| The Bible |
| “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (I Peter 1.24-25) |
The greatest physical possession that mankind has on earth today is the Bible, God’s Holy
Word. The Bible is a supernatural Book. It is God’s voice speaking to mankind as He
reveals Himself to us. The Bible is the basis of authority upon which the Christian faith is
built. The Bible says (Romans 10:17), “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.” If the devil could destroy or undermine the Bible, then he could destroy
the foundation of Christianity. And he certainly has tried to do this ever since it was written.
But the glorious thing is, he can’t destroy the Bible, because God has promised that His
Word will endure forever.
Now the Devil has caused many people to doubt that the Bible is the true Word of God by
saying that it is just another book written by man, that it has many errors and mistakes in it,
and that most of it is Jewish and Middle Eastern myths. But still, this doesn't change the fact
that the Bible is the written Word of God, and it will stand forever, regardless of what man
does to it, or whether he believes it or not. Let us look at some things the Bible says about
itself as being the Word of God.
Word. The Bible is a supernatural Book. It is God’s voice speaking to mankind as He
reveals Himself to us. The Bible is the basis of authority upon which the Christian faith is
built. The Bible says (Romans 10:17), “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.” If the devil could destroy or undermine the Bible, then he could destroy
the foundation of Christianity. And he certainly has tried to do this ever since it was written.
But the glorious thing is, he can’t destroy the Bible, because God has promised that His
Word will endure forever.
Now the Devil has caused many people to doubt that the Bible is the true Word of God by
saying that it is just another book written by man, that it has many errors and mistakes in it,
and that most of it is Jewish and Middle Eastern myths. But still, this doesn't change the fact
that the Bible is the written Word of God, and it will stand forever, regardless of what man
does to it, or whether he believes it or not. Let us look at some things the Bible says about
itself as being the Word of God.
The Bible is given by Divine Inspiration
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:”(II Timothy 3:16) This means that the Holy
Spirit inspired the holy men of God to speak and write His Word. We see in (II Peter 1:20-
21) “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” These men didn't write their interpretation of what
God said, but they wrote exactly what God said. The Holy Spirit moved them to write. We
have a picture of this in (II Samuel 23:1) where David, one of the writers of the Old
Testament says, “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and
the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet
psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my
tongue.” Beloved, this plainly refutes the teaching of many who say that God only furnished
the general idea of spiritual things, and that they were to clothe them with their own words
and style. But this cannot be true since the Holy Spirit did the speaking, the inspiring and the
moving.
correction, for instruction in righteousness:”(II Timothy 3:16) This means that the Holy
Spirit inspired the holy men of God to speak and write His Word. We see in (II Peter 1:20-
21) “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” These men didn't write their interpretation of what
God said, but they wrote exactly what God said. The Holy Spirit moved them to write. We
have a picture of this in (II Samuel 23:1) where David, one of the writers of the Old
Testament says, “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and
the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet
psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my
tongue.” Beloved, this plainly refutes the teaching of many who say that God only furnished
the general idea of spiritual things, and that they were to clothe them with their own words
and style. But this cannot be true since the Holy Spirit did the speaking, the inspiring and the
moving.
The Bible is Supernatural
We see this great truth in (I Corinthians 2:9-14), where it says, “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. But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 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. 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. 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. But 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”
Now in these verses we see three things about the Bible being supernatural. First, the Word
is a supernatural revelation, (vs 10), “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” Unless the Holy Spirit reveals
the spiritual things of God to us, we could never know them. As the Holy Spirit inspired holy
men to write the Word of God, He was revealing to them the things of God, which are
supernatural, and could not have been known in any other way. How could natural man
know anything about the supernatural God, except God show him?
The second thing we see in these verses is, that the spiritual things of God are given by
supernatural inspiration, (vs 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.” Here we see that the Holy Ghost is the One who teaches. It was not the wisdom
of men that was written, but it was what the Holy Spirit taught them through Divine,
supernatural inspiration.
And the third thing that we see is, that the spiritual things of God are understood through
supernatural illumination. In (vs 11) it says, “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. 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.” And in (vs 14) it
says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spirutually discerned”
Now notice again in (vs 9), “But, as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love
Him.”
In this verse nine, we have the three channels of natural human learning, we have the eye,
the ear, and the heart. These are the three channels of learning. In the eye, we have visual
imagery; in the ear we have auditory imagery, and in the heart, that is the soul and spirit of
man, we have mental imagery. Now since these three channels are the way that man can
learn naturally, How then can he learn the things of God which are supernatural. Remember,
it says in (vs 9) that, “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.” So then, How does
the knowledge of God come? How can man learn the supernatural things of God?
It comes supernaturally, through Divine revelation. In (Vs 10) it says that God has revealed
them unto us by His Spirit. The Bible is the supernatural Word of God, revealing the
supernatural things of God by His Spirit. The Spirit moved holy men of God as they wrote
God’s Word, thus revealing God, His will, and His ways to us. The men wrote the Word of
God down, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but in words which the Holy
Spirit teaches. Again this means that, the holy men of God who wrote the Word of God,
wrote exactly what the Holy Spirit moved them to write.
In (vs 14) is says, “But 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.” This shows us that the natural man, that is, the unsaved person, cannot
understand the spiritual things of God. He cannot grasp the reality and meaning of God’s
Word. To him, the spiritual things of God are foolish. The reason for this is, the spiritual
things of God cannot be understood by natural means; that is, through the natural eyes, ears,
and heart of man. Spiritual truth is learned only by illumination of the Holy Spirit. Notice that
again in (vs 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.” You see, to
understand a human being, you must possess a human spirit, and in order to understand
God, you must possess the supernatural Spirit of God. Again notice (vs 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.” Beloved, this is God’s design. When we are
saved we receive the Holy Spirit. It is then that we have the capacity to receive the Spiritual
things of God. So we see then that the Bible is the supernatural Book of God, given to us by
the supernatural Holy Spirit of God.
