Scripture
The word ‘Scripture’ means ‘a writing’ or ‘a sacred writing’.
This word is used to refer to the inspired writings both in the OT and the NT.
The word ‘Scripture’ is found in 52 places in the NT and in one place in the
OT. God’s special revelation came to man in the Scripture which we call as the
Bible or the Word of God.
The Bible and the Word
of God
The Scripture is God’s Word given to man in written form.
Heb. 4:12. It reveals God and His truth. The Scripture is called as the Word of
God in more than 2000 places in the Bible. The name ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek
word biblos which means ‘the book’.
The collection of all the books of the Bible was called as biblia or ‘the books’ in the 5th century. The Bible
contains 66 separate books and so it can be called as the divine library of
books. It is a unified book. The living word and the written word are called as
logos.
1. Advantages of the
written Word of God:
The Bible is the special revelation of God about the living Word.
The Scripture help us to learn and know Jesus Christ. The basis for teaching
and preaching is the Word of God. Bruce Milne gave the following four
advantages of the written word by quoting the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper.
It achieves durability: Errors of memory, deliberate or
accidental corruption over a long period are minimised.
It becomes universal: It can be universally disseminated
through translation and reproduction.
It attains stability
and purity: It has
the attributes of stability and purity since it cannot be altered at will.
It confirms its finality: It is given a finality and normativeness
which other forms of communication cannot attain.
2. Evidences to accept
Bible as the Authoritative Word of God:
Here are a few evidences to show that the Word of God is
authoritative.
a. The claim by the
writers: The prophets and the writers of the Bible believed that they were
communicating the message of God. They used phrases like, ‘Thus says the Lord’
or ‘the Word of the Lord came to me’, in more than two thousand places in the
Bible. The writers assumed the Scripture as the Word of God. Psa. 19:7-11.
b. The view of Jesus
Christ: Jesus Christ accepted that the Scripture is the Word of God. Luke
4:16-21 and believed that it is authoritative and inspired. Jesus taught that
the Scripture will not pass away (Mark 13:31) and must be obeyed.
c. The acceptance of
Jesus Christ: Jesus quotes many Old Testament incidents like the burning
bush, the Queen Sheba’s visit, the experience of Jonah, David eating the show
bread, the destruction of Sodom and the murder of Abel and Zechariah. He also
accepted the OT prophecy and denounced those who did not believe them.
d. The teachings of the
Apostles: The NT writers accepted the authority of the Scriptures. The
apostles referred the OT passages while teaching or writing to the people. They
related their teaching with the OT and called them as ‘the oracles of God’.
Rom. 3:2; Heb. 5:12.
e. The acceptance of
the Apostles: The apostles wrote that what they write is the Word of God.
They claimed that their writing carried authority. Peter accepted Paul’s
writing as Scriptures. 2 Pet. 3:16 and commanded his writing to be read in the
church. Colo. 4:16.
f. The declaration of
the Bible: The Bible declares that all Scripture is given by God. 2 Tim.
3:16 and the holy men of God wrote it when the Holy Spirit moved them. 2 Pet.
1:21.
g. Accepted by the
church: The Christians all over the world testified that the Bible is God’s
Word and accepted it’s authority without any question.
h. Accepted by
believers now: The Christians all over the world accept that the Bible is
the Word of God and read the Bible daily. They believed that God spoke through
His prophets and Jesus Christ in the past.
i. The acceptance of
the Bible: Hundreds of Bible passages say that the Bible is the Word of
God.
j. The fulfilled prophecy: Jesus Christ said
that every predictive Word of God will be fulfilled. Matt. 24:35. The
prophecies concerning history of nations, Israel’s preservation and
restoration, prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection and the
second coming to be fulfilled.