What?! The Bible is not the Word of God!

[Bro.David Drake DeLaurento]

Vanguard Moblie Published an piece called

Article by Faith

By Femi Aribisala

Nowhere in the bible is it said or implied that the bible is the word of God. As a matter of fact, the bible is not even in the bible. Scriptures referring to the word of God never refer to the bible. For example, Moses says: “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram.’” (Genesis 15:1). It was not the bible that spoke to Abram. The word of God came to him before any scriptures were written and before the bible was compiled. Therefore, neither the scriptures nor the bible can be the word of God.

John says: “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 with-out Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3). This immediately disqualifies the bible as the word of God. Just think how incongruous it would be to substitute “the word” in John’s verses for “the bible.” It would read: “In the beginning was the bible, and the bible was with God, and the bible was God. The bible was in the beginning with God. All things were made through the bible, and without the bible nothing was made that was made.”

However, the bible was not with God in the beginning; and the bible is not God. The bible did not create the world. It was not even in existence at the creat-ion of the world. The first Christian bible was not published until 1516.

Living word

John says: “I saw heaven opened,and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True … He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:11-13). John did not see the bible: he saw Jesus.

Hebrews also proclaims: “The word of God is living and powerful.., and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). Certainly, this is not referring to the bible. The bible contains dead letters. It cannot discern the thoughts and intents of its readers. But that is Jesus’ speciality. Jesus says: “I am He who searches the minds and hearts.” (Revelation 2:23). It is Jesus, and not the bible, that is the word of God.

A definitive feature of the word of God is that it has and gives life. John says of the word: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4). But Jesus maintains there is no life in the scriptures. He says to the Jews: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40).

The Jews searched the scriptures in the mistaken assumption eternal life could be obtained by reading them. But alas, they could find no life in them because the life is in Jesus. God himself is eternal life and it is vain to seek the living among the dead. (Luke 24:5).

The scriptures are signposts identifying Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6). But in order to inherit eternal life, we have to come to Jesus himself, and not just read the bible.

Divorced from God, the letter in the bible kills, but the spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6). Jesus says: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). It is the word that Jesus speaks, the word that comes directly from the mouth of God, which gives life. It is God’s spoken word and not the inspired written word that is the word of God. Jesus says: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).

Living bible

This explains why Jesus had no secretary, and why he asked no one to record his words in a book. Jesus did not promise that God would inspire the compilation of his words into a bible for future reference. Instead, he promises his disciples that: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26).

This makes the Holy Spirit our living bible. He delivers the word of God to us directly at critical junctures in our lives as required. John confirms this: “You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, in your hearts, so that you don’t need anyone to teach you what is right. For he teaches you all things, and he is the Truth, and no liar.” (I John 2:27).

Thus, if the word of God was with God in the beginning, where is it now? One thing is for sure, it cannot be in a bible. Even Moses, the law-giver, tells us where to find it. He says: “It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” (Deuteronomy 30:12-14).

New Testament

Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, God has placed his word in our hearts and minds. Indeed, that is the promise of the New Testament. God says: “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

Thus, the word of God is delivered to us direct-ly by the Holy Spirit and not through a bible. Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: “He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but what-ever He hears He will speak.” (John 16:13). This means the Holy Spirit will never cont-radict the words of Jesus in the bible.

The bible reveals the word of God came to some people in the past. Thereby, it encourages us to establish similar relationships with God today. John says: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” (I John 1:3-4).

This is part one of his arguement... Stay tuned...

[retroHelen]

What a lot of muddled logic and misread facts! God spoke many times to people with different instructions, but just because you cannot substitute Bible in the narrative wherever 'God's word' is written does not negate the Bible as God's Word as well. God did not only speak Bible, but many other words too, just like any other author.

This article's weird logic is like saying: Did Walt Disney do Mickey Mouse films? If he did then the way to test it is that anything he says in interviews to journalists about his life,you should be able to substitute the words Mickey Mouse in every interview and if they don't fit, then he didn't make Mickey Mouse films. What kind of logic is that?

I do not know what the article's writer is referring to when she ways"the first Christian Bible was published in 1519??"

