THE BIBLE AS THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (2 Timothy 3:16) All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

The words “All Scripture” refers to the written Word and to the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments). Jesus accepted the Old Testament as Scripture. (Luke 24:27, 44) Verse27, and beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Verse 44, and He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms about Me. Verse 45, and He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures. (John 5:39, 46, 47) Verse 39, you search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are the ones witnessing of Me. Verse 46, for if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. Verse 47, but if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My Words? 

Peter said, Paul's Epistles were Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15, 16) Verse 15, and think of the long-suffering of our Lord as salvation (as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. Verse 16, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction). 

Because the Bible is the written Word of God, God's judgment will befall anyone who dares to add to or subtract from 'Vie words... of this prophecy' (Revelation 22:18, 19) Verse 18, for I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book. Verse 19, and if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book. 

THE BIBLE IS FREE OF MISTAKES (INERRANT)

God’s Spirit guided the Holy men of God so that the words they wrote (which have been preserved in the Bible) were kept free from error. (2 Peter 1:21) For prophecy was not borne at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke being borne along by the Holy Spirit. 

God's Spirit, by supernatural superintendence, guided these particular writings so that they - said what God wished to be said. - were written error-free in the original copies.

The biblical words are protected from error by God (Isaiah 27:3) I Jehovah keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.  (Isaiah 40:8) The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand forever. (Matthew 24:35) The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away. 

The Old Testament was received and accepted as from God therefore, it is an INERRANT meaning free of mistakes. (Joshua 1:8) This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely. (2 Kings 22:8, 11, 13) Verse 8, and Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it. Verse 11, and it happened when the king had heard the Words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. Verse 13, Go inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the Words of this Book which is found. For great is the wrath of Jehovah which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the Words of this Book, to do according to all which is written concerning us. 

Fault cannot be found in the Scriptures, Christ said without exception: “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Jesus preached inerrancy, even to the very strokes and accent marks which formed the alphabetical characters in the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages. These were the languages in which the Bible was originally written. (Mat 5:18) For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. 

THE BIBLE IS NOT WRONG ON ANY SUBJECT (INFALLIBLE)

Jesus certified the Old Testament as true, accurate, inerrant by citing the miracle stories of Old Testament and thus infallible. A few examples follow:

• Accepted Genesis as a factual account of creation (Matthew 19:4) And He answered and said to them, have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female". 

• Adam and Eve (Mt 19:6) Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. (Genesis 1:26, 27) Verse 26, and God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. Verse 27, and God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. (Genesis 2:7, 18) Verse 7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Verse 18, And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. 

• Cain and Abel (Matthew 23:35 So that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.  (Hebrew 11:4) By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And by it he, being dead, yet speaks. (Geneses 4:1-15) Verse1, And Adam knew Eve his wife. And she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from Jehovah. Verse 2 And she bore again, his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Verse 3  And in the end of days, it happened, Cain brought to Jehovah an offering of the fruit of the ground. Verse 4  And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it. And Jehovah had respect to Abel and to his offering, Verse 5  but He did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed with anger, and his face fell. Verse 6  And Jehovah said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed? And why did your face fall? Verse 7  If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it. Verse 8  And Cain talked with his brother Abel. And it happened when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Verse 9  And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is your brother Abel? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? Verse 10  And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the ground. Verse 11  And now you are cursed more than the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. Verse 12  When you till the ground, it will not again give its strength to you. And you shall be a vagabond and a fugitive in the earth. Verse 13  And Cain said to Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Verse 14  Behold! You have driven me out from the face of the earth today, and I shall be hidden from Your face. And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall be that anyone who finds me shall kill me. Verse 15  And Jehovah said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain shall be avenged seven times. And Jehovah set a mark upon Cain so that anyone who found him should not kill him. 

