What if there were no rules or regulations for playing the game of baseball? What if each player made up his own rules? What if there was no one with authority to enforce the rules? The game would be total chaos, would it not? The Bible puts it this way: “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Tim. 2:5). I once knew a famous baseball manager who believed in cheating if he could get away with it. He wrote a book titled, “Nice Guys Finish Last” setting forth his philosophy of managing. But even he understood the importance of playing according to the rules. How do I know this? Just as soon as as player on the opposing team broke a rule, he was the first to run out on the field, yelling at the umpire and quoting from the rule book!! Yes, he got very technical when the rules applied to someone else. He just didn’t believe the rules applied to himself.
I have been often amazed how controlled athletes are in competing in sports, but are often undisciplined when it comes to the rules of life. They either think that God has no rules, or that He will not enforce them. Thus, they exhibit more respect for sports than they do for the things of God. But the Bible teaches, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who shows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 5:7-8). So the real question is this, “Religiously speaking, who has the right to tell us what do do?” This is the most fundamental question in religion, and different people answer this question in different ways. Who is right? Who decides? The Bible does answer this question so clearly that even a dummy like me can understand.
God Has The Right
To Tell Us What To Do
This is a simple approach to Bible authority, and the answer to the most basic of Bible questions. This is Bible 101! For those who question the authority of God and do not believe that the Bible is the word of God, then what I am about to say will not convince you of anything. In the future I will set forth reasons why I believe in God and why the Bible is the word of God, but in this particular article I am assuming that you already believe this.
I am probably writing to people who believe that the God who made us has the right to tell us what to do. If He created us, by virtue of that fact alone, He has the right to tell us what to do. So if I believe the most basic facts of Genesis Chapter One, I have no problem with the concept that God has the power and authority to tell us what to do. God has this inherent right by virtue of His position as Creator. Who can argue with such a concept? See, we are making great progress.
Jesus Christ Has
The Right To Tell Us What To Do
Again, we come to a simple proposition. Jesus told His followers this simple truth: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). This statement made by Jesus after His resurrection from the dead is all encompassing. I could give a lot more Bible passages supporting this claim, but I am keeping it as simple as possible. Who gave this authority to Jesus? God, the Father, the One who has all inherent authority gave it to Him. Jesus said, “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). I will state unequivocally that Jesus Christ has the right to tell us what to do. Don’t you believe that simple truth? Of course, any sincere Bible believer accepts this. Jesus has the right to tell me what to do. This point is emphasized by Jesus in the following way, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say” Thus to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord means that we will allow Him to tell us what to do. What could be more simple than that?
The Apostles Of Christ Have
The Right to Tell Us What To Do
Jesus, the one who was given all authority, has delegated authority to His apostles. Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus told His apostles: “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Jesus made this principle even more emphatic with these words: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (John 13:20). Clearly God sent Jesus, and in turn Jesus sent out His apostles. To receive the authority of the apostles is to receive the authority of Jesus, and to receive the authority of Jesus is to receive the authority of God. What the apostles of Christ said and later wrote carries the same weight as the words of Jesus Christ. Here we are dealing with God’s chain of authority. Therefore, the apostles of Christ have the right to tell us what to do. It is not just the “red letters” of the New Testament that we must heed, but also the words of the apostles.
The apostles wrote the words in the New Testament and these words carry the full authority of God. Paul wrote: “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize the things which I write to are the Lord’s commandments” (1 Cor. 14:37). Again, hear these words of Paul: “. . that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” (Eph. 3:3-5). The mystery spoken of here is the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Romans 16:25-26). This gospel was not revealed in the Old Testament period of time. Nevertheless, those who read the writings of Paul could certainly understand. In fact, we are commanded to understand: “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). In sports, we don’t like the message, “I can’t do it”. But it makes even less sense when we apply such negative words to the message of the gospel.
The Holy Spirit Guided The Apostles
How do we know that the message of the apostles has been accurately conveyed in the Bible? Jesus provided for them a special counselor, the Holy Spirit, which guaranteed that their message would be faithfully delivered. We know how faulty human memory can be, but Jesus promised the apostles to take care of that problem. Notice some promises Jesus made to His apostles:
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John
14:26).
Paul, along with the other apostles claimed to have the help of the Holy Spirit:
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for
the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so
the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. (1 Cor. 2:10-13).
As to the meaning of the above passage, let me quote from a friend of mine who has a knack of bringing the truth down to my level: “In this passage, Paul states at least four great truths: 1. Man has a conscious spirit that knows his things, i.e., his desires, his likes, his dislikes, his goals, etc. (This truth is convenient for those who don’t believe man has a conscious spirit.). 2. We don’t know a man’s likes and dislikes unless he tells us. (This is easy to demonstrate to the student: just ask your student, ‘Do you like eggplant or black walnut ice cream?’ He has no way of knowing unless you tell him, thus demonstrating the truth of Paul’s statement. We simply don’t know the things of a man unless his spirit tells us. 3. We don’t know God’s things, i.e., His likes, dislikes, or His will unless He tells us. This truth shows that just because we like something, it doesn’t mean God likes it. We simply don’t know what God likes unless He tells us, for we don’t even know the desires of a man unless he tells us. If we presume to know what God likes without Him telling us, we do not act by confidence or faith in God, but confidence in our own wisdom. This is why we must have divine authority for what we do to serve God. 4. These verses also reveal the Bible doctrine of inspiration, i.e., verbal inspiration. The apostle Paul specifically denies that the apostles wrote the Bible according to their own wisdom. They wrote according to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, even down to the very words they used. Thus, when we read the Bible, we have access to the precise words authorized by God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.” (Fellowship With God and His People, Sam Dawson, page 226).
