Where We Expose Faulty Teaching to Gain Godly Wisdom in This Modern World
Each month we prayerfully dig into God's Word to discern truth from almost truth and help you learn how to defend your faith in a world where false teaching is enticing more and more people to turn from wisdom and righteous living.
Jeremiah 14:14, ESV
And the LORD said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds."
Is the Bible Really God's Word?
Yes. True.
Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1 and John 1:14). The apostle John uses the Greek word logos to describe Jesus "in the beginning"—before creation—as John looks back to Genesis. In the Greek, logos means "word," and also "reason," "plan," or "logic." Jesus is God's plan and the manifestation of God's spoken word, according to the Book of John. (Logos.com)
The word logos sets God's word (or the message from God) into our hands—specifically, the gospel, as 1 Thessalonians 1:4–5, ESV explains (emphasis mine):
"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word (logos), but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."
So God gave us His Word in the flesh (Jesus) and also His word in written form. Scripture, both the Old (including the Torah) and New Testaments, came from Him, forged by the work of the Holy Spirit, written through the hands of roughly forty appointed messengers (i.e., authors) over 1,500 years, in multiple countries and languages. From start to finish, from the Old Testament through the New Testament, the Bible points us to God and was given as a gift from Him to us.
But how do we really know?
The website gotquestions.org also helped me dig into the Greek language pertaining to "God's Word." The second Greek word for “word” is rhema. Rhema refers to the spoken and then written words of God, perhaps best translated as "utterance" (Hebrews 6:5). We are told in Ephesians 6:17 to “take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word [rhema] of God.” Christ tells us we need the inspired recorded words of God (illuminated in both the Old and New Testaments) to overcome Satan’s attacks. Rhema is our only offensive weapon, as Jesus demonstrated when he silenced Satan's temptations by repeating Scripture during his forty days in the wilderness .
Inspiration vs. Illumination.
The Bible's “red thread” message—which I talk about with my book coaching clients as a common theme or idea that connects each chapter (each book of the Bible, in this case)—is God's creative and redemptive work, which, along with the recorded teachings of Jesus Christ and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, make the Bible alone (even when compared with all other ancient documents) the revelation of God to humankind.
It is important to say that there is a difference between inspiration and illumination. The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit—God 'breathed out' (2 Timothy 3:16) through the instrument of human beings. 'Illumination' is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that helps us to understand and apply God’s Word. Faithful gospel preachers, therefore, were not inspired themselves of their own accord. But it was the Holy Spirit illuminating their minds so that they could proclaim the inspired Word of God. (Milton, emphasis mine)
Because sin pollutes our lives and we no longer have fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, as we read the scriptures today, we are dependent on illumination to understand His Word. David asked for illumination in Psalm 119:34 when he prayed, "Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law . . ." (NASB1995). We must pray for the same.
A friend, a missionary to the Persecuted Church, and a writer, Andy Coleman, says, "Nothing obligates God to reveal anything about Himself to us." Nonetheless, God did. God inspired humans' thoughts and words as they penned the scriptures so He could be intimately involved. They are His thoughts. His words. His voice . . .
God's Voice
Those who view the Bible as a historical resource or even a guidebook for life are more apt to misuse or distrust it. The Bible was not written for us to know how to live our lives well. It's not some prescribed travel guide for our journeys—though when applied correctly, God's Word can help with that. It was written so we could know God, and from that knowing, that intimate relationship forged through this gift from our Father, we’d want to live life well, to obey and glorify Him by obeying His Word.
“The Bible is not a book. It’s a voice.”
—Dr. Alicia Britt Chole (a.k.a. Dr. ABC)
If we view the Bible as a book, it’s easier to dismiss its contents. If we view the Bible as a guide for how to live our lives, we’ll rebel against its truth. That’s our nature. But if we view the Bible as God’s voice, gifted so we might know Him more profoundly, then we are less apt to ignore it or change portions of it to fit our desires or lifestyles. It would be like skipping a chapter in our best friend’s memoir or rewriting their story because we didn't like or agree with parts of it.
The Beauty of God's Word
In 2007, Carnegie Mellon University associate professor Chris Harrison partnered with Christoph Römhild to create this extraordinary graphic, which shows all of the cross-references in the Bible. The alternating sets of dark and light lines at the bottom represent biblical books and chapters, sized by length. The colorful arched lines show connections (references, fulfilled prophecies, etc.) between the chapters. The longest line connects Genesis and Revelation. But all of the lines show the deep interconnectedness found in the scriptures. This graphic is one of the most recognizable and influential pieces of modern data-driven art about the Bible. (Harrison)
Why is this important? It shows God's story from this world's beginning to this world's ending (as we know it and as recorded in the Bible). Just dismissing the New Testament as human-contrived religion is cutting the beautiful story of God's love and redemption in half, leaving it unfinished.
