Do You Believe - The Inspiration of the Bible

Introduction: Do you believe the Bible to be the Word of God? And do you believe that it is without error?

Throughout the month of December, I want to take you on a journey through the five Fundamentals of the Christian faith. All five Fundamentals of Christianity are found within the Christmas account.

So, what are the five fundamentals of the Christian faith? They are:

1. The Inspiration of the Bible.

2. The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.

3. The Deity of Jesus Christ.

4. The Substitutionary Atonement.

5. The Bodily Resurrection.

Again, I submit to you that all five of these Fundamentals are found within the Christmas account.

What is Fundamentalism? Webster’s New World Dictionary defines fundamental as "forming a foundation or basis; basic; essential." It is the chief or most important part. Webster goes on to define fundamentalism as "orthodox religious beliefs based on a literal interpretation of the Bible."

The Inspiration of the Bible states that the Bible is completely without error and fully truthful in all its writings in the original manuscripts.

The debate over the inspiration of the Bible gave rise to both liberal Christianity in the late nineteenth century and fundamentalism in the early twentieth century. Liberal theologians claimed that modern science proved that some of the Bible was probably not true and that therefore the Christian world needed to update itself to these scientific findings. Conservative Christians who were alive at the time correctly realized that not believing any one thing that God said, made all of it suspect. Full acceptance of this fundamental led to full acceptance of all of the others. That is, if biblical inerrancy is true and the Bible is fully accurate, then all of these other central points of the Bible are true as well.

How can we KNOW that the Bible is true?

1. The Bible was given to us by God - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

This verse is key in accepting the doctrine that all Scripture is inspired – given to us by God.

In the Old Testament we read in,

Psalms 12:6-7- 6 the words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 thou shalt keep them, o Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

God preserves His Word through all generations.

2. The Bible was given to us by the Holy Spirit – 2 Peter 1:19-21

19 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; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit of God authored the entire Bible. It also means that every word and every part of every word is completely true and trustworthy. The Bible is God’s Word, and it is true without error. It is authoritative for our daily lives.

3. The Bible was given to us by holy men – 1 Peter 2:21

21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Are you aware that the Bible was written by 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years?

At Got Questions.org I read, “God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that, while using their own writing styles and personalities, they still recorded exactly what God intended. The Bible was not dictated by God, but it was perfectly guided and entirely inspired by Him.”

Matt Ritchey penned, “the Bible has harmony that is unexplainable outside of divine inspiration. (Bibledoctrines.org).

Who were the Human Instruments?

Old Testament writers – Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Nathan, Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29), Ezra, Nehemiah, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. (Authors of the 150 Psalms: David, Asaph, Sons of Korah, Heman, Solomon, Moses, and Ethan the Ezrahite).

New Testament writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke (2 books), John (5 books), Paul (15 books), James, Peter, and Jude.

Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd, Luke was a physician. What a background of various people.

Now, with that all as our backdrop I want us to focus in on the Christmas account. Do you believe that the Christmas story really happen? Can we believe the storyline of Christmas as found in the Bible?

There are five clear movements surrounding the story of Christmas that are fully INSPIRED which are found in the Gospel of Matthew. They are:

I. The Birth of Jesus Christ – Matthew 1:18

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Now, either the birth of Jesus happened exactly the way Matthew writes about it, or it didn’t.

Question: What are you going to believe?

Was there a Mary and a Joseph? Scripture tells us so. It even tells us that they were betrothed (which means that they were legally married), and that before they came together (before they consummated their relationship) she (Mary) was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Ah ha, another key fundamental doctrine – the Virgin Birth.

Are you aware that the Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogical record tracing Jesus’ descendant (Matthew 1:1) all the way back to King David and Abraham through the line of Joseph (See Matthew 1:1-17). And if you were to turn in your Bible to Luke 3:23-38 you find a second genealogical record that traces Jesus’ descendants all the way back to Adam, the son of God, but this time through the line of Mary.

Even to this day genealogical records are important for Jews. This is why throughout the Bible we something like twenty-five (25) genealogical records of biblical characters. Family records were important.

The fact that Mary and Joseph were real people provides the evidence that Jesus’ birth was also real, and that it happened just the way Matthew records it.

II. The visit of the Wise men - Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.

We go from “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:” (Matthew 1:18) to “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:1).

After Jesus was born students of the stars came searching for Him. These students (wise men) of the stars came looking for the one that had long been predicted to come. Apparently, God wrote the birth of Jesus in the heavens. I don’t have a problem with that. There are many writings about the constellations telling us the gospel.

I have read that “the magi or kings were from Tarshish, Sheba and Seba (Psalm 72:10) and they, in turn, were from Shem, Ham and Japheth (Genesis 10), the fathers of all nations on earth. God, by perfect plan and design, led this entourage from the east (by a star) to represent all nations on earth for the birthday of His only begotten. After all, this was one important birthday---so much so that all of heaven was emptied of angels to come join in the worship of the newborn king (Hebrews 1).” (https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/52260/where-were-the-magi-from/52265#52265)

Other writers have suggested that these wise men were from Babylon, or perhaps Persia. Later commentators proposed that they represented the three known continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. (https://www.nga.gov).

The wise men came looking for the one who had been born King of the Jews in the days of Herod the King. Now, either all this happened, or Christmas is one of the biggest hoaxes ever played upon humanity. And if it has been a hoax then we all have been a part of it for over two thousand years.