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. But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 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. 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. 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. But 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”
Now in these verses we see three things about the Bible being supernatural. First, the Word
is a supernatural revelation, (vs 10), “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” Unless the Holy Spirit reveals
the spiritual things of God to us, we could never know them. As the Holy Spirit inspired holy
men to write the Word of God, He was revealing to them the things of God, which are
supernatural, and could not have been known in any other way. How could natural man
know anything about the supernatural God, except God show him?
The second thing we see in these verses is, that the spiritual things of God are given by
supernatural inspiration, (vs 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.” Here we see that the Holy Ghost is the One who teaches. It was not the wisdom
of men that was written, but it was what the Holy Spirit taught them through Divine,
supernatural inspiration.
And the third thing that we see is, that the spiritual things of God are understood through
supernatural illumination. In (vs 11) it says, “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. 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.” And in (vs 14) it
says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spirutually discerned”
Now notice again in (vs 9), “But, as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love
Him.”
In this verse nine, we have the three channels of natural human learning, we have the eye,
the ear, and the heart. These are the three channels of learning. In the eye, we have visual
imagery; in the ear we have auditory imagery, and in the heart, that is the soul and spirit of
man, we have mental imagery. Now since these three channels are the way that man can
learn naturally, How then can he learn the things of God which are supernatural. Remember,
it says in (vs 9) that, “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.” So then, How does
the knowledge of God come? How can man learn the supernatural things of God?
It comes supernaturally, through Divine revelation. In (Vs 10) it says that God has revealed
them unto us by His Spirit. The Bible is the supernatural Word of God, revealing the
supernatural things of God by His Spirit. The Spirit moved holy men of God as they wrote
God’s Word, thus revealing God, His will, and His ways to us. The men wrote the Word of
God down, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but in words which the Holy
Spirit teaches. Again this means that, the holy men of God who wrote the Word of God,
wrote exactly what the Holy Spirit moved them to write.
In (vs 14) is says, “But 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.” This shows us that the natural man, that is, the unsaved person, cannot
understand the spiritual things of God. He cannot grasp the reality and meaning of God’s
Word. To him, the spiritual things of God are foolish. The reason for this is, the spiritual
things of God cannot be understood by natural means; that is, through the natural eyes, ears,
and heart of man. Spiritual truth is learned only by illumination of the Holy Spirit. Notice that
again in (vs 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.” You see, to
understand a human being, you must possess a human spirit, and in order to understand
God, you must possess the supernatural Spirit of God. Again notice (vs 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.” Beloved, this is God’s design. When we are
saved we receive the Holy Spirit. It is then that we have the capacity to receive the Spiritual
things of God. So we see then that the Bible is the supernatural Book of God, given to us by
the supernatural Holy Spirit of God.
The Bible is Divinely Preserved
Through all the attempts to destroy and discredit the Bible, it is still with us today. God has
preserved His Word even down to this very hour in which we live. The Bible teaches Divine
preservation of God’s Word. In (Psalms 100:5) the Bible says, “For the Lord is good; his
mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” God’s Word is truth, and
it endureth to all generations, even today. We have the Word of God in our possession,
preserved and precious. God is faithful to His promise. We see in (Psalm 119:89-91) “For
ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou
hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine
ordinances: for all are thy servants.” And in (Isaiah 40:8) it says, “The grass withereth, the
flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
Beloved, as God is able to cause the sun to rise and set at His command down through the
ages, He is also able to keep a copy of His Word pure and infallible to all generations. I
believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved Word of God today.
preserved His Word even down to this very hour in which we live. The Bible teaches Divine
preservation of God’s Word. In (Psalms 100:5) the Bible says, “For the Lord is good; his
mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” God’s Word is truth, and
it endureth to all generations, even today. We have the Word of God in our possession,
preserved and precious. God is faithful to His promise. We see in (Psalm 119:89-91) “For
ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou
hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine
ordinances: for all are thy servants.” And in (Isaiah 40:8) it says, “The grass withereth, the
flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
Beloved, as God is able to cause the sun to rise and set at His command down through the
ages, He is also able to keep a copy of His Word pure and infallible to all generations. I
believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved Word of God today.
The Bible is Powerful
Preaching the Word of God will bring salvation to lost sinners. In (Romans 1:16) it says,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” We see in (I Corinthians 1:
21), “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Our faith comes through the Word of God, as we see in (Romans 10:17), “So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
We find comfort in the Word of God (Romans 15:4), “For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope.”
Beloved, the value of the Bible is far beyond our comprehension. We should read, study and
obey it. We are to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. We will be blessed in all our
deeds when we obey the Blessed Word.
The Bible is our final authority on all spiritual matters until the Lord Jesus Comes for His
church. All preaching and teaching is to be tested and tried by the Word of God. If any
preaching and teaching does not match Scripture, then we are to turn away from them.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” We see in (I Corinthians 1:
21), “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Our faith comes through the Word of God, as we see in (Romans 10:17), “So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
We find comfort in the Word of God (Romans 15:4), “For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope.”
Beloved, the value of the Bible is far beyond our comprehension. We should read, study and
obey it. We are to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. We will be blessed in all our
deeds when we obey the Blessed Word.
The Bible is our final authority on all spiritual matters until the Lord Jesus Comes for His
church. All preaching and teaching is to be tested and tried by the Word of God. If any
preaching and teaching does not match Scripture, then we are to turn away from them.
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Blessed Hope
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
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