What is the Bible? God's Inspired Word

2 Timothy 3:13-17  "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 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.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The doctrine of scripture, or what is the bible, is what we are studying.  A true understanding of what scripture is will direct you on the true course of your Christian life.  It will put scripture in authority over you and guide you, but if you are unsure or wrong on the doctrine of scripture, if you are wrong on what is the bible, you will not remain on the true course in the Christian life.  You will find that the scripture will not guide you in vast areas of your life because if you don't have a true understanding of what scripture is.  You will end up supplanting scripture with your own ideas, your own tastes, likes and dislikes.  All heresy and apostasy comes from a wrong view of what scripture is, what the bible is.  People want to ignore the bits of the bible that they don't like on the basis of their own reason, their own mind.  They come to judge and sift the bible and say that bits are cultural and don't apply.  Error in the doctrine of scripture is the cause of all of this.  

What is the bible?  Scripture or the bible is God's inspired word.  It is God's inerrant word, that means it contains no errors.  It is God's infallible word, that means that whatever scripture speaks on, it is right or correct on that subject.  Scripture is the word of God.  But do we really see the implications of this?  we must really believe that, we need to get that, scripture is the word of God.  If we don't get that and understand what it means, we will end up adding our own ideas.  It is not the word of the apostle Paul, the prophets Isaiah or Jeremiah, not the word of the apostle John, it's the word of God.  The bible does not contain God's word like the liberals say, that is nonsense.  The bible does not contain God's word, the bible IS the word of God, therefore it is not wrong on miracles, or sodomites, or judgment, or anything it speaks on because it is God's word.  That is why there is no true Christian who can say, "O but that's just Paul, that's just his opinion", no true Christian will ever say that.  It's not Paul's opinion at all, its the word of God, not Paul.   People who do this show that they do not believe that the whole bible is the word of God.   Evangelicals  need to stop playing word games and say that they believe the bible is the word of God "but"..  you either believe that the bible is the word of God or you do not. The bible is the word of God and that is what Christians believe.



The bible is God's inspired word.  For proof of that 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"   What does inspiration mean?  It is divinely breathed, God breathed.  The scriptures owe their origin to an activity of God the Holy Spirit, and are his creation in the highest and truest sense.   If you breathe out, it comes out of your mouth.  All scripture comes out of the mouth of God.  It is profitable for doctrine (teaching), reproof  (telling us off), for correction  (putting us back on the right path), and for instruction in righteousness (the way to go).  It is all inspired and it is all profitable, so do you believe that part of the bible?  2 Peter 1:20-21 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  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 old testament prophets spoke not by human will, but as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.  The word  moved is used as in Acts when a ship is driven by the wind.  Driven, that is the word.  They were borne along, driven by the Holy Spirit, not man's will.  do you believe that?  The scripture is God's inspired word.   God intervened, he breathed his word into the human writers, they are not the author, they are the writers.  The Holy Spirit drove them along.  Jeremiah 1:4-9 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.  And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words into thy mouth."     Ezekiel 2:1-2,7 "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.....And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious."  It was not Ezekiel's own words, it was God's words to Israel.  Ezekiel 3:4,10-11 "And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them...Moreover  he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart and hear with thine ears.  And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them and tell them, Thus saith the LORD God; whether they will  hear, or whether thy will forbear."   The bible is a plain witness that the words recorded here are the words of God.   

What is scripture? every word is God's inspired word.   The extent of the inspiration is, all of it, every single word.  If you want to know the name of the doctrine it is called verbal plenary inspiration.  Plenary means all, verbal means down to the very words used.  Every word is inspired.  2 Samuel 23:2 "The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." It doesn't say his thoughts were in my mind, it says his word was in my tongue.  1 Kings 22:19 "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD:....."   Jeremiah 1:9 "Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.  And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words into thy mouth."   Ezekiel 2:7 "And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious."   1 Thess. 2:13 "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."  They heard the very words of God. Scripture is the very words of God.  God did not say I will put a few thoughts in your head, he says I will put my words in your mouth.  Jesus said that scripture is God's word speaking to you.  Luke 24:27,44 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself...And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."   John 10:35 "If  he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken" The scripture cannot be broken.  Matthew 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." the scripture will not pass away until the whole world passes away.   Thus saith the Lord 4000 is found times in the old testament.

What is the application?  If this is the word of God like it says it is, and every word is God's word like it says it is, therefore there is not a word in the bible that is wrong.  Not a doctrine, not a teaching because God is never wrong, he is perfect, all knowing.  You can trust the bible.  If this is God's word then this is God's will for Christians.  Therefore we better do what it says, and better not do what it doesn't say.  God's word is in authority over Christians.  If this is God's word and it is, then the bible is sufficient because God closed the bible in Rev 22 because there is nothing more to be added.  A curse is added to anyone who adds to the word or takes away from it.  The bible is the rule of faith and practice for Christians.  It is all we need to know.  It is our full equipment to all good works.  The bible is all we need to know.  Its all that God wants to tell us about everything to do regarding Christian life. 
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The notes above were made by myself from the sermon by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) at Sermon Audio.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=91408951540