The Doctrine of the Word of God
Have you ever wondered about The Doctrine of the Word of God? In this article I’ll be covering such topics as: What is the word of God, The Authority of Scripture, The Inerrancy of Scripture, and The Sufficiency of Scripture. Hope this will be helpful in growing your relationship with, and understanding of God!
I've provided the table of contents to help you find what you are looking for and to help you pick up from where you left off.
The Doctrine of the Word of God
What is The Word of God?
Imagine you received a letter from someone you love very much. How many times would you read it until you knew it by heart? That’s essentially what the Word of God is. A love letter written to you by divine inspiration from God. But, there are also a few different meanings for “the Word of God” in the Bible.
A. The Word of God as a person: Jesus Christ
Jesus is called, "the Word of God."
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Revelation 19:13: “He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.”
These verses and possibly 1 John 1:1 are the only instances where the Bible refers to Jesus as “the Word”. So this usage is not common. Although Scripture does not define what is meant by that term it could refer to the fact that He is the personification of the written and spoken word. The testimony that God revealed through the prophets during the Old Testament period was now made human with the coming of Christ - God the Son. Hence the Word became flesh.
B. The Word of God as Speech By God
God’s Decrees: is a word of God that causes something to happen.
We can see an example of this in the creation account in Genesis where God spoke light and life into existence.
From the sky above with the birds that soar overhead, to the ground and the creatures that walk upon its surface. From the Sun, moon & stars in the heavens, to the creatures that live in the waters below. He declared it and it was so.
Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
God’s Words of Personal Address: God speaking directly to someone.
We see this as early as Genesis 2:16 when God spoke to Adam concerning what he could and could not eat in the garden. And we can see this again in the New Testament at Jesus’ baptism, when God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).
In these and many other instances they were literally hearing God’s very voice.
God’s Words as Speech Through Human Lips: We often see in Scripture that God raises up prophets to speak through. It was spoken in ordinary human language by ordinary human beings but this did not diminish the authority or truthfulness of these words because they are still God’s words.
God said to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” God also made a similar statement to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:9 “Then the Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words.”
C. The Word of God in Written Form (the Bible)
Having God’s written word helps us to have accurate preservation of God’s words, makes them accessible to more people than if they were nearly preserved through memory and oral tradition, and as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
God’s words, as written in the Bible, are so valuable and beneficial for us to study.
Joshua 1:8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
As believers, I believe we should strive to know and trust the Bible as God’s Word and hold it as the supreme infallible authority that God has given to us on earth. No other authority is infallible but must be compared and subjected to what God has given us, His God breathe d word.
Every form of God’s Word: Jesus, Speech By God, or the Written Word is authoritative and true but the only way for us to even know any of this is by God's written word. Just as our study of theology helps us to know what we believe, why we believe it, and how to defend our beliefs.
The Authority of Scripture
Sometimes our parents give us instructions that we may not understand at the moment. We may even question their decisions and authority because we simply just don’t understand. However, a good parent will usually have sufficient reasons for the decisions that they gave us.
So let’s now put a biblical lens on this. Is God, our Heavenly Father, trustworthy, perfect, Holy, righteous, and good? As a believer, we have to start from the foundation that even if we don’t understand all of God’s ways, if we believe that God is trustworthy, perfect, holy righteous, and good then His word is also trustworthy, perfect, holy righteous, and good.
Now, an individual might not necessarily have a perfect understanding of everything in scripture but still trust that God’s words are true. Just like our example of not necessarily understanding a parent's reasoning for everything but still trusting that they probably know better. And if we trust that God’s words are true then we should strive to learn and live by them.
God’s word, Holy Scripture, is widely recognized as having a unique authority and a central role in the life of a believer for truth and guidance within the Christian faith. It’s the inspired, God-breathed, word of God, and is therefore seen as the ultimate authority on matters of faith and practice that we have access to. This is reflected in the way that scripture is often referred to by Jesus, the apostles, and many passages in the Bible itself.
Jesus Appealed to the Authority of Scripture
Jesus frequently appealed to the authority of scripture in his teaching and correcting, he defeated Satan by it, and he will also judge by it. Jesus quotes the Old Testament over 40 times in the Gospels, and he quotes specific passages from the books of Isaiah, Psalms, and Hosea more than a dozen times each. He also references over 100 other passages in the Old Testament and often used the phrase "it is written" and other similar phrases to emphasize the reliability and truth of Scripture.
