D201 Lesson 4: The Word of God

The Word of God

Key Verse: “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 3:16-17

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help ascertain that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and to emphasize the important role that it has in the life of the disciple.

General Facts about the Bible

The Christian Bible has both an Old Testament and a New Testament. The Protestant Bible has 66 books including 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. The Jewish Bible (Old Testament only) has 22 books through the combining of the 39 books. The Catholic Bible has 73 books through the inclusion of additional books from the Apocrypha (books in the Greek Old Testament “Septuagint” that are rejected in Judaism and Protestantism). The Bible is not one book but a collection of several books. The word “Bible” comes from the Greek “ta biblia” which means, “books.” “Bible” became the common name for the volume in the fifth century A.D. due to its great unity of thought and purpose. Jerome (345-419 A.D) called the Bible, “The Divine Library.” The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew (Old Testament), Syriac-Chaldee (parts of Ezra and Daniel), and Koine Greek (New Testament). The Bible is the only sacred book that has UNITY of plan, purpose, and fulfillment coherently revealed from beginning to end. Other religions have accumulations of material that have no order, progress, or plan. The Bible was written by over forty different authors and on three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa). The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1500 years from 1400 B.C. to 100 A.D. The Bible contains every form of literature and figure of speech. The Bible presents God as its Author, Jesus as its theme, and the salvation of sinful man as its purpose.

The Divine Library

LAW: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

HISTORY: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

POETRY: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

MAJOR PROPHETS: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

MINOR PROPHETS: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

BIOGRAPHY: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts

EPISTLES: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude

PROPHECY: Revelation

Jesus declared that God’s Word is TRUTH.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

From the beginning of creation, the word of God has been the target of ATTACK by Satan. In Genesis 3:1-7, Satan undermined Adam and Eve’s faith in God’s word by attacking:

The INSPIRATION of God’s word: “Has God indeed said?” (verse 1)

The INTEGRITY of God’s word: “You will not surely die.” (verse 4)

The INTENTION of God: “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (verse 5)

God does not want us to learn the difference between good and evil through experience but through PRACTICING the word of God.

Hebrews 5:13-14 “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

The Bible teaches the INSPIRATION of all Scripture.

Some reject the Bible because they assert that men wrote the Bible. However, while it is true that men penned the message, the Bible teaches that God inspired the message. For instance, when we write a letter, do we write the letter or does the pen write the letter? In reality we write the letter. The pen is simply the instrument utilized to write it. In the same way, to discount the Bible as God’s Word simply because God used men to record it is like discounting the author of a letter because of the pen that was used.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “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 Peter 1:20-21 “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.”

The word “inspired” means “breathed.” All Scripture is the result of the breath of God. The Greek word for "inspiration" is theopneustos, which means "God-breathed." Literally this verse says, "All Scripture is God-breathed", meaning that all Scripture was given by the breath of God. Inspiration does not mean that God “breathed life into the words” of those who penned the Scriptures. Scripture neither “contains” God's revelation nor “conceals” God's truth. Inspiration does not mean that men wrote divine revelation in their own words. It means that every word of Scripture was breathed out by God. It was not the authors who were inspired but the Scripture that is inspired. Like an ink pen is an instrument in the writer’s hand, so holy men of God were the instruments God used to pen the Scripture. God chose each man with their own temperaments, personality, vocabulary, background, and experience to record precisely what He wanted them to write.

Jesus said that man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.[1] Jesus affirmed that every word of Scripture originates out of the mouth of God.

The Word of God is living and powerful.[2] This Book—the Bible—is alive because it is inspired—it has the breath of God living in its very words. Jesus said that His words are Spirit and they are life.[3]

The Bible teaches the INFALLIBILITY of Scripture.

Psalm 19:7-8 “The law of the LORD is perfect…the commandment of the LORD is pure…”

The infallibility of Scripture refers to the Bible’s infallibility in its totality. The Bible is perfect in its totality. It will not lead you astray but rather to salvation and eternal blessing.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

The Bible teaches the INERRANCY of Scripture.

Whereas “infallibility” means that the Bible’s message is without flaw in its totality, “inerrancy” means that the Bible is free from falsehood and error in all of its parts. It is entirely true and trustworthy in every part.

