Fundamental Biblical Beliefs - Bible Study

This evening, we are going to look at statement two, the Word and Scriptures of God.

Words from God have been given to mankind down through time. They're God's words. It's the Word or the words of God. If we look in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1, let's go to Hebrews chapter 1.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son. When we think about the one who spoke, then he would be the Word. He would be the spokesman. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 1. The words of Jeremiah. Now, we look in verse 4. Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, now somehow we have the one who spoke, the Logos, John 1 is the Word. He spoke, as we've just read, in various ways to the prophets. Jeremiah here is giving us an example. He said, the Word of the Lord came to me. Often this was done, as is said in scriptures, via visions. Sometimes it was done personally, like to Moses or to Abraham. Now, in verse 5, God here is telling him something. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nation. And so then he says, I said, oh Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth. But the Lord said to me, do not say I am a youth, for you shall go to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. So let's look. We have the words of God that have been given either from God directly or through vision. And we have the Word of God, which is what God said, that is spoken now by a prophet and delivered by a prophet to others. Let's go now to John chapter 1 and verse 1. In John, we find, in the beginning was the Word. Now this is an interesting name, isn't it? Because when we think of the Word of God, the words of God, and who gives the words, we have one here actually called the Word. The Greek word is logos, and it can mean spokesman or the speaker, the one who speaks the Word. So this Word was with God, and the Word was God. We cannot separate the Word of God from God. We can't somehow say, well, this is the Word, or this is the Word, or the words of the Word when the Word himself is God. So when we think of the Word of God, we need to think of God's words. Sometimes it's the speaker. It's God. It's Christ. It's what they say. It's what they command. It's what's in their mind. They're inseparable. The Word of God we find in Hebrews 11 and verse 3 wasn't just what was said. In Hebrews 11 and verse 3, notice, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.

Hmm, think about that statement. Did your Bible frame the world? Did, you know, what framed the worlds? Well, we just read in John chapter 1 and verse 1 that the Word of God was Jesus Christ. And in verse 2, by him all things were created there in John chapter 1 verse 1 and 2. So we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, the Logos. Jesus Christ framed the world so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. He made them.

So we see now this Word of God actually has quite a lot to it. It is referring to God. It's referring to what God does. It's referring to what God says, really what God is. And here in Hebrews verse 13, we see that that which created certainly wasn't the Bible. So don't limit at all the Word of God to being the Bible. Also, the Word that is the one who created all things, the one who is and was God, he hasn't stopped being the Word since he became Jesus Christ. Let's go to Revelation chapter 19 now and verse 11. Revelation chapter 19, beginning in verse 11 through 14, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. So here at the very end of the end time, Jesus Christ comes in. Verse 12, on his head are many crowns. In verse 13, he's clothed with a robe dipped in blood. We know who this is. And his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses.

One of his names when we are the bride of Christ is the Word of God. So he continues to have that name. He also has a sword down in verse 21. This word says, And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse. So he has a sword. Now it's important to think about these things. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 4 now in verse 14. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14. It says now we have a high priest, a great high priest, who passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. As we see who this individual is and identify him here, let's go backward one verse. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. We know that when we are a resurrecter, when Christ returns, we must give an account to him. And there's no person hidden from his sight. All things are naked and open to the eyes of him. Let's go back one more verse. For the Word of God is living. What is the Word of God that's living? Well, it's Jesus Christ, as we've seen in Revelation. This is his name. The Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Remember the sword we read about?

Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow. And he, the Word of God, is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Your Bible can't do this, but God can. Jesus Christ can. He can look in and he can see where we need to repent, as David did. He said, help me see myself, you know, creating me a clean heart, slice and dice me, and expose my sins so that I can overcome them. So this Word of God isn't just a Bible when we say the Word of God. In fact, as we're seeing, the Word of God is one who lives forever. Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 22. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 22. Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another with a pure heart, having been born again or engendered from God of the God family, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible seed, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Now, how were you and I purified? How were we begotten of the God family through a Bible or through Jesus Christ, through the Word of God who which lives or who lives and abides forever? Notice down in verse 25. But the Word of God endures forever.

