CHURCH LIFE CLASS
THE WORD OF GOD
PREFACE: The word of God is one of the most important areas of the believer’s life. The only sure
revelation we have of God is through His Word. Contained in His Word are all things He
wants us to know about Himself, mankind, and what is required of us. All our ideas or
revelations must be measured by the standard of His Word.
I. WHY IS THE WORD OF GOD IMPORTANT?
A. It is God’s word to mankind.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (NASB)
The purpose of the Bible is to reveal God. Through the Bible God has made known His nature,
thoughts, feelings, and actions. Through it, He also shows mankind’s state, need, and what the Lord
requires of him.
The Bible is our only objective basis of faith and practice. Without the written word man would be
left with an inadequate revelation of God that is subject to the whims of mankind’s faulty reasoning
and imagination. Objective - not affected by personal feelings or prejudice, based on facts, unbiased.
Without the Bible, man will tend to make God in his own image.
B. It is active and alive.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (NASB)
C. It effectually works in those who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. (NASB)
James 1:21 21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (NASB)
D. It is good for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction. 2 Tim 3:16
E. It cleanses and purifies us. Jn 15:3; Ps 119:9; Eph 5:26
II. THE UNITY OF SCRIPTURE
A. There is a single theme that runs throughout the Bible that shows a remarkable unity.
The theme of redemptive history, with Christ as the fulfillment of God’s plan.
John 5:39 39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; (NASB)
John 5:46 46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. (NASB)
Luke 24:47 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (NASB)
This remarkable unity is an indication of Divine inspiration, particularly when you consider that it
is composed of 66 books written over approximately 1600 years by about 40 different men. No other
collection of writings can claim such unity in such circumstances.
III. THE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE
A. The Bible doesn’t merely contain the word of God, it is the word of God.
B. All of it is Divinely inspired and free of error.
If only part of it is inspired by God and partially true, then we would be left the victim of constantly
changing human intellectual guesses as to what part is actually the word of God.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. It is not merely a collection of human thoughts and
experiences. Men were moved upon by the Spirit of God to write.
The concept of God inspiring the Scriptures goes back to the original manuscripts and leads to the
conclusion that error does not exist in the Scriptures as originally given. The Bible is the most
copied, most scrutinized historical book we have, and by far the most accurate.
IV. THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
A. The Bible has always been viewed throughout Christendom as an authority for belief and
practice.
Some groups give it only limited authority, subjecting it to human thought and decision, ecclesiastical
structure, and church traditions.
The proper Biblical view is that the scriptures are the authority, given by inspiration of God, and our
objective basis for faith and practice.