The Authority of His Word

The Authority of His Word

Where does the authority of the Bible come from? Does it come from God or from man? The Bible tells us exactly from where that authority is derived.

2 Timothy 3:16-17; 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So, if we believe that the authority of the Bible comes from God, then why do we use man’s conjecture to explain away God’s intentional wording? I realize this is an obscure question, however, I hear this explanation from others so often that it begs the question. When I use Scripture to explain my point of view, I often hear the reply, “I know the Bible says that, but God meant this or such and such, not what it actually says.” Have you ever heard that response or heard someone teaching from the Bible make that statement? I have way too often. Here is the problem with that. The authority of the Word of God is the very words of God. We can only use it effectively if we trust that what it says is backed by Who said it, and we understand that He meant exactly what He said.

Job 33:12-13;12 “...For God is greater than man. 13 Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

We all know the story in the Bible that is referred to as “Satan’s Temptation of Christ." You can find the story in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Every single time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus responded with “…It is written…”. Jesus did not say, “My interpretation of what is written is that God meant this in the words He used." No, He said “It is written.” The authority of the words is dependent on the authority of the originator. Let me give you an example of what I mean by using this very same passage.

Jesus was baptized immediately before He was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit. When He was baptized, God spoke from heaven concerning Jesus.

Matthew 3:16-17; 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice [came] from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Now let’s look at Satan’s conversation with Jesus in the desert.

Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

What do you see, or should I ask, what do you not see? Did Satan quote scripture or did he potentially change God’s words? If you look intently, you will discover that Satan ever so cunningly changed it. Satan left out the word “beloved.” Why did Satan do that? Because he did not want Jesus to be reminded that He was loved by the Father. It is an ever so slight altering of the Word, but it completely changes the impact of the statement. For example, if your mother or father says to you, “You are my daughter”, does it encourage you to make better decisions? Maybe it does a little bit. But if your mother or father says to you, “You are my beloved daughter”, it most certainly encourages you. Knowing you are your parents’ beloved child makes a huge difference in how you see yourself. Satan knows that God speaks with precision, intentionality, and purpose and He does not waste words.

Let me give you another example. Satan is the same ancient snake in the grass he has always been. He is the father of lies and his tactics have not changed since the garden of Eden. What tactic did Satan use there? Let’s look at it together.

Genesis 3:1-5; 1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

What tactic did Satan use? He introduced doubt into Eve's and Adam's confidence in the validity of God's words. He said, “Did God really say that?”. What Satan was essentially asking was, “ …did God really mean what He said or did He mean something else…”. Satan used the tactic of eliciting doubt in the words of God. Satan’s tactics have not changed at all. He knows the power and authority of the Word of God comes from the source of those words, God Himself, so he tries to distort those words to change the meaning. That is the danger in reading God’s Word and then saying, “Yes God said that, but He meant this…”. If we doubt that the very Word of God has a different intention for which it was given, then how can we be expected to speak the words of God with authority?

When the Holy Spirit directed me to write the book Wrong All Along: Revelation Revisited, He was precise, and adamant with His instructions. He told me I was not to use any commentaries at all, nor was I to use any of my previous understanding or interpretation of what I thought was accurate. He specifically said, “Start over without any biases or preconceived assumptions. Start over as if you have never heard a thing about the end-times.” That is what I did, and I found that almost everything that I previously believed or had been taught was not what the Word said. It could not be found. It was all what man believes the Word of God says, even to the teaching of blatant contradictions of what the Word says. Therein lies the danger of saying, “…this is what God meant by saying that…” instead of taking God’s Word at face value. When you alter or manipulate God’s precise words to fit your beliefs instead of simply receiving, you are essentially using the same tactic that Satan used. You are saying, “Did God really say that?”. The destructive intention may not be there, but the resulting effect is the same; the truth is distorted.

God is all-knowing and the creator of language and wisdom. His Words were given with intentionality and authority. The authority of His words derives both from the source and the precision of the thought behind those words. We must stay mindful that God gave us the Bible as our source to defeat the enemy. The Bible is perfect and perfectly worded. Its authority is from God, not from man. So, when you hear these words, “…yes I know the Bible says that, but God meant this by saying that…”, know that there is an enemy out there that wants to discredit and distort the Word of God, because he knows the power behind those words are dependent on the faith that people can place in those words. So take God at His Word, so that when the enemy comes against you (and he will), you can boldly say, “It is written…”.

Hope this helps. Jesus loves you!