Three years ago I shared about how marvelous the Bible is. There is no book like it. It is the only book on earth that records history before it happens. And it is the only book given to all of humanity that actually carries in it the very voice of God.
Now is the time to speak once again to this book we call ‘the holy Bible.’
Have you heard the story of a marvelous book that actually speaks for itself. I mean it literally has a voice. No? Well there is such a book. The Bible talks about it. Listen:
“On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 29:18,19)
Did you catch it? There is a book that has a voice that can be heard. The book has a message to tell. The book can even sing.
But not everyone can hear the voice of that book or the songs that it sings. It is only those to whom it is intended.
Are you interested? Let me talk with you about the book that talks and sings.
In the study to follow I would encourage my readers to use your Bible to check the references that I’ll give. They will speak to your heart.
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THE BIBLE AS GOD’S WORD
By Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89 NASB
The last book of the Bible ends with a warning, which says, “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” [Rev22:19] Does this warning simply apply to the book of Revelations, or is it a warning concerning the whole of the Bible? It is safe to assume that the warning applies to all the Scriptures, since the Bible is one book, and has one underlying message of redemption. The book of Revelations simply completes the written record of God’s redemption.
We find a similar warning in Proverbs 30:5,6, where it says, “Every Word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His Words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” There are numerous other references to the purity of God’s written word. In fact the apostle Paul tells us to never exceed what is written. God has given the Bible as a safeguard for the faith of His peoples.
Why is the Bible so important to a believer? After all, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, did not have a Bible, and they all walked with God. Let’s find out how the Bible relates to learning to walk with God. In this teaching we want to take a deeper look at this book we call the Bible.
I – The Canon of Scripture
1.First we need to understand what the word ‘canon’ means. Canon comes from the Greek word kanon (kan-ohn’) which means a rule of measure. Metaphorically it speaks of any rule, standard, principle, or law that is used for investigation, judging, living, and acting. The canon of Scriptures is the Bible in its completed form. Nothing is to be added to it. Nothing is to be taken away from it. (Psalm 119:89)
2.The Old Testament canon begins with the writings of Moses and concludes with the book of Malachi. (The Bible was written over a period of about 1600 years.) The Protestant Bible as a rule accepts the Hebrew canon. (The Catholic Bible adds the apocrypha. These 13 books were written after Malachi. They were never accepted in the Hebrew canon.) Why should we accept the Hebrew Scriptures? Because it was to the Jewish prophets alone that God committed the written oracles. Cf. John 4:20-22; Rom. 3:1-4; Rom. 9:3-5.
3.The formation of the NT canon was not a conciliar decision [Set in place by church council.] The apostolic writings were treasures of the churches. They came together in the providence of God. Over a short period of time, the New Testament received its fixed form with the twenty-seven books we now have. There are sixty-six books that make up the entire Bible. Revelations completes the canon of Scripture. (Rev. 22:16-21)
4.The test of the New Testament books to be included in the canon of Scriptures included three things: (1) Did it have Apostolic authority? Was it written by an apostle or by a close companion. (2) Did it have the witness of the Holy Spirit? Does it carry the testimony of truth that flows through the entire Bible. (3) Was it in use by the Christian church from earliest times? Was it beloved by the earliest Christians. (Eph. 2:19-21)
II – Things to Understand about the Bible
1.Modern language translations are important. Any living language is constantly changing. Older translations may not clearly convey what is being said in the language of modern readers. This is why, though the King James Version has its own beauty, it is not able to speak with clarity to our modern generation. It was written in Elizabethan English.
2.There is a difference between letterism and literalism. The letter without a proper revelation of the spiritual truth behind it genders to bondage. God’s people should seek the literal meanings in the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to transform literal truths into spiritual realities. (2 Co. 3:5,6, 12-18)
3.In the new covenant the Lord places in every believer the same Holy Spirit who breathed forth the Scriptures. Truth can be tested. (See John 16:13-15) Any teaching that is man-centered and does not agree with sound doctrine that conforms to godliness, or any teaching that does not lift up Jesus Christ is not to be accepted as Biblical.
4.As for Biblical teaching, the purpose of pastoral teaching is not to take the place of a believer’s direct access to truth. The primary calling of a pastor is overseeing those who are allotted to his care. His overseeing ministry is for the safety of the flock. His primary gift is that of teaching. Yet the Lord gives true believers a safeguard against false teaching. (The anointing.) Cf. 1 John 2:19-21, 27.
