Inspiration of Scripture, Prophecies, etc

What the New Testament Writers Knew

In 1 Corinthians 2:13, Paul said he spoke in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit. In this passage, Paul – who wrote most of the books in the New Testament – affirmed that his words were authoritative because he learned from them from the infallible God (the Holy Spirit).

The Spirit is the Spirit of truth, who was promised to the apostles to teach and guide them into all the truth (John 16:13).

In 1 Corinthians 14:37, Paul also asserted, If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. Paul’s writings are divinely authoritative because they are command of the Lord, not the words of fallen man.

Paul said to the Thessalonian Christians, We also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but asked what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Again, Paul’s words were authoritative because they were rooted in God, not in man.

The New Testament books are the Word of God to us, just as they were to the first century recipients.

 

 

Fulfilled Prophecy and Inspiration of Scripture

From Genesis to Malachi, the Old Testament abounds with anticipations of the coming Messiah.

Numerous predictions – fulfilled to the crossing of the T and the dotting of the I in the New Testament – predict His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and glory.

These fulfilled prophecies constitute a powerful apologetic for the inspiration of Scripture.

The New Testament writers showed that Christ specifically fulfilled Old Testament messianic prophecies.

For example, Jesus was to be the seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15), virgin born (Isaiah 7:14), born inBethlehem(Micah 5:2), and preceded by messenger (Malachi 3:1).

He was to have a ministry of miracles (Isaiah 35:5 – 6), be betrayed and sold for 30 shekels (Zechariah 11:12), half His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16), be crucified with these (Isaiah 53:12), have no broken bones (Psalm 22:17), suffer thirst on the cross (69:21), and and then big gloriously resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10; 22:22).

These prophecies were written many hundreds of years before they were fulfilled. Their fulfillment could never have been predicted by natural means, and their fulfillment dependent on factors outside human control. And they were all fulfilled precisely. Obviously, the Scriptures have a divine origin and are not simply man-made.

Only God has the ability to declare the end from the beginning and engaged in 46:10), to the Bible is clearly God’s Word.

 

No Inaccurate Prophecies

Some  people claim that Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:34 that the end would come in His lifetime was mistaken.

Jesus here affirmed, Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all

 these things take place.

Christians have held to one of two interpretations of this verse.

One is that those people who witnessed the signs stated earlier in Matthew 24 (all of which deal with the future tribulation.) We’ll see the coming of Jesus Christ within that generation.

In other words, the generation alive when such events as the abomination of desolation (verse 15) and the great tribulation (verse 21) begin to come to pass will still be alive when these prophetic judgments are completed.

The tribulation will last seven years (Daniel 9:27), so Jesus would be saying that the generation alive at the beginning of the tribulation will still be alive at the end of it, at which time the second coming will occur.

Other Christians say the word generation in this verse should be taken in a secondary meaning of race. The verse could mean the Jewish race would not pass away until all things were fulfilled – including God’s land promises toIsrael(Genesis 12:14 – 15; 17) and the fulfillment of the Davidic kingdom (2 Samuel 7; Romans 11:11 – 26). Either way, this verse does not represent a mistaken prophecy.

Biblical prophecies have a 100% accuracy rate.

 

Our Supreme and Final Authority

We have learned that the authority of Scripture cannot be separated the authority of God. Whatever the Bible affirms, God affirms. Happened what the Bible affirms (or denies), it affirms (or denies) with God’s authority.

Jesus often testified to the absolute authority of the Bible is the Word of God. He affirmed the Bible’s divine inspiration (Matthew 22:33), it’s indestructible ability (Matthew 5:17 – 18), it’s in fallibility (John 10:35), it’s final authority (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10), it’s historicity (Matthew 12:40; 24:37), and its factual inerrancy (John 17:17).

Jesus asserted that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).

He also said, Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Wall until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

He said, It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away them for 1.the Wall to become void (Luke 16:17). Jesus appealed to Scripture in every matter under dispute.

To the Sadducees He said, You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).

He told some Pharisees that they invalidated the Word of God by their tradition that had been handed down (Mark 7:13).

To the devil, Jesus consistently responded, It is written (Matthew 4:4 – 10).

For Jesus, the Scriptures for the final court of appeal of all doctrinal and moral matters.

Following Jesus’ lead, we must make the Scriptures alone are supreme and final authority.