Proverbs 30:5 (NASB95) “Every word of God is tested…”

Matthew 5:17–18 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

John 10:35 “…and the Scripture cannot be broken…”

All Scripture is the Word of God because all Scripture is God-breathed. And because God is holy, God cannot lie.[4] The Bible teaches that it is impossible for God to lie.[5] Therefore God is true and every word of God is truth.[6] Jesus said, “Your Word is truth”.[7]

The Bible teaches the AUTHORITY of Scripture.

Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken…”

Since the word of God is inspired, infallible, and inerrant, it comes with the authority of God Himself. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. And when God speaks, He speaks by His sovereign authority.

The commands of the Lord are not the “suggestions of the Lord” or the “options of the Lord” or the “considerations of the Lord.” God’s commands comprise the “Law of the Lord” and they are binding upon every man's conscience and life. They carry the authority of God who gave them.

Paul understood the authority inherent in God’s word when he declared “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord”.[8]

The Bible teaches the PERSPICUITY of Scripture.

Perspicuity” means that the word of God is crystal clear in all matters of salvation and godly living.

Some discount the Bible contending that its meaning is vague and unknowable. However, when the Sadducees discounted the resurrection because of their vague understanding of Scripture, Jesus brought clarity by saying, “Have you not read?”[9] In other words, God had been clear even if they were not.

God has so clearly spoken in His word that no one can justifiably say that they cannot understand what God is saying. God has spoken with precision and accuracy on matters that God has revealed to us. Although some passages of Scripture are more difficult to understand, any shortcoming in understanding is a failure on our part to search the Scripture and to ask for the Holy Spirit’s illumination.

Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. Puritan minister Thomas Watson said, "As only a diamond can cut a diamond, so only Scripture can interpret Scripture.”

People often have a hard time understanding the Bible because they wrestle with its clear meaning. Someone has said that the Bible is not hard to understand; it is just hard to swallow.

The Bible teaches the SUFFICIENCY of Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “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.”

Scripture is the sufficient and supreme authority on all matters of life, church, and ministry.

Since some of the New Testament books had not yet been written and the New Testament canon completed, Paul was referring to the sufficiency of the Hebrew Old Testament, i.e. “Holy Scriptures”, that Timothy had known from childhood.[10] Although prophecy, visions, and dreams were an active part of New Testament life,[11] it was understood that the Holy Scriptures contained everything that the man of God needed to be sufficiently trained to fulfill the Lord's calling and ministry. In time, the New Testament books were also included in the canon of Scripture.[12]

The Bible teaches the EFFECTIVENESS of Scripture.

Isaiah 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

The word of God is effective in accomplishing all of God's purposes here upon the earth.

The word of God is effective to convict, to convert, to conform, to console, and to correct.

The word of God is effective to divide and discern the entire human makeup whether it be soul, spirit, body, thoughts, or intentions.[13]

1 Peter 1:23 “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

There is so much life in the word of God that when planted in the soil of a human heart under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it is effective for regeneration (new birth), sanctification (holiness), and glorification (resurrection).

The Bible teaches the IMMUTABILITY of Scripture.

Hebrews 6:17 “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.”

Immutability means “unchangeable”.

Psalm 119:89 “Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.”

Psalm 119:160 “Every one of Your ordinances is everlasting.”

People change. Times change. Methods change. Cultures change. Governments change. The Word of God, however, will never change. It is forever the same. Because the Word of God will never change, right will always be right and wrong will always be wrong. The way of salvation will forever be the way of salvation.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

God's word is immutable because God Himself is immutable—He does not change.[14]

The Bible teaches the INVINCIBILITY of Scripture.

Invincibility means “incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued”.[15]

The Word of the Living God is an invincible weapon in the hand of the man or the woman of God.

Jeremiah 23:29 “My word is like a fire, like a hammer that shatters a rock.”

The Word of God is called the “sword of the Spirit” that is living and powerful and sharper than any “two-edged sword”.[16]

The Bible teaches the FINALITY of Scripture.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “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.”

There is no new revelation to be added to the canon (“measure”) of Scripture. The Mormons have three other books of revelation that they regard as Scripture. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their Watch Tower materials as new revelation added to the Bible. Jude, apostle and brother of Jesus, declared in the days of the early church that “the faith” (i.e., the apostle’s doctrine as given to them by Christ and recorded in the New Testament[17]) was “once and for all” delivered to the saints.[18] There is nothing else to add to it. God issues a serious warning to anyone who tries to add to or take away from Scripture.[19]

Jesus claimed that He received His teaching from the FATHER.

