Jesus on the Infallibility of Scripture | thebereancall.org

Jesus on the Infallibility of Scripture

August 3, 2023
TBC Staff

Christ’s use of Scripture when we hear the Son of God quote the Scriptures, every thing is said, in our view, on their divine inspiration As [17th Century Pastor] Louis Gaussen has asserted, “We are not afraid to say it: when we hear the Son of God quote the Scriptures, everything is said, in our view, on their divine inspiration—we need no further testimony. All the declarations of the Bible are, no doubt, equally divine; but this example of the Savior of the world has settled the question for us at once. This proof requires neither long nor learned researches; it is grasped by the hand of a child as powerfully as by that of a doctor. Should any doubt, then, assail your soul let it behold Him in the presence of the Scriptures!”

    • He knew the Scriptures thoroughly, even to words and verb tenses. He obviously had either memorized vast portions or knew it instinctively: John:7:15.2

    • He believed every word of Scripture. All the prophecies concerning Himself were fulfilled,3 and He believed beforehand they would be.4

    • He believed the Old Testament was historical fact. This is very clear, even though from the Creation (cf. Genesis:2:24 and Matthew:19:4, 5) onward, much of what He believed has long been under fire by critics, as being mere fiction. Some examples of historical facts:

        • Luke:11:51—Abel was a real individual

        • Matthew:24:37–39—Noah and the flood (Luke:17:26, 27)

        • John:8:56–58—Abraham

        • Matthew:10:15; 11:23, 24 (Luke:10:12)—Sodom and Gomorrah

        • Luke:17:28–32—Lot (and wife!)

        • Matthew:8:11—Isaac and Jacob (Luke:13:28)

        • John:6:31, 49, 58—Manna

        • John:3:14—Serpent

        • Matthew:12:39–41—Jonah (vs. 42—Sheba)

        • Matthew:24:15—Daniel and Isaiah

He believed the books were written by the men whose names they bear:

    • Moses wrote the Pentateuch (Torah): Matthew:19:7, 8; Mark:7:10, 12:26 (‘Book of Moses’—the Torah); Luke:5:14; 16:29,31; 24:27, 44 (‘Christ’s Canon’); John:1:17; 5:45, 46;

    • Isaiah wrote ‘both’ Isaiah’s: Mark:7:6–13; John:12:37–416

    • Jonah wrote Jonah: Matthew:12:39–41

    • Daniel wrote Daniel: Matthew:24:15

    • He believed the Old Testament was spoken by God Himself, or written by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, even though the pen was held by men: Matthew:19:4, 5; 22:31, 32, 43; Mark:12:26; Luke:20:37.

    • He believed Scripture was more powerful than His miracles: Luke:16:29, 31.

    • He actually quoted it in overthrowing Satan! The O.T. Scriptures were the arbiter in every dispute: Matthew 4; Luke:16:29, 31.

    • He quoted Scripture as the basis for His own teaching. His ethics were the same as what we find already written in Scripture: Matthew:7:12; 19:18, 19; 22:40; Mark:7:9, 13; 10:19; 12:24, 29–31; Luke:18:20.

    • He warned against replacing it with something else, or adding or subtracting from it. The Jewish leaders in His day had added to it with their Oral Traditions: Matthew:5:17; 15:1–9; 22:29; (cf. 5:43, 44); Mark:7:1–12. (Destroying faith in the Bible as God’s Word will open the door today to a ‘new’ Tradition.)

    • He will judge all men in the last day, as Messiah and King, on the basis of His infallible Word committed to writing by fallible men, guided by the infallible Holy Spirit: Matthew:25:31; John:5:22, 27; 12:48; Romans:2:16.

    • He made provision for the New Testament (B’rit Hadashah) by sending the Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh). We must note that He Himself never wrote one word of Scripture although He is the Word of God Himself (the living Torah in flesh and blood, see John, chapter 1). He committed the task of all writing of the Word of God to fallible men—guided by the infallible Holy Spirit. The apostles’ words had the same authority as Christ’s: Matthew:10:14, 15; Luke:10:16; John:13:20; 14:22; 15:26, 27; 16:12–14.

    • He not only was not jealous of the attention men paid to the Bible (denounced as ‘bibliolatry’ by some), He reviled them for their ignorance of it: Matthew:22:29; Mark:12:24.

    • Nor did Jesus worship Scripture. He honored it—even though written by men.

The above leaves no room but to conclude that our Lord Jesus Christ considered the Canon of Scripture as God’s Word, written by the hand of men. Although some religious leaders profess to accept Scripture as ‘God’s Word’, their low view of ‘inspiration’ belies the fact. They believe and teach that Scripture is, to a very significant degree, man’s word. Many of their statements are in essential disagreement with those of Jesus Christ. From the evidence of their books, we conclude that some Christian leaders are opposite to Christ in His regard for the authority, the inspiration, and the inerrancy of Scripture.

And now, the most important point. Jesus Christ was subject to Scripture. Jesus obeyed the Word of God, not man. He was subject to it. If some leaders’ view of inspiration were true, Jesus was subject to an errant, rather casually thrown-together ‘Word of Man’. Jesus would have been subject, then, to the will of man, not the will of God.

Jesus was subject to Scripture as God’s Word. He obeyed it. It was His authority, the rule by which He lived. He came to do God’s will, not His own, and not man’s.

However, in all the details of His acts of redemption, Jesus was subject to Scripture as God’s Word. He obeyed it. It was His authority, the rule by which He lived. He came to do God’s will, not His own, and not man’s. Note how all of His life He did things because they were written—as if God had directly commanded. He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about Himself. The passages are found all over the Old Testament. We cite here only a very few quoted in the New Testament: Matthew:11:10; 26:24, 53–56; Mark:9:12, 13; Luke:4:17–21; 18:31–33; 22:37; 24:44–47.

He Himself is the Word of God. All the words from His lips were the Word of God. (John:3:34). If He had desired, He could have written a new set of rules and they would have been the Word of God. But, He did not. He followed without question the Bible already penned by men.

This is the sensible thing for every believer to do. May all who read this adopt Jesus’ attitude and become subject both to Him as Living Word (living Torah) and to the Bible as the infallible, written Word of God.

https://creation.com/jesus-christ-on-the-infallibility-of-scripture

Copyright © The Berean Call 2016. All rights Reserved.  Click here for copyright permissions.