The U.S. Department of Justice has made it clear that in cases where religious freedom comes into conflict with sexual freedom (particularly same-sex relationships, but we saw this principal at work also in the Health and Human Services regulations on insurance companies providing abortifacients), the government will advocate for sexual freedom. This is ironic since the First Amendment specifically guarantees the free exercise of religion. With culture in full transformation about us, the sexual revolution long behind us, how do we maintain our Christian bearings? This question is acute, particularly for young people on college campuses where “diversity” is celebrated—usually as long as this does not include acceptance of historic Christianity.
Critics of our belief in the divinely inspired Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21) have often asserted that our alleged infantile faith has been duped into believing in a perfect, divine book that plopped down somehow from heaven and then doing, in a ridiculous and wooden fashion, everything that the book demands. That just isn’t so.
Faith is God’s precious gift (Eph. 2:8–9). It is worked by Him (Rom. 1:16). The object of faith is Christ (John 14:6–7; John 3:16). Faith is worked by God’s own instruments: the proclaimed (or read) Word of forgiveness in the death and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 3:5; 4:15; 15:1–2), Baptism (Acts 2:41; John 3:5; Acts 22:16) and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:26–27). Condemned and convicted by the Law (Rom. 3:19), we are converted by the Word of the Gospel, indeed, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:22–24).
Believing solely in Jesus for forgiveness, we cry out to Jesus like Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68). Jesus directs us to His very words for truth (John 8:32). And Jesus teaches us plenty about Himself—Law, Gospel, repentance, forgiveness, Baptism, Lord’s Supper, absolution and yes, sexuality (and much, much more). Jesus also teaches us about the Bible. Once we believe in Jesus—the very Son of God, God in the flesh—we are interested not only in what He actually said and did, but also especially in how He views the Scriptures!
For Jesus, the words of the Bible are true assertions, readily applicable to life. Jesus says the whole Bible points to Him. “They . . . bear witness about me” (John 5:39)! “It is written,” He stated three times in the face of the devil’s temptations (Matthew 4). For Jesus, the Bible is absolutely authoritative and a sword to be wielded against temptations and attacks. Jesus did not set aside the Bible. He fulfilled the Old Testament (Matt. 5:17ff) and intensified the moral law (Matt. 5:21ff)! As He used the Bible to teach, He believed that the people and events spoken of in the Old Testament were real—like Solomon (Matt. 6:29), Jonah and the big fish (Matt. 16:4; 12:38ff), Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:3ff), Moses (Matt. 8:4), David (Matt. 12:3) and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matt. 8:11). Jesus believed that the Old Testament contained prophecies that were and are fulfilled (Luke 4:21; Matt. 11:1–10; 13:10–17), that the Bible did not have errors (John 10:35) and that the Holy Spirit prompted the Old Testament writers (Mark 12:36). Finally, He confessed that the Old Testament Scriptures prophesied His suffering and resurrection, and He promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to His apostles as they bore witness to Him (Luke 24:44: John 14:22ff), which they did, particularly in writing the New Testament (John 14:26). Thus, we have the authoritative New Testament, which is likewise the very Word of God.
Paul’s view is none other than Jesus’ own view when he writes, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16 NKJV). We believe the Bible because we know our Shepherd, and we recognize His voice in the Scriptures (John 10:27).
It’s very safe and chic these days to say, “I’m agnostic” or “I believe all religions have truth” or to be otherwise uncommitted. Most of the time, these are a safe mask for ignorance of what these religions actually teach and certainly of the actual content of the Bible. If we don’t recognize who Jesus is (and His identity is given us in Holy Scripture in stark clarity), if we are not continually in His Word, the world will have its way with us in all matters, not just our generation’s particular traps (like sexuality). “Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word.”
“Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith if foolishness.”
–G.I. Gurdjieff
Lest we strain at a gnat….I believe the article indicates that Christ used the Old Testament scriptures as teaching tools and taught that they were the word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. Later Pastor Harrison says that Christ promised his disciples that they would be inspired by the same Holy Spirit to record what would come to be known as the New Testament. Obviously the New Testament was not yet written and therefore Christ was not literally teaching from what we know today as the King James or RSV or NIV Bible. The point is, at least as I understood it, that Christ assured and taught that what we call the Old Testament today was the Word of God inspired by His Holy Spirit. Likewise, Christ advised his Disciples that they would be inspired to record his teachings by the same Holy Spirit. Thus, Christ instructs us that what we recognize today as the Holy Bible is the word of God inspired by His Holy Spirit.
Robert, notice how Pastor Harrison asked in the title, how DOES Jesus view the Bible, not how DID Jesus view the Bible. We who are human only are time bound and history bound, for now. But Jesus, who is human, but also divine and sinless, is not time bound or history bound the way we are. So we err if we project onto him conditions that limit us.
When Jesus ascended, he did not lose power by the Holy Spirit to inspire the apostles as he had inspired the prophets. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and all authority is given to him in heaven and on earth. He said heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will not pass away. What good would that do use if we had no access to his words because we cannot take the New Testament as his word? If those words of his that do not pass away are not in the New Testament, then where are they?
As to the canon of the New Testament, I understand the issues concerning antilegomena, but as to the rest of the books there is no question, and even as to the antilegomena, we could see his gift of the Scriptures in the New Testament as First Article gifts for living in this life and Second article provisions for our redemption to eternal life. Jesus said, “I will build my church,” and he builds his church by his word, so where is this word if not in the New Testament and the Old Testament?
Consequently, I cannot tell from your comments whether you believe Jesus. Notice I did not say, believe IN Jesus, but BELIEVE Jesus. Your statements, to work out, require that much be detracted from the truthfulness of things Jesus said. So is your conflict with Pastor Harrison, the Bible, or Jesus?
I Love the facts found in Romans Chapter 7.
Thru Gods Will Christ was Sent to abolish the Law of Sin and Death.
This “HAS” happen already, (only if you are a true believer) we are guided to Marry our
selves to another.
We are to Become ONE in our New Life in Christ because of the breaking of this LAW.
The option of FREEDOM from the Law is spelled out, When are we going to use it?
True Unity will be found thru Christ, (only for the Believer). When is the Church going to
embrace the facts of this very important piece in the Bible so to bring the Honor and Glory
for GOD?
President Harrison had me at the title: “How Does Jesus View The Bible?”
I was interested to see how he would find an answer to such an historical impossibility. What we call the Bible was never seen by Jesus. And President Harrison is seriously misleading the reader by using the terms “scripture” and the “Bible” interchangeably. For Jesus, (and all who trusted the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob) the Scriptures were what we know as the Old Testament. To say that “Jesus used the Bible to teach” is historically wrong and can possibly result in leading the reader away from the truth.
Excellent article. I appreciate how well this was explained along with the accompanying Bible verses.
PS.
How Does Jesus view The Bible?
…Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name, the Name you gave Me, so that they may be one as we are one.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:11b, 15, 17 NIV)
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood…and His Name is the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13 NIV)
Thank you so much and God bless you for speaking the truth in love without favoritism. Some Christians who are tempted into the homosexual lifestyle, wonder why other sexual sins outside of God’s perfect will, seemed to be ignored as protected by grace.
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 1:4 NIV).
Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. (I Corinthians 7:2 NKJV)
All sin is like poison: at first there is blindness…
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (I John 1:6 NKJV)
And if we keep practicing sin without repentance are hearts become hardened and we no longer want to hear about God’s mercy and truth.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)
…They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:10b NIV)
And yes, we are saved only by faith in the precious blood of Christ.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)
God’s Word/Son/Truth: (armor) protects us from the poisons/temptations of this world.
…Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:21 NIV)