Is Scripture True?

1.      God Breathed – Theo-phneustos

2 Timothy 3:16 - Every Scripture is God- breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),  17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work

God Breathed Out - The deity of God was not breathed into scripture but the scripture was breathed out of God and into man.  This is why we say that all scripture is God breathed.

2 Peter 1:21 - For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so—it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.

The word translated “moved” is phero which means carried along as a ship under sail.

Acts 27:17 uses the same New Testament Greek word, pheros, to describe a ship driven in a terrible tempest and uncontrollable.  The men who wrote our scripture did so because God drove - by His breath - the specific words He wanted used.

This concept fits very well with Proverbs 3:6 which says: 

In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

The Hebrew word for direct, yasar, means to make pleasant or prosperous.  It also means to make your paths straight.

1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Scripture does not obey man’s wisdom.  Man must trust that scripture has more wisdom than their own opinions.  Spiritual things alone can discern God’s character and understand why His way is best.

1 Corinthians 2:14 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit.

The natural man is incapable of understanding the spiritual words contained in scripture.  This is why most unbelievers feel scripture and its believers are foolish.  Something profound happens when we accept Jesus as our Savior and our spirit becomes alive and connected to Him.

One miracle of God is that neither our culture or training or personal preferences throw God off.  He chose who He would have write.  Those men were able to write as His Spirit led them and God already had made allowances for their personal literary preferences. 

An important point to consider is that in the original Greek, the differences between say, Matthew’s Gospel and Mark’s Gospel are multiples of seven.  The words Matthew used that Mark did not are a multiple of seven.  The words Mark used that Matthew did not are a multiple of seven.  The words they both used are a multiple of seven.  Greek is a language that gives every letter and word a numerical value.  In that way it is exactly like Hebrew.

Psalm 40:7 says, “In the volume of the book it is written of me.”  God has placed His signature throughout the Hebrew and Greek scriptures.  No one who has thoroughly studied scripture will believe it to be false.  There is no religion on Earth who’s scripture can make that claim and be true.

2.      Is all scripture without errors?

If 2 Timothy 3:16 is correct and all scripture is God breathed and Psalm 40:7-8 says:

Then said I, Behold, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Your will, O my God; yes, Your law is within my heart.

When we understand that scripture is the embodiment of God’s being we can also understand how important it is to God for scripture to be without flaws. 

Hebrews 6:17-18 KJV says:

17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us

It’s not possible for God to lie and he intends for us to have a strong sense of comfort in the work of Jesus and the scriptures we pin our hopes on.  Scripture does not lie.  If it specifically says God will do something in a certain number of days or years, He will.  If He has given us promises based upon His Word, they are sure.  The Bible will never be proved wrong and many supposed contradictions claimed by early scientists have been disproved recently.

Only the original versions of scripture are without errors.  Translations into other languages need to be proved against the original texts.  The Old Testament Hebrew is unique in that each letter has a numerical value and a specific meaning as well as being pictographs with meaning.  The letters may be joined together to form longer words.  The first two letters of Biblical Hebrew are ALEPH and BET.  The Aleph in ancient Hebrew looked like an ox head with horns and denotes strength.  The Bet looked rather like a box or a house.  The word AB means the strength of the house.  Father is ABBA so a father is the strength in a house. 

The New Testament Greek also has numerical values for each letter and those letters can be joined together to create words the same as our English.  Greek is much more precise than English however.  There are three Greek words for love, eros, phileo and agape; we have only one.  If you ask for another pencil, there are two Greek words you could choose, allos or heteros.  Allos means I want one just like the one I had.  Heteros means I want one that is different.  God chose Greek for His New Testament because it was in widespread current use and fit His needs as a language that was as precise as He is.

If you understand how precise and clear the Hebrew and Greek is, one understands how a careful study of the Bible is imperative.  Far too many Christians have only a limited understanding of the Word of God and many ministers are deficient in their understanding of Hebrew and Hebrew scriptures.  All these Hebrew meanings and numbers have ideas and portray concepts far beyond the mere plain text of the sentence.  Rabbis say that God’s Word has at least 50 levels of meaning.  In 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 it says:

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Consider this; God said He will do nothing except it is contained in His Word.  When we say His Word is perfect, it means it is truly perfect.  There are no flaws and nothing is left out.  If this verse above says, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him,” then we have not scratched the surface of the depths of God’s love for us.  Those 50 levels of understanding that Rabbis have postulated may only be the tip of the iceberg. 