Matthew 4:4 "But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."'"
Mark 12:24 Jesus told them, “Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God?”
Biblical appeal to Scripture
A Jew named Apollos in Acts 18:28 “vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.”
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
Paul uses the Greek term theopneustos (theh-op'-nyoo-stos), here meaning “God-breathed” or given by inspiration of the Spirit of God: divinely inspired, to assure Timothy that Scripture is, in fact, from God. Although God used people to produce the Scriptures, their ultimate origin is God.
For instruction, conviction, correction, and for training in righteousness so that we may be complete and fully equipped for every good work.
We need to be fully equipped: job, battle, car…
God's Words Are the Ultimate Standard of Truth
In John 17 Jesus prays to the Father, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). This verse is very interesting because Jesus doesn’t just simply say "Your word is true" but rather, he says “your word is truth”, to say that God's Word is not simply "true," but it is truth itself.
The difference is significant because this statement encourages us to think of the Bible not simply as being "true" in the sense that it conforms to some higher standard of truth but rather to think of the Bible as being itself the final standard of truth. The Bible is God's Word, and God's Word is the ultimate definition of what is and isn’t true because it itself is truth.
And we’re also not to go beyond what God’s word says:
1 Corinthians 4:6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
In saying, “Do not go beyond what is written,” Paul wants his readers to understand that the words and teachings of Scripture are ultimately sufficient and true.
Early Church
The First Christians even used Scripture to validate the apostles’ teachings because truth is measured by God’s words.
Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so,
When the apostle Paul is teaching in the synagogues of Berea he notices his listeners are searching the scriptures daily to test the veracity of an apostle's teaching. Paul didn’t get upset but commended them. We should test every man's teaching with the authority of scripture.
With me giving such emphasis to the authority of scripture, I want you to know that I’m not denying the importance of certain traditions or secondary authorities such as teachers, preachers, church councils, and experience, but none of these dynamics are co-authoritative with the rule of Scripture. All secondary authority should be subject to it.
Here are just a few qualities of scripture:
Scripture provides us with certainty of what has been taught, is sufficient truth for belief, is used for correction, and is God-breathed. It serves as a reminder of the truth, is the word of truth, and it exhorts us. It declares the true grace of God, serves as an antidote to false teachings, and is written so that our joy may be complete, to prevent sin, and to know we have eternal life. It is useful for instruction, conviction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, and fully equipped for every good work.
It seems that many times people want to question the authority of God's words. We find something we don't like or disagree with because it doesn't fit into our world view and instead of submitting to God's authority, His truth, we want to question God in our courtroom by "our" truth. But, the “whys” (the questions) aren’t the issue, it’s the heart behind the whys.
If we question God and His word because we think we know better and we lack trust in Him, that is a very dangerous place to be and I truly hope that if any of you find yourself in that position you really examine your heart because we do not have authority over our creator. God's words are perfect because He is perfect. He is the creator of all truth and Scripture is the word of truth.
As believers, we should strive to know and trust the Bible as God’s Word and hold it as the supreme infallible authority that God has given to us on earth. No other authority that we have is infallible but must be compared and subjected to what God has given us, His God-breathed and inspired word.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
God’s word is our field guide!
The Inerrancy of Scripture
The authority of Scripture is one of the primary reasons why Christians affirm the inerrancy of the Bible. God’s word, Holy Scripture, has a unique authority and a central role in the life of a believer for truth and guidance within the Christian faith. It’s the inspired, God-breathed, word of God, and is therefore seen as the ultimate authority on matters of faith and practice that we have access to. This is reflected in the way that scripture is often referred to by Jesus, the apostles, and many passages in the Bible itself.
The Bible isn’t just true but it’s the final standard of truth.
Now, even if believers disagree on our understanding of certain parts of scripture we can and should still trust that God’s word is true and without error.
Big Question…does the Bible have any errors?
