The God of Truth and the Truthfulness of the Bible
The God of Truth and the Message of the Bible
Deut. 18:15-22
"I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him."
The Christian faith stands or falls on the truthfulness of its message. A central tenet of the Christian faith has always been the inspiration (the Bible is from God) and inerrancy (the Bible is written in the original text without error). From the very beginning of the church, these two truths were affirmed. Origin (185-253 AD) affirmed that "the Scriptures themselves are divine, i.e., were inspired by the Spirit of God." So also, Irenaeus (130-202 AD) affirmed that the "Scriptures are indeed perfect." Throughout history, the church has affirmed both these essential truths.
However, with the rise of post-modernism and moral relativism, there has been a fresh attack upon these two truths in recent years. While some affirm that the Bible is inspired and its teachings authoritative, it is not inerrant and therefore contains errors that reflect the writers' bias. But this leads us to two critical questions. First, "Is God powerful and sovereign enough to guide the human writes to record his message without error?" Second, "Can a God of truth be associated with what is false?"
In this passage, we see both of these questions answered. Throughout the Exodus period, Moses was the one through whom God communicated his message to the people, including the law. However, as the people were on the verge of entering the promised land, the question arose who would be the prophetic voice from God, and how would they know that he was from God? This is especially critical since the nations around them were steeped in idolatry. In response, God makes it clear that he will raise up another prophet like Moses (vs. 15 and 18). He will speak for God, and the people are responsible for listening to him.
In telling them of these coming prophets, God makes it clear that he will put his words in their mouths, and they will only speak what God commands. In other words, in answer to the first question, "Is God sovereign to guide the prophets to speak only his words so that they are absolutely true," the answer is yes. God is actively engaged in communicating his Word, and he sovereignly supersedes its writing. This is also affirmed in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:19-21. The Bible did not originate from the minds of men, but the mind of God, and he sovereign oversaw its message. Certainly, the God who holds the universe in his hand is powerful and sovereign enough to ensure that the writers recorded his message with complete accuracy. Otherwise, he would not be sovereign.
In verses 20-21, we discover the answer to the second question: "Does a God of truth tolerate what is false?" The answer is an emphatic no! Because God is a God of truth, what is false is a violation of his nature, which he does not tolerate. Therefore if the prophet records anything inaccurate, even if he is 99% accurate in the rest of his prophecies, he is identified as a false prophet. If there is even one thing that does not come true, he is not only to be rejected as a false prophet, but he is to be executed (Deut. 13:5, see also Titus 1:2). God will not tolerate or accept anyone who claims to convey his message without one hundred percent accuracy.
Consequently, we can be confident the Bible is both inspired and inerrant, not because of the wisdom of the human writers, but because of the character of God who guided them. God is true, and he cannot lie. Therefore we can rest in confidence in the teaching of his Word. The real problem is not with God's failing to give us his Word without error. The problem is humanity's failure to accept and live by his Word. This is what should concern us today.
Deut. 18:15-22
"I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him."
The Christian faith stands or falls on the truthfulness of its message. A central tenet of the Christian faith has always been the inspiration (the Bible is from God) and inerrancy (the Bible is written in the original text without error). From the very beginning of the church, these two truths were affirmed. Origin (185-253 AD) affirmed that "the Scriptures themselves are divine, i.e., were inspired by the Spirit of God." So also, Irenaeus (130-202 AD) affirmed that the "Scriptures are indeed perfect." Throughout history, the church has affirmed both these essential truths.
However, with the rise of post-modernism and moral relativism, there has been a fresh attack upon these two truths in recent years. While some affirm that the Bible is inspired and its teachings authoritative, it is not inerrant and therefore contains errors that reflect the writers' bias. But this leads us to two critical questions. First, "Is God powerful and sovereign enough to guide the human writes to record his message without error?" Second, "Can a God of truth be associated with what is false?"
In this passage, we see both of these questions answered. Throughout the Exodus period, Moses was the one through whom God communicated his message to the people, including the law. However, as the people were on the verge of entering the promised land, the question arose who would be the prophetic voice from God, and how would they know that he was from God? This is especially critical since the nations around them were steeped in idolatry. In response, God makes it clear that he will raise up another prophet like Moses (vs. 15 and 18). He will speak for God, and the people are responsible for listening to him.
In telling them of these coming prophets, God makes it clear that he will put his words in their mouths, and they will only speak what God commands. In other words, in answer to the first question, "Is God sovereign to guide the prophets to speak only his words so that they are absolutely true," the answer is yes. God is actively engaged in communicating his Word, and he sovereignly supersedes its writing. This is also affirmed in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:19-21. The Bible did not originate from the minds of men, but the mind of God, and he sovereign oversaw its message. Certainly, the God who holds the universe in his hand is powerful and sovereign enough to ensure that the writers recorded his message with complete accuracy. Otherwise, he would not be sovereign.
In verses 20-21, we discover the answer to the second question: "Does a God of truth tolerate what is false?" The answer is an emphatic no! Because God is a God of truth, what is false is a violation of his nature, which he does not tolerate. Therefore if the prophet records anything inaccurate, even if he is 99% accurate in the rest of his prophecies, he is identified as a false prophet. If there is even one thing that does not come true, he is not only to be rejected as a false prophet, but he is to be executed (Deut. 13:5, see also Titus 1:2). God will not tolerate or accept anyone who claims to convey his message without one hundred percent accuracy.
Consequently, we can be confident the Bible is both inspired and inerrant, not because of the wisdom of the human writers, but because of the character of God who guided them. God is true, and he cannot lie. Therefore we can rest in confidence in the teaching of his Word. The real problem is not with God's failing to give us his Word without error. The problem is humanity's failure to accept and live by his Word. This is what should concern us today.
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