So, once again, I'm not just trying to limit this only to Jesus Christ because He is also the spokesman. He is the one who inspired the written Word. How do you separate out the Word of God into a mirror writing on a page and ignore the one who spoke it, the one who inspired it, the one who had it written down, the one who is truth? So, when you read the Word of God in the New Testament, consider whether what's being referred to is God, Jesus Christ, or their words.

The written word, the Bible, is called Scripture very often. 53 times in the Bible, the written word that we call the Bible is called Scripture. An example is Daniel chapter 10 and verse 21. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of truth. The Scripture of truth. We know that Jesus Christ is truth. He said, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life.

And He says, noted in the written Scripture of truth, the words of God. Now let's go to Matthew 21 and verse 42. Matthew 21 and verse 42. Jesus said, have you not read in the Scriptures? See, He calls the written Word Scriptures. So, some of these terms, if we look for them and look at the context, we can see a little bit better where it's referring to an individual, Jesus the Christ, the Word of God, whether it's referring to God, whether it's referring to the Godhead, whether it's referring to their words written, spoken, etc. But all the words, the Word of God, the words of God, Jesus Christ, and God, they're God's holy revelation to man.

The Bible then becomes one perfect, unified, interrelated, whole, complete unit, the perfect, revealed words of God, and they are organized in seven sections of 49 books. You can find in Luke 22 verses 44 and 45 how Jesus mentions the Bible that existed at that time was the law, the prophets, and the Psalms or the writings. Those are three sections, and they had 22 books.

And then in the New Testament, which was written down later, you have four sections of 27 books. Those are the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. So all together there are seven sections of 49 books, or seven times seven. So we have the Living Word of God, we have the Written Word of God, we have the Words of God, and all these are perfect. And so now for section two, I'll introduce Wayne Ward. Thank you, Mr. Eliot. Yeah, part number two here is basically referring to the part of the fundamental belief that says the Word of God is His complete express will to humanity.

And this is the part of the fundamental belief that's based on multitude of scriptures, but it's essentially about how the Word of God itself reveals how that this is so. How it reveals that it's the express will of God for to all humanity.

And in it, Jesus Himself, the Word of God, expressly states how it is His words, or the words of the Godhead that provide what we need for life. Let's turn to Matthew chapter four, four and verse four, in a famous scene where where the Satan was tempting Jesus. Matthew four verse four says, but He answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Jesus here was being tempted by Satan to fill his own stomach, you know, as in a sense, as we are every day, we're tempted every day to fill ourselves with all that the flesh, you know, can satisfy physical world and what can satisfy us by the flesh with all the world can supply for, you know, for meaning in life, for knowledge and in pleasures.

And really, this is akin to how Eve saw something in that tree that seems so good and so pleasant and able to make one wise. But the Holy Spirit of God helps us to see and know that it is only the Word of God that can be trusted in meaning for life. And of course, this is trusting Jesus, our Word. And so, and it is, He gives us here in that Word the pattern to follow so that we can inherit an internal life, which is what He's offering.

And so then the Word of God then provides for other functions in that. Let's turn to John 17.

John 17. Verse 17 says, Sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth.

So God separates people from the world to Him. It is how the Word of God is, how God measures and determines who will follow and trust Him. So there's an application God uses in this, in how He's given us this Word, how it can affect God separating people to Him. And another function then is Isaiah. Let's turn to Isaiah 8.

Verse 20. Isaiah 8 and verse 20. It says, To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. God's Word, okay, it illuminates God and illuminates God's plan, but it also illuminates who will discern and who will rightly divide the knowledge that He gives by it. Okay, that's it for that. Let's turn to part 3, back over to Mr. Eliot. Scripture is inspired by God. It is infallible.

