It’s a long list of higher standards to which we should hold the leaders of our church. I do not even qualify.
Do you? How about your church leaders? Does your pastor qualify continually?
Whether hatched before all as a Preacher’s Kid (P.K.) or thrown into the bowl of belief as one called to Christ, the world looks on ‘christians’ with high expectations of our faith and witness.
In deed and in witness we are like: Preacher’s Kids, Elder’s Kids, Deacon’s Kids.
“God is not a man, that He would lie, Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind..
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God! Other! Separate of man and above all His creation.
God is God and we are not.
Is the Bible Holy?
Christians call it, “THE HOLY BIBLE,” but what does that mean?
Now I ask you, my fellow believer and follower of Christ Jesus,
What authority should the Bible have in the lives of disciples of the true doctrines of God?
We have already defined holiness as separate, apart, and therefore sacred and as God speaks, an awful thing! Now I must define our commonly used terms addressing the holiness of God’s written word, the Bible or Scripture.
What is Scripture?
“It is written..” – כָּתַב
The word means “writing.”
In the Old Testament it occurs in the King James Version only once, “the scripture of truth,” in Da 10:21, where it is more correctly rendered in the Revised Version (British and American), “the writing of truth.” The reference is not to Holy Scripture, but to the book in which are inscribed God’s purposes.
In the New Testament, “scripture” and “scriptures” stand regularly for the Old Testament sacred books regarded as “inspired” (2Ti 3:16), “the oracles of God” (Ro 3:2).
Scripture is the written truth of God revealed to man.
The Jews chosen by the LORD God lived by Scripture (or at least they were called to live by the word of God through the Law and the Prophets).
“It is written..” – γράφω
The first mention of Scripture in the Gospels of the New Testament is by the Person of Christ Jesus!
After the Lord had been in the wilderness for forty days, the Messiah Jesus answers Satan’s temptation by applying Scripture written from the wilderness testing of Moses and Israel.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
Gospel of Matthew 4:4 NASB
(Do you think Christians might want to take heed to how Jesus replies to the temptation of Satan in the wilderness?) ‘MAN SHALL LIVE ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD..’
JESUS REITERATES THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE!
So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 8:3
the Scripture, used to denote either the book itself, or its contents
a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture
The KJV translates Strong’s G1124 in the following manner: scripture (51x). from G1125; a document, γράφω – graphō [as we have defined above ‘it is written’ ] which occurs 192 times in 181 verses in the mgnt Greek.
A few examples of holy scripture
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. – Luke 24:45
You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.– John 5:39-40
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. –Romans 15:4
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
INSPIRED BY GOD! ALL Scripture (not just a verse or two to our liking). Scripture is HOLY, writings other than the ordinary books not spoken by God — books not written by the LORD speaking to a man.
The BIBLE is HOLY!
What is the Bible?
DOCTRINE – What do you believe?
Again, the necessity of defining what ANYONE means where referring to “THE BIBLE.”
The Complete Tanakh (*with its 24 Hebrew books) is an incomplete Bible.
*The 24 Hebrew books are the same as the 39 Books of the Old Testament; the difference is in the way they are divided.
Some *Additional Books in Roman Catholic and other Bibles include writings which are helpful, but NOT the inspired Word of God.
The word Apocrypha means “hidden.”
Gnostic Books (& gospels) which some *claim as part of the Bible oppose the Holy Scriptures and Word of God.
*The term apocryphal is also applied to other books that are New Testament forgeries. An example of this would be the Gospel of Thomas, which claims to have been written by Jesus’ disciple Thomas. The book, however is a forgery.
Some contemporary ‘translations’ of the Bible are *biased against true Scripture and do NOT actually translate Scripture from the original Hebrew and Greek.
*Examples of Anti-Trinitarian bias of the NWT (New World Translation) of the Jehovah Witnesses cult non-secure links to authoritative research by Bruce M. Metzger from Christianity Today available.
The BIBLE
I will not go into detail here concerning the Canon of Scripture and historical affirmations of the Authority of God’s word.
– i.e. Canon So-and-so, Bishop of Rome, London, etc.}
Technically, the HISTORY of the Bible is NOT itself, DOCTRINE, however one cannot fully appreciate the Bible now in print for most anyone without a brief look at how the Canon of Scripture came about.
Since many respected theologians have provided proofs of the authenticity of the Books of the Bible [66 total] included in the teachings of the church, I will highlight just a few dates for your further research if you desire.
