And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD

Volume X, Number 50 October 14, 2007

Published by

Mt. Baker
church of Christ

Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692

Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM

Web sites:
Mt. Baker church
Bible Answers

Editor......Joe R. Price

Elders
Morris Bass
Rick Holt
Joe Price

Deacons
Aaron Bass
Rich Brooks
Mike Finn
John Hague
Dan Head

In this issue:

• The Inspiration of the Bible

  Who Wrote the Bible?

  Sermon Outlines:

  • Do Not Be Deceived (Part 1) (2 Timothy 3:10-17)
  • Deceiving Ourselves (Part 2) (1 Corinthians 3:16-20)

  Noteworthy News: Deadly Choices

The Inspiration of the Bible
Joe R. Price

Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God? Your answer affects how you use the Bible and its teachings in your life.

The Bible teaches that scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is not the product of man. It is the result of “holy men of God” being “moved by the Holy Spirit” to speak God’s will to others (2 Peter 1:21).

• The claim of inspiration. John 14:26; 16:13; 14:37; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 3:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 1:1-2

• Bible writers claimed to be speaking the word of God. “Thus saith the Lord” or equivalent occurs over 2,000 times in the Old Testament. Isaiah 1:1-2; Jeremiah 10:1-2; Ezekiel 1:3

• The Bible is verbally inspired. God directed men to speak His will using words. He revealed to them the very words He wanted them to speak. God did not merely inspire men with “concepts” or “ideas” and then leave them to their own creative abilities to speak for God.

-1 Corinthians 2:10-13: The apostles spoke the things of God using words which the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) taught them to use.
-2 Samuel 23:2: David said “the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me....”
-Jeremiah 1:9: When God appointed Jeremiah to be a prophet He put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth (not merely His ideas into Jeremiah’s mind).
-Jeremiah 36:4: Jeremiah dictated “all the words of the Lord” which were then written upon a scroll.
-Acts 1:16: Scripture was spoken by the Holy Spirit by the mouth of God’s prophets (such as David, in this instance, also see Matthew 22:43).

• The process of inspiration is summed up in Zechariah 7:12: God sent His word --- By His Spirit --- By His prophets --- To His people

• God’s inspired scriptures are incorruptible, 1 Peter 1:22-25

• Inspired Scripture completely equips a person to do God’s will, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

• Inspired Scripture is the authoritative word of God, John 10:35; 1 Corinthians 14:37

• Bible inspiration is supported by its unity and by fulfilled prophecy, Isaiah 42:8-9; Deuteronomy 18:20-22; Luke 24:44-45

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God!

http://www.bibleanswer.com/inspired.htm

Who Wrote the Bible?
Joe R. Price

T

his question is easily answered by Christians: Men wrote the Bible under the direction of divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). It is the word of God. It is not the product of human wisdom and reasoning. The original manuscripts were the very words that God wanted to be written – a revelation of the mind of God for the benefit of all mankind (Eph. 3:3-5).

The wisdom of men says the Bible was not verbally inspired. Men who do not believe in verbal inspiration have deconstructed the Scriptures and construction a hypothesis that denies the original authors in many cases, and eliminates any appeal to the Bible as the final, all authoritative source of God’s will.

This is illustrated by the complex “Documentary Hypothesis,” denies Moses is the author of the first five books of the Bible, and hence, it denies the inspiration of these books. They have replaced the simple reading of the text with a hypothesis (a theory needing investigation, “a tentative explanation for a phenomenon,” Encarta Dictionary). The supposition is that the Pentateuch is a collection of writings from several sources. “This hypothesis was given its best-known formulation by Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) (“Documentary Hypothesis,” Wikipedia). “Briefly stated, the Documentary Hypothesis sees the Torah as having been composed by a series of editors out of four major strands of literary traditions. These traditions are known as J, E, D, and P” (Tirdad Derakhshani, University of Pennsylvania). This compilation is said to have occurred between about 922 B.C. to 400 B.C. Wikipedia observes that this hypothesis was “the consensus view on the origin of the Pentateuch for much of the 20th century, but its assumptions, methodology and conclusions have been seriously questioned in recent decades and it no longer dominates the field.” (Ibid.) Perhaps. This theory, which denies the authorship of Moses and God’s verbal inspiration, constructs the origin of the Pentateuch as follows (commonly known as JEDP):

• the J, or Jahwist, source; (The name Yahweh begins with a J in Wellhausen’s native German).

