THE BIBLE AND
GOD’S WORD
By Thomas E. Durst
Oftentimes we’ve seen people hold up a Bible and say “This is God’s Word.” I’m very uncomfortable with this for two
reasons: (1) It gives the impression
that totally everything within the
covers of the Bible is the Word of God; and (2) It gives the impression that
the Bible is the only place where one
can find the Word of God. Neither of
these two postulates has any basis in truth whatsoever.
Having said this, I want to clarify that the Bible writers in both testaments
saw themselves as bearers of God’s Word.
I recently did an electronic search in the KJV on http://biblegateway.com/keyword/
and found how many times the phrases below were used:
"Thus saith the Lord" 413 times
Word of the
Lord 255 times
Word of God 48
times
So the tradition of giving authority to the Bible for doctrine,
teaching, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16, 16) is
not without a proper foundation.
However, I think a more accurate way of stating it would be to say “the
Word of God as found in the Bible”
rather than saying “the Bible is the
Word of God.” There is a big difference
between the two concepts.
Is absolutely everything in
the Bible the Word of God? I don’t think even the most rigid
fundamentalists would want to say that if they would stop to think about it. Analytic thinking is rare among
fundamentalists. Do we not have a lot of
“filler” in the Bible to make up the narratives, the chronologies, the way
things are worded, etc. that are not the Word of God per se, although we may
truly find God’s Word in the midst of all
these things? A good example of this
would be the story in 2 Chronicles 32:1-22 where the story is told of how
Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem
and tried to intimidate the people of God into submission. In the midst of the details of the narrative
we find a powerful Word of encouragement from God as given by King Hezekiah:
6 He appointed military officers
over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate
and encouraged them with these words: 7 "Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a
greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of
flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our
battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. 2
Chronicles 32: 6-8 (NIV)
Do we not find in this story courage to face the most formidable
obstacles of life, knowing that our God is always with us and that His power is
greater than anything that could ever come against us? Is not God’s Word speaking to us in this narrative?
Most people probably find large portions of the first five books of the
Bible to be rather difficult to read, somewhat perplexing at times, and perhaps
boring. However, even in the midst of
these books are many wonderful words of encouragement, challenge, instruction
and spiritual uplift. For a few examples
read: Leviticus 10:10; 18:3-5, 19:1, 2;
26:11-13; Numbers 13:26-33. Deuteronomy
is just filled with sublime eternal principles of truth about God’s power and
might. The Holy Spirit helps us to find
“the Word of God” in all parts of the Bible if we are open to be taught.
My heart has often been filled with overflowing joy as I’ve discovered God’s
precious Word in the Old Testament stories, the Psalms, Proverbs, and
Prophets. That “Word of God” is what
makes the Bible the most sought after book in the history of human
existence. Nothing has equaled the
hunger that people have for this book.
Truly we find the Word of God throughout
the Bible and I’m thankful for that.
Everyday my soul is fed with rich morsels from the Lord’s table when I
prayerfully meditate upon portions of scripture.
Since God created all things and is everywhere present, I think we can
find the Word of God in many places besides the Bible. I’ve received communications and
enlightenment from everyday conversations with folks who professed little or no
religion. I’ve heard from God in works
of literature, uplifting music, the beauties of nature, providential events,
and many other ways. The early Quakers
emphasized that there “is a little bit of God” in everyone and I totally agree
with that since we are all created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). The entrance of sin obscured but didn’t eradicate
the “God presence” in all people. We
must never forget that the most essential
truth about every person is that he/she is created in God’s image and that this
is the most important thing to know. Anything
in the outward appearance that seems to contradict God’s image is actually an illusion
and not the truth. So things that people in turn create such as
works of art, literature, architecture, etc., are ways that God can speak to
our hearts if we are open to listen.
None of the ways that God reveals Himself to human beings, including the
Bible itself, is without the element of human imperfection because they are all
mediated through imperfect human beings.
I would like to add that I believe
that the plan of restoration for human beings is revealed specifically in the
Bible in a way which can’t be found anywhere else in that same way. That is truly the uniqueness of scripture above
all other ways that God reveals Himself.
Notice these words from John that could apply equally to all scripture:
31But these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name. John 20:31 (NIV)
I believe that the primary purpose of the Bible is to reveal Jesus Christ as our Way
Shower and Savior and that everything
else is secondary to that. Many of
the “wisdom sayings” found in the Bible, if not all of them in principle at
least, can be found in other writings, both ancient and modern. But
Messiah Jesus and His mission to this earth, foretold in the Old Testament, and
unfolded in the New Testament, is the central focus of scripture. All of the history of the Old Testament is
tied to the coming Savior in some way.
Those who fail to make the transition from “literal Israel” in the OT to the “spiritual Israel” in the
NT do untold harm to the very Book they uphold as “the Word of God”. When we
start to deviate from the focus on Jesus Christ and His gospel and “major on
minors and minor on majors” we get into trouble very quickly, set people
against other people, and fair-minded people who watch the “goings ons” can make no sense of such “Christian” faith and reject
it totally. God has other ways of
revealing Himself to those who have open hearts so we need to leave that in His
hands. (Read Matthew 5:9; 25:31-46; Acts
10:35; 1 John 2:29. The articles on http://www.biblicaluniversalism.com/
are very helpful also).
All of those who sincerely are
seeking for God, want to experience His power in their lives and who study the
scriptures with an open heart, will find wonderful fulfillment.
A book that I highly recommend
is: Spiritual
Interpretation of Scripture by Joel Goldsmith. All of his books help to open up the deep
spiritual meaning of the scriptures.
(For more information on Joel Goldsmith go to: http://www.spiritsite.com/writing/joegol/
)
[This was written by Tom Durst on May
3, 2005 and is part of an ongoing series.
I will be saying more about the Bible and its power in subsequent
articles. I welcome responses from
readers. If you wish to be added to my
email list let me know. Write to: tomdurst1@msn.com
] Journey 18
