GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

THE WORD OF GOD

The Inspiration and Authority of Holy Scripture
Psalm 138:2

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

"I do not pretend to know all that is implied by that statement; but I am sure of this - God almighty intends for us to understand that he has a very high opinion of his Word. It is something of indescribable value, a Book to be revered, honored, read, believed, and obeyed. It has not been given to us to be an ornament of decoration to adorn your coffee table at home or the communion table at church. This Book came from God and shows us the way back to God. Read it. Study it. Believe it. Obey it. Know it in your head. Store it in your heart. Show it in your life. And sow it in the world."

"I can think of no better place to begin the study of the Bible itself. So tonight I want to talk to you about The Word of God. I want to show you that.

"Propostion: This blessed Book, the Bible, is and must be the Word of God."

"I have chosen to begin this series of studies with the study of The Word of God with good reason. Before studying the glorious truths of Holy Scripture, we must have a firm grasp of the fact that this Book is indeed of divine origin, inspired, infallible, and authoritative. Unless we recognize that fact, we have no authoritative basis for believing anything taught in the Bible. In fact, I am certain that the reason for all the fuzziness, instability, and confusion among religious people in our day is that they recognize the absolute authority of the Word of God in all matters of faith and practice, in all matters of doctrine and conduct.

"As we face the heresies, speculations, skepticism, and ignorance of the religious world around us, as well as that of the secular world, we need to be sure of our ground. Doctrinal, spiritual ignorance always leads to spiritual bondage.

Isaiah 5:13 "Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst."

"Numerous books have been written demonstrating the fact that the Bible's claim of divine origin, inspiration, and infallibility cannot be denied. I assume that you recognize that fact. I will not insult you by trying to prove the truthfulness of God's Word to you. I simply want to reassure you of those things that are self-evident to every child of God."

Divisions: "I want to show you four things tonight about the Bible, which I trust will be blessed of God to your souls and make the Book of God even more precious to you than it already is."

1. "The Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God."

2. "The evidences and arguments for the divine origin and inspiration are as comforting as they are irrefutable."

3. "The doctrine of the Bible's inspiration and infallibility has very serious consequences."

4. "The metaphors used to describe the Scriptures give us a hint of their great value, usefulness, and profitability."

I. THE BIBLE IS THE INSPIRED, INFALLIBLE, INERRANT WORD OF GOD.

"This is the claim the Bible makes. We must either accept the claim in its entirety or reject it altogether. Either this Book is the Word of God, or it is a horribly evil hoax by which the souls of men are deceived and ruined. The same must be said concerning all other religious books that claim divine origin. If the Bible is the Word of God, then the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and the claims of modern self-proclaimed prophets must all be rejected as evil deceptions by which the souls of men are destroyed."

"I want us to simply read the claims of the Bible. It claims to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant, complete, sufficient, and final Word of God."

A. The Bible claims divine origin.

"It claims to be written by men, but to be infallibly inspired, though who were both fallible and sinful."

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: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Hebrews 1:1 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,"

2 Peter 1:21 "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

B The Bible claims to be a necessary revelation, without which God cannot be known.

"God is Spirit, the eternal, self-existent, incomprehensible Spirit. Though his eternal power and godhead is evident from the things he has made, so that all are without excuse, he cannot be known unless he makes himself known by special revelation through the Word."

Romans 10:13-17 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (14)How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

1 Peter 1:23-25 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (25)) But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

C. The Bible claims to be the sufficient, effectual means by which chosen, redeemed sinners are called to life, faith, and everlasting salvation in Christ.

Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

2 Timothy 3:15 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

James 1:18 "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

The Bible claims to be both authority and finality as the Word of God.

Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

Revelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book."

"When we talk about inspiration, be sure you understand what the Scriptures teach about it. We sometimes speak of the men who wrote the Scriptures as being inspired. That is not really accurate. Those men were moved and carried along by the Holy Spirit as they wrote; but they were not inspired. It is the Word of God which they were employed to write that is inspired."

"We recognize, and the Bible carefully shows us the flaws of those men. The Book was given through weak, sinful human beings; but their weaknesses, sins, and humanity does not affect the Bible's infallibility. We see the personalities of the writers in their writings; but their personalities did not corrupt the Bible's perfection. The Bible claims to be and is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God."

"It is utterly inconsistent to extol the Bible as a good book, and at the same time deny its infallibility." C.D. Cole

"Sometimes I am asked, "what about all the places where the statements of the Bible contradict the proven discoveries of science?" Usually, I ask, "Would you me which statements you mean?" That usually ends the discussion."

