We believe the Bible to be divinely inspired; the only infallible, authoritative word of God, fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
Notes
Transcript
We believe the Bible to be divinely, inspired, the only infallible authoritative word of God, fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
This part of our statement of faith says so much more than the actual words on the page, depending on how we view the Bible as God’s word, depending on how much we trust it, will have a direct result on our lives, and the way that we live them . 2 Timothy 3:16 in most versions says
‘all scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
but this is a clumsy translation, and many translations are now beginning to recognise the true meaning of the Greek word here, which means to breathe - inspiro means to breathe
so expire – all the breath has left your body you are dead
inspire - you are alive and breathing.
This verse, correctly translated actually says that scripture is God-breathed. All scripture is God-breathed, is what Paul is saying and so ‘divinely inspired’ becomes God-breathed when you understand the true and literal translation of the word.
Now, that doesn’t mean that there was some kind of divine dictation going on – the authors writings were absolutely affected and impacted by their humanness and their historical context – what was going on around them in history, their own world views, and even their own sin, but God worked through them, and more than that he worked over and above all of that to make sure that the words were written, the themes, the teaching, the genre, the selection of facts, the eyewitness accounts – everything that is recorded in these pages, is exactly what he wanted, exactly how he intended and exactly how he inspired it – breathed it.
The overarching, metanarrative of the Bible – the big picture is cohesive and joined up, there are themes running through all 66 books that would be hard to nail if there was just one author writing over a few years, and the Bible Has at least 40 authors and is written over a 1600 year period.
PICTURE ON SCREEN
This photo shows the hundreds of cross references that there are in the Bible. A cross reference is where one piece of writing references and another piece of writing all from the same book – this would be impossible to do intentionally – for a start, the authors did not know each other, did not live at the same time in history, and did not always have access to each other’s writing.
The Bible was not neatly produced, with a money advance from the publisher to make sure the work was completed. It was an edited and several drafts offered until it was saleable. It wasn’t even written into a literary culture, there were no novels or fiction, or reading for fun. The entire 1600 years of the biblical records being written were recorded – even though most people did not read or write! So why was it written down then? What was the point of it if no one could access it? – Great question and the answer is God. Well, inspired by God, in fact, the only things that were written down in non-literary cultures were history and scripture; written by scribes, learned men who could teach and read and write, and because they knew how important their job was – they took every care to painstakingly record things exactly. As scrolls were copied, the characters of the written down, language would be numbered and checked again, and again, to make sure there was nothing left out, and nothing added. The previously oral culture of handing down accounts through the generations was painstakingly recorded for those to be taught in years to come.
Sometimes people think that the writing down of history from one generation to another could result in Chinese whispers, and embellishment of the facts, a ‘bending’ of the truth, but when you study scripture, and you understand how the same facts are cross-referenced, again and again, through 40 authors and 1600 years, you realise that there is no room to explain this as ‘coincidence’ or human deception through some cunning plan – this level of repetition of historical narrative and referencing can only be ordained by God.
So back to the statement, just a few more words before I get into the wonders of the book itself – infallible means it cannot be wrong. That means there are no mistakes,
Authoritative means it carries authority – the Bible should be followed and adhered to because it carries the authority of the God who breathed it.
The rest of the phrase will become clear as we look more closely at the Bible today.
So I have six things that I want to teach you concerning the Bible this morning. I have structured it so that you can take notes, so let’s see your pens and notebooks out – this is life changing this morning
So the Bible is God‘s word to us – he speaks through his word, both generally, and personally
Explain the difference.
The word of God is:
God breathed
Infallible.
Relevant.
Useful.
True.
Sharper than a two edge sword.
Fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
So let’s look at these one at a time, so first of all:
1. God breathed
Inspired by God.
So I’ve already explained what this means, but it’s also important to say that in order for the Bible to be an authority for anyone, it has to have come from God – otherwise we might as well use Aesops fables or some other worldly inspired book or literature to run our lives by.
Isaiah 28: 17 records, God saying
And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
If we are to know for sure that our lives are being measured against the standard that is fair and just – it must come from a fair and just source. And if the handbook that we run our lives, according to, is not from a fair and just source – then, how can we be sure that we are being judged fairly, and living our lives fairly and justly?
If God is not the source of the Bible – if he didn’t make the rules, if he is not the source of absolute grace and mercy, justice and righteousness, if the Bible is simply the product of well meaning humans that can make mistakes – then quite frankly, we are all doomed.
If well, meaning humans are the best, it gets, then, let’s shape our lives on Aesop fables or Harry Potter, let’s make up our own set of rules or guidelines, our own philosophies on life, our own set of constructs – oh, wait – the world has - you see it, starts with no longer acknowledging the Bible as God breathed
– if it’s not from God, then it’s not infallible, which means there might be mistakes in it,
which means it can be ignored or changed –
and it ends with 105 genders and a mental health pandemic which is where our culture is at the moment.
We must get back to the infallible, inerrant word of God to guide our lives, because the more we move away from it, the more depraved, our society becomes.
It must be God’s justice used as our measuring line, and his righteousness that levels morality – if it is not – if it is just from well-meaning humans that we take our lead, not only does it mean that there is no adequate measure, it also means that our lifestyle is no different from the rest of the world as they pick and choose their ethics. We are no longer salt and light, we are no longer a light for the Gentiles – we no longer arise and shine. In fact, we are simply swallowed with the rest of the world by the darkness.