If, for instance, we look at John chapter 17 and verse 17 again, notice what Jesus says. Sanctify them by your truth. Jesus said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. Jesus is truth. God the Father is truth. Their words are truth, and their written Word is truth. Now, when we say sanctify them by your truth, how are we sanctified? Are we sanctified by words on a page?

Or are we sanctified by being set apart by God to be called now? We are sanctified by Jesus Christ. And He says to God the Father, Jesus said, Your Word is truth. Who is the Word of God? Jesus Christ. Who is truth? Jesus Christ. What is truth? His words. Where did His words come from? Everything He spoke comes from the Father. You see, all of the Word of God isn't just words on a page.

You can't just separate out and say, oh, the Word of God is only this or that. It is God, inspired by God. It's the inspired thought and Word of God. It's infallible. It is truth because God is truth. Now, let's go to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15. We find these written words that we have are also truth because God is truth and Christ is truth and what they say is truth. So in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 15, notice what the Bible is called, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.

So the scriptures, as we can read or hear them as they did, they didn't have the opportunity to read them, but they heard them and they knew them and they are holy and they make one wise for salvation because they are truth. Verse 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness. Now, here's where the written word coupled with God's Holy Spirit can do some internal assessment, some correction, because he says this written scripture given by inspiration of God from the word, and it is the words, it's profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness.

But even by itself, it's not alive, it has to have the Holy Spirit, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good word. So all of this depends back in verse 15, make you wise through faith, which is in Christ Jesus, that faith of God, the understanding, has to come from the word of God as well.

Okay, for part four, here's Wayne. Part four is the part of the fundamental belief that says the word of God is the supreme and final authority in faith and life. And this is essentially saying that this word of God tells us to walk in faith. And it's based on a number of scriptures. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7.

It says, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Simple scripture. The word of God teaches us to walk by faith, to demonstrate our belief, to show the pistos, right, that's the Greek word for faith, to show the evidence that we believe and we trust God.

We don't walk by the physical measures that can give us, you know, a sense of false security about life. We walk by what God gives us is the true evidence that we demonstrate that we believe. And this is what pleases God. So the word of God is filled with examples of those who trusted in the physical, you know, in what the fleshly sanctification, satisfactions for life. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. It says, now all these things happen as examples to them, and they were written for our admonation upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Speaking of old Israel, speaking of, you know, many of the things that happened with many of the circumstances in scripture that didn't really work out. So we can see the example of how they did not walk in faith. Okay, so but many examples of scripture show that God's word really then it must we must abide. God's word must abide in us, in a sense, to enable us to walk by faith. Let's turn to John chapter 5 and verse 38. It says, but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he said him you do not believe. Believe this is pisteo. It's another version of variation of pisteos. It's faith. It's showing the evidence, meaning the word of God, it must change our lives. The word of God must live in us. It must be active. They are the words of our Lord and also called, right, as Mr. Elias is talking about, he is the word of God, right?

That these are the words of Christ, of the Godhead. So evidently, if we don't, if we are not moved by what by what he taught in these words, then we truly don't believe what he is saying. And we've had countless scriptures that have shown the people who do not walk in that. Let's turn to Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 5. Proverbs 30 verse 5 says, every word of God is pure. Trusting in the word of God shows us that we trust God, right? He says, every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. Let's turn to John chapter 20 and verse 29. And this is, we know this about the doubting Thomas, as they call them, right? John 20 verse 29 says, Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen yet believed. The need for the solutions to life, you know, that are before us in the physical way, they're deceptive. And this is a very natural need for, it's a natural behavior of man, to want to be able to see its steps, to want to be able to see its progress, to see, you know, but this is not how we're taught by the word of God. It itself must convict us to not trust our eyes, to trust those things. But we are to walk as taught by his word. This is faith, and this is what pleases God. And of course, in this statement too, it says, it is the supreme authority, supreme and final authority in life. Let's turn to one scripture that demonstrates that, that shows us that. John chapter 6 and verse 63, it says, it is the Spirit which gives life, the flesh, prophets, nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, they are life. Simple words, eloquent words from Jesus Christ. From Jesus himself, he said, these, his words are life, and they are what we need to hold on to dearly, and never let go, for all God's purpose for us. Okay, I'll turn part five over back to Mr. Eliot here. The word of God is truth, it's point five. Again, Jesus Christ is the spokesman. He spoke truth, and he spoke it to apostles who recorded truth. He spoke it to prophets who recorded truth, and others down through time. And so, if we go to John chapter 14 and verse 6, we find that the source of all this truth is the word of God. Jesus said to him, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So he is the way through the veil. He is the way that we follow the course that he successfully walked and defeated Satan and has set out the right hand of God. And so he is that way, and he could lead us. He is our commander. He is our guide. And no one can come to the Father except through him. But notice he also is the truth. So this word of God is the truth.