More Reasons to Trust the Bible as God's Word:
I. The Bible is self-authenticating.
The Bible says it is the Word of God. However, the Bible does more than merely claim to be God’s Word. The internal work of the Holy Spirit "shows" readers the Bible is the Word of God when they read, study, and apply it to their lives. (I have experienced this.) It's alive and active, cutting through our minds and physical bodies to touch our hearts and spirits (Hebrews 4:12). It's not something just to memorize. It's something to feel at every level of our being.
The apostle Paul said people would see the truths of the Word of God "at work" in the lives of God’s people "who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). We don't learn God's Word so much as we experience it. The contents are dynamic, stimulating, and productive, not static or idle when read by God's children. It moves people, transforming them, compelling them to obedience.
The question here is: Do you believe in God or do you believe God Himself?
II. The Bible is the only book in the world with accurate prophecy.
The "testing standard" for a prophet back in ancient times was 100% accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:20–22). The penalty for falling short of this standard was death. Despite this danger, about 30% of the Bible is prophecy—approximately 2,500 in total. And about 2,000 prophecies have already been fulfilled—with no errors! The odds of all these prophecies being fulfilled by chance, without error, is less than one in 10 to the 2000th power. (Oaks) Only God could breathe all this into existence.
III. The Bible is affirmed as God's Word through historical accuracy.
Many historical figures are identified in the pages of the Bible. Among the most conservative lists, there are more than 100 biblical "characters" who can be conclusively identified in history, including Jesus and his disciples. Even more amazing is how archaeological finds continue to give us confidence that the biblical writers accurately recorded history. This includes Jesus's resurrection. Look it up for yourself; there are too many others to list here.
IV. The Bible is the Word of God because of its scientific accuracy.
One atheist-turned-Christian said he discovered nearly 200 biblical references to scientific truths, all recorded in Scripture before their discoveries. Here are a few:
Biblical teaching in Job 26:7 explains the Earth’s positioning in space before mankind's discovery of such things.
Leviticus 17:11 tells us blood is the source of life, written long before medical knowledge on the subject.
Jonah wrote about how there are mountains on the bottom of the ocean floor (Jonah 2:5–6). Only in the last century have we discovered the towering mountains and deep troughs in our largest seas.
The Bible commanded the circumcision of Jewish infant boys on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3; Luke 1:59). Medical science has discovered our blood-clotting chemical peaks in newborns on the eighth day. This timeframe is also a significant milestone for the human immune system. The eighth day, according to biology, is the safest day to circumcise a baby. How could Moses have known this without God sharing it with him?
The Bible tells us life begins at conception (Jeremiah 1:5). In Exodus 21:22–23, the penalty for killing a child in the womb was death. God confirms He knows each of us before we are born (Psalm 139:13–15). And today, this is an irrefutable biological fact: a fertilized egg is an entire human being. Why? Nothing is added to the first cell, except nutrition and oxygen for growth. It is complete.
In Luke 17:34–36, the worldwide event of Christ’s return is discussed. The scientifically significant fact is these verses allude to the different time zones around the globe, long before the earth’s rotation was understood by mankind. Note that when Christ comes, some will be enjoying nighttime sleep while others are preparing for the day’s baking (typically morning), while others are working in the fields (typically afternoon).
We have eighteen New Testament manuscripts from the second century and one from the first. The New Testament has 24,633 surviving manuscripts, with the oldest manuscript being only 125 years ahead of the original events, which is far better than any other ancient literature in existence. The nearest competitor has 120 surviving manuscripts, a thousand years removed from its original document or event . . . yet no one questions their validity. (Genesis Park)
The list could go on.
The Bittersweet Paradox of God's Word
Because the Bible is so alive and transformative and because it goes against most human desires—another reason its contents weren't contrived by men—it's not always "fun" to obey its truth and directives.