III – God’s Word: the Message
1.The term Word of God carries another meaning. It especially speaks of God’s message of the gospel. The message of redemption is the underlying theme of the Bible. Today we know it as ‘the Word of the Cross.’ (Acts 17:13; Rom. 1:16; 2 Co 2:17; 1 Thess 2:13; Heb 4:12; Gal 1:6-9)
2.The Bible is God’s written record of His redemptive plan in Christ. But it was also written to provide a guide for moral character. Therefore, the Bible is exclusively God’s Word to man. Paul said, “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law.” (MATT. 15:6; 2 TIM. 3:16)
3.The Greek term for inspired means to ‘out breath.’ The Scriptures came from God’s mouth. They come to us in their form completed through the apostles. Thus the Bible carries a living testimony to God’s truth. This is why Paul says that we are never to exceed what is written. [1Co4:6] The Bible as the written Word of God was given to guide God’s people in the way of salvation and in the paths of righteousness. (Psalm 19:7-14) The single greatest witness that our faith is correct, is if we are living by the testimony of the Scriptures.
4.Believers should seek to live according to revealed truths of the Scriptures, keeping in mind that the Bible is a progressive revelation. It finds its completion in the message of the cross. (Luke 24:44-47; 1 Co 15:1-5) With this in mind, the Holy Spirit never speaks to any believer in a way as to contradict God’s written record. (Isa 8:20; Matt 5:17,18; Acts 1:16; 1 Co 4:6; Rom 15:4)
IV – Jesus: The Word of God
The term ‘Word of God’ carries in it something else that is especially crucial to the life of a believer. The term ‘Word of God’ refers to the communication of God. Since God is a Person, obviously He needs to communicate. Therefore, He speaks. (Gen 1:1-3; Psalm 33:6,9; Heb 11:3)
All God’s born-again children know the communication of God. This is why songs like the Garden song are dear to the child of God. It says, in part, “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.” It goes on to say, “He speaks, and the sound of His voice, is so sweet that the birds hush their singing.” This song carries the heart of what the Word of God means. The Word of God is God speaking into our hearts. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” [John 10:27]
1.In the new covenant, Jesus is expressly called “the Word of God.” He is God’s Word fully incarnate or personified in human flesh. This seems mysterious enough, but when we receive into our hearts Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He enters our heart as the living Word of God. Thus all our communication with God is found in Jesus Christ and takes place in our hearts. (John 1:1-3,14; 2Co 4:5-7; Rev 19:11-13)
2.To be born again, is to be born of God’s Word. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing (Speaking of His flesh at that time.); the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” [John 6:53] Cf. 1Peter 1:22-25.
3.The source of our faith is God speaking to us in Christ. (Rom 10:17 – The Greek word ‘Rhema’, means ‘that which is uttered by a living voice’.)
4.This brings us back to the Old Testament prophet and, in turn, to the Scriptures, and to the new covenant in Christ. Because Adam rejected the truth of God, he lost his ability to enjoy direct communication with God on a true spiritual level. Very few people had direct communication from God. These few peoples were generally known as prophets. The prophets came to serve as God’s mouthpiece. If you needed to hear from God, you went to, or, in the case of a King, sent for the prophet. (1 Sam 9:27; 1 Kings 12:22; 1 Chron 17:3; Luke 3:2)
5.This particular role of the prophet being God’s mouthpiece to His people diminished with the coming of Jesus, and under the New Covenant. See Heb 1:1,2. Also cf. Heb 8:10-13. There was an overlap of the prophetic ministry during the transition of covenants, but today there is no need for a prophet of the Old Testament level.
6.Jesus described the new covenant believer in prophetic terms: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38 Living water is a symbol for God’s living Word and God’s life.
Conclusion: So, why is the Bible so important to believers?
THE BIBLE AS GOD’S LIVING VOICE
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89 NASB
The last book of the Bible ends with a warning, which says, “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” [Rev22:19]
It is safe to assume that this warning applies to all the Scriptures, since the Bible is one book, and since the Bible has only one underlying message of redemption. But the Bible will only speak to those who truly want to hear its message.
We find a similar warning in Proverbs 30:5,6, where it says, “Every Word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His Words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.”
Why is the Bible so important to a believer? After all, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, did not have a Bible, and they all walked with God. Let’s take a deeper look at this book we call the Bible. The book that has a message to tell. The book that speaks and sings to all of God’s children is a living book.