John 7:16 “Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.’”

How can we know the truth of the Scripture?

We will know the truth if we are WILLING to do God’s will.

John 7:17 “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”

In order to know if the Bible is true we must approach it with an open heart. If we approach the word of God with a closed mind and with a predetermined attitude to reject what we do not want to believe, then we will not be able to discern if it is from God or not.

We will know the truth if we ABIDE in God’s word.

John 8:31-32 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

The Value of Scripture

All Scripture is profitable for DOCTRINE, REPROOF, CORRECTION, and INSTRUCTION in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “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.”

Doctrine involves the true teachings of the Christian faith. Doctrine reveals, clarifies, and establishes the true path of righteousness in Jesus Christ.

Reproof involves the enlightenment and conviction (disapproval) of error when we stray from God’s path.

Correction involves a change that corrects error. It establishes the proper steps toward reconciliation and restoration. Correction shows us how to get back on the path of righteousness.

Instruction involves the ongoing process of learning and applying correct doctrine in order to remain steadfast on the path of righteousness.

According to the above passage, the purpose of the Bible’s instruction is that we might be COMPLETE and thoroughly EQUIPPED for every good work.

“Complete” means to be well qualified for some function.

“Thoroughly equipped” means to be adequately prepared for service.

The Bible alone is sufficient to provide the knowledge, wisdom, discernment, purpose, direction, means, counsel, resources, tools, and spiritual weapons that a man of God needs to be successful.

Sins against Scripture

We are not to ADD TO or TAKE AWAY from God’s Word.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “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.”

Proverbs 30:6 “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

Revelation 22:18-19 “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.”

We are not to BREAK God’s commands or to TEACH others to do so.

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Biblical principles toward right interpretation

We are not to impose on Scripture our own INTERPRETATION.

2 Peter 1:20-21 “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.”

It is wrong to ask “What does this Scripture mean to you?” or to say “This is what this Scripture means to me.” The right question is, “What does this Scripture really mean?” No one has the right to interpret the Scripture to fit their own belief system. The only interpretation that is valid is the one that God intended.

We are to SEARCH the Scriptures.

Acts 17:11-12 “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

We are to RIGHTLY DIVIDE the Word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We must ask for the help of the HOLY SPIRIT to reveal the truth of God’s word to our heart.

John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:11 “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

We must make Scripture the FINAL authority over human OPINION.

Romans 3:3-4 “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: ‘That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.’”

The Believer’s Preservation through God’s Word

LOVING and BELIEVING the truth will protect us from falling victim to STRONG DELUSION that believes the LIE.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

We are to be established in God’s word so that we will hold to SOUND DOCTRINE and not turn aside to FABLES or DOCTRINES OF DEMONS.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Fables are myths (stories that are not true), i.e. falsehoods

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

If we do not know the SCRIPTURES and the POWER of God, we can be mistaken in our understanding of truth.

Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.’”

We must not BELIEVE every “spirit” claiming to speak for God but TEST everything they say by the Word of God.

1 John 4:1–6 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

The WORD of God is ultimately a PERSON

The Bible is God’s Word in written form; the Word of God is a Person: JESUS CHRIST.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

Revelation 19:13 “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

Methods of Bible Study

Book Study: Focuses study on one entire book of the Bible.

Passage Study: Focused study on one passage of Scripture.

Character Study: Study on the life of a Bible character.

Background Study: Study on the background of an event, a book, time period, culture, etc. for the purpose of understanding the setting in which Scripture was written.

Word Study: Study on the meaning of words in the Bible.

Theme Study: Study on a Bible theme such as salvation, angels, sin, etc.

Root Study: Study on the root or original understanding of a biblical term in Scripture.

Typology Study: Study of types and shadows in Scripture such as understanding the Old Testament Passover lamb as foreshadowing the coming of Jesus as our Passover Lamb in the New Testament.

Bible Reading: Cultivates familiarity with the entire Bible.

The Goal of Bible Interpretation

To determine the meaning of the text for the original audience to whom the book was written.

Language Studies: To determine the original meanings of words, phrases, sentences, etc.

History Studies: To determine the context of events and circumstances that surround the text and its readers.

“Historical-Grammatical Interpretation”: The interpretation that is required by the laws of grammar and history. The writer meant what he said and used his language to say it.

Culture Studies: To determine customs and ways of life that gave passages of Scripture meaning and application that otherwise would be lost.