Don’t miss the evidence provided in our text:

· An event had recently transpired – the birth of Jesus Christ.

· It happened in the days of Herod the King. Appointed as ruler by the Roman senate. He ruled from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.

· Wise men came from the east looking for the one born King of the Jews.

· They had seen His Star in the East. A supernatural star in the heavens.

· Together with the chief priests and scribes they searched the writings of the prophets (Micah 5:2).

· The star led the wise men to where the Christ child was.

And even the gifts that the wise men brought to the Christ child are significant to the fundamental truth of the Christmas account. They brought…

· Gold – Fit for a newborn King.

· Frankincense – Fit for Jesus’ role as our High Priest.

· Myrrh – Fit for the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Finally, the wise men were warned not to return to Jerusalem, but to go home another way (Matthew 2:12).

III. The flight to Egypt - Matthew 2:13-15

Now, when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

God communicated to Joseph in a dream and warned Him about the plan of King Herod. Herod wanted Jesus dead. He saw him as an existential threat to his reign as King.

Joseph was quick to obey, and he took Mary and Jesus off to Egypt so that the true ROYAL FAMILY would be protected.

Many Bible teachers believe that it was the gold provided by the wise men that funded this escape to Egypt.

Scripture teaches us that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod. Herod died in 4 B.C. (Matthew 2:15).

The Old Testament Scripture also teaches,

“Out of Egypt I called My Son.” (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1).

Again, do you believe that all of this happened? Do you believe that Scripture is providing us with the whole account?

But what happened after the ROYAL FAMILY escaped to Egypt? Something as awful as the October 7th Hamas attack against Israel where little children were murdered. We have in this story…

IV. The death of the Innocent - Matthew 2:16-18

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Did this event happen? Yes! History tells us about this event.

The non-Christian writer is Macrobius (A.D. 395-423) wrote,

On hearing that the son of Herod, king of the Jews, had been slain when Herod ordered that all boys in Syria under the age of two to be killed, Augustus said, “It’s better to be Herod’s pig, than his son” (dicta 56 Malc.) [1]

One author I was reading wrote, “In truth, we do not need secular history to validate the Bible. We often forget that the Bible is accurate history. But many people do not want to accept the Bible as history because they would then need to submit to its authority. It is the Word of God.” (Neverthirsty.org).

Next, are you aware that Rachel tomb is at the entrance of the city of Bethlehem (show picture). Rachel is mentioned in this account as weeping for her children who are no more (see Matthew 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15).

God knew what wicked King Herod could do. And again, lest you believe that this didn’t happen think about what Hamas did to women and children last October 7th. They committed the unthinkable. And what about the number of women who kill their own innocent children today through abortion (which is called, reproductive rights). Herod could care less about these male children.

The Bible pictures him as a murderous man (Matthew 2:16), and history records him as a bloody man.

Thank God Herod died! It ended his bloody reign. His death allowed the Royal Family to return home. And this brings us to the last movement of this inspired account.

V. The home in Nazareth - Matthew 2:19-23

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

In those three verses we have…

· We have a dead king – The people rejoiced!

· We have an angel of the Lord – Pretty Awesome.

· We have Joseph in Egypt. Not at home.

· We have the command to leave Egypt. Obedience required.

· We have the arrival back into Israel. Home Sweet Home.

No sooner had the ROYAL FAMILY arrived back in the land of Israel that they received word that Herod’s son, Archelaus was reigning in Judea. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea to return to Bethlehem, or even Jerusalem.

Joseph was once again warned by God in a dream, and he turned aside and went into the region of Galilee. This also is significant to the future ministry of Jesus Christ. There is nothing in the account surrounding Christmas that is placed in the Bible by accident. All of it is vital and important. And all the pieces are needed.

And where does the ROYAL FAMILY end up? Look at Matthew 2:23,

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Talk about the hand of God everywhere on the pages of Scripture. Joseph went to Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets – FULFILLED SCRIPTURE is INSPIRED SCRIPTURE!

We read,

He shall be called a Nazarene.

Jesus was called a Nazarene because He grew up in Nazareth.

Key Scripture about Jesus of Nazareth:

· Matthew 21:11 – Jesus is called, “The prophet of Nazareth.”

· Mark 1:24 – Demons says, “What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?”

· Mark 14:67 – Peter was warming himself up by the fire and a girl looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

· Mark 16:6 – The angel at the tomb said, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!”

· John 19:19 – Pilate wrote, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

· Acts 3:6 – Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

· Acts 10:38 – How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him.

And on a side note, where would the domination - The Church of the Nazarenes have gotten their name had not Jesus Christ been raised in Nazareth?

Conclusion: Just in those first five moments of the Christmas story we have the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. And either all of it is true, or you can’t trust any of it. What is your verdict?

· Was Jesus born? Did He have a birthday? Yes, He did!

· Did wise men from the East come to Him through a miraculous star? Yes, they did!

· Did the Royal Family escape Herod by going to Egypt? Yes, they did!

· Did Herod have male children 2 years old and younger murdered? Yes, He did.

· Did the Royal Family settle in Nazareth? Yes, they did.

Every Christian must once and for all settle the issue of the doctrine of the Inspiration of the Bible. Either all of it is TRUTH, or you are left guessing which parts might be true.

[1] Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, Saturnalia, Book 2, section 4:11. p. 349.