The term Word of God carries a special meaning. It especially speaks of God’s message of the gospel. The message of redemption is the underlying theme of the Bible. Today we know it as ‘the Word of the Cross.’ (Acts 17:13; Rom. 1:16; 2 Co 2:17; 1 Thess 2:13; Heb 4:12; Gal 1:6-9)
The Bible is God’s written record of His redemptive plan in Christ. But it was also written to provide a guide for moral character. Therefore, the Bible is exclusively God’s Word to man. Paul said, “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law.” (Matt 15:6; 2 Tim. 3:16)
The Greek term for inspired means to ‘out breath.’ The Scriptures came from God’s mouth. They come to us in their form completed through the apostles. Thus the Bible carries a living testimony to God’s truth. This is why Paul says that we are never to exceed what is written. [1Co4:6]
The Bible as the written Word of God was given to guide God’s people in the way of salvation and in the paths of righteousness. (Psalm 19:7-14) The single greatest witness that our faith is correct, is if we are living by the testimony of the Scriptures.
Now let’s talk about the voice that sings..
All God’s born-again children know the communication of God. This is why songs like the Garden song are dear to the child of God. It says, in part, “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.” It goes on to say, “He speaks, and the sound of His voice, is so sweet that the birds hush their singing.” This song carries the heart of what the Word of God means. The Word of God is God speaking into our hearts. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” [John 10:27]
In the new covenant, Jesus is expressly called “the Word of God.” He is God’s Word fully incarnate or personified in human flesh. This seems mysterious enough, but when we receive into our hearts Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He enters our heart as the living Word of God. Thus all our communication with God is found in Jesus Christ and takes place in our hearts. (John 1:1-3,14; 2Co 4:5-7; Rev 19:11-13)
To be born again, is to be born of God’s Word. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing (Speaking of His flesh at that time.); the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” [John 6:53] Cf. 1Peter 1:22-25.
The source of our faith is God speaking to us in Christ. (Rom 10:17 – The Greek word ‘Rhema’, means ‘that which is uttered by a living voice’.)
And for the singing? Listen carefully –
saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” (Heb 2:12-13)
There is much more to Jesus singing over us. He even give us songs to sing. Is it any wonder that believers fall in love with God’s holy book. In it we hear the voice of our Shepherd.
But there is one more thing about the Bible that we need to understand.
It has to do with how God’s message from heaven is handled.
Be Careful in Handling the Message
The gospel is about God’s Son. It speaks to the birth, death, resurrection, ascension, glorification, and second coming of Jesus. The message itself is not difficult to understand.
But there are warnings. Listen carefully:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'” (Mat 7:21-23)
Two things need to be understood from this part.
First, the will of the Father – Jesus explains in another setting that the will and work of the Father is for the world to believe in Him. (John 6:29)
Second, involves practicing lawlessness. The new covenant has a law of salvation that must not be violated.
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8)
The apostle explains the message of the gospel —
“But what does it say? ‘The Word [message of salvation] is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith [in Jesus Christ]which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Rom 10:8-10)
So, what about the Bible? Does it carry the voice of God? Does it have a message that heaven wants us to hear? Note our last Scripture —
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (Isa 40:21)
With that in mind, take time to listen to the Garden Song:
Well, have you heard the words of a book. You can you know. The apostle said it well enough, when he said, “And it shall come to past that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
“The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” (Ecc 12:10-13)
Journal,
Isn’t it amazing how you can carry a memory through life. Some memories from my younger days, even days of my childhood are just as fresh today as ever. Of course I can’t always remember where I placed my glasses. 🙂
Anyway, I was serving as a radioman aboard the USS Calvert in the Pacific Fleet. It was 1962. I’m on duty in the radio shack. Everything is quiet. Nothing to read except a dictionary. Course I’ve always been an avid reader so having a dictionary on hand was fine with me. That was when this strange notion struck me that I ought to write a book.
Write a book? Wow! Write a book? There I was 22 years of age, and thinking of writing a book. And to think how much I hated English in high school. Then to take into account that I had no literary experience or training.
Besides that, who would be interested in reading a book by an unknown author who did not know the difference between an adjective and an adverb, much less a dangling participle. (Still don’t know that the last thing is.)
