I do not believe translators are “inspired.” I do believe the “holy men” that God used, who wrote the original text, were inspired to write those precious truths God breathed through them.
• It is hard for me to conceive that God would command a man to PREACH THE WORD, when there was no Word He had preserved to be preached.
• It is hard for me to conceive that God would hold Christians accountable for the teachings of the Bible on Judgment Day, and not preserve His Word and make it available to them.
We find ourselves in a time and in a land where there are many different kinds of “Bibles.” If all of these which are supposed to be God’s Word said the same thing, we could pick any one of them up and read and preach the Word of God from them. However, when comparing the many Bibles available today, we see great differences in them. So, it behooves every child of God to look at the many so-called Bibles before them, and decide WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD!
In our previous sermon we mentioned that in 1611, King James ordered 47 of the smartest Bible scholars of that day from Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford, to translate the original text of God’s Word into the English language. This they did, word for word, words of equal value and with equal meaning. When they completed their assignment, they placed into the hands of the English-speaking people THE WORD OF GOD.
It is interesting that most people do not know this, but the original King James 1611 has been revised 4 times, yet never, in any of those revisions, has the meaning of the original text been altered or tampered with. Some might be asking why it was revised four times. It was because the old English words were spelled differently then and became hard to read.
Illus: In Matthew 6, the Lord’s model prayer, in the old English, contained words spelled like this:
• The word “Our,” was spelled “Oure.”
• The word “hallowed,” was spelled “halowed.”
• The word “kingdom,” was spelled “kyngdome.”
Even though the spelling of these words has been changed so we can read them better, our Bible still retains some of the old English, like “Thee,” “Thy,” and “Thou.” But, at no time has the meaning of those words, translated from the original text, been tampered with. Through these four different revisions of the 1611 King James Bible, only the spelling of the words were updated, never was the meaning changed.
Why did they not want to change the meaning? Because they knew if they changed any of the meaning, it would no longer be a proper translation, true to the original text. There is not one text in this King James Bible that anyone can point to and say the translation distorts, omits, deviates, or dishonors the Lord Jesus Christ in any way. Every word in this King James Bible honors the Lord. However, every translation, version, revision and paraphrase on sale today as the Bible, dishonors the Lord Jesus in some way. For this reason, we say that the King James Bible is the one for English Speaking people today -- THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD! The fact we have it today is nothing short of a miracle!
I. THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE
The Bible itself claims to be the inspired Word of God. Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
We can not conceive that God would create people and hold them responsible on judgment day for His Word, and then not give His Word to them to show them how they should live. Our Creator is not that kind of God!
Illus: During the days when Knute Rockne was coaching Notre Dame, a sports columnist in a South Bend newspaper earned the reputation of being the meanest, most cutting writer in the country. The anonymous writer, who knew Notre Dame well:
• Wrote about the team’s weaknesses
• Pointed out the mistakes of individual players
• Told about those who were lazy, and those who broke training and did not discipline themselves
Of course the column made the players roaring mad. The truth hurt, and players complained to Rockne. He listened with sympathy, but said, “If you do not like what is being written about you, go out and play the game so well that it will prove him wrong.”
Later it became known that the writer of the column was Knute Rockne himself. As coach he was best acquainted with their weaknesses. The critical column was his ingenuous device to develop each player to be the best he could become.
Sometimes the Scriptures speak so sharply about us that it is uncomfortable, but God tells the truth because He loves us and wants us to become the best we can become. In His Word He tells us what we are doing wrong, then He tells us what we should do right. God does not tell us these things to make us feel bad, but like Knute Rockne, God wants us to face up to our short comings and do something about them.
God has given us His Word, this King James Bible. It has been properly translated from the original text so we might be able to say, THIS IS GOD’S WORD, I KNOW WHAT TO DO! God gave us this Bible:
• That we might know the right doctrines to believe in
• For reproof
• For correction
• For instruction in righteousness
• That we may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works
As God’s men preach the Word, it will thoroughly furnish them for every task they face! (2 Tim. 3:16-17) Now that we have considered THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE, let us also notice some things about it.
