What does the Bible say about itself? To me, this is a fascinating question because its answer demonstrates the firm foundation that our faith rests upon. Simply stated, we believe that God has revealed himself in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is more than a book of antiquity, it is the very Word of God. The reformer Martin Luther illustrates this well. When asked about the success of the Reformation, he confidently stated, “I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and my Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing. The Word did it all.” Luther’s reflective statement demonstrates the authority and power of the Word of God. With that concept in mind, it is good for us to recall that these are God’s very own words (i.e. a verbal plenary inspiration) and that they demonstrate the self-authenticating nature of the Bible. Consider these following citations from the Bible where it talks about itself (the italics highlight key words and concepts about the Holy Scriptures):
- In numerous citations throughout the Bible where it says, “Thus saith the LORD”
- Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
- Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (vs. 14) “But the word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”
- Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
- Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
- Isaiah 55:10-11 “…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
- Luke 24:44-48 “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.'”
- John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me…”
- John 10:35b “…and Scripture cannot be broken.” (Jesus quotes from Ps. 82:6)
- John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
- 2 Timothy 2:9 “But the word of God is not bound!”
- 2 Timothy 3:15 “…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
- Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”
- 2 Peter 1:19-21 “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
- 2 Peter 3:15-16 “…just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”
I hope you have enjoyed reflecting on these stirring passages about the Bible from the pages of Holy Scripture. Many more biblical citations could be listed, but suffice it to say these particular ones give the Christian some idea of the strength of our spiritual foundation. In brief, it can be resolutely affirmed that the Bible is authoritative, inspired, inerrant, infallible, perspicuous (i.e. its central message is abundantly clear), and sufficient.
We have a firm foundation, indeed!
–Dr. Marcus J. Serven