Is the Bible God's word?

[william22]

Hi everyone, as I've continued to read more of the Bible, there has been some resistance to it from the people in my life. They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me. Why would God write and protect an entire collection of books for us if we were not to understand and follow its true meaning? God is very specific about certain details, such as the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. If these instructions were not to be followed, why write them?

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man. I disagree with this idea as well. As far as I can remember, the Bible is completely consistent. Take, for instance two passages from the old and new testaments:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17 ESV

Despite both of the passages being far apart, they still depict the same loving and forgiving God. If the Bible really was written by man, it should seem that the Bible would be littered with inconsistencies.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

God Bless.

 

[Hidden In Him]

They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me.

Blessings in Christ, and welcome to CF.net.

You are correct, William. It is not right. I've had similar friends, worldly ones, who used this argument, and it's often just an excuse to avoid being held responsible for sin, IMO. I've even seen people on the forums use it, but if you study the scriptures in depth from the original languages, you find out very quickly that it's patently false. There are interpretations that hold water grammatically/ exegetically etc, and there are those that flatly do not.

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man.

This is one of the primary differences between saint and sinner. Believers in Christ receive scripture as being the word of God, which it truly is (1 Thessalonians 2:13). The above argument is usually another excuse used by those who haven't looked into scripture all that closely yet, with the few exceptions being the virulent God-hating scholarly types who will try and debate you out of your faith.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

Treat those in your life well, but don't expect them to see what you see. Until they receive the Spirit of God within them - the One who actually wrote the word of God - their eyes will never be open to most of what you see. Better to pray for them that God somehow opens their eyes, than to ever expect they will be able to do so on their own.

God bless, and welcome once again.
- H

 

[Free]

Hi everyone, as I've continued to read more of the Bible, there has been some resistance to it from the people in my life. They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me. Why would God write and protect an entire collection of books for us if we were not to understand and follow its true meaning? God is very specific about certain details, such as the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. If these instructions were not to be followed, why write them?

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man. I disagree with this idea as well. As far as I can remember, the Bible is completely consistent. Take, for instance two passages from the old and new testaments:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17 ESV

Those who don't follow Christ typically believe what you have stated, and even some that do claim to follow him.

2Ti 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
2Ti 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (ESV)

Notice that Paul tells Timothy that from childhood, he as "been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." So, that is speaking of the OT. However, Paul also says that God has inspired--"breather out by God"--all Scripture, and this, by extension, includes both the OT and NT.

This is because of 2 Pet 3:15-16:

2Pe 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2Pe 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (ESV)

Peter is equating Paul's writings with the OT, which is to say that they are also authoritative. Paul also quotes Luke 10:7:

1Ti 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (ESV)

Putting all that together, if Paul's writings are on the same level as the OT, and Paul calls a quote from Luke "Scripture," then at a minimum, all of Paul's writings and Luke are to be considered Scripture and 'breathed out by God." From there, it is reasonable to conclude that the other gospels are inspired Scripture, as well as any writings by other apostles and early church leaders, such as the books of James through to Revelation.

In no way whatsoever are we to ever find "our own meaning." That claim itself presumes that truth is relative or subjective, a very common notion these days, but it is objective. Of course, exactly what the truth of a matter is in the Bible can be difficult, as some things are not clear, and that forms the basis of so much heated discussion on these forums and everywhere else in Christianity. And those are discussions we need to have. However, some things are clear and relatively easy to understand.

Of course, we are to study on our own and do our best to understand what is written in the Bible, but, as has been said before, one should always pray before reading the Bible for guidance from the Holy Spirit. That guidance may come as an illumination in the mind while reading, or later, or through any other number of written resources or people. The Bible is incredibly rich and many theologians and scholars who have made it their life's work to understand the Bible better admit that there is still so much more that they don't know.

Going back to "the-words-of-man" argument, God used each author's individual personality and words to write exactly what he wanted written. That is basically what it means that the Bible is inspired, or God-breathed. It was not "automatic writing" nor was it merely the words of men. Only God knows precisely how he did it, but we can know that it somehow was a combination of God working through men.

As for taking it literally or not is a big enough question in and of itself. The Bible consists of many different styles of writing, different genres, some of which are to be taken literally, some not, although even allegory, analogies, metaphors, etc., still communicate literal truths. Of course, what people often mean by not taking the Bible literally is to not take it seriously. However, the claims of the Bible are the most serious sorts of claims there can be--that humans rebelled against God and if they don't accept the Saviour provided by God, they will spend eternity without him. It can't get more serious than that and such serious claims demand equally serious investigation. One has to be a fool not to.

