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The
Inscripturation of God's Word
Hebrews
1:1-4; 2:1-4
Introduction
The average American home has 4 Bibles; 83% of all U.S. adults believe the Bible is
the Word of God; yet, when asked to name the 4 gospels, 53% of all adult
Americans could not name even one.
What
is going on? It is obvious, isn't it? The most important book in Western
civilization is not read the way it should be.
Louis
L'Amour, famed writer of novels about the American West, wrote a short
story that described a man who liked books. The man was noticed acting
suspiciously as he perused the shelves in a library. He took down a
leather-bound copy of Shakespeare's King Lear and ran his fingers gently
over the cover. He opened the book and felt the pages. Suddenly he tucked
it under his coat and bolted out the door.
Someone who had been watching him ran after the thief and stopped him.
The man willingly surrendered the book. Then he explained. All his life
he had loved books, but he had never learned to read. So he would come to
the library just to hold books. He loved the way they felt in his hands.
That's why he had stolen Shakespeare.
Some
people are like that with their Bible. They enjoy the feel of the leather
as they carry it to church. They love the smell of the pages. They love
the idea of reading the Bible, but they never read it. In fact, a recent
poll indicates that 23% of those who consider themselves to be born-again
Christians never read the Bible.
A
woman wanting to impress the pastor when he came to visit, said to her
little girl, "Honey, go get the book that Mommy loves so much."
The little girl soon returned carrying the new Sears catalog. How
embarrassing that must have been!
I God Spoke
A The Belgic Confession tells us about God's "revealed Word," a
revealed Word which was first spoken and later was written down. The example de Brés gives us is the Ten
Commandments. These commandments were first spoken or thundered by God
from Mount
Sinai
and later were written down by God on the two tablets of stone.
Throughout
history, God has spoken. Scripture makes clear that God has spoken in a
variety of modes or ways. I think here of the opening verses of Hebrews:
(Heb
1:1-2) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways, (2) but in these last days he has spoken
to us by his Son ...
What
are these "various ways"?
The
first way is Theophany.
Theophanies are direct revelations of God to man. God is "seen"
and "heard." Sometimes it is the personal presence of God
Himself, as in the Garden of Eden (cf Gen 2:19; 3:8). At other times God
appears as the Angel of the Lord. Remember how Jacob wrestles with the
Angel of the Lord all night (Gen 32)? Or, remember how three men suddenly
appear before Abraham's tent one day and, after eating, how the Lord
reveals to Abraham the judgment He has planned for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18)? Sometimes the
Lord appears in fire and clouds and smoke. Who can forget the pillar of
cloud by day or pillar of fire by night that stays in front of the
children of Israel while they travel through the wilderness (Ex
13:21,22)?
God's
revelation through Theophany is predominant from the Garden of Eden until
the Exodus. Yet, we still see it after the Exodus. Moses, for instance,
saw and heard God on the mountain top (Ex 32). Elijah saw and heard God,
probably on the same mountain (1 Kings 19). And, at both the baptism and
transfiguration of Christ the voice of God was clearly heard and God
appeared in the dove-like Spirit and a cloud (Mt 3:13ff; Mt 17:1-13).
The
second way is Prophecy.
Prophecies are revelations from God through prophets who receive their
message directly from God, usually by means of a dream or a vision (cf
Num 12:6). The prophet, in turn, must then convey the message thus
received to the people. One of the best examples is Daniel. Time after
time God's Word came to Daniel through dreams or visions. Or, listen to
the opening words of Isaiah and Ezekiel:
(Isaiah
1:1) The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw
during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
(Ezekiel
1:1) In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I
was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened
and I saw visions of God.
This
method of revelation is less intimate than theophany because the prophet
stands between God and the people, and even the prophet receives his
message in a manner somewhat more remote than that of theophany. However,
the message received from the prophet is no less the Word of God than is
the message conveyed by theophany.
This
method of revelation from God is predominant in the period from Moses to
John the Baptist, though it is most probable that God also used this
method to reveal future things to John in exile on the Isle of Patmos.
The
third way of revelation is Jesus
Christ in the flesh. Again, I think of the opening words of Hebrews:
(Heb
1:1-2) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways, (2) but in these last days he has spoken
to us by his Son ...
Jesus
is the unique revelation of God — God in the flesh, the Immanuel,
God with us. His life, His death, His resurrection, and His ministry
— both His words and His deeds, both His teaching and His miracles
— are all the revelation of God. In Jesus, it is God Himself Who is
speaking to us.
Jesus
Christ is, of course, more than a mode of revelation. He is first of all
the way of salvation. He took on flesh, He lived, He died, He arose, to
save and redeem us from our sins.