• the E, or Elohist, source;

• the D, or Deuteronomist, source;

• the P, or Priestly, source.

The theory says these separate sources were compiled and constitute the Pentateuch.

First, there is absolutely no Biblical evidence for this theory. All of the Biblical evidence convinces us that Moses was the author of Gen-Deut. JEDP is the result of men rejecting God’s inspired word.

Secondly, Moses is repeatedly named as the writer of the Pentateuch (See Exo. 24:4; Num. 33:2; Josh. 8:32; Mk. 12:19; Lk. 20:28). For instance, Deut. 31:9 identifies Moses as the person who wrote the Law: “So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel” (see also, 31:25, where what Moses wrote is called the “Book of the Law”). To believe the JEDP theory, one must believe these sources lied about who wrote the Pentateuch.

Thirdly, Jesus Christ identified Moses as the one who wrote the Law: “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (Jno. 5:45-47) Did Jesus lie? Or, maybe he was just confused? No, Jesus knew Moses wrote the Law.

The Jewish people of the first century believed Moses gave them the Law (Acts 6:14; 15:1). If JEDP is true, why didn’t the Jewish people know about it? Was the whole nation deceived?

The truth is JEDP did not write and compile the Pentateuch; it was written by Moses, the inspired prophet of God (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Pet. 1:10-12). The Old Testament acknowledges the source of the Pentateuch as Moses. Christ and the New Testament writers identify the source of the Pentateuch as Moses. The Jewish people viewed Moses as the one who gave them the Law.

Modern historians and theologians assert Moses did no such thing; they say JEDP wrote the Pentateuch. They deny the word and wisdom of God. Do not be deceived by such philosophies (Col. 2:8). Timothy was warned to guard the word of God while “avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith” (1 Tim. 6:20-21). We must do the same.

You can find the complete outline of this sermon at BIBLE ANSWERS

Do Not Be Deceived (Part 1)

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

1. Deceive: “to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid”...”synonyms beguile, mislead, delude.” (Merriam-Webster)
2. God warns us: Do not be deceived...

I. BY SIN, Heb. 3:13; Rom. 7:11; Jas. 1:12-16.

A. That it Satisfies our Desires (lusts), Titus 3:3.
B. That it Gives Lasting Pleasure, Heb. 11:25.
C. That it Brings no Eternal Consequences, 1 Cor. 6:9-10 (Rom. 6:23).
D. That it is not Seen & Punished by God, Gal. 6:7-8 (Num. 32:23).

II. BY THE ERROR OF FALSE TEACHERS, Matt. 24:3-5 (11, 24-25); 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 Jno. 2:26.

A. That their Teaching Conforms to the Faith, 1 Tim. 4:1.
B. That Their Teaching Comes from Christ, 2 Ths. 2:1-3.
C. That No One can be Sure about All Truth, cf. 1 Jno. 3:7 (Jno. 16:13; 8:32).
D. That they (false teachers) are not Deceivers, but Servants of Christ, 2 Jno. 7-10; 2 Cor. 11:3-4, 13-15.

III. BY HUMAN WISDOM, Col. 2:8.

A. Persuasive Words, Col. 2:4 (no divine wisdom & knowledge, 2:2-3).
B. Empty Words, Eph. 5:6.
C. Smooth Words, Rom. 16:17-18.

IV. BY RELIGIOUS FERVOR WITHOUT DIVINE APPROVAL, Col. 2:18-19 (Rom. 10:1-3); 3:17.

V. BY THE INFLUENCE OF EVIL ASSOCIATIONS, 1 Cor. 15:33.

A. Where We Live (people we live around, cf. Lot, 2 Pet. 2:7-8).
B. Where We Work, Titus 2:9-10 (Col. 3:22-23).
C. Where We Play, cf. 1 Pet. 4:2-3.