Despite both of the passages being far apart, they still depict the same loving and forgiving God. If the Bible really was written by man, it should seem that the Bible would be littered with inconsistencies.

You are quite correct. Given that it is a collection of books written over a period of about 1500 years by multiple authors writing in many different styles, it contains an incredible amount of consistency.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

God Bless.

God bless you as well.

This article, and the site, may help (they have a ton of good information): https://www.str.org/w/do-you-take-t...back_url=/search?q=the+Bible&delta=20&start=4

 

[william22]

Thank you both for such detailed answers. I'm glad to have another viewpoint on these matters.

It's also come to my attention that those who I did speak with never actually read the Bible themselves, but only heard passing stories and remarks. I pray that God will help lead them to Christ.

Thank you again,
William

 

[Free]

Thank you both for such detailed answers. I'm glad to have another viewpoint on these matters.

It's also come to my attention that those who I did speak with never actually read the Bible themselves, but only heard passing stories and remarks.

And that is actually fairly common. They read books by certain authors, find sites online that promote these views, or hear from others and they simply believe it all without having actually looked at the evidence for themselves. It's confirmation bias.

From a Christian perspective, it helps to keep in mind:

2Co 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
2Co 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (ESV)

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
2Co 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (ESV)

Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV)

That is, the battle is spiritual and is waged in the mind, or heart. So, there are always going to be people with certain ideas about Christianity that appear true, but are actually false, yet many people will believe them. There are always going to be arguments against Christian beliefs that seem solid and irrefutable, and people will believe them largely because they don't want to believe that God exists and partly because it is easier to stick with what one believes than to actually put the hard work in of serious study. It's why persecution of Christians in the West has started in the realm of ideology and relegating Christianity to the private sphere by pushing it out of the public square.

I pray that God will help lead them to Christ.

And that is the right thing to do.

Thank you again,
William

You're most welcome.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

Hi everyone, as I've continued to read more of the Bible, there has been some resistance to it from the people in my life. They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me. Why would God write and protect an entire collection of books for us if we were not to understand and follow its true meaning? God is very specific about certain details, such as the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. If these instructions were not to be followed, why write them?

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man. I disagree with this idea as well. As far as I can remember, the Bible is completely consistent. Take, for instance two passages from the old and new testaments:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17 ESV

Despite both of the passages being far apart, they still depict the same loving and forgiving God. If the Bible really was written by man, it should seem that the Bible would be littered with inconsistencies.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

God Bless.

The easiest way to view the Bible is to take the Bible’s view of the Bible. That is, it is inspired by God (not holy dictation) and useful for “teaching, correction and training in righteousness.” The pages aren’t holy. The words alone aren’t holy. What the author wanted to
communicate is truth as God knows it to be to help readers know how they ought to live. Do the words and there is power. Jesus said those who are aware of the teaching (“hear”) but don’t do them “is a foolish man who builds his house on sand.”

 

[GodsGrace]

Hi William
There's not much to add.
You've been given excellent responses.
Hold on to what you believe.
Your OP is very intelligent in its understanding of this book called The Bible,,,,God's story of His revelation and story concerning His best creation,,,man.

 

[for_his_glory]

Hi william22 just hold fast to your faith and belief that the words written in the Bible are the inspired words God gave to the Prophets and Disciples to write no matter what others say. Many try to add to and take away from the word of God or claim there is no God, but you know truth and keep it grounded in your heart.

 

[honeypearls]

I think many people hold the idea of the Bible not being God's words due to many errors that were shown to be in there.

I recently watched a video of a non-Christian giving an example of a numeric error in the Bible which was:

"2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri." (2 Chronicles 22:2 - King James Bible)

"Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri."
(2 Chronicles 22:2 - New International Bible)

"Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri."
(2 Chronicles 22:2 - King James Bible)

"Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel."
(2 Kings 8:26)

 

[Dorothy Mae]

The phrase “Word of God” is often misunderstood. For example, it is thought that any work of God ought to be perfect without any kind of error. It’s as though if God uses someone or something in this world it or they too ought to be perfect. Is this the record of His works?

God spoke through a donkey once. Did the donkey become therefore perfect? God speaks through people. Do they become therefore perfect? Why do we think 100% of unimportant details must be perfect.

The “infallibly doctrine” is not something the Bible says of itself. What does it say of itself? It says it is USEFUL for teaching, correction and training in righteousness.

