The Word of God is how many describe or identify the Bible, a collection of sixty-six books written over at least fifteen hundred years by apostles, prophets, and others, humanly speaking, and breathed out by God, divinely speaking. The Bible is called the Word of God because God is the primary author, and the prophets, apostles, and others are secondary authors. The Bible refers to itself as the Word of God, “Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received His message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as “the very word of God - which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe” {1 Thessalonians 2:13-14}.
Because the Bible is the very Word of God, it is the final authority in all matters of faith and life, it is “our rule and standard for living.” Authority resides in the words of “The Scripture” themselves, as Jesus Christ teaches. The authority of Scripture originates from the intrinsic authority of God, who breathed out “The Scriptures." As we mentioned last Tuesday, much of the confusion in our world today comes from this one thing; “society has abandoned the one standard of truth, which is God’s Word – the Bible.” Since the Word of God is the final authority on all things, the world by its own standards is doomed. “What we think is the right road may lead to death” {Proverbs 14:12 TEV}.
Jesus Christ Himself is God, “In the beginning was the One who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God” {John 1:1 CEV}, which means that all Scripture is His voice, the voice of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ said, “My sheep know My voice, and I know them. They follow Me, and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand” {John 10:27 CEV}. They hear and obey His voice, because they recognize its authority.
“Inspiration” is the teaching about the Word of God that describes how the Word of God came to us. Most literally, Scripture is “God-breathed.” In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ said, “Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.”
In our teaching last week, we read John chapter 1, verses one thru fourteen, where we receive this understanding, that the Word of God is two-fold in nature: the “written Word” (the Bible) and the “Living Word” - Jesus Christ. We will not be able to discern truth from error or stand on the truth that is Jesus Christ and live according to the truth that is the Bible - unless we are totally committed to God {1 John 4:6}.
Because the Word of God – the Bible was given to us through human agency, it’s important to note, that God - the Holy Spirit did not bypass the human authors’ personality and consciousness, however, He worked through both and so guided the process that the Bible is at the same time God’s words and the words of its human authors.
The Word of God is the revelation of God breathed out by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is authoritative for every aspect of life and worship. God intends for us - His people to receive His word as the authoritative revelation of our redemption, as well as the authoritative guide for our actions. The Scriptures - God’s Word - the Bible is the only transcendent and inerrant authority by which we may know what God’s will is for our lives.
The Bible - God’s Word is clear in matters necessary for salvation and what it means to live a life pleasing to God. Any reader or hearer of the Scriptures can understand the gospel and what we must do to please God. The Scriptures teach us that the Bible contains exactly the doctrine (teaching) and admonitions (warnings) that we need. It lacks none of the truth that God wants us to have for our good and His glory.
As we study the Word of God - the Bible, we must keep our focus on its theme: the redemption of man through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.
Finally, the Word of God - the Bible is sufficient for our salvation. We need no other book or personal revelation to discern the way of salvation and the will of God for our lives.