But I couldn’t shake it. I even had a name for the book. I would simply call it, ‘Casandra.‘ Where that came from, I really don’t know. The aspiration to write a fictional book about a fictional character without the slightest idea of what the book was to be about, happened some fifty years ago. And like a ship without a sail, it was dead in the water.
Oh well, that memory has long remained in the background of my thought life through all the years. Now, here I am 71 years old and I still haven’t written a book. But why do people keep asking me to write a book? Life can sure be eerie at times.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
Or does it? Maybe its time had not come. And maybe my writing was not simply to be fictional.
Better yet, how about this, maybe my life is a book being written every day. And maybe I’m not the writer. Maybe the Holy Spirit is writing a book in my heart.
And maybe every believer’s life is a book being written, that is, in time as we know it, but in God’s time each of our books are finished products. Could it be that the Lord knows the beginning from the end?
Is this what Paul was talking about when he said,
” … being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2Co 3:3)
Could it be that God plants kingdom seeds in Our Hearts
Could it be that each of our giftings are part of God’s divine plan and that each gift has a unique fitting into the Lord’s working of redemption?
Could it be that nigh fifty years ago the Lord actually planted a seed in my heart that would flourish into writings for His kingdom.
Over the years I’ve written a great many studies on the Bible. In fact I have several hundred studies that can be accessed through the web. I’ve also designed training courses for disciples. Even with my online journal, I’ve written enough to make up several books. Could these writings be considered ‘kingdom seeds’ to be scattered in many hearts and in many places. I surely hope so.
But perhaps there is a greater writing that fits my part of God’s program even more so. As a preacher of the gospel for over forty-five years, the Holy Spirit has used my preaching to write the story of the cross in the hearts of countless people.
My preaching has taken me from traditional churches, to house churches, to tent revivals, to theater, to radio and television, to brush harbors, to home and foreign mission work, to store front ministries, to nursing homes, to banana plantations, to street preaching, and in many other places. On my book shelves I have volumes of sermons that I’ve preached. Some reach back to 1965.
Please don’t think that I wish to brag on my accomplishments. I have far too many failures for that. Even as founder of Christian Challenge International, my role is merely as a steward. Never to this day have I felt worthy of anything that has related to my calling. If anything at all, I feel very unworthy.
So, it really isn’t simply about writing books that I’m concerned with. I’m thinking about those ‘God seeds’ that rests in the spiritual make up of all God’s children. We all have God seeds in us that will flourish into various ministries over time. But we also have gospel God seed that we are given to scattered. It all takes place in God’s timing and with His help.
I have come to believe that every child of God has ‘God-seed kingdom investments’ planted in them. Yes, I have even come to believe that some of what we think may be ‘pipe dreams’ are actually things placed in us by the Spirit. And while we may sometimes misunderstand their intent, the Lord will make them to become realities in their time.
My pipe dream was ‘Casandra.’ But it was only a seed planted that would eventually flourish in my sharing the gospel story.
The point is that our giftings in life come with our calling in life.
Paul said in Romans 11:29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” For something to be irrevocable means that it is not subject to recall. It also means that whatever the purpose of the gift and the calling, they will have a fulfillment in the proper season.
Anything planted by the Lord has the nature of the divine will in it. It will produce fruit in its season. David spoke of this when he said,
“[The righteous person] will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” – Psalm 1:3 nasb
What makes all this even more interesting is that our spiritual genetic code of life was implanted in us before we were born. David also speaks of this:
“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Psa 139:13-14)
So, what about the book that was never written
Sometimes I think it would be good to put some of my writings in book form. At other times I remember what the sage said about the writing of books and how tiring it can be. Solomon wrote:
“The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” (Ecc 12:10-12)
There is one book that I never tire of reading. It is the only book that has lasted through the ages and remains the most beloved of all books. Of course you know the book I am speaking of. Its God’s holy book, the Bible.
How about you? Have you wondered about your gifting and calling? Don’t lose your dream. Don’t let the bumps in life try to cheat you out of that which the Lord has planted in your garden.
Think about it. Don’t be discouraged. You are uniquely fashioned by the Lord for unique things in His kingdom.
Here is your song for today. Listen carefully. The Lord wants to speak to your heart.
a fictional character without the slightest idea of what the book was to be about, happened some fifty years ago. And like a ship without a sail, it was dead in the water.
But perhaps there is a greater writing that fits my part of God’s program even more so. As a preacher of the gospel for over forty-five years, the Holy Spirit has used my preaching to write the story of the cross in the hearts of countless people.
