Week 2 - Did God Really Say…?

What does Jesus say about the Bible? Can we believe the Bible and base our lives on it?

Orthodox View: The authors received more and more truths over time.

Progressive View: What the authors wrote got truer and truer over time.

What does Jesus say about the Bible?
Luke 4:3-4 (NLT)
Luke 4:5-8 (NLT)
Luke 4:9-12 (NLT)

Jesus used Scripture to counter Satan.
Jesus thought the words of the Old Testament were vital, authoritative and coherent.

A lot of what the Bible says is descriptive not prescriptive. (It describes how people lived, not necessarily saying we need to live that way ourselves.)

Often, people use the Bible out of context to prove their points or justify their actions.
Matthew 24:17 (KJV)
“I must recognize that we essentially have human rights in our world because of Christianity. It is quite clear in this Christian reevaluation of the human person that the philosophy of human rights, of which we subscribe to today, would have never established itself.” - Luke Ferry (atheist author)

If you want to root yourself in the teachings and traditions of Jesus, you should have a high view of the Bible as well.

Jesus points out that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
Matthew 22:41-46 (NLT)

The writers of the Bible are like the instruments of revelation.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT)
2 Timothy 3:16a (NLT)

Jesus did not come to end the laws of the Old Testament. He came to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:17-19 (NLT)

Jesus is saying that the entire Bible is purposeful.

Jesus taught the Bible we have today is canon, actual books inspired by God.
Luke 24:44 (NLT)

Jesus considered His own words as Scripture:
Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
John 15:14 (NLT)
John 12:49 (NLT)
Matthew 28 (NLT)

Jesus’ apostles and followers considered the New Testament as Scripture.
2 Peter 3:15-16 (NLT)

If the vital, authoritative, coherent, inspired, purposeful and countercultural canon of Scripture says it, Jesus tells us to believe it and obey it for God’s glory and our good.