When asked what the three most important elements in real estate are, realtors respond: ‘location, location, location.” Such a response usually gets a chuckle, but the issue really isn’t a laughing matter. Those three responses are the most important issues in real estate and giving consideration to them will save you from making a colossal error in buying a home.
If you asked Christian scholars what the three most important elements of the Bible are, they would respond: ‘revelation, inspiration, and preservation.’ I understand, it lacks the humorous and catchy flair of the real estate answer, but consideration of these three issues will prevent you from making a colossal error in discovering God.
These words are more then theological terms. Revelation, inspiration, and preservation are the processes by which God communicated His Word to humankind. We know the Bible is credible because of the evidences found internally and externally (science, history, etc.), but how do we know that it is 100% pure? For instance: how do we know that the writers didn’t copy some other writing during their day, or just make something up, and then pass it off as ‘scripture from God?’ And how do we know what we have today (hold the Bible up) is exactly what the original authors wrote? The three words I mentioned will be our answers. Let’s examine each of them briefly:
I. REVELATION—Hebrews 1:1-2.
A. Revelation is the act of making something known that was previously unknown.
1. According to Hebrews 1:1-2, divine revelation occurred by two means:
a. Verse 1—“God…spake in time past…by the prophets.”
1) God’s prophets were given His Word by visions and by voice.
2) At first thought, one might think this could be easily faked. After all, who would know?
3) But according to Deuteronomy 18:22 God provided at least two ways to test the authenticity of a prophet:
a) First, the prophet had to speak in the name of the Lord.
b) Second, everything he said had to come to pass! No exceptions!
c) Listen to this verse: Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously.”
4) According to Deuteronomy 18:20, when a prophet spoke “presumptuously,” he died: “…the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”
[Illustration: By contrast, Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormon religion, which is also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) claimed to be a prophet and made several predictions. Not one of them has ever occurred! He wrote the Book of Mormon. It records history that has been proven to be false, prophecies that have never taken place, and huge amounts of confirmed and documented plagiarism (i.e. taking the writings or ideas of someone else and using them as your own!). When someone accepts the Book of Mormon as authentic and pure; they accept the writings of a foolish, deluded, “presumptuous” liar! This is the difference between the Bible and fiction—DIVINE REVELATION! See ’The Kingdom of the Cults’ by Walter Martin, chapter six.]
b. The second means of divine revelation is found in Hebrews 1:2, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.”
1) In the New Testament, the gospels record the literal words of Jesus, and the gospel writers, along with the apostles, quote His words throughout the remainder of the Bible.
2) The apostle Paul testifies his writings came by this means in Galatians 1:11-12, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” [It came by revelation!]
[The means by which God insured and guaranteed an accurate record of this revelation is:]
II. INSPIRATION—II Timothy 3:16.
A. The word ‘inspiration’ means ‘to breath.’ Thus, Paul tells Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God;” i.e. from His mouth! He spoke it!
1. Paul reiterates this truth in writing to the Romans (3:2) concerning the advantages of being Jewish. He says, “unto them were committed the oracles [or verbal utterances] of God.” [According to Webster’s Old English dictionary, 1828]
2. The importance of this fact is obvious. Scripture is not a collection of the ‘thoughts, feelings, commentaries, or ideas of humankind.’ It is the very words spoken by God Himself!
B. In II Peter 1:20-21 we are given the process by which inspiration occurred. Here we are told:
1. “Holy men of God spake as they were” “moved by the Holy Ghost.”
a. This is wonderfully illustrated in God’s call to Jeremiah (1:4-6—don’t read). God’s response to Jeremiah in verse 9 illustrates the process of inspiration, “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”
b. Moses wavered when God called him because he was fearful of what to say. Exodus 4:12 records God’s answer to him, “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”
c. In Acts 22:14-15 Ananias spoke these words to the newly converted apostle Paul, “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.”
d. This is the process of inspiration. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
[Revelation is the act of making something known that was previously unknown. Inspiration is the means by which God insured and guaranteed an accurate record of this revelation. But that was so many years ago! How do we know what we have today is what they wrote? How do we know our Bible is 100% pure? These questions are answered by our last theological term:]
III. PRESERVATION—Psalms 12:6-7.
A. God gives us three specific pieces of information in these verses:
1. God’s words are “pure words.”
2. God’s words are “tried” severely, but always survive!
3. God will “keep” and “preserve” them “for ever!” It’s His responsibility!
B. This is very important because, revelation and inspiration mean nothing to us apart from preservation!
1. We often hear preachers and teachers of the Bible make reference to ‘the originals,’ but the only writings that exist are copies.
a. These copies are just portions of a text or a verse.
b. The materials used to make copies were inferior and wore out quickly and easily.
c. There is no such thing as an existing ‘original,’ only a large number of small pieces of text.
d. Grouped together, these pieces provide us with the entire Bible.
e. Through the years, scholars have divided these pieces (or portions) into three main groups of manuscripts.
f. The Authorized Version (commonly referred to as the King James Version) flows from one of these three manuscript divisions. The Douay Rheims Version flows from another one of these three manuscripts and all other versions since 1901 have flowed from the third division of manuscripts.
g. Ultimately, everyone has to decide, if God preserved His Word, where is it? In my opinion, God’s Word is preserved for the English speaking people in the Authorized Version.
g. Here are a few of the texts I always check to verify correctness: Matthew 1:25 (“firstborn” is missing—attack on the virgin birth); Luke 2:33 (“child’s father” is substituted for the word “Joseph”—attack on the virgin birth); John 1:18 (“the only begotten Son” referring to Jesus, is reduced to ‘the only son’—attack on the deity of Christ); and First Timothy 3:16 (“God was manifest in the flesh” has been reduced to ‘he was manifest in the flesh’—attack on the deity of Christ). These are only a few of literally hundreds of variant readings found in other versions that consistently attack the fundamental doctrines of truth.
C. Apart from preservation, the only statement anyone can make about the Bible is that ‘it contains’ God’s Word.
1. Preservation allows us to say without apology or fear of contradiction, the Bible “IS” the Word of God.
Conclusion: God’s Word is inspired, accurate, and life-changing. What should be our response to such a precious gift? We must believe it, study it, honor it, love it, obey it, fight for it, preach it, and live it!
Let’s pray
