God's Word for our time

A plastic plumbing fixtures tycoon inherited an antique jeweled diadem of spectacular beauty. Since he did not know anything of its actual value, he considered it "junk." He even abused it by spinning it in the air, showing it off at parties, bending it out of shape, getting laughs. On certain occasions, when in debt, he even dug a jewel out and pawned it.

Little did he realize that there had been a time when thousands of people were willing to fight and die just to touch and look at this diadem. The point is this: What we have received without any cost is of little value to us; what we have to work or even fight for we treasure and appreciate dearly.

This principle applies to our attitude toward the Scriptures. It seems that most Christians do not see its practical value for daily living. Of course, none of us would actually discard the Bible, but for many it is basically a coffee-table souvenir. This might not be so if we had to struggle to own a Bible or pay a high price for it. Reading the stories of martyrs, saints, and prophets of Christian history, willing to risk their lives for the Word of God, might enhance our appreciation for the Scriptures.

The Bible and Christianity

The need to rediscover. For Christianity to survive the challenge of growing secularism, it must rediscover the existential meaning of God's Word. No quick fixes exist for social ills, no solution to the human dilemma of sin, except God's special revelation and of fer of salvation through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the church must revive both corporate and individual interest in the study of the Word. The Bible has the power to transform the lives of men, women, and children. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword (see Heb. 4:12). As Protestants we have a rich Reformation heritage that we must relate to current issues in the controversy about the Holy Scriptures.

Reformation heritage. Almost 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the doors of the Wittenberg church. He did not realize that this simple protest would spark one of the biggest explosions in history. The spreading of his 95 theses spawned the Reformation, which focused on two fundamental thoughts: the Bible and the Bible only, and justification by faith alone.

Why did Luther hold such a high view of Scripture? Because he believed that the Bible was the greatest authority in religious matters. As soon as the Bible was rediscovered, the knowledge of God and His saving message spread beyond Germany. Genuine faith was rekindled, rescued from fossilized dogmatism.

Can we trust the Bible? Since the Enlightenment, however, liberal Protestantism has abandoned Luther's concept of sola scriptura. Schleiermacher, the pioneer of Protestant liberalism, placed more weight on the inward experience of God than on the writings of an ancient Book. His idea and the emergence of "scientific theology," which sought to enhance the awareness and understanding of the human elements in the Bible, caused distrust in its fundamental teachings.

Distrust in the Word of God was nothing new. We find it on the first pages of the Bible. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God say, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden"?'" (Gen. 3:1).* This tempting question from Satan was the first criticism against the Word of God. It led to the first sin, which consisted of human j neglect to take God's word seriously. The result? Paradise lost.

Since that first instance criticism against the Bible has taken many forms, but the method has remained the same. Human reason, severed from God's divine revelation, tends to judge the Word and dispute its uniqueness as the inspired word of God. Everything out of harmony with the maxims of human reason is not only questioned but declared to be spurious. This reflects the original question, "Did God say?"

The Scriptures—human or divine?

The Bible testifies to its divine-human nature (see 2 Peter 1:20, 21). It is the Word inspired. But in spite of the clear self-testimony of Scripture concerning its divine origin, modern biblical scholarship has largely downplayed the divine element of the Bible and has dismissed the miraculous and the transcendent in Scripture. Since miracles supposedly do not happen now, they could not have happened in times past. On this premise the grand accounts of Creation, Adam and Eve, the Exodus, the virgin birth, Christ's divine-human nature, His miracles, His resurrection, are regarded as merely ancient myth or legend.

For many modern Christians, the only valid part of the Scriptures is the ethical teachings of Jesus. Since the rest of it is said to be conditioned by an ancient culture, it is considered out of touch with the needs of people today. Some educators see great value in the study of the Bible and wish they could make it a basic requirement at the university level. After all, Bible study has proven to be an effective method in the shaping of the human mind. However, they believe it was written by humans for humans with out any divine intervention.

Bible's self-testimony.Contrary to such opinion, the Scriptures themselves testify of their divine origin, character, and authority. Consider the apostle Paul's testimony: "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16,17). The Greek word translated "inspired" can also be rendered as "God breathed." It denotes a supernatural influence exert ed on the sacred writers by the Spirit of God. As the well-known theologian Adolf Schlatter freely translated the passage, "Each Bible reference comes from God's Spirit."