We have a word in our language: bittersweet. It seems to be an oxymoron. How can something be both bitter and sweet as the same time? It can't be both bitter and sweet at the same time and in the same relationship. But even things that come to us initially clothed in bitterness can, under the agency of God's Holy Spirit, become sweet to us, and there is nothing sweeter to the Christian than God's Word. It is important for us, as we look at these difficult passages throughout Scripture, to look for the sweetness, to look for the beauty and the glory of God that stands behind them, for God's truth is always sweet. When we recoil against truth in a spirit of bitterness, it's because we haven't yet tasted to see that the Lord is good. (Sproul)
Our directive, the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19, says to "go and make disciples of all nations." In Strong's Concordance, the term for disciple is mathētḗs. It comes "from math-, the 'mental effort needed to think something through'—properly, a learner . . . a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the Bible with its necessary follow-through." (Strong) Straight from the original Greek, this is what we are actually called to do in the Great Commission: to learn the doctrines of the Gospel, found in the Bible, and obey them as we teach others to do the same. We cannot claim to follow Christ and satisfy the Great Commission without following the entirety of the holy scriptures. And we cannot complete the commission without the follow-through of obedience.
In her Bible study on the Book of Joshua on September 11, 2024, Paige Brown reminded us: “It takes the whole Bible to make a whole Christian.”
Defending the Bible
God doesn't need our defense. But can't we defend our faith and talk about the validity of the Bible as God's Word? Yes! If someone tries to discredit the Bible as something penned by men, what will you say? Don't simply memorize the evidence above. Think critically. How has studying the Bible or leaning on biblical scripture changed you? Are you ready to "give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you . . ." (1 Peter: 3:15, KJV)? Will you know how to encourage those who believe the contents can be accepted as good advice or not at all, depending on how difficult the truth is to obey?
I love what Pastor Matt Dawson of Journey Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, says here about his perspective:
The Bible comprises many stories, yet it is also one story—a memoir that tells of God's redemptive work to rescue His children. Merely knowing (intellectually) that the Bible is God’s Word is not enough. Even memorizing scripture is not enough. The Bible says we need to personally experience the God of the Bible by believing in His promises and submitting to His commands and obeying His Word. When we do, we are transformed—made new. Hope and joy flourish.
The Holy Bible is God's Holy Word, His story, and we must study it with our minds and our hearts and our wills—all open to His promptings when they come (Psalm 32:8). After all, illumination arrives on the heels of belief, and belief, when mixed with faith, leads to action . . . and true surrender.
Deo Gloria,
Next Month: Wasn't Jesus Just a Great Teacher?
Guidelines
As you read, learn, and possibly comment on posts, there are a few guidelines I ask you to follow. First, we are all loved by God. We must receive that love and pour it back out for others. So all comments, whether in agreement or disagreement, must be respectful. This blog will neither be for calling out false teachers by name nor to allow for ongoing debate (at least on this platform). Instead, I seek to inform readers by pointing them to biblical truth while encouraging them to think critically. Most of all, I hope readers open God's Word, perhaps more than they do now. I will use the Bible as the foundation for any statement or claim I make. However, I am open to correction and alternative thoughts and conclusions if based on a biblical worldview. There are essentials and nonessentials in the Christian faith. My goal is to stick like glue with the essentials, but there are so many non-essentials that lead to what's critical. So I ask everyone to be respectful in their responses. We're all learning. Thank you.
Legal Stuff
COPYRIGHT (c) 2024, Cortney Donelson. If you'd like to share or quote any of this content, please credit the "True or False?" Blog | vocem LLC, including the post title and date.
Not a legal requirement, but I want to give a shout-out to two co-laborers (co-strugglers?) in the battle to point people to the Bible and away from false teaching: Matt Dawson, lead pastor at Journey Church in Huntersville, NC and Janey Pitts, Bible scholar, speaker, and author in Panama City, Florida. They are kind enough to spar ideas, check my biblical accuracy, and review my conclusions.
For a deep dive into the word logos, visit https://www.logos.com/grow/greek-word-logos-meaning/.
Milton, Michael A. "Who Wrote the Bible?" Bible Study Tools, April 12, 2023, https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-wrote-the-bible.html.
Website: https://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Visualizations/BibleViz.
Oaks, John. "FULFILLED PROPHECY: EVIDENCE FOR THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE by Hugh Ross, Ph.D." Evidence for Christianity, May 5, 2005, https://evidenceforchristianity.org/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible-by-hugh-ross-ph-d/.
Genesis Park: This section of the blog is paraphrased, quoted, and summarized from The Genesis Park Website, https://www.genesispark.com/essays/gods-word/.
R. C. Sproul, Hard Sayings: Understanding Difficult Passages of Scripture. (Sanford, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 2023).
Strong, James. The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Red letter ed. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2010.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.
Scripture marked KJV is quoted from the King James Version Bible. Public Domain.
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