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the very word and expression used to preserve, in a written form, the mes sage of God, could meet the standard of the Book of the Ages. The Psalmist said, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119: 89).
What else could, otherwise, account for the many prophecies announced and fulfilled over the period of the writing of the Bible? The Messianic prophecies, specific to the incarnation were all fulfilled to the letter. Out of all places, was not Christ the Lord born in Bethlehem, as prophesied by the
inspired Micah? (See Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:1-6).
Jesus declared, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). He said "unto them ye do err, not know ing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). Christ did not hide His indignation when some of His disciples were "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25-27). He could also
draw the attention of His hearers to a single word (Matthew 5:18; 12:36-37). However when their understanding of the scriptures was "opened" by Christ, his Spirit-filled apostles were no longer slow to pay allegiance to the whole inspired and sacred Word of God (Luke 24:44-45; Galatians 1:11-12).
Paul said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16), and that he again speaks, "the wisdom of God in a mystery, ...not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost tea- cheth.i." (1 Corinthians 2:7-13). He quickly became an anointed expositor of
the Old Testament "opening and alleging' out of the scriptures that "Jesus is the Christ" and explaining key words and passages from the Law, the prophets and the Psalms (Galatians 3:16; Genesis 12:7; 17:9; Acts 13:40-41; 28:25-27; Romans 3:10-18; 9:25-26; 10:18-21; 1Corinthians 14:21).
Who would dare to pervert the words of the living God Qeremiah 23:36)? For the Bible says, "Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reproves thee, and thou be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:5-6). (See also Revelation22:18- 19.)
3.8 The Authority of Scripture
The acceptance of the Bible's claim of divine inspiration implies a full recognitionofitsself-vindicatingauthorityandabidingpower. Itspeaksas the written oracle of God Qohn 1:1,3; Jeremiah 2:31; 22:29; 15:16;23:28-30; John 6:63). If we are to be the people of God, we must not only take seri ously the word He speaks to us in scripture, but must also allow it to per
meate every aspect of our lives (Matthew 7:21; Isaiah 1:19-20; 48:17-19; 1John 2:3-5). No other book can speak with final and divine authority on how to be
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