Since all Scripture is God-breathed through the working of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is infallible. Does this mean that we should ignore or be indifferent to the difficulties that arise in connection with apparent discrepancies or alleged contradictions? On the contrary, we must wrestle with them for some satisfactory answers. This may not happen in every case, because the Scriptures do not always provide the data necessary to form a complete picture and draw sound conclusions.

But if the Bible is indeed God-breathed, why does it not generate faith in everyone confronted with it? The apostle Paul provides us an answer: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14, KJV). Only regeneration through the Holy Spirit can produce a genuine response of faith (John 3:3; 1 Cor. 2:14).

The apostles' testimony. Bible writers were clear that their writings were of divine origin. In Galatians 1:12 the apostle Paul states, "I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ." Peter adds his testimony: "First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20, 21).

Christ and the Word. Our Lord Him self stressed the authority of the Scriptures. When tempted, Jesus used the well-known phrase "It is written" as a defense and an offense (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10; Luke 20:17). When asked how one could enter into eternal life, Christ answered, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" (Luke 10:26, NKJV). In debating with the Pharisees, He placed the Scriptures above human tradition (see Mark 7:7-9). Jesus also saw Himself as the fulfillment of prophecy (see Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10, 26).

Jesus referred to the Bible as the Word of God. In His high priestly prayer, He said, "Your word is the truth" (John 17:17, NKJV). To acknowledge with Jesus and His apostles and prophets that the Bible is the Word of God means to assign to it a unique position based on its origin and content. The Bible can be the Word of God only if it has a divine, not a human, origin. If one acknowledges the divine origin of Scripture, though put in words by human beings, then one cannot treat it like any other piece of world literature.

Ellen White considered the Scriptures as the final authority not only in religious matters but also in their report of events. Not to say that she was ignorant of the human imperfections of various kinds in the transmission of the text, but she was certain that "all the mistakes will not cause trouble to one soul."*

The role of Scripture

Standard of character. When God made His covenant with Israel, His commandments became the standard of their character. By their obedience or disobedience to the covenant they demonstrated the object of their true allegiance. The Lord made it clear that obedience was the basic requirement for a holy nationhood (see Ex. 19:5,6). Obedience would result in God's blessings, but disobedience in curses or chaos (see Deut. 28:15-68).

That Scripture principle (disobedience = chaos, obedience = blessings of God) remains valid today (see Gal. 6:7). No matter whether it is a person or a whole society, disobedience to divine laws will ultimately result in chaos. It makes no difference whether disobedience manifests itself in idol worship with its varied forms, or in disregard for the Sabbath, or in disrespect for one's parents, or in murder, adultery, or theft. Obedience, on the other hand, will result in the promised blessings of God (see Deut. 28:15-68).

Record of God's acts in history. The Old Testament records a number of events in the history of Israel that the New Testament writers saw as preparatory for God's work in Christ. For example, Paul in his address at Antioch (see Acts 13:16ff.) explained from the history of Israel that events from Abra ham to David are the most significant history of former times and that Christ is the continuation and fulfillment of God's redemptive purposes.

For the story of the patriarchs, as well as for the Exodus, we have no extra-biblical sources confirming accuracy. Nevertheless, the patriarchs are no longer considered mythical figures, as former scholarship categorized them. Archaeological discoveries confirm that the biblical description of the patriarchs and their era is remarkably accurate much too accurate to be considered invention. While we may not be able to have extra-biblical evidence in support of the historicity of certain biblical events, sufficient evidence exists to demonstrate the trustworthiness of the biblical accounts.

Revealer of doctrines. Since God is the author of Scripture, it follows that the Bible can be trusted as the authoritative revealer of doctrine. But how, for example, are we to relate to the great salvific events in history? Consider the story of Creation. If science were to confirm the biblical account of a six-day creation, would this be sufficient to persuade an atheist to believe in the Bible? Hardly! It takes faith to grasp the divine realities of Scripture (see Heb. 11:3).

This does not mean that the salvific events of Scripture lack any historical foundation; they were not recorded for historical or scientific purposes. Thus the question whether these great events are literal or figurative is a modern concern and not one of the Bible writers. These events were recorded by faith for faith. Bible writers understood and interpreted all the events of history by recognizing in them the God who formed their community.

Experiencing its power

The Bible is no ordinary human word. It is God's special revelation to humanity. It has the power to transform lives. Accept it in faith and follow it, and you will experience that change. Come to it with a childlike trust, and discover joy and meaning in life.