Word of God vs. word about God

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Permalink Reply by Colby on August 2, 2013 at 2:30am

The single greatest division that exists in Christianity today is arguably between two groups with fundamentally different ways of seeing and reading the Bible.  

Traditional/Orthodox Christians: On one side, are traditional/orthodox Christians (often called "Bible-believing Christians" or "Evangelical Christians") who see the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God. They accept the Bible as divine revelation, as God's truth, timeless and universal in its application.

• Origin: The Bible is the Word of God, written by holy men inspired by the Holy Spirit.
  
  
• Authority: Because the Bible is God's Word, it is true, reliable and authoritative. As such, the Bible should be taken seriously as the final authority in matters of faith, doctrine, morals and practices. The Bible's truth is timeless and universal in its application.

Postmodern Christians: On the other side, are postmodern Christians who aren't so sure that the Bible is a divine product and who doubt whether it's trustworthy and reliable as God's Word. They tend to see the Bible as a collection of stories about an ancient people's understanding of and relationship with God expressed from the point of view of its fallible human writers.

• Origin: The Bible is a collection of stories written by men living in ancient times on a small strip of land along the Eastern Mediterranean Sea describing their relationship with God. It is human in origin and not the Word of God.
  
  
• Authority: We can't take the Bible seriously. Given its human origin and being the product of an ancient civilization, much of what is written about God is time-bound and culture-bound and, therefore, no longer relevant, especially to the post-modern world.

  

In the end, each of us has to decide what we believe about the origin and authority of the Bible. Is it the Word of God (written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit), or a word (by man) about God?

What's the difference?   It's like night and day.  When you read a passage from Romans or Ephesians, does that tell us what God says or how the Apostle Paul understood things?

What's your take on the two positions?  It has to be an either/or proposition.  Either the Bible is divine or human in origin.  If it's a little bit of both, then we have a conundrum on our hands.  If the Bible is of human origin, that makes it little more than a collection of ancient fairy tales with a nice moral to them.

Is it a big deal?  Very much so. 

Do you know where you stand on the issue?  I believe that the Bible is the Word of God. 

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on August 2, 2013 at 1:32pm

Colby,

Well said, and we are in agreement.

I look forward, hoping, to hearing from others in this.

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 28, 2014 at 2:41pm

I've heard some say that the Bible just contains the word of God. How do you answer the ones who ask how the words of those characters in the Bible who are deceiving and lying or giving the wrong instruction and advice, such as the serpent in Eden and Job's friends, are God's words?

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on January 28, 2014 at 2:51pm

It is the words that God, Himself, has given to us for our good (2 Tim. 3:16). No one says that every word is the spoken Word of God, but that the Bible is His Word to mankind. This differentiation is easily understood when we recognize that "Thus saith the Lord" is recorded, therefore not every word is God communicating, but every recorded word is given to us by God for our benefit. It is incumbent upon us to study and to take the time to know who is speaking and to whom they are speaking, among several other things when we try to understand the Scripture in context.

Note also that we refer to the Word of God as God's inspired Word, that which He gave the authors through the Holy Spirit to record for mankind.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 28, 2014 at 3:01pm

But I have heard people quote the verse that it's all God-breathed and say it means it's all God spoken. I believe it is infallible and the original manuscripts inerrant, but, yes there are passages that say, Thus saith the LORD and passages where Jesus speaks and so forth. Those indeed are His words.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on January 28, 2014 at 3:06pm

God breathed does not mean He spoke the words Satan spoke or the words Job's friends spoke. It means He spoke the words to be recorded to the authors through the Holy Spirit ... divine inspiration and illumination.

Those who attempt to apply God breather the way you have said are simply in error.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 28, 2014 at 3:12pm

I think part of the rest in Christ is being able to rest in the assurance that the bible is the Word of God. Many can't seem to understand and believe it is the Word of God though.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on January 28, 2014 at 3:37pm

I would agree, but leave open the understanding that there are people who come to know God through the sharing of the gospel that do not have access to the Bible (a written copy) and never get the opportunity to seek to discern whether it is the Word of God or a word about God. Theirs in many respects is a simple faith, with simple being used in a positive manner.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 28, 2014 at 5:37pm

But if those people begin thinking that the message of faith they've heard is just a word about God and not the Word of God, isn't that the same thing?

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on January 28, 2014 at 7:16pm

At that level I doubt it is much of a consideration either way for them. All they know is that they now (because the Holy Spirit convicted/convinced them) believe in the living Jesus who died for them.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 28, 2014 at 7:36pm

But even those people would fall into the categories listed in the parable of the sower. I understand what you mean about the ones who truly believe in the living Jesus who died for them, and, yet, won't they wrestle with doubt at times, too? Isn't life on earth the same for one and all in it's most basic state? A simple faith would be a blessing I think instead of the torment of fighting through it.

Permalink Reply by Leonard T on January 28, 2014 at 7:44pm

You changed the question. We are talking about what they believe regarding the Bible being God's Word or a word about God.

As far as the parable goes that's pretty simple and true of everyone. If the seed (God's Word) hits good soil it produces fruit and if not it does not.

Regarding doubt, that would be on an individual basis.

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