Although I use and refer to several sources, if I could suggest one indexed authoritative source for your person answer to questions about the Bible I recommend:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/index.cfm
Creeds & the Canon of Scripture
The Biblical Canon
is the collection of scriptural books that God has given his corporate people, which are distinguished by their divine qualities, reception by the collective body, and their apostolic connection, either by authorship or association.
A final attribute of canonical books is that they are written by God’s chosen agents, his inspired prophets and apostles. Put simply, not just anyone can speak for God; .. prophets and other inspired spokesmen .. it included the apostles, Christ’s authoritative witnesses …
‘We have good historical evidence…‘
A few of the historical events of note which have constantly and consistently affirmed the Authority of God through the Holy Bible.
‘The earliest Christian creed is found in the New Testament, which declares, “Jesus is Lord.”’ – R.C. Sproel, Avoiding Theological Anarchy
Because of the confused political and religious situation of the time, Luther was called before the political authorities rather than before the pope or a council of the Roman Catholic Church.
“I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God, I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” – Martin Luther at Worms
Look at the timeline of man’s history as if the mark on the left is creation. Suppose man (adam) is a second mark and Noah a third. Then Abraham and Moses followed by David, with generations and centuries unmarked.
In the middle of the line a notable mark of the division of time follows which we note as B.C. (or BCE) and A.D. (from the Latin: Anno Domini – ‘In the year of our Lord’).
Before this dividing mark of time between BC and AD, David has reigned and the Prophets have spoken.
THEN..
Jesus Christ is born, teaches, crucified and resurrected (a challenge to mortal time).
His life as God With Us (Immanuel) delineates a beginning to these last days.
Our timeline of these last days endures through persecution of the faithful while the Lord wins repentant sinners.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. – 2 Peter 3:9
Following the fall of Rome and rise of false prophets the church witnesses the way of Christ Jesus.
History records the printing of the Bible, reformation of the faith and enlightenment of mindful godlessness.
The nations learn of Christ, empires rise and fall toward an inevitable end, the omega of time. Christ IS near in the omega of these last days, the end of time measured by the created of the Lord God Almighty.
Ω Ō, o’-meg-ah; the last letter of the Greek alphabet, i.e. (figuratively) the finality:—Omega.
Observe any line, even a timeline of history.
It has a beginning (Α, ἄλφα) and it has an end (Ω, Omega).
Yet look beyond the visible beginning and visible end of the line and in your mind’s eye observe the infinite extension of that which is visible.
Look above (heavenward) and below: consider the expanse of so much which the line does not touch.
— Omega revealing the end
Our created living souls can barely grasp it!
The refracted light of our postmodern enlightenment clouds the clarity of the One true Light.
Time and creation have cause. The Lord will surely accomplish His purpose and the saving of His own at the end.
Before the Α, After the Ω
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31
One commandment from God to man, a simple life in paradise:
“.. of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:17b
Yet man chooses trespass to just one simple command from God. A just and righteous LORD must punish sin.
The Lord God said.. to Adam he said: “.. for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.” – Genesis 3 excerpt
Living toward life’s end
LATER in Scripture - from a conversation of a righteous man.
Although Job appears later in the Bible his place in the timeline of history is closer to Abraham than to David.
… so I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
6 My days are swifter.. and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.
17 What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, 18 visit him every morning and test him every moment?
Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.” – Job 7:21
… and in Hades, being in torment… And he called out, ‘… have mercy on me.., for I am in anguish in this flame.’
ᾅδης – hadēs
What do you expect of inevitable death and deserved hell?
(Or do you yet claim blemished goodness with eyes that will not see death?)
Hell [Hades] holds captive many living souls by the certainty of our own sins.
Roman, Hellenist and Hebrew understanding of Jesus’ mention of Hades fits the definition:
name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions
Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead
later use of this word: the grave, death, hell
Yet note a subtlety of the root word of Hades:
From the negative participle of Alpha and εἴδω – eidō, a word meaning ‘to see’ or ‘to know.’
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. – Revelation 20:1
Do you yet see our vulnerability to the punishment for sin after our end without Christ?
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. – Ezekiel 12:2
After the Omega, saved in Christ
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.. – 1 Timothy 1:15
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
.. and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
“We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ)...
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment:
the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…
“And behold, I am coming soon.
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
“Come.”
And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