A. THE BIBLE DEMONSTRATES ITS DIVINE CHARACTER
Look at 1 Peter 1:24-25, we read, “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.” God’s Word states that it, “endureth forever!” Not everyone believes this could be true.
Illus: Infidels, like Robert Ingersol, vowed that the Bible would be done away with, yet he and men like him have long rotted in their graves, and the Word of God is still standing, untouched by the ravages of time.
THE BIBLE DEMONSTRATES ITS DIVINE CHARACTER, also...
B. THE BIBLE DEMONSTRATES ITS DIVINE CLAIM
That is, the Bible stands majestically towering over the clamor of the voices of its enemies that demand an explanation for its world-wide influence.
Illus: God says to puny man, who stands around criticizing the Bible as being God’s Word, “Give an answer of the hope that lieth within you.” That is, “Puny man, if you have something that is better, if you have something more accurate, LET’S HEAR IT! If you do not, then quit making a fool of yourself.”
The Bible is not just another book, it is not even the closest thing to the Word of God -- IT IS THE WORD OF GOD! Through the centuries, man has not produced anything that is BETTER or more ACCURATE than this book we call the Word of God. Now let us look at...
II. THE DIVINE, SUPERNATURAL INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE
We are not talking about NATURAL INSPIRATION like the artist feels when he sees a beautiful scene and feels inspired to put it on canvas. We are not talking about NATURAL INSPIRATION like a song writer may feel after experiencing something in life that inspires him to write a beautiful song. Natural inspiration comes from human genius, and no one can claim that the men God inspired to write this Bible were geniuses.
Illus: Remember that what shocked many on the day of Pentecost was that God used such ordinary men. Look at Acts 2:7. We read, “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?”
Most of the men God used to write this Bible could not be considered to be geniuses. Yet this Bible cannot be challenged for its literary greatness. The Bible does not hold this unique position in literary greatness because of the greatness of men, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS INSPIRED BY GOD!
A. WHEN WE SPEAK OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT
• We do not mean it is inspiring to read, even though it is
• We do not mean that some sections contain the Word of God and some do not. The whole Bible is the inspired Word of God
• We are not talking about men taking mechanical dictation, or becoming human pens
As you read the Bible, you see that each of those great men of God retained their personalities and peculiarities.
• In Luke we see the language and personality of the physician, Luke
• In the writings of Peter, a fisherman, over and over again we hear the voice of a fisherman
• In the writings of Daniel, we see the characteristics of a great statesman
When we speak of the “inspiration” of the Word of God, we mean this Bible was “God breathed.” Even though these men retained their personalities, God breathed out His Word and they wrote it down in the words He wanted them to use, to convey what He wanted to convey to mankind.
Illus: This is similar to what happens when a boss dictates to a secretary. He has a message to convey. As his breath crosses his vocal chords, words are formed and she jots them down precisely as he speaks them.
When we speak of the Bible’s being inspired, we are talking about it being God breathed. God chose men like Peter, James, John, Paul, Matthew, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Moses, David, and Luke. Their minds became the laboratory of God, where God formulated His thoughts and then the men wrote them down. We are not talking about “mechanical dictation.”
WHEN WE SPEAK OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT, but…
B. WHEN WE SPEAK OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
We are speaking of the “plenary inspiration” of the Bible, which simply means that every book of the Bible is equally inspired from Genesis through Revelation.
Illus: The book of Esther does not mention the name of God one time, yet God is seen in every verse. Those who believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, believe the book of Esther is as much as inspired as Daniel.
When we refer to the Bible’s being the inspired, inerrant Word of God, we are talking about “plenary inspiration.” Also, we are talking about VERBAL INSPIRATION. That is, not only were the thoughts inspired, but THE WORDS that God chose to use were inspired. God chose the exact words He wanted written down without intruding on human personality. Thoughts do no lasting good if they are not put into words.
Illus: You may have just the thoughts that could encourage me, but your thoughts will not do me any good until you put them into the right kind of words.