Now, when we think once again, just a couple of chapters over in John chapter 17 and verse 17, when he says here, as we've just read, I am the way, the truth, and the life, he says, sanctify them by your truth. Here we are back again. Who sanctifies us? Well, God sanctifies us through Jesus Christ. Sanctify us. Sanctify them by your truth. He just said, I am truth. And then he said, God the Father, your word is truth. Now I come back here just for your sake. Some of the scriptures we've gone through tonight talking about the word of God that actually refer to Jesus Christ are small case. You see how the word word is the small w? If you wanted to, you can take a pen in your Bible and go find these word of God and make that a uppercase W. And then when you read it, it'll pop out on the page a little more to realize this isn't just the words of God. This is the word of God and the word of God. And he is truth, and the words are truth. And if we go to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, it gets a little more interesting because now it starts to tie us in. Paul says, if I'm delayed, he's writing to Timothy, the pastor, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. Now stop a minute. The word of God, Jesus Christ, truth, all these things, is also the body of Christ. And you and I are in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. We are to be part of the truth that Jesus Christ is because we're in his body. We're in the church of the living God. And it's the living God, notice, who is the pillar and ground of the truth. We need to be reflecting that pillar and ground of the truth. You know, we're not just sort of related to the body of Christ. We're in the body of Christ, and we need to be truth. Jesus said, I will build my church, and it's called the body of Christ. And Christ is called the word of God. So start to personalize this a little more and think of yourself as truth. How much truth are you and I as we speak, as we live in our association with the family of God? Are we truth? Are we becoming more truth as God and Jesus Christ are truth? Back to Wayne.

Thank you. Yeah, so beginning to summarize here, we have just been showing here in this Bible study that UCG from the beginning wanted to solidify, you know, this basic understanding that the Holy Scriptures are the only foundation of knowledge and truth, and that they are what Jesus and the apostles used as the basic text for teaching God's way to salvation. Jesus and the apostles set the example that all scripture, that scripture is the authoritative text for the follower of Christ, as it is the word of God. And Jesus emphatically stated that he stated as we read, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Words he stated to Satan as he was being tempted in the wilderness, but these are the exact same words used in the wilderness to teach the exact same principle to ancient Israel. Let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter 8. Deuteronomy 8 verse 3. So, he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

These words are used, you know, these are the words of the word of God, the one who became Christ. And Christ, as he resumed his personal instruction, as he was born man, and when he became God with us, he continued his personal instructions to the disciples. And he opened their understanding, Christ did, that they might comprehend the scriptures. That's where his words is. Let's turn to Luke 24. Luke 24 and verse 32 says, and they said to one another, did not our heart burn within us while he talked to us on the road, and while he opened the scripture to us. Skip down to verse 44. Then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you, will while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. Verse 45, and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Amazing, right? Amazing. So it's Jesus himself who is helping us comprehend the scripture, his words, and he is opening our understanding to them. Paul himself appealed to the authority of the scriptures by asking, you know, what does that scripture say? One scripture we can go to is Galatians chapter 4, verse 30.