World Views Studies: To determine the outlook and philosophies of the people to whom Scripture was addressed.

Scripture Studies: To determine if the Holy Spirit has interpreted Scripture with Scripture in other places.

Translate the original meaning of Scripture into an application for today (2 Timothy 3:16).

Doctrine: Establishes Truth

Reproof: Enlightens and convicts of error

Correction: Establishes steps toward reconciliation and restoration

Instruction: Teaching for daily application and opportunity

The Goal of the Bible Interpreter

The Bible interpreter must be sincerely motivated by a quest for truth.

The Bible interpreter must be aware of his own presuppositions, prejudices, and biases in order to accurately determine truth and meaning. Presuppositions are “blind spots.” Everyone has them and there is no way to avoid having them. The important thing is to realize and beware of them and then to determine to operate on sound presuppositions. Our minds must be transformed in order to operate in this way. It is God, who through His Word and Spirit, created in us the necessary and sound presuppositions needed in order to begin interpreting Scripture. For instance,

We assume the reality of God

We assume the writers of Scripture were real people

We assume the people in the Bible had real experiences and history that has to be observed and respected in interpreting their writings

We assume the inspiration of Scripture

We assume the reality of our own experiences

Other things that affect interpretation

Philosophies (existentialism, rationalism, idealism, ideologies, etc.)

Theology: Theology is a person’s belief about God. Everyone has a theology whether he realizes it or not. The only way to keep from having a bad theology is to have a good one. A sound theology comes through unbiased and responsible interpretation of the Bible.

Experience: A person’s experience can influence the way a person interprets Scripture. However, the proper approach is to allow Scripture to interpret experience rather than for experience to interpret Scripture.

The Bible interpreter must see himself as a servant of God and a steward of Truth rather than a spiritual “know-it-all”. 2 Corinthians 2:17 states that the interpreter must:

Have pure motives

Speak as one sent from God

Present his conclusion before God

Do all of the above with an awareness that he is bound to Christ

The Bible interpreter must rely upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit while using correct procedures and approaches to Scripture.

The Bible interpreter must guard against two extremes:

Approaching the Bible from a purely rationalistic, intellectual, or literary way that rejects Holy Spirit illumination of the text.

Approaching the Bible from a purely mystical fashion that ignores basic principles of interpretation.

Remember: Good interpretation will not make a good teacher or preacher out of you, but it can help to keep you from being a bad one! Be suspicious of any interpretation that departs from the clear and/or historical interpretation of the Scriptures.

Tools for Bible Study

A good translation of the Bible (as opposed to a paraphrase)

Bible Handbooks

Bible Dictionaries or Bible Encyclopedias

Concordances

Language Aids

Lexicons (analyzes original meanings of words)

Grammars

Theological dictionaries of Old and New Testament words

Commentaries

Commentaries (Use only after seeking interpretation of the passage on a personal basis)

Historical books

Cultural books

Topical study books

Interesting Facts about the Bible (King James Version)

Number of chapters 1,189

Number of verses 31,173

Number of words 773,746

Number of letters 3,566,490

Longest chapter Psalm 119

Shortest chapter Psalm 117

Longest verse Esther 8:9

Shortest verse John 11:35

Old Testament

Longest book Psalms

Shortest book Obadiah

Number of chapters 927

Number of verses 23,214

Number of words 592,493

Number of letters 2,728,110

New Testament

Longest book Luke

Shortest book 2 John

Number of chapters 260

Number of verses 7,954

Number of words 181,253

Number of letters 838,380

Center book in the Bible Psalms

Center chapter in the Bible Psalm 118

Center verse in the Bible Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Center two words in the Bible Psalm 118:8 “the LORD”

[1] Matthew 4:4

[2] Hebrews 4:12

[3] John 6:63

[4] Titus 1:2

[5] Hebrews 6:18; Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2

[6] John 3:33; 1 John 5:20

[7] John 17:17

[8] 1 Thessalonians 4:15

[9] Matthew 22:31; See also Matthew 19:4

[10] 2 Timothy 2:15

[11] Acts 9:15; 16:7-10; 18:9-10; 2 Corinthian 12:4; Galatians 2:2

[12] Ephesians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Jude 3

[13] Hebrews 4:12

[14] Malachi 3:6; Job 23:13; Ps 102:27; Hebrews 3:6

[15] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition)

[16] Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12

[17] Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42

[18] Jude 3

[19] Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19