Chapter 02: God's Word is Truth
Chapter 02: God’s Word is Truth
Left to our own resources we can never come to know God in truth. Scripture unequivocally states that “the world through wisdom did not know God.”6 Man has invented many gods and countless religions, but by himself he is unable to find the true and living God.
How then can we ever come to know the Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth? The biblical answer is both simple and sublime: God makes Himself known to us. God has spoken. Throughout history God communicated His message to man through His appointed messengers, the prophets and the apostles. They were “holy men of God [who] spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”7 The mighty miracles they performed by God’s power witness to the fact that they were the voice of God on earth.
God’s self-manifestation reached its pinnacle in the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. God "has in these last days spoken to us by His Son”8 Jesus is the Word of God, the perfect image of the invisible God, the truth, God with us! God’s revelation is now complete, and the Christian church is duty-bound “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” 9 We should not be looking for some new message, but we should learn and believe what God already said. The Scriptures
We happen to be on the scene long centuries after the prophets, Jesus and His apostles. How can we know God’s revelation entrusted to them? How can we know what they taught? In His wisdom, God saw to it that His Word would be recorded in written form, and this process culminated in what we know today as the Holy Bible. Moses and Paul have died, but their doctrine is still extant in their writings. Though Jesus ascended into heaven, we can still know what He said and did in the pages of the four Gospels. The Bible has a dual authorship. It was written by various men (Ezekiel, Luke, Matthew and others) and at the same time it is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit guided the human authors to write exactly what He wanted them to write, no more and no less. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”10 When we open the Holy Bible we should always keep in mind that we are reading God’s book.
There is no need to doubt the words of Scripture for God can neither lie nor err. In praying to the Father, Jesus said: “Your word is truth.”11
Tradition The concept of “tradition” per se is perfectly acceptable. Tradition simply means teachings and practices transmitted by example, verbal and written means. That is the way we share our faith (through sermons, books, articles, personal witness and other means) with one another, and with the next generation of Christians. Now of course, traditions may be true or false; traditions may have their origin in God or in the human mind. The Bible uses the word “tradition” to describe both false and true teachings.12 In Scripture we do not expect to find everything the prophets, the apostles and the Lord Jesus ever said. However what is recorded is sufficient to teach us the way of salvation, and that’s the point. “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”13 The Bible does not give exhaustive information, but what is sufficient to know God in truth.
It is dangerous to seek spiritual information outside the Scriptures, assuming that there are other crucial doctrines absent in the written Word. Sad to say, the Jews committed this grave error. They were not content to rely solely upon the books of Scripture; alongside these, they held “tradition” in high esteem. The teachings of their forefathers acquired an authority similar to that of Scripture, and the result was tragic. Listen to Jesus’ own evaluation of tradition:
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.”14
God will not approve of our religion if it is not grounded upon His revelation as recorded in Scripture. Neither will He be pleased with that kind of worship based on Scripture mangled by tradition. The Catholic Church receives Scripture as the Word of God, but alongside Scripture she places tradition, which supposedly brings to us the teachings of Christ and His apostles in a living way. Vatican Council II states: “Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.”15
According to the church of Rome, Scripture is not enough. The church places tradition on a par with the Bible. History repeats itself. The Jewish nation, as custodian of the Scripture, added its own sacred tradition; the Catholic Church similarly elevates tradition and esteems it just as reliable as Scripture. Doesn’t such a position make you uneasy? Remember God’s judgement: “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Of course the Catholic Church maintains that her tradition is the Word of God and not “commandments of men.” Nevertheless, if it can be proved that Catholic tradition is nothing else but “the commandments of men,” then we must conclude that Roman Catholic worship is “in vain” before God, as the Scripture warns us. In subsequent chapters we will mention several conflicts between Scripture and the teaching of the Catholic Church. To give just one instance at this stage, we may refer to the use of statues in worship. The second Commandment (not generally taught to Catholics) reads as follows:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”16 At face value this commandment is quite straightforward. Nevertheless the Catholic Church permits and even encourages her laity to bow down and pray before statues of Christ, Mary and other saints. A number of arguments are put forward to justify this practice, but whatever reasons might be given, at the end of the day the fact remains that God prohibits such religious use of graven images. The authority of His Law is final, and if we feel free to lay it aside, then we fall into the same condemnation as the Jews of Jesus’ day: “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition”17 Teachers are Subject to Scripture The Lord gave leaders and teachers to the church in order to have His Word proclaimed and explained. We are meant to follow them as they follow Christ, but it must be kept in mind that not everyone who claims to be a “minister of Christ” is necessarily genuine. The Lord Jesus warned us: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”18 So you will have no excuse on the Day of Judgement if you would have followed false teachers. Be on the alert: “If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch”19 But what kind of test should you apply to know whether a certain teacher is a minister of Christ or not? The prophet is known by his teaching, in the same way as a tree is known by its fruits. If anyone claims to teach God’s Word, yet in actual fact he contradicts Scripture, he is thereby proved to be a liar and deceiver.20 Be sure that you are building your house upon the solid rock of God’s infallible Word. The apostle Paul and Silas preached the gospel to the people in Berea, who welcomed the message with enthusiasm, but they did not stop there. They made it a point to search the Scriptures for themselves, privately, to check the doctrine they had heard from Paul and his companion. “They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”21 Luke, the author of Acts, calls them “fair-minded.” May you be granted such a disposition of mind so that you too would be willing to test the teaching which you learned since childhood in the light of the Bible. Can I Understand Scripture?
God communicated with men in human language. The Bible is not some mysterious book. Its separate books were not addressed to recognized theologians, the clergy and wise men, but to the covenant people of God. For instance, the letters penned by Paul, Peter, James and John were sent to all Christians indiscriminately. “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren,”22 ordered the apostle Paul at the conclusion of his first letter to the Thessalonians. It would have been to no purpose should the letter be read out publicly if it was too difficult to understand. God spoke in such a fashion that His message would prove beneficial and helpful to us. “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”23
You can understand the Bible if you read it diligently. Of course you will never appreciate Scripture if you leave it a closed book. Neither will you profit from it if you read it with an attitude of pride, as if you are sitting in judgement over it. Again, never try to approach Scripture assuming that you are wiser than its Author, or with the intention of twisting its plain meaning in order to justify your present beliefs. You will understand the Bible only if you read and meditate upon it with due humility, with faith, with the intention of obeying it and thus magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. Trust only in the Holy Spirit, who gave us Scripture and is therefore able to make its meaning known to you. Only the Lord can grant you wisdom to grasp His message. “He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”24 Scripture is Enough Have you ever desired to have lived in the time of Christ? What an experience it would have been to hear the words of eternal life as they issued from His lips! “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” What do you think He would have answered? There’s no need to guess. On one occasion a certain lawyer posed this same question to the Lord Jesus. He answered: “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”25 The Lord referred him to Scripture, and that answer applies to us all. In Scripture we find the correct and full answer with regards to our eternal salvation. You may be confident that it will not disappoint you. There’s no need for human philosophy or tradition. The contents of Scripture are sufficient for all our spiritual needs. The Holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 26 Where can you find truth? Where can you be taught the way of salvation? Don’t ever forget the answer: the Holy Scriptures!