If God had just put thoughts into the minds of His men, we would not have a Bible. He did more:
• This is the “plenary inspired” Word of God -- all books of the Bible, in their entirety are inspired
• This is the “verbally inspired” Word of God -- all words were chosen by God
We have looked at THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, THE DIVINE, SUPERNATURAL INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE, now let us look at…
III. THE DIVINE THEME OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
The Bible tells us...
• What we need to know
• What to believe
• How to behave
The Bible makes the issues of life clear when the world would cause us to doubt God. For example,
• Darwin would have you believe you evolved. You cannot believe that and believe the Bible at the same time. The Bible says that God created us!
• Some would have you believe you are saved as a result of good works. The Bible says we are saved by grace alone
• Some would have you believe people are basically “good.” The Bible says man is rotten to the core and MUST BE BORN AGAIN TO BE SAVED
Everything we need to know, to believe, and to behave is found in the Word of God. However, the central theme of this Bible is the redemption of mankind. From the beginning until the end, the central message is that God loves mankind, and sent His Son to die on Calvary for their sins.
In John 5:39 we read, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
Look at the words, “Search the scriptures...” The word “SEARCH” is translated from the Greek word which means “ransacked.”
Illus: Did you know a thief will find things in your house you forgot you had? Why? Because he will “ransack” your home from one end to the other.
As we search (ransack) the scriptures, they will reveal that mankind is lost and on his way to a devil’s hell, but that God loves him and sent His Son to die for his sins. The theme of the Bible is the redemption of fallen man.
Through the centuries of time, ungodly people have HEARD THE WORD of God, placed their faith in the SAVIOR THIS BIBLE PROCLAIMS, and supernatural things have happened in their lives as they were born again.
Now, let me show you one more thing about this precious Bible we have, that is...
IV. THE DIVINE, UNIQUE UNITY OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
This Bible stands out majestically above every book on the face of this earth. THERE IS NO BOOK ON THIS EARTH LIKE THIS BOOK I HOLD IN MY HANDS!
For example, the PERFECT UNITY of this Book of Books is miraculous!
This Bible was written by forty men over a period of 15 centuries.
• They were from all walks of life
• Many never knew the others existed
Yet what they wrote dovetails together without any contradictions. A work like this could only have been accomplished by men inspired of God.
Illus: You can pick up two newspapers and read the reports by two reporters about the same incident, and find their articles contradict each other.
There is no contradiction in these sacred pages. There are some things that my finite mind has a hard time comprehending, but that does not mean they are not true. It simply means I am incapable of comprehending it. For example, I do not understand the TRINITY, but that does not mean it is does not exist.
Illus: There are a many things I do not understand. For example, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TELEVISION WORKS, but that does not diminish the fact that it exists.
Forty men, over 15 centuries of time, wrote things as the omniscient God inspired them to write. They themselves did not understand, yet it all fits together like a puzzle. This Book is not the closest thing to the Word of God -- IT IS THE WORD OF GOD!
Conclusion:
Illus: Once a Soviet official was asked why the study of the Bible was frowned upon in his country, and why those who dared to print and distribute it were severely punished. He replied, “We find that the reading of the Book changes people in a way that is dangerous to our state!” Today the Communist countries are asking for Bibles. We understand that Christians there are hungry for God’s Word, but could it be that the governments are approving now because they know many of the translations, versions, revisions, and paraphrases have been so diluted they no longer consider them a threat?
Despite all, God will see to it that His Word survives!
Illus: In 1874 the Scriptures were under severe attack by critics, and John W. Haley published a defense entitled, “Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible.” In the preface he wrote, “Finally, let it be remembered that the Bible is neither dependent upon nor affected by the success or failure of my book. Whatever may become of the latter, whatever may be the verdict passed upon it by an intelligent public, the Bible will stand. In the ages yet to be, when its present assailants and defenders are moldering in the dust, and when our very names are forgotten, (God’s Word) will be, as it has been during the centuries past, the guide and solace of millions.”
I. THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE
II. THE DIVINE, SUPERNATURAL INSPIRATION OF THE
BIBLE
III. THE DIVINE THEME OF THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
IV. THE DIVINE, UNIQUE UNITY OF THE INSPIRED WORD
OF GOD