Let me give just one more passage that clearly states the extent of the help from the Holy Spirit to the apostles:
Luke 12:11-12
"When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
What a great comfort those words must have been to the apostles. We see those words fulfilled in the many inspired speeches made by the apostles as recorded in the book of Acts.
Apostles and Prophets Wrote The Bible
With these special aids, I can clearly state and do believe that the Bible was written by prophets and apostles. Peter makes this great statement:
2 Peter 1:20-21
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21for no prophe-cy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Much more could be said about the claims of the Bible. Do you find it strange that God has the power to deliver His word to man in this manner? Would it not be more strange if indeed God did not have this power. Perhaps the most comprehensive statement about the Bible is found in Paul’s last letter:
2 Tim. 3:15-17
and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
This great passage refers especially to the Old Testament, but the principle applies to any writings of inspired men. Peter declared that Paul’s writings were scripture: “and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you, also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15-16).
Warnings Given By The Bible
Because of the nature of the Bible, there are a number of warnings about man changing the word of God by adding to, taking from, or making substitutions. We are not to add to the Bible:
Rev. 22:18
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
2 John 1:9-10
Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;
Although the quotation from Revelation pertains only to that book, the principle applies to all of the Bible (see Deut. 4:2 and Proverbs 30:6). John points out that any teacher who is not content to abide in the teaching of Christ ought to be rejected. If I cannot prove to you by the Bible what I teach, then I should be rejected.
We also are not to substract from the word of God:
Rev. 22:19
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.
We are also warned not to change the gospel in any way:
Galatians 1:6-10
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But 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! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Men often think that they can improve upon what God has done. They write creeds thinking that they do God a service. But if it contains more than the Bible, it is too much. If it contains less then the Bible, it is not enough. If it attempts to change the Bible, it is a corruption.
In The Bible God Has Given Us
Everything He Wants Us To Know
I know that the above is a very bold statement. If I cannot prove such a statement, then I have violated the very principal I have advocated. But what does the Bible say? Please examine carefully the following passages:
Jude 1:3
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
2 Peter 1:3
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
The faith that Jude speaks of is nothing but the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Gal. 1:11 Paul states that he preached “the gospel” but in Gal. 1:23 Paul said that he preached “the faith”. Obviously, to preach the gospel is to preach the faith. What about the expression “once for all” given by Jude. This is the same exact word used in Hebrews 9:27-29 where the writer states that man dies once and that Jesus died once. This means to die one time only never to be repeated. The faith has been once for all delivered to the saints.
Then Peter, who should know, stated that the divine power has given to the disciples of his day “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” What else is there to deliver to the saints?
Many religious bodies simply do not believe these two verses. They are not satisfied with the Bible. They are looking for an update or new revelation. In fact, claims are made constantly by men that God has revealed something new to them. No wander we have such confusion in religion today. Some teach that we cannot understand the Bible or that the Bible has been corrupted. That it is not trustworthy. We need a new revelation. Its most precious parts have been removed. And on and on it goes.
The question is not what God can do. It is what God said He did do. Can God not accomplish something so well that it does not have to be repeated over and over? He did such a thing when He created all things. He said it was very good and it is finished. He did such a thing when Jesus died on the cross. This never has to be repeated. Jesus said, “It is finished.” Then why should anyone think it strange that God could complete His revelation to man?
So what do you think? Who has the right to tell us what to do? The Bible carries the full authority of God. These are not the words of man. These words come from a higher source. (continue on page 11).
ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
GOD HAS INHERENT AUTHORITY
GOD DELEGATED ALL AUTHORITY TO
JESUS
Matthew 28:18; John 12:49
JESUS DELEGATED AUTHORITY TO
THE APOSTLES
John 20:21; John 13:20
THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDED THE APOSTLES
John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:10-13
THE APOSTLES WROTE THE BIBLE
Eph. 3:3-4
WE ARE WARNED NOT TO ADD TO, TAKE
FROM, OR CHANGE THE BIBLE
2 John 9; Rev. 22:18-19; Gal. 1:8
IN THE BIBLE, GOD HAS TOLD US EVERYTHING
HE IS GOING TO TELL US
Jude 3:
“the faith” – Gal. 1:11, 23
“once for all” – Hebrews 9:26-27
2 Peter 1:3
“all things pertaining to life and godliness”
Unfortunately, rebellion lies in the heart of many. They say, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do. The Bible describes such people as lawless or workers of iniquity:
Matthew 7:21-23
"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. 22"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?' 23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
JUDGMENT DAY
If baseball has rules and regulations, but they are never enforced, then what good would that do? What about the rules of God? Are there any consequences for living ungodly? The Bible states clearly that there will be a judgment day. Even in the Old Testament we read: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, every-thing which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccles. 12:13-14). In the New Testament we read: “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). We have a choice of either willingly bowing to Jesus now, or else we shall bow before Him at the judgment: “ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philip. 2:10-11).
The proposition of this article is very simple. It has to do with the fundamental question of Bible authority. This is Bible 101. Every question regarding religion must come back to this fundamental point. The next issue will deal with the question, How is fellowship with God obtained? Lindy McDaniel
It would be a wonderful thing if when we get to the end of our life on earth, we, like Paul, could state with confidence: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
--- Lindy McDaniel
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