The
final mode of revelation is by
way of the written Word. We know this as inspiration. In
inspiration the Holy Spirit works in, with, and through different people
in such a manner that the written product is a Word from God. The Apostle
Paul, for instance, claims that what he writes is the Word of God:
(1
Cor 2:13) This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom
but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in
spiritual words.
(1
Cor 14:37) If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him
acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.
(1
Thess 2:13) And we also thank God continually because, when you received
the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word
of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you
who believe.
From
these and similar passages we know that what is written under the
inspiration of the Spirit comes from God.
II God's Word
Inscripturated
God has spoken to man at many times and in various ways: theophany,
prophecy, Jesus Christ incarnate, inspiration. Now,
what's the connection between this revelation and Scripture? How
do we go from the Word of God to the Bible?
We
know of an oral record that stands between the original special
revelation and the Scriptures. For instance, the Creation
account, the story of the Fall, and the record of the flood were all
passed on from one generation to the next by oral means, as fireside
stories. Finally, under the
inspiration of the Spirit, it was Moses who wrote these stories down in
the first five books of the Bible.
We also
know of a written tradition that stands behind the Bible; this is
evident in Scripture itself. We are told about the following books:
-the Book of the Wars of the LORD (Num 21:14)
-the Book of Jasher (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam 1:18)
-the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet, and
the records of Gad the seer
(1 Chron 29:29)
-the Book of the annals of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)
-the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer (2 Chron 12:15)
-finally, listen to the opening words of Luke's Gospel:
(Luke
1:1-2) Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have
been fulfilled among us, (2) just as they were handed down to us by those
who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
The
Bible itself is a selection from and of the original special revelation.
Listen to the Apostle John:
(John
20:30-31) Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his
disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31) But these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name.
(John
21:25) Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written
down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the
books that would be written.
We
are told that Solomon spoke some 3,000 proverbs and his songs were a
1,005. Yet, the book of Proverbs contains only 600 wisdom sayings.
Obviously, there was some selection of material. The same thing happened
with the psalms, with the actions and words of Elijah, and with the
letters of Paul. Did you know, for instance, that Paul wrote 4 letters to
Corinth? Yet, only 2 of them are in Scripture. With the exception of
the book of Revelation, we have to say that all of Scripture involves
selection from the original special revelation.
If the Bible is not the same
as the original special revelation, does this mean that it is not the
Word of God? Absolutely not! The Bible, dear people, is the
revelation of God written down. The Bible, is the Word of God
inscripturated.
It
should seem neither strange nor surprising that the Spirit of God guided
the process of inscripturation. For if divine guidance was necessary in
speaking, much more essential should it be considered in the work of
selecting from and writing down the original revelation.
The
Scriptures themselves offer abundant proof of this. Both the Old and New
Testaments affirm that God commanded men to write down His revelation.
(Exodus
17:14) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as
something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it ..."
(Rev
1:11) (The words of Jesus to John): "Write on a scroll what you see
and send it to the seven churches ..."
III Written Down for our
Salvation
Now, why? Why was the Word of God inscripturated? Why was the Word of God
written down? Why was so much care taken in the writing down of God's
revealed Word? The Belgic Confession tells us:
...
because of the special care (God) has
for us and our salvation ...
Why
does God give us the Bible? God wants to present an account of creation,
fall, and redemption adequate for His eternal purposes and our needs.
What is this eternal purpose? It is God's glory. What is our need? It is
salvation. God gives us the Bible so that to His glory we can be saved.
In
chapter 2, Hebrews talks about the message of salvation in Christ found
in Scripture. And it asks, "how shall we escape if we ignore such a
great salvation?" (Heb 2:3). Scripture was written for our
salvation. In here, congregation, is the Word of life, if only we would
listen and hear and believe. On the other hand, if we ignore Scripture,
if we neglect Scripture, if we reject Scripture, then there is no escape
for us and we are condemned to eternal death. At one and the same time,
Scripture is a Word of salvation or a Word of condemnation.
The
Agta people in the northern Philippines recognize this. They use the word
"madagat" to describe the Word of God. "Madagat" can
mean stinging, venomous, or potent. A poisonous snake is
"madagat." On the other hand, doctors have discovered that the
venom of some poisonous snakes make good medicine for heart patients.
The
Word of God is "madagat." If we disregard it, it is like the
bite of a poisonous snake. But if we live by it, it gives us life just
like the medicine used by heart patients.
Conclusion
(Heb
1:1-2) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways, (2) but in these last days he has spoken
to us by his Son ...
Afterwards
our God--
because of the special care he has
for us and our salvation--
commanded his servants,
the prophets and apostles,
to commit this revealed Word to writing.
(Heb
2:1) We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have
heard, so that we do not drift away.
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