Gutenberg Bibles were printed in the 1450's. The first canon of the whole thing we call the by the name Bible was known by at least the end of the 2nd Century, not long after the Aposlte John died.Enough lists of divine scripture and quotations by early 'Christians in their letters tell us what books were accepted as Holy Writ/Scripture Hebrew and Greek Christian Scripture.The name Bible was known in the Latin as Biblitheca Divina by the time of Jerome in the 300's AD/CE. These Bibles were handwritten codex stitched and passed about in big satchels, so could be regarded as 'published' in that sense.See "All Scripture Inspired Book" page 299 "The Bible and it's Canon"

Article above says Jesus didn't ask anyone to write what he said in a book. What about Jesus to the Apostle John? Revelation 1:11;21:5

Bible just means library of smaller books, but they were and are Divine Inspiration. In fact they are the only way to know who Christ is for both those in the past and us today. This article is a typical 'Christendom' way of dismissing the Bible as a thing of the past not relavent for today, leaving the believer following whatever the present day churchleaders come up with, but does not tie in with the fact God does not change and what he wrote then works as much today and is still as important.Dismisses Jesus and the Aposltes example of proving the Truth with quotations from their Bible the Septuagint and the later gospels and letters.Acts 15:23,30 Some of the Bible even admits it was not written for people in the past because it was written as prophecy for future generations, so the prophet (eg Daniel) admits he did not understand it when he wrote it, so ignoring it and it's prophetic signs, so obviously being fulfilled today, is at your peril! What they don't get is that you need God's approval and to be a conduit for Holy spirit to understand the Bible and it's prophecy and as the writer and others in Christendom don't seem to have it, they won't get it's message for them today.

[rbrown1205]

I think that this author is trying to establish that we don't need the Bible to determine what is the truth, all we have to do is have a close relationship with Jesus and he will supply us with all we need to know.

That is an extremely dangerous attitude, often presented by persons who either have misunderstood something they read in the Bible and won't accept, or, the Bible condemns something that they want to do or believe.

But, the Bible, meaning the Holy Scrptures, the sixty six books, unifies the message from God, and it has plenty of testimony that proves that it is from God. If someone says that God told them XYZ, and it does not agree with the Bible, this is reason enough to say that the message is not from God.

(1 John 4:1) Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

Here are a few more scriptures that indicate that God wants a unified written message to mankind.:

(Proverbs 30:5)  Every saying of God is refined. He is a shield to those taking refuge in him.  Add nothing to his words, that he may not reprove you, and that you may not have to be proved a liar

(1 Corinthians 10:11) Now these things went on befalling them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have arrived.

(1 Corinthians 4:6, 7) Now, brothers, these things I have transferred so as to apply to myself and A·pol′los for YOUR good, that in our case YOU may learn the [rule]: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” in order that YOU may not be puffed up individually in favor of the one against the other.  For who makes you to differ from another? Indeed, what do you have that you did not receive? If, now, you did indeed receive [it], why do you boast as though you did not receive [it]?

[retroHelen]

:rockon:Roberta!

- along with Revelation 22:18,19/Deuteronomy 4:2 Neither add nor subtract from God's Words or the one doing it will find themselves permanently subtracted.

So many Western faiths now based on 'how you feel' -all Me-ism and minimising God's Truth in the Bible, so it doesn't get in the way of their personal emotions opinions or lifestyles.

[Hallett 82]

:rockon:Roberta!

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So many Western faiths now based on 'how you feel' -all Me-ism and minimising God's Truth in the Bible, so it doesn't get in the way of their personal emotions opinions or lifestyles.

So right. All the twisting people are doing today to sit on the fence. They want the Bible to go away but just in case there is a God, they politely keep one in the corner as an ornament (or talisman). In reality, Jehovah KNOWS who is thinking on His name by the minute, so all the touchy-feely me'ism is not fooling Him. He said there would be a divide and now we see how wide it really is.

(first comment done!) ;-)

[Bro.David Drake DeLaurento]

:rockon:Roberta!

- - - - - - - :

So many Western faiths now based on 'how you feel' -all Me-ism and minimising God's Truth in the Bible, so it doesn't get in the way of their personal emotions opinions or lifestyles.

So right. All the twisting people are doing today to sit on the fence. They want the Bible to go away but just in case there is a God, they politely keep one in the corner as an ornament (or talisman). In reality, Jehovah KNOWS who is thinking on His name by the minute, so all the touchy-feely me'ism is not fooling Him. He said there would be a divide and now we see how wide it really is.

(first comment done!) ;-)

Just as the Apostle Paul when he visited the Bereans and they "studied the scriptures diligently" and we're found worthy of him mentioning them, so to Jehovah's people who test every inspired expression to see if it originates from Jehovah's spirit. Satan is using the same design as during the dark ages of condemning those who sought the truth in the bible. Today he is more subtle only because religious freedom cannot oppress the bible that has been distributed world wide. So Satan is trying to discredit its contents by using reasoning that is demon inspired. Jehovah uses his people to discredit such Mickey Mouse analogies. Thank Jehovah for his Spirit in these last days.