The Foundation
—That the books currently known as the Bible, consisting of the Scriptures of Moses, the prophets and the apostles, is the only source of knowledge concerning God and His purposes at present extant or available in the earth, and that the same were wholly given by inspiration of God in the writers, and are consequently without error in all parts of them, except such as may be due to errors of transcription or translation.
The apostle Paul warned the friends of Jesus that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:3,4). If ever there were a time when Paul’s words would become a reality, it is now. Modern theology and the higher criticism of the “learned” are striking at the very foundation upon which Christians have built their faith and hope. Today, in a world of materialism, the veracity of God’s Word, as set forth in the Bible, is the target of both the atheist and the church. The reliability of the Scriptures is held in question, both as to its historical value and to its trust as a guide to moral conduct. Many of the popular churches have adopted a spirit of skepticism concerning Bible doctrine in an attempt to minimize the importance of belief. The strategy is to make the teaching of the Bible so broad and indefinable, that the uniting of different denominations is made possible. To accomplish this end, its advocates have found it necessary to discard large parts of the Bible, and treat other sections as myths and fables. It is lamentable that some of this “higher criticism” has crept into the Truth itself, and has caused some to discard the proven and accepted way to regard God’s Word. The Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith is built upon the foundation of the Bible as wholly inspired by God. Without this conviction, we should have nothing to which we could anchor our hope, and would be subject to “every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
Moses and the Word of God
The Bible makes the claim for itself that is both remarkable and unique — for it claims inspiration from God. Without the confidence that all parts of the Scriptures are inspired, we should be at a complete loss to determine which parts were authentic, and thus, a reliable guide to moral conduct. In the Old Testament are found numerous expressions claiming authority from God. In the Pentateuch particularly is revealed the guiding hand of God, as He made known His will and purpose through Moses. In the opening verses of Genesis are recorded the many utterances of God as He revealed His creative work. “And God said” or “God called” are found in verses 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 20, 22, 24, etc. of the first chapter of Genesis.
When God had brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He guided them through the wilderness, bringing them eventually to Mount Sinai, where He delivered through Moses the Ten Commandments. It is recorded in Exodus 20.1, “And God spake all these words, saying . . .” When the people saw the lightnings and heard the thundering’s, witnessing the mountain smoking, they cried to Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” When Moses drew near to the thick darkness that covered the mountain, the LORD spoke again: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven . . .” (Ex. 20:22) After relating the decalogue to Israel’s leader, along with related laws and statutes, Moses was commanded to record them in a book. (Ex. 34:27). Not only did Moses record the law as God had commanded him, but he also rehearsed it to all the people. “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. (Ex. 24:3,4)
When Moses had finished writing all the law, the Lord instructed him to give it to the priests, the sons of Levi, and to all the elders of Israel. On the occasion of the feast of Tabernacles, once in every seven years, the entire law was to be given a public reading in the ears of the people: “. . . At the end of every seven years in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of the Tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.” (Deut. 31:10, 11) Such expressions as these examples occur over 700 times in the first five books of the Bible, amply illustrating the Scripture’s claim to Divine authority.
The Witness of the Old Testament
The historical and prophetical books likewise claim to be written under the guidance of God. After the death of Moses, the Lord appeared to Joshua and appointed him as successor to Israel’s emancipator. Joshua was encouraged to go in and take possession of the land of Canaan, and assured that “there shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life.” The new leader of Israel was then exhorted to read and obey the copy of the law given him by Moses. He was to become thoroughly conversant with its contents that he might lead God’s people in righteousness, and that he might prosper in all things to which he set his heart. “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:7, 8)
The historical and prophetical books likewise claim to be written under the guidance of God, as the following texts demonstrate:
Samuel
“And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” (1 Sam. 3:21)
“Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.” (1 Sam. 15:1)
See also: 1 Sam: 3:19, 20; 8:7, 10; 15:1, 2; 28:17.
David
Now these be the last words of David . . . The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Sam. 23:1-3) “My tongue is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” (Psalm 45:1) See also: 2 Sam. 7:25-29, 1 Kings 2:3, 4; 5:5.
Jeremiah
“These be the words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign . . . Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, LORD God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak . . . Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” (Jer. 1:1, 2, 5-9).
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with fore-bearing, and I could not stay.” (Jer. 20:9)
See also: Jer. 7:1; 9:12-15; 11:1, 2; 10:1, 2; 11:1-3; 21:1, 28:1, 27:1, 30:1, 4, 5; 32:1, 33:1, 30; 34:1, 8, 12; 37: 2, 50:1.
Ezekiel
“And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” (Eze. 3:16, 17). See also: Eze. 5:13, 15, 17; 13:6-8; 17:21, 24; 21:17, 32; 22:14; 24:14; 26:14, 30:12; 33:1, 2, 10, 30; 34:24; 35:1-3; 36:36, 37; 44:2.
These expressions from the prophets are only a small sample of the over 2600 like occurrences in the historical and prophetic books. Such language and claims of authority are ample evidence that the Old Testament Scriptures do, indeed, claim inspiration for themselves. To the genuine students of God’s word, this position is not only valid, but absolutely essential to a proper understanding of His will and purpose. The absence of Divine authority in these writings would leave mankind in constant doubt and perplexity, and would inevitably lead to distrust and utter rejection of its message. As brethren of Christ, we are, therefore, left with no alternative than to receive all the books of the Old Testament as Divinely given, placing upon them the same confidence and acceptance as we do with the New Testament.
There are many ways to prove that the Word of God as set forth in the Old Testament is true and reliable, but this is not the purpose of this article. Our intent is to demonstrate the basis upon which our Statement of Faith is founded, and how we are left with no course to follow other than that illustrated in the New Testament in regard to the Old. The ‘witness of the New Testament writings to those of the Old is the most conclusive and overwhelming testimony we could desire concerning their inspiration. In our next issue of the Tidings Magazine, Lord willing, we shall give consideration to the records of Jesus, the apostles and New Testament writers as they bear upon the Jewish oracles.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One