"I do not claim to be a scientist. I am not even a student of science. Yet, I do make this assertion without the slightest fear of contradiction - There is not a single point of contradiction between the statements of Holy Scripture and the established facts of science. There is great conflict between the Scriptures and scientific theories, but none between Scripture and fact. The theories of science change constantly and constantly conflict one another; but the facts of science and the facts of the Bible are in perfect harmony."

II. THE EVIDENCES AND ARGUMENTS FOR THE DIVINE ORIGIN AND INSPIRATION ARE AS COMFORTING AS THEY ARE IRREFUTABLE.

"Let me give you just five of the many internal evidences of inspiration. We will not even look at the external evidences, though they are numerous. The internal evidences are sufficient both to refute the gainsayers and to comfort our souls as we live by faith in this world of trouble and woe leaning upon the promises and teachings of our God in Holy Scripture."

A. "Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted the Old Testament Scriptures as the Word of God when he lived upon the earth."

"When he dwelt upon the earth, he never made any attempt to prove the validity of the Old Testament, but simply referred to it, quoted it, expounded it, and lived upon it as the Word of God. In fact, he very deliberately quoted from the two books of the Old Testament which are most frequently attacked by infidels (Deuteronomy and Isaiah)."

"Deuteronomy was the book from which he made every quotation when Satan tempted him in the wilderness (Deut. 8:3; 6:16; 6:13; Luke 4:4-12)."

"Isaiah was the book he referred to when he began his public ministry and first announced himself as the Messiah (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:16-21)."

Luke 4:16-21 "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (17) And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, (18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (20) And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (21) And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

"The uniqueness of the Bible, that is to say the singularity of its teachings, attests to its divine origin.

"This Book is totally different from all other books in the things it reveals and teaches. All who ever drank from this Fountain of Truth have tasted the distinct difference. The Bible tells us what no other book could tell us and what no other book would tell us if it could about certain things."

1. "This Book alone gives us an account and revelation of God's character that agrees with and satisfies that which revealed in creation and stamped upon the consciences of all human beings: Omnipotence - Wisdom - Holiness - Justice."

2. "This Book alone gives us an account of man's origin, his sinful nature, his God consciousness, and his sense of immortality. No other attempts to account for these things gives any satisfaction. No book of mere human composition would give such a brutality honest portrayal of human depravity."

3. "This Book alone reveals and explains the necessity of Christ's incarnation, obedience, death, and resurrection."

4. "This Book alone a plan and scheme of salvation for fallen men that is both honoring to God and satisfactory to the consciences of men."

• Substitution


• Satisfaction


• Imputation


• Grace

"Any honest person who reads the Bible with any measure of carefulness and thoroughness will readily acknowledge that it could not possibly be a book of mere human origin. This Book has the stamp of God upon it!"

"The frankness and candor with which the Bible deals with its most prominent characters is evidence of its divine origin.

All human biographies, if they expose any weaknesses and faults in their subjects, either excuse them or find a way to make them appear insignificant. The Word of God paints a different kind of picture when it describes the lives of its greatest, most eminent characters, it paints their very darkest sides. The Bible makes no attempt to whitewash…"

• Noah's Drunkenness.


• Abraham's fear of Abimelech.


• Lot's Incest.


• Moses Anger.


• Aaron's Idolatry.


• David's Murder and Adultery.


• Peter's Fall.


• Paul and Barnabas' Strife and Division.

D. "The perfect harmony and unity of the Bible is simply an unanswerable argument for its divine origin and a great source of comfort and assurance for our faith."

"I have often told you that the Bible you now hold in your lap, by virtue of its very existence, is the greatest miracle in the world. If I should see my great-grandfather, who has been dead since I was a boy, rise up out of the earth that fact would be less miraculous than the existence of God's Word. Listen to this carefully."

"This Book was written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), by about forty different authors, who lived on two separate continents, over a period of more than sixteen hundred years. Parts of it were written in palaces, parts in prisons. Some of it was written by well educated men in great cities, other parts were written by shepherds and fishermen. Parts of it were written during times of war, pestilence, and danger, other parts during times of ecstatic joy. Those who wrote the words of this Book were taken from virtually every walk of life: judges, priests, kings, prophets, prime-ministers, herdsmen, scribes, fishermen, soldiers, and fishermen. Yet, in spite of all these varying circumstances, conditions, workmen, and ages of time employed in the production of Holy Scripture, it stands as one Book. It is perfectly one in all its parts. It is free of error and free of contradiction. The more I think about that fact, the more amazing it appears."