The subject of the inerrancy of Scripture is often met with a lot of emotion and heated discussion. But is this a subject “worthy” of such tension? Can we not simply hold to our own views on Scripture and avoid such volatile words as “inerrant” to describe its nature? Could we not settle for “trustworthy” or “inspired,” or some other word that does not draw such a line in the sand?
No, the term inerrant is too important. It gives no place for wavering, but stands solidly on the position that Scripture is not simply inspired, but is completely without error. That’s an important distinction. Those who hold to an “inspired,” but not inerrant, Bible can essentially let themselves off the hook when and where Scripture conflicts with their personal lives and beliefs. When “our” truth conflicts with God’s truth, that’s an issue.
The belief in the inerrancy of Scripture has been consistently held by the Christian church since the time of the New Testament until the 1600s. It was only during the Enlightenment period that skepticism toward the complete truthfulness of the Bible emerged among some individuals who identified as Christians.
What is the meaning of Inerrancy?
Biblical Inerrancy Definition: the inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact.
Psalm 33:4: For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy.
Psalm 119:160: The entirety of your word is truth, each of your righteous judgments endures forever.
Reliability of Scripture: Apologetics!
1. The Bible Passes all Historical Tests
In historical science a scroll, clay tablet, or book must pass three tests: the internal test, the external test and the bibliographic test. If it fails even one of these tests, it is not considered an authentic, reliable historical work. The Bible does, in fact, pass all three of these tests.
2. We Have Thousands of Biblical Manuscripts
The abundance of Biblical manuscripts provides evidence for their accuracy. Although the original writings no longer exist, we have thousands of copies of copies. Comparing these manuscripts allows us to determine their reliability.
The manuscript authority of Homer’s “Iliad,” has more than 1,900 manuscripts in existence, which is really impressive. But, by comparison, the Old Testament manuscript authority is estimated at around 17,000 manuscripts, which is beyond impressive.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940’s allowed scholars to compare Old Testament manuscripts with modern versions of the Hebrew Bible. The text proved to be identical, word for word, in more than 95% of the cases with the other 5% deviation consisting mainly of spelling variations.
The New Testament has around 6,000 surviving manuscripts. The high number of manuscripts enables cross-checking and shows that the New Testament is 99.5% accurate, with the other .5% being minor differences in spelling or copyist errors.
What’s most important is that not a single variation in these thousands of manuscripts has been shown to affect a theological issue in any way.
3. Archaeology Supports the Biblical Record
Archaeology supports the accounts in the Bible. Numerous archaeological finds have confirmed the accuracy of Biblical places, events, and individuals. No archaeological discovery has ever disproven a Biblical event or civilization. Instead, archaeology has consistently upheld the facts recorded in Scripture and refuted skepticism.
In fact, the Bible has proven to be more historically and archaeologically accurate than any other ancient book.
God’s Word Is Pure
Prov. 30:5: Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 12:6: The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
Both the words: pure in Proverbs 30 verse 5 and refined in Psalm 12:6 are the Hebrew word “tsaraph” which means to smelt, refine, or test. If you’re unfamiliar with smelting it’s a process of applying heat to an ore, to extract a base metal, and impurities in the form of dross, are separated from the molten metal to ensure its purity, quality, and integrity. Psalm 12:6 is comparing God’s words to silver that has been put through the fire in this smelting process seven times. After going through that process that silver would be flawless and as pure as can be.
Conclusion
Rejecting the inerrancy of Scripture is essentially denying God's claim for the Bible and disregarding what the Holy Spirit, the author of Scripture, reveals about its nature. The Bible explicitly states that it is divinely inspired, with every word being pure and "God-breathed." Dismissing these explicit statements undermines the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible, challenging the foundational aspect of the Christian faith. By selectively rejecting passages, individuals assume the role of judge over Scripture, leading to a fragmented understanding and eroding its overall reliability. It makes you the arbiter of truth instead of God. Recognizing and upholding the value of inerrancy is a crucial cornerstone of the Christian faith.
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that we can’t ask questions about scripture. It’s the heart behind the questions that’s important. Are you seeking understanding or are you putting God in your courtroom?
The Bible repeatedly affirms that all of Scripture is profitable for us and that all of it is “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), completely pure (Ps. 12:6), perfect (Ps. 119:96), and true (Prov. 30:5).