2. Infallible.
Again, we touched on this, but if we accept the Bible is inspired by God, it has to be infallible, without error – if it’s not – which bits are and which bits aren’t, which bit can we rely on and which bits might be wrong? Sometimes you hear it called the inerrant word – it means the same thing infallible inerrant – it is without error if there is something that you read, and you struggle with and you think it might be a mistake – it’s not – if the word is inspired by the perfect being– then it must be perfect. Don’t hear what I’m not saying – that doesn’t mean, we will understand it perfectly, or we will not struggle with parts of it, believe me there are parts that still trouble me – but what I do know is– it is infallible – and if there are parts that I don’t like, or I don’t understand, a more in-depth study, usually puts my mind at rest and gives me a better understanding – usually the parts I struggle with don’t mean what I first thought they meant – or there is a concept that I wasn’t fully understanding, or it’s a concept that I won’t fully understand this side of heaven anyway – like divine justice, divine retribution, the extent of grace of the application of mercy, I have no way of truly understanding those before I get to heaven, but knowing it’s infallible reassures me that God is always in charge, always knows more than me and he is perfectly just and righteous.
3. Relevant.
Again, and again, I have the same objection about the Bible – it’s thousands of years old – how an earth can it be relevant today? Well, whilst there may be cultural context that we need to understand in order to apply biblical concepts to our own lives, the teaching and concepts of the Bible hold an ageless truth that is applicable in any culture – even if it means that truth is countercultural for instance.
Adultery – the world today, what God says, why he says it Exodus 20:14
“You shall not commit adultery.
Malachi 2: 16
“For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
‘The man who hates and divorces his wife,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘does violence to the one he should protect,’ says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful NIV
Doesn’t mean we should never divorce doesn’t mean, God hates divorced people, means it’s not part of God’s plan,
A man shall leave his mother and father and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, what God has joined together let no man separate Matthew 19: 4-6
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
God’s word is always relevant and applicable to the children of God, no matter what cultural moment they live in. The truth that the Bible holds is for all, and, although it counters worldly culture, and is often rendered irrelevant by the world – actually, when applied it improves culture, improves life and actually sits at the root of cultural desires. Although they don’t even know it – even the world wishes for faithfulness, love and certainty – the Bible applies truth to these desires, and turns around and upside down, the world and culture that we live in new line,
explain the classroom sex education
4. Useful
2 Timothy 3: 16 tells us that our God breathed scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness – and I can certainly testify to the truth of this.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
It makes sense that the breathed word of God is useful for his people, and that by reading and studying the word, we will discover how to live righteously and find the rebuke for what we shouldn’t be doing – although no one likes a rebuke – no one likes finding out that something they’re doing is not acceptable to God – and they will be on their own journey with God as he, through love and grace brings them to a knowledge of his forgiveness, and whether they do, or don’t make changes is between them and God – which by the way is why we encourage you to read, and study the Bible for yourself – so you can discover the character of God and be transformed as you progress in your knowledge and understanding of him, believe me you will never get everything you need just by attending church on a Sunday. There is a depth of love and grace that you will access as you explore the Bible. If you need help with that come and speak to one of the leaders afterwards
Romans 10: 17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Indeed, it is also often the way that God speaks to us and teaches us to hear his voice outside of the word - complaining that God never speaks to you when you’re not reading your Bible is like being ill and complaining the doctor won’t treat you when you’re not even rung the surgery. I use the Bible not just for teaching Christians but also for teaching non-Christians in the classroom
gender identity sex before marriage.
5. True.
Apart from the truthful concepts that are found in the Bible, the Bible is also true, it’s historical – it actually happened. If you’re not sure of the historicity of the Old Testament, go up to London and have a guided tour around the British Museum – there is a group of church leaders in London, who do this for free. The archaeology of the Bible is fascinating! From the Pharaoh during Moses time, to tiles found where Daniel lived that are actually fire bricks, and are decorated with paintings of lions, to the discovery of high places, altars to other gods, that the Bible talks about – there is so much archaeological evidence that evidences the historic content of the Bible, – it’s brilliant, the pastor that did the tour I was on said ‘every time they pull something out the ground it proves the historical truth of the Bible.’
There really was a man called Jesus who walked the Earth in the last century A.D. Roman historians wrote about him, Jewish historians wrote about him and we have more texts proving the existence of Jesus than we have for some of the Roman emperors and never do you hear someone say ‘I don’t believe the Romans existed’
And like the infallible nature of scripture – it has to be true if it’s from God. If I am believing what the Bible says, I cannot believe that parts of it are made up or embellished – if it is true, then it is all true. God would not trick me or pick and choose historical facts and mix it with fiction. If it was written by well-meaning people, I wouldn’t trust it as a measure and plumbline for my life.
6. Sharper than a two edged sword
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
How many of us have experienced this? I certainly have - the first time I read Psalm 139 it cut me to the core:
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Explain upbringing, mum’s pregnancy and biological father issue with rejection
6. Trustworthy
The sum of your word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
If any part of it is not true – then it is not trustworthy because I have no way of knowing which bits to accept, and which bits I discard. Against the background of context and culture – every word is true. There are parts that don’t apply today – like eating shellfish and men cutting the hair at the side of their head – well men no longer have to do that – or be circumcised actually - good news guys – don’t converted Judaism. There are some things that are understood only in the culture of the day. It may look very different today, but there are also everlasting truths that apply for all time but more than that it is true. It is historical. It’s all happens
and all of these have to true in order for the Bible to be trustworthy - for me it has to be infallible, it has to be true because if its not - i’m out - i refuse to base my life on the philosophies of well meaning humans
Only - no catechism, no Talmud, no book of Mormon, God’s word is inerrant and complete
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,