"I cannot state it better than A.W. Pink did. He wrote, "Imagine forty persons of different nationalities, possessing various degrees of musical culture, visiting the organ of some great cathedral and at long intervals of time, and without any collusion whatever, striking sixty-six different notes, which when combined yielded the theme of the grandest oratorio ever heard; would it not show that behind these forty different men there was one presiding mind, one great Tone-Master? As we listen to some great orchestra, with its immense variety of instruments playing their different parts, but producing melody and harmony, we realize that at the back of these many musicians there is the personality and genius of the composer. And when we enter the halls of the Divine Academy and listen to the heavenly choirs singing the Song of Redemption, all in perfect accord and unison, we know that it is God himself who has written the music and put this song into their mouths."

"There is only one sane explanation for the existence of the Bible. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

"The multitude of prophecies given in the Bible that have been exactly fulfilled, to the very letter, demand that honest people acknowledge the divine origin of the Bible."

"Prophecy is the foretelling of future events before they come to pass. This is the acid test of divine revelation. The Lord God himself appeals to fulfilled prophecy throughout the Bible."

Deuteronomy 18:22 "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."

Isaiah 41:21-23 "Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. (22) Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. (23) Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together."

2 Peter 1:19-21 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

"Fortune tellers, palm readers, and other practitioners of witchcraft frequently make general predictions that astound men. The Word of God does not make vague, general predictions, but specific, precise predictions, and stakes its veracity upon their fulfillment. Let me just call your attention to a few examples."

1. "The Lord Jesus Christ was, of course, the central theme of Old Testament prophecy (Ps. 22; Isa. 53); but there were a multitude specific prophetic statements made about him in the Old Testament that were exactly fulfilled."

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Acts 13:29 "And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre."

2. "The prophecy concerning Josiah, the boy king of Judah, was made during the days of Jeroboam and fulfilled three hundred and fifty years later."

1 Kings 13:2 "And he (The Prophet of God) cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee."

2 Kings 23:15-16 "Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. (16) And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words."

"Let men cavil as they will, this blessed Book is verily the very Word of God. It simply cannot be explained in any other way. It is an open Book. Its truths are not written in the language of scholars, but in the common language of common men. The Bible is the Book for the people. It was delivered by God to his saints, not to the pope, not to priests, not to academics, not to the clergy (whatever that is), but to the saints. There is nothing hidden. Everything is open. If the gospel is veiled, it is not because there is a veil upon the Book of God, but because there is a veil upon the hearts of men."

2 Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

III "THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE'S INSPIRATION AND INFALLIBILITY HAS VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES."

"If the Bible is indeed the Word of God, its authority cannot be questioned. Its teachings cannot be disputed. All that it says must be received as true. All that it demands must be submitted to. All that it requires must be obeyed. Its words must be candidly, honestly, and faithfully interpreted. There must be, on our part, a docility of spirit before God's holy Word. We must bow before God, as he speaks in his Word, with hearts willing to be taught of God, crying saying with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth" (1 Sam. 3:9)."

Psalms 119:18 "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."

John 16:13-16 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.(14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.(15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.(16) A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.""

1 Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."

1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.""

IV. "THE METAPHORS USED TO DESCRIBE THE SCRIPTURES GIVE US A HINT OF THEIR GREAT VALUE, USEFULNESS, AND PROFITABILITY."

"I cannot take time now to do so, but it would be interesting and profitable to carefully study the various metaphors given in Scripture for the Word of God."

A. The Bible is compared to a lamp, or a light.

Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalms 119:130 "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."

Proverbs 6:23 "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:"

B. The Bible is called a mirror (2 Cor. 3:18; James 1:25).

"We look into the Bible and see ourselves, not what we think we are, but what we really are - Sin! Corruption! Depravity! Ruin!"

C. The Word of God is compared to a laver, or wash bowl.

Ephesians 5:26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,"

Psalms 119:9 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."

John 15:3 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."

D. The Word of God is compared to bread, or food for our souls.

Job 23:12 "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessay food

• Bread for the Hungry.


• for Babes.


• Strong Meat for Men.


• Honey for Those Who Experience Bitterness.

Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

F. The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

G. The Word of God is called good Seed.

Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."

Ecclesiastes 11:6 "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both

Psalms 126:6 "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves

Application: "Let me conclude this message by reading one of Joseph Hart's excellent hymns to you. It says in verse what I have been trying to preach to you."

Psalms 19:7-10 "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (8) The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. (10) More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."

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