If a believer will use it for that purpose, whether Athaliah was a mother or grandmother, won’t matter.

Not to mention regarding that verse, people at that time often skipped generations between ancestors. The pharisees, for example, claimed Abraham was their “father” even though he was very many grandfathers back.

 

[Free]

This is not a debate forum. Please address the OP only or start a new thread in an appropriate forum for discussion with other users.

 

[Mark51]

Hi everyone, as I've continued to read more of the Bible, there has been some resistance to it from the people in my life. They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me. Why would God write and protect an entire collection of books for us if we were not to understand and follow its true meaning? God is very specific about certain details, such as the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. If these instructions were not to be followed, why write them?

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man. I disagree with this idea as well. As far as I can remember, the Bible is completely consistent. Take, for instance two passages from the old and new testaments:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17 ESV

Despite both of the passages being far apart, they still depict the same loving and forgiving God. If the Bible really was written by man, it should seem that the Bible would be littered with inconsistencies.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

God Bless.

Keep in mind that the Bible uses numerous similes, metaphors, illustrations, parables, signs and so forth. For example, most of what Jesus taught was with the use of parables and illustrations. Our English vernacular uses similes and metaphors also. Most/much of the Bible’s account is actual or literal. Bible reading requires careful reading and studying by comparing different passages/references that apply to other passages and its subsequent understandings.

These scriptures are instructions-or implied by inspiration-to write down words given by God: Exodus 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 17:18 ; 18:18; 1 Samuel 10:25; Nehemiah 6:17; Isaiah 30:8; Jeremiah 1:2, 4, 30:2; 36:2, 4, 28, 32; 45:1; 51:60; Ezekiel 1:1; 40:2; 43:11; Daniel 7:1; Hosea 1:1; 8:12; Joel 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Micah 1:1; Habakkuk 2:2; Revelation 1:11; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5; Zephaniah 1:1; Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 1:1.

 

[Tenchi]

Hi everyone, as I've continued to read more of the Bible, there has been some resistance to it from the people in my life. They tell me that the Bible is not to be taken literally, but you should find your own meaning. This does not seem right to me.

Your feeling is correct. Not all of the Bible is the sort of literature that is intended for a literal interpretation. In the Bible there is a variety of literary genres, or types: poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, historical account, spiritual instruction. We all know that a poem is not to be read, to be understood, in the exact same way we would read and understand an historical account. Why, then, is the reader of the Bible obliged to take it all literally? Well, they aren't. Read a proverb as a proverb, prophecy as prophecy, and spiritual instruction as such.

The reader imposing their own meaning on what they read is a very modern - actually, post-modern - approach to reading. It's an ideologically-driven thing, a sort of semi-philosophical approach to deriving meaning hyper-focused on the individual, but it is a sure way to obscure what the author meant to say. Post-modernism (a kind of hyper-relativism) might be helpful in reminding a person to question what they are being told, but post-modernism's basic philosophical premises foster radical and self-refuting skepticism and irrational, contradictory ideas such as there being no absolute truth. This skeptical, the-individual-is-king approach to understanding the Bible cannot produce an understanding of its contents. The Bible is the word of God and as such inspects the reader, not the other way 'round. God's word issues objective, authoritative truth, not the subjective your-truth-my-truth stuff of modern culture. If it isn't approached with these things in mind, the reader cannot be benefited by, or understand, it in the way God intends.

The other argument I've been told is that the Bible is not God's words, but actually the words of man. I disagree with this idea as well. As far as I can remember, the Bible is completely consistent. Take, for instance two passages from the old and new testaments:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17 ESV

Despite both of the passages being far apart, they still depict the same loving and forgiving God. If the Bible really was written by man, it should seem that the Bible would be littered with inconsistencies.

I would like to hear everyone else's thoughts on the matter, since the people in my life seem to disagree.

I know the Bible is truly God's word, not because it says that it is, but because it bears the "stamp" of the divine upon it. In what ways?

1. Thematic unity.
2. Fulfilled prophecy.
3. Historical accuracy.
4. Survivability.
5. Impact upon individuals and nations.

You might find it really helpful to watch the following video by popular Christian apologist, Dr. Frank Turek:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-nJq1k5wmhAeu7wMKOFE9xECZcGcRNQ

 

[miamited]

HI william22

The Scriptures are inspired by God. He is the author. As the Scriptures themselves declare, they were written as the Holy Spirit led holy men to write.

God bless,
Ted