The Sufficiency of Scripture
How do we define the sufficiency of Scripture: the sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.
Significant scriptural support and explanation of this doctrine can be found in Paul’s words to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:15-17: “and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Scripture is Sufficient to Give Us Wisdom for Salvation
Paul literally told us in verse 15 that the written words of Scripture are able to give us wisdom for salvation. We also see another example of this in 1 Peter 1:23-25.
“because you have been born again — not of perishable seed but of imperishable — through the living and enduring word of God. For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.”
While other books might be useful for learning, scripture is said to be sufficient in providing us with the wisdom for salvation by giving us the gospel.
John 3:16: For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 10:9: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
God gave us the greatest gift of the good news of the gospel!
Scripture is Sufficient to Equip Us for Every Good Work
As we read earlier, Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and for training in righteousness so that we may be complete and equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:17 doesn’t say some good works. It says EVERY good work. So if there’s a good work God desires for us to do He has made provision in His word through the Holy Spirit for us to be trained up to do it.
Scripture is Sufficient to Give Us Certainty and Truth
Luke wrote a letter to Theophilus so that he would have certainty about the things Theophilus had been taught. Without the written God breathed scripture we don’t have certainty of teachings.
Luke 1:1-4: Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
In John 20:30-31, John states his purpose for writing the Gospel of John. The Bible provides sufficient truth.
John 20:30-31: Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.
Again, this is pointing us back to the gospel, back to Jesus. John literally could have written more. He said that there were many other signs that Jesus performed but God led him to write what he did so that we may be able to believe in Jesus! What was provided was sufficient!
Don’t Go Beyond What is Written
You might agree that Scripture is sufficient for: 1) Wisdom for salvation, 2) being complete and equipped for every good work, and 3) to give us certainty and truth. But what about traditions, other texts, or authorities?
1 Corinthians 4:6: I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
In saying, “Do not go beyond what is written,” Paul wants his readers to understand that the words and teachings of Scripture are ultimately sufficient and true. In the first century AD, the Corinthian church was full of many problems, including factional divisions and favoritism. Some in the church only wanted to follow or listen to certain leaders (such as Paul or Apollos) rather than Christ alone (1 Corinthians 1:12). It appears that some of the believers conducted themselves in a way that “went beyond “ what was appropriate as followers of Jesus and beyond the words of Scripture itself.
So, to “not go beyond what is written” means to focus on Jesus and His Word above all else. It means to trust that the Bible has all the answers and truths we need to live a holy and pleasing life before God. Scripture is the word of truth in which we can verify and compare things to in order to know what God desires for his people.
Practical Applications of the Sufficiency of Scripture:
We can teach Theology and Ethics.
This should encourage us to study God’s word to know how God wants us to think about particular issues and what to do in particular situations.
We should add nothing to Scripture nor are we to consider other writings of equal value to Scripture.
We shouldn’t consider anything to be sin that isn’t forbidden by scripture (either explicitly or by implication)
We’re not to add prohibitions to those already stated in Scripture or impose personal convictions. Some Christian leaders and some churches in previous generations required people to follow specific rules such as not attending movie theaters, not dancing, or not using playing cards. In some Christian circles, women aren’t even allowed to wear jeans but I don’t remember that in scripture. In my opinion, unless Scripture clearly requires or prohibits something, Christians would do well to allow for a considerable variety of personal preferences and individual choices. These might include things such as food preferences, babies (when to have them, how many, adoption), schools (homeschooling, Christian schooling, public schools), certain health choices, how people celebrate holidays, how you spend your time (with family, activities, job), music preferences, and so forth. I agree that there are wise decisions and foolish mistakes that can be made in each of these categories, but I believe we do have some Christian liberties. The thing to consider though is, are we honoring God with our choices.
Nor should we say that things that are forbidden by scripture aren’t a sin.
Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Conclusion:
Scripture is sufficient for: 1) Wisdom for salvation, 2) being complete and equipped for every good work, and 3) to give us certainty and truth.
Practical Applications: 1) We can learn and know how God wants us to think and act, 2) we shouldn’t add anything to Scripture nor consider other writings equal to Scripture, and 3) we shouldn’t add to or take away from anything that God prohibits.