1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

I know for certain that I have not experienced all the deep things of God yet.  Perhaps there is some great Biblical scholar out there who has put a hundred times the effort into discovering God’s truths than I have.  Even he or she has not discovered all the deep things God has for us.  The Spirit knows, but WE have to focus upon the Spirit in order to receive all God has for mankind.  In a hundred lifetimes we will never scratch the surface of that promise.  Every time you press into God, He will reveal more.  We may have grown in maturity and even become mature in a general ‘Christian’ sense, but we will never be truly ‘complete’ even in this life.  On the one hand this is upsetting, but on the other, I will never lack the opportunity to discover the next great truth.  There are millions, perhaps billions or trillions of them out there to be grasped.

1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

There is a spirit of man and a spirit of God.  If we are born again we have God’s spirit and our spirit is made alive.  An unregenerated human spirit cannot understand the things of God and they are foolishness to it.  The unregenerated human spirit is alive to his father the devil and understands all the ways of that terrible father.  Have you ever seen families that are totally lost and depraved?  They curse and cheat and fight one another and when you speak to them about the things of God they look at you as if you are insane.  These are lost souls and it is important to pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them to God so they can be saved.  Once we are born again we are no longer fallen human spirits.  We are born again living spirits made in the image and likeness of God.  That doesn’t mean we don’t have some work to do in our lives, but it does mean that we have a vital connection with God and have lost our spirit connection to Satan.  He may still assault our flesh but our spirit is out of his control.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Romans 8:15-16 says that we have received the spirit of adoption so we can cry, “Abba (daddy), Father.”  Satan is no longer our spiritual father.  God is.  Notice it says we have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit WHICH IS OF GOD, the spirit of ADOPTION.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, God places His Spirit within us, calls us His son, and somehow exchanges our dead human spirit with a living spirit from His own person. 

Since this spirit comes directly from Him, we have supernatural knowledge of our gifts.  This knowledge does not simply become ours to use like the education we have obtained in schools or universities but it takes some exploration on our part through His Word and in prayer to partake of the blessings.  They are ours.  They are available.  They still must be obtained through prayerful exploration of scripture.  Why?  Because they are hidden from the unsaved and I believe hidden from our sin nature that still abides in our flesh.  We only truly obtain those blessings as we crucify the flesh.  

1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

You can attend all the seminaries in the world and learn church management and counseling techniques until you know every aspect of a religious service and church life, but unless you have an understanding of scripture and experience in prayer and fasting, you will not have a deep understanding of God’s wisdom.  He and His Word are one and all His wisdom is contained in His Word.  When we speak His Word through preaching, teaching and prophesying we are speaking out His perfect wisdom.  When you add the work of the Holy Spirit to the living knowledge contained in God’s Word you will understand why scripture says in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that God saves the lost through the foolishness of preaching.  The work of the Holy Spirit gives them faith to believe and the Word saves them.

Is every word in the Bible true or literal?

Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shall you trust.”

Does God literally have wings or feathers?  Probably not.  What is given here is most likely an allegory, I say probably because God is a Spirit and while He need not have spiritual feathers, it does not preclude Him from having them.  The Bible uses over 200 figures of speech.  These figures of speech do not make the truth of God’s Word inaccurate however.  What is certain is that under God’s covering we are covered and safe.

Scripture records many lies and untruths but none of them are from God.  He does not lie but will reveal a lie.  God reports many lies told by men.  He is not afraid that we may not believe in Him.  He created us for fellowship but insists that the fellowship be on His terms.  There are scientific ways to prove the existence of God but the prince of this world has fully infiltrated the scientific community.

Inerrancy means that every word, every promise of God is sure.  He has made certain that we have retained enough copies of the original writings that we can study them if we understand the original languages.  This is important because a translation like the King James Version cannot reveal all the deep messages of God.  It can do many things for your life but there are going to be certain Biblical hints that you will miss.  This is why most scholars or ministers will use Bible helps that give the original meanings for particular passages.

One final point to consider.  Inerrancy does not mean that God’s Word is reasonably accurate.  If that were the case our salvation might be in danger.  Inerrancy means that if we have a good translation of scripture, we can be certain of the promises given. 

God’s Word is sure.