What
I believe and why
As we strive to be leaders of our households, we have discussed the need to know God’s word and be able to distinguish the difference between correct Bible teaching and false teaching. The question put to the table is “how do we tell the difference?” First, we have to have a basic understanding of what we believe and why do we believe it? We started with the most basic item. What is the Bible and how do we know that it is true? So lets go:
The Bible:
What is the Bible?? The word of the LORD meaning God’s spoken word, whether directly, through His Angels or through His prophets. Action in the Bible has always been based on God’s word. In the Bible, we see the phrase, “the word of the LORD” 259 times in the NKJV! So, what is the “word of the LORD?” In John 1:1-5 we find John writing these words, “IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
So in the beginning, before the world was created was the “WORD.” The Word was with God and was God at the same time. In Genesis 1:1 we see that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning; same beginning. The interesting thing here is that John defines the Word as a separate entity that has unity in GOD. In Revelation 19:13 John gives us a picture of Jesus coming out of heaven on a white horse. He writes, “He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Jesus’ name is the Word of God and He was there at the beginning and is one with God. He is also called “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” Revelation 19:16. So, if Jesus is the Word and we know that the Word was with God and is God and He is called the Lord, than I think it is safe to say that the “Word of the Lord” becomes self-explanatory.
In Proverbs 30:5-6 we see that every word of God is pure, that is, tested, refined or found pure. In verse 6, we see that we are not to add to His words or He (God) will rebuke you. In Revelation 22:18-19 we see John writing the same thing, “and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” His words are pure. Do not add or take away or else! You will notice that He refers to this book, which of course is the Bible.
In Luke 4:4 we see Jesus stating that, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Where is it written, Deuteronomy 8:3, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” And in Luke 8:11 in the parable of the sower, Jesus says that the “Seed is the word of God.” This illustration that Jesus was giving to a people who understood farming would have been clear to them. The farmer plants the seed, but he cannot make the seed grow. It is God’s will by His breath of life and His order that allows the seed to die to itself and ultimately grow and become food for us. In the same way, His word is the bread of life, that is, eternal life! We must die to ourselves (which we cannot do on our own) and become a new life through God’s word. When we are born again as a new creation in Christ, we are no different than that seed that was planted by the farmer. It is through God, through His word that pierced our hearts (which we cannot see) that we were able to accept his grace and mercy, our salvation and redemption. That means that these words are alive. In Romans 10:17, we see that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Then our faith in Jesus came because we were hearing Gods word (or listening) but the hearing only comes by Gods word.
In Ephesians 6:17, we find that “the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.” In Hebrews 4:12 we see that, “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” We have been able to determine that Jesus is the word, the word was with God, and the word is God. And now we see that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. We believe that Jesus is alive today and dwells within us through His Holy Spirit as He promised. We believe that the Holy Spirit is alive within us as the counselor giving us spiritual guidance. Being alive and being the word of God makes the Bible itself alive and breathing. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we find, “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” You will note that he says that “all Scripture” is God breathed, not some of it or the parts that we like most. This supports the idea that the Bible is God’s spoken (breathed) word.