• Satan (Luke 11:18) If Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons through Beelzebub. (Ezekiel 28:11-19) Verse 11, And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Verse 12, Son of man, lift up a lament over the king of Tyre, and say to him, So says the Lord Jehovah: You seal the measure, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Verse 13, You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. Verse 14, You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Verse 15, You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. Verse 16, By the multitude of your goods they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. So I cast you profaned from the height of God, and I destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire. Verse 17, Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have spoiled your wisdom because of your brightness. I will cast you to the ground; I will put you before kings, that they may behold you. Verse 18, By the host of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trade, you have profaned your holy places; so I brought a fire from your midst; it shall devour you, and I will give you for ashes on the earth, before the eyes of all who see you. Verse 19, All who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you; you shall be terrors, and you will not be forever. 

• Noah (Mt 24:37,38) Verse 37, But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man. Verse 38, For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. (Genesis 6:1-14) Gen 6:1 Verse 1 And it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and when daughters were born to them, Verse 2, the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were good. And they took wives for themselves from all whom they chose. Verse 3, And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, in his erring; he is flesh. Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Verse 4, There were giants in the earth in those days. And also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore to them, they were mighty men who existed of old, men of renown. Verse 5, And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Verse 6  And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was angry to His heart. Verse 7, And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. For I repent that I have made them. Verse 8, But Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. Verse 9, These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Verse 10, And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Verse 11, The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Verse 12, And God looked upon the earth. And, behold, it was corrupted! For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. Verse 13, And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Verse 14, Make an ark of Cyprus timbers. You shall make rooms in the ark. And you shall pitch it inside and outside with pitch. 

• John (Matthew 12:39,40) Verse 39,  But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. And there shall be no sign given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Verse 40, For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (John 1:7) This one came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the Light, so that all might believe through him. 

• Lot's wife (Luke 17:32) Verse 32, Remember Lot's wife. (Genesis 19:26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.  

Christ and the Apostles accepted the Old Testament as Infallible. Jesus took the Bible to be God's Word, true in every word, and entirely trustworthy. Modern-day theologians have cast doubt on the following books. Here is your defense against these enemies of the Bible. 

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, These books were written by Moses. Jesus validated them. (John 5:46, 47). Verse 46, For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. Verse 47, But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My Words? 

Deuteronomy, the book most attacked. In (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 ) Verse 4 But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Verse 7, Jesus said to him, it is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." 

Christ defeats Satan by quoting from (Deuteronomy 6:16) You shall not tempt Jehovah your God as you tempted in Massah. And (Deuteronomy 10:20) You shall fear Jehovah your God. You shall serve Him, and you shall hold fast to Him, and swear by His name. 

Would Jesus have used the words from these books if they were not “...the sword of the Spirit... the word of God” (Ephesian 6:17)? And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,  No! He would not!

These books are the Word of God. - Isaiah – mentioned in New Testament twenty-one times. Compare a few examples: (Matthew 15:7-9) Verse 7, Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, Verse 8, "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Verse 9, But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." and (Isaiah 29:13) And Jehovah said, Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men; (Matthew 3:3) For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." and (Isaiah 40:3) The voice of him who cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway in the desert for our God.  (Acts 8:28-33) Verse 28, …was returning. And sitting in his chariot he read Isaiah the prophet. Verse 29, Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join yourself to this chariot. Verse 30, And Philip ran there to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you indeed understand what you are reading? Verse 31, And he said, How can I unless some man should guide me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. Verse 32, And the content of the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so He opened not His mouth. Verse 33, In His humiliation His judgment was taken away, and who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." Isaiah 53:7,8. Verse7, He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. Verse 8, He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken. These three quotations come from the three different sections of Isaiah. The New Testament affirms the unity of the Book of Isaiah and that it is the work of one prophet.

Daniel - Jesus quotes Daniel as a God-inspired foreteller of the future. (Matthew 24:15) Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). (Mark 13:14) But when you see the abomination of desolation, that spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him who reads understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 

Jonah - Jesus validates the Book of Jonah. (Matthew 12:40, 41). Verse 40, For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Verse 41, The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah, and behold, One greater than Jonah is here. 

Source: The Shepherd’s Staff