are written by those who either held prophetic office or functioned with prophetic authority (E.g. David’s Psalms / Ezra / Nehemiah / Ruth written by Samuel)
- New Testament refers to the Old Testament with several different phrases in many places. You’ll find phrases such as “the scriptures, the Word of God, the law, the law and the prophets, the prophets, the oracles of God, it is written, that it may be fulfilled.” People who lived in New Testament times believed the Old Testament was the word of God. Do you know that over eighteen Old Testament books are directly referred to in the New Testament? In fact as we will soon see, the New Testament is based entirely on the Old Testament.
New Testament (Church Writings)
The authority of the New Testament as scripture is based on this premise. That while God revealed His thoughts to humanity through different mouthpieces in the Old Testament He made a personal visit to earth.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2 NASB)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him came into being that has come into being….And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14 NASB)
If this is true, if Jesus was God, if He came to earth, if He did what He did, then the the recording of this visit and its ramifications as recorded in the New Testament are to be seen just as much as scripture as the Old Testament for the following reasons:
1. First, the entire New Testament is based on the Old Testament: every book, every chapter, every verse, every idea, every concept, every word, and every thought. You won’t find anything that’s new. You will find concepts in the Old Testament explained in greater detail, but you will not find something that God had not already said in the Old Testament – if not the same way, at least in a similar way.
- The Gospels – God’s visit to earth was not an event that humanity was unprepared for. We find that it is the central message of the Old Testament. Do you know that almost every Old Testament book promises or alludes to God’s visit to earth? Some have counted over three hundred times this promise was made or alluded to in the Old Testament and recorded their actual historical fulfillment in the New Testament. In this then, the New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament – not something entirely new.
- Acts – The prophetic promise found in the Old Testament (Joel 2:28) sets the foundation for the early believers history. It was only because Jesus followers walked with prophetic authority as a result of being overcome with the Holy Spirit, in the same way the Old Testament writers were, that their lives evidenced and convinced others of the reality of God working through them.
- The Letters – Each book is written as an exhortation to practical living as a result of the fulfilled promise in Jesus found in the Old Testament. The Old Testament provides the foundation for the letters – not as a revelation of something new, but an explanation of what was promised.
- Revelation – It’s been said, that one must understand the whole Bible to understand Revelation. Revelation provides us with a heavenly view of what is going on in the earth. To understand what is going on in the earth, one must understand the Old Testament.
2. Second, the entire New Testament was accepted by the early Christian community as scripture. There were more than an adequate number of witnesses to verify what was being taught. Its truth and life changing nature – its experientially accuracy more than just its empirical accuracy caused its widespread acceptance.
- Witnesses – While there were several thousands who witnessed God’s life on earth in Jesus, several hundred witnessed His resurrection. What was being taught after He ascended into heaven would have been refuted if it was not true.
- Apostles Verified – Those who were closest to Jesus are the main contributors to the New Testament. The writings of those who were not of Jesus’ inner circle were first verified by those who were first commissioned by Jesus to preach the gospel.
- “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…” (Ephesians 2:19-20 KJV)
- Peter speaking of Paul – “Therefore, beloved, looking for these things, be diligent, spotless, and without blemish, to be found by Him in peace. And think of the long-suffering of our Lord as salvation (as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction).” (2 Peter 3:14-16 MKJV)
- Life Changing Message – The New Testament carries with it a life changing message that has endured centuries. The early Christian community accepted it because it carried a weight and authority with it that pointed to a source beyond the ideas of man but the reality of a living God. It’s this reality which can be experienced today that ultimately makes the Bible a source that not only satisfies empirical but experiential needs.
- “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;” (John 5:39 NASB)
- The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 MKJV)
In Conclusion
The veracity of the Bible as scripture is based on life of one – Jesus Christ. For those who recorded the Old Testament – the promises of what would happen in the future was based on immediate evidence of prophetic empowerment. For those who recorded the New Testament, the ramifications of who Jesus was – as based on Old Testament scripture constituted it to be a continuation of received revelation. That’s the reason we find in the New Testament this statement:
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See, do not do it! I am your fellow servant, and of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (All that is spoken by a prophet / one who speaks with prophetic unction) (Revelation 19:10 MKJV)