To be against the Bible is to be against God. It is the duty of every Christian to conform to God’s will. It’s not for God to conform to us. I believe that with my whole heart, and it humbles and convicts me every day.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul declared:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (II Timothy 3:16, KJV)
The Greek word behind “scripture” is γραφὴ (graphē), which is where we get the word “autograph” from. In the context of this verse, Paul is referring to the sacred or holy γραφὴ (graphē), which is clear from the previous verse (see II Timothy 3:15). And he says that all γραφὴ (graphē) which are holy, i.e. scripture, come from God.
Paul uses a term that may be original to him, and that is θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). It ties Scripture to the proverbial breath of God. According to II Timothy 3:16, Scripture is God-breathed.
Therefore, let’s use a simple syllogism here. For those who need a refresher in logic, a syllogism constitutes a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given propositions or premises.
As an example, here is perhaps the most famous syllogism of all…
- Premise A: All humans are mortal.
- Premise B: Aristotle is human.
- Conclusion: Aristotle is mortal.
If more people today retained the ability to engage in basic logical reasoning like this, many of our problems would be solved. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Nevertheless…
We’ve established at least one premise from II Timothy 3:16, and that is…
Scripture comes from God. It is, in fact, God-breathed.
Is the Bible “Scripture”? That’s the next important question. To answer that, we have to consider whether the books we have in the Bible should be in the Bible. And we have to consider whether the Bible has been successfully passed down to us today since there are no original autographs (writings) that have survived. In other words, do we have an accurate Bible available to us today?
Well, let’s go to the experts…
“The Bible is the most reliable of all ancient documents, both in the number of manuscripts that have been found and in the fidelity with which they have been preserved… there is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.”
F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, 6th edition, 1981
“The Bible has been the most scrutinized book in all of history, and yet it stands firm. It has been tested in every way, and yet it endures. No other book has withstood such attacks and emerged with its credibility intact.”
John MacArthur, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, Thomas Nelson, 2007
Cutting to the chase…
Yes, we have an accurate Bible available to us today. And, yes, the Bible constitutes Scripture.
That gives us our second premise, which is…
The Bible is synonymous with the Scriptures, and we have an accurate Bible available to us today.
Now, let’s engage in a little logical reasoning using that great tool called a syllogism…
- Premise A: Scripture comes from God. It is, in fact, God-breathed.
- Premise B: The Bible is synonymous with the Scriptures, and we have an accurate Bible available to us today.
- Conclusion: The Bible is the word of God. The Bible is God-breathed.
And, from that, we can extrapolate one more conclusion…
Once we have “rightly divided the word of truth” (a phrase from II Timothy 2:15) what the Bible says on a given subject, we can conclude we have God’s take on that subject.
If we disagree with the Bible’s take on a subject, we disagree with God’s take on the subject, because…
God speaks through the Bible.
Seems pretty simple, right?
Now a word of caution…
I’m well aware of two very important facts:
- It’s not always easy for us to accurately understand the Bible
- The Bible has been twisted, distorted, and weaponized to exploit, abuse, and hurt people.
So, when I say…
To disagree with the Bible is to disagree with God
…I’m not saying that to disagree with my interpretation of the Bible is to disagree with God.
There is quite often a difference between the actual, objective meaning of a biblical passage and what someone says that biblical passage means.
It’s not our job to determine the meaning of a passage. It’s our job to discover it. And to do that requires that we approach the Bible with prayer, humility, commitment, discipline, accountability, and wisdom.
And when God leads us to the correct and proper meaning (and application) of a biblical passage, it’s our job to conform our lives to that meaning and carry out that application.
Why? Because it’s our job to submit to God.
Thank you for reading. You may also find these articles interesting…
- “These Books Will Help You Better Understand the Bible” (published by KOINONIA on Medium)
- “Problems With Christianity? Read These 5 Books” (self-published on Medium)
And if you wish to support my ministry, I’d be grateful (but no pressure whatsoever!).
Please Note: As always, the views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the church I’m honored to serve as pastor. The views are mine and all comments, concerns, and questions should be directed to me.