He says, nevertheless, what does the scripture say? Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. But that's where he's pointing out how Paul would refer to it. He would always say, what does the scripture say? Or he would say, other times he might say, you might find Paul declaring what the scripture says. Turn to Romans chapter 10, and verse 11. He says, for the scripture says, whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. So Paul was very emphatic, referring to the scriptures as the authority. And of course, the scriptures, I mean, at this point, were only the Old Testament. We had no New Testament scripture at this point. This is what became the New Testament scripture. So Paul was very emphatic to make sure that we are always and only looking to scripture for truth and for our walk with Christ. So we have a lot of glaring evidence here by scripture for holding to scripture. And yes, there is an irony there that, you know, that, you know, I guess such a thing needs to be locked into the founding articles of the church constitution. Because it's evident people will walk away from scripture and start holding to tradition or to human reasoning. And we cannot ever, we have to walk according to the authority which is in the Word of God. So let's do that, our part every day, and never stray straight from this fundamental here. I'll turn the conclusion, including over this to Mr. Eliot. Okay, point number seven is we need to live by every word God speaks.

We need to live by every word God speaks. We need to hear it.

It's written in our hearts, it's written in our minds. We need to listen, we need to remember it, we need to hear it. It's spoken to us through messages. We need to hear it. We have the written Word of God, thankfully today, we need to read it, we need to hear it. But we need to live by it. We need to do it. Let's notice some things that Jesus said over in Luke chapter eight. We'll start in verse 15. Luke chapter eight and verse 15. When we're talking about the parable of the seeds and the soil, the last one here in verse 15, but the ones, the seeds that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it.

That's what we need to do. We need to keep it, to live by it and bear fruits. The translators use the word patience. Usually wherever you see the word patience in the New Testament and the word perseverance, they're the exact same Greek word. And the translators sometimes translated patience, when in fact the actual meaning of the word is patient endurance. And patient endurance, if you want to put it in one word, is perseverance. Persevering. Enduring to the end is persevering.

Going through this challenge and wrestle that we have to go through, that's doing it and persevering. So what he's saying here, keep it and bear fruit with perseverance. So that perseverance, as Jesus said elsewhere, what God the Father wants and desires is to have fruit and that your fruit remains. So we bear fruit and it perseveres. So this is the purpose of God's Word, Jesus Christ, God's words, God's written Word. It all works together. And here he's talking about the wherever it comes, however it comes, that we actually keep it. And it develops fully righteous character in us that lasts. We drop down to verse 20.

It was told by some who said, your mother, your brothers are standing outside desiring to see you. Now there's nothing like family. Oh, your personal family desires to see you. But he answered, verse 21, and said to them, my mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. So he considers us family if we are hearing what he says, what he has had written, and do it.

That's very, very important. One thing that we can do is put on Christ. And we put on the Word of God. We don't just hear it. We actually put it on. We strive to become and be led by the Word, by Jesus Christ, by his words, which are obviously from the Father. Notice in the armor of God description that Paul gave in Ephesians chapter 6. Let's look at Ephesians 6 and verse 17.

Seems like a simple statement, but if we examine it, it says, take the helmet of salvation.

When you think about putting on Christ and you talk about the body, if you want to put on the family of God, who's the head of the body? Jesus Christ. Who gives you salvation? Salvation comes through Jesus Christ. So take the helmet of salvation. Start putting on Christ. He's the head. He is the helmet. Salvation. Think like he does. Live like he does. Notice. And the sword of the Spirit. Who's the one who has the sword? Jesus Christ, which is the Word of God. Here's one of those places where you can capitalize the W. The helmet of salvation, the sword, the one who has that is the Word of God. We read that in Revelation chapter 19. But we also take those things in the written form or that which you hear. And you take these things so that we can grow and develop. God wants us to be closely connected to him as family. He's family. He's our family. We are his family. If we're connected to him via the Word, the one with the sword, and we're keeping the words, the Scriptures, and we're thinking like the God family thinks. So thank you for joining us tonight. And next time we will go through part three of the fundamental beliefs, Satan the devil.