Know Your Bible

VOL. 13 November 30, 2014 NO. 39

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THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED (1)

In This Day Of Uncertainty, One Thing We Can Know Is That The Bible Is The Inspired Word Of God. -- Understanding inspiration is fundamental to all else we believe and do in our service to God. If the Bible is not of God, what value is it to us?

What Is Inspiration? -- Inspiration is "the supernatural influence exerted on the sacred writers by the Spirit of God, by virtue of which their writings are given Divine trustworthiness" (B.B. Warfield, ISBE, III, 1473). Perhaps David said it best: "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His Word was on my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:1,2). Paul said that all Scriptures is given by the "inspiration of God." (2 Tim. 3:16). The terms "inspired of God" means "God breathed" (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament, Biblesoft). This does not have reference to the effect that the Scriptures have on the one who reads it, rather it tells us of its Divine origin.

Old Testament Writers Were Inspired: —

1. Moses spoke and wrote as God directed. When giving the Ten Commandments, Moses said: "And God spoke all these words, saying…” (Ex. 20:1). After the return from Babylon Ezra was told to bring the “Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel” (Neh. 8:1). Later in the same book we find the statement: "God's Law, which was given by Moses" (10:29). Later when Moses reiterated the Law to Israel he attributed every word of the Law to God: "And Moses called all Israel and said to them: 'Hear, O Israel the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the Word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: 'I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage'" (Deut. 5:1-6).

2. The prophets spoke as God directed: Isaiah was preaching what the "Lord has spoken" (Isa. 1:1,2). Chapter 6, tells of his call to be a prophet. God also called Jeremiah to be a prophet saying: "And whatever I command you, you shall speak...Behold I have put My Words in your mouth" (Jer. 1:4-9). God told Ezekiel: "But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, 'Thus saith the Lord God,' He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house" (Ezek. 3:27). Zechariah spoke of the inspiration of prophets before him and how the people refused to hear: "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the Law and Words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts" (Zack. 7:12).

3. New Testament writers said the Old Testament was inspired. Peter said: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:20,21).

Jesus endorsed Old Testament stories. Jesus believed what was recorded in the Old Testament to be fact and not fiction. He endorsed the story of creation (Matt. 19:4), Noah and the flood (Matt. 24:37,38), Sodom's judgment (Matt. 11:24), Lot's wife (Lk. 17:32), and Jonah and the whale (Matt. 12:40).

—Donnie Rader

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“…WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?…”

"For what is your life? It is even as a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14).

How true that is! How often have you thought of things in the past which you thought were only a couple years ago but it turned out to have been five or six years? Also, it seems the older we get the faster time passes. When we think of our childhood it doesn't seem that long ago. We think of a class reunion which seems that we only graduated five years or so ago, and yet it turns out to be our twentieth or twenty-fifth year reunion. Sometimes it is a little frightening to be made to realize how swiftly our years are passing.

Regardless of peoples' religious or philosophical views, one thing we all can agree on is that our life is going to end one day. Let this cause us to think soberly on ‘what is your life'? We must acknowledge God's Word as the "instruction manual" by which to pattern and put together our lives. It contains "...all things that pertain unto life..." (2 Peter 1:3) and it can make us "...throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

From its pages we can learn that "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27) and that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; ..." (2 Corinthians 5:10). We must realize that what we do while we are living is the basis on which we will be judged. The rest of 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "...that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Some have the idea that judgment is going to have God put all our good we do on one side and all the bad we do on the other side and whichever outweighs will determine the verdict. Not so! Ezekiel 18:21-32 shows that when a wicked man repents and does the will of God, all his transgressions will not be mentioned unto him. However, if the righteous turns away and sins and does not repent, all the righteousness he has done will not be mentioned. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (verse 32) but "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Psalms 116:15).

So, what is your life? Do you know God, have you obeyed the gospel, and living faithful to God's Word? If not, Jesus is coming "in flaming fire taking vengeance..." and you "shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Only if our life is a life "...faithful unto death", then Jesus says, "...I will give thee a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10).

—E.R. Hall, Jr.

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HOW TO HAVE A MISERABLE DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR, LIFE!

1. Worry A Lot: -- Drag out of your memory book several of your past failures.

2. Focus Your Attention On Getting Rich.

3. Always Compare Yourself With Others.

4. Lengthen Your List Of Enemies.

5. Set And Cling To Unrealistic Expectations.

6. Be Perpetually Ten Minutes Late To Every Appointment.

—Selected

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Know Your Bible" is e-mailed weekly by the church of Christ which meets at 112 Roberts Avenue in Wise, Virginia. If you know of others who might benefit from the articles contained in this bulletin, we would be glad to have you submit their e-mail addresses and we will include them in next week's mailing. If you are receiving this bulletin and do not wish to continue to do so, please e-mail us with your desire to be removed from the mailing list and we will remove your address promptly. Continue to the bottom of this page and further instructions will be given as to how you may contact us.

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