Conclusion
Jesus warns us: “Take heed, that no one deceives you.” (Matt. 24:4) Heed His warning

You can find the complete outline of this sermon at BIBLE ANSWERS

Deceiving Ourselves (Part 2)

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-20

1. We are under Christ’s warning to not be deceived & devoured by sin, 1 Pet. 5:8-9.
2. Self-deception is extremely difficult to overcome, demanding honest & thorough examination of one’s own heart & life, 2 Cor. 13:5.
3. We deceive ourselves…

I. BY THINKING TOO HIGHLY OF OUR OWN WISDOM, 1 Cor. 3:18-19.

A. The Problem of Pride, Prov. 3:5-7; 26:12; Isa. 5:21 (Rom. 12:3, 16).
B. Trusting We Know Better than God, Jer. 37: 9-10; Ro. 1:21-23; 1 Co. 3:18; Jer. 10:23; 17:9.

II. BY BEING ONLY HEARERS & NOT DOERS OF GOD’S WORD, Jas. 1:22-25.

A. Only those Who Do God’s Will be Saved, Matt. 7:21-27; Lk. 8:12; 6:46; Heb. 5:9.
B. If We think Obedience is a Burden, We are Deceiving Ourselves, 1 Jno. 5:3; 2:5; Mal. 1:12-14; Neh. 13:15-17.

III. BY SAYING WE HAVE NO SIN, 1 Jno. 1:8.

A. When We Say “Sin is not Really Sin.”
B. When We think “Ignorance is Bliss”Lk. 12:48
C. When We Think We Can Sin & Get Away with it, Gal. 6:7-8; Deut. 29:19-20.

IV. BY THINKING WE ARE STRONGER THAN WE ARE, Gal. 6:3.

A. We Need to Keep a Humble Heart about the Power of Sin’s Temptations, cf. Col. 3:12; Rom. 12:16 (Pride is a deceiver, Obadiah 3).
B. When We become Overconfident in our Spiritual Strength, We are Ready to Fall, 1 Cor. 10:12; Mk. 14:27-31.

V. BY NOT CONTROLLING THE TONGUE, Js. 1:26

A. Worshippers of God Deceive themselves this way, Jas. 1:16.
B. Misuse of Tongue Major Problem, Jas. 3:2-8

Concl. We are targets of Satan; do not be deceived, Rev. 12:9; Eph. 6:10

NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the light of Scripture)

Deadly Choices
Joe R. Price

LYNNWOOD — A Bellingham man died Sunday after the vehicle he was riding in hit a guardrail and went down an embankment on Interstate 5, the Washington State Patrol reported…Trooper Kirk Rudeen said alcohol and speed were factors in the crash, which remains under investigation” (“City man dies in I-5 crash,” The Bellingham Herald, Oct. 9, 2007). The Herald also reported there “may have been driving a stolen vehicle.” One arrest has been made, and the other survivor, who is in Harborview Medical Center, remains a suspect (“Arrest follows car crash,” The Bellingham Herald, Oct. 11, 2007).

We make choices every day that can have deadly and eternal consequences. Consider this biblical advice to help us make wise choices.

· Respect God. Unless we respect and honor God, we will continually make choices that are spiritually harmful, and which may even shorten our life on earth. We must fear God and work righteousness (Acts 10:35). We must fear God more than men, and make godly choices in our attitudes and actions (Matt. 10:28). Young people must remember their Creator early and often (Eccl. 11:9-12:1).

· Respect others. Life is not to be lived in selfish indulgence and disregard of others. Tragically, this young man left loved ones beyond; a wife and son, family and friends. The choice to love our neighbor as we love ourselves results in showing regard for the well-being of others. Such a person understands that his actions affect many others (Matt. 22:39; 7:12).

Respect life. Life is a precious gift from God (Isa. 42:5; Acts 17:25, 28). Our lives should reflect the knowledge that we will not live forever in the flesh, and to make choices that bless our life rather than endanger it. Eternal life from the death of sin is “the gift of God…in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Sinful choices bring eternal death. Choose to come to Jesus; obey him, be saved, and truly live (Matt. 11:28; Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38-41).

The Spirit's Sword is a free, weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
Send all questions, comments and subscriptions to the editor at: ssword@bibleanswer.com