“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 reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Proverbs 30:5-6
I’m not sure how many years I have been using my current Bible, but I am hoping I will never have to replace it. I have added so many notes and cross references in its margins that copying it all into a new Bible would take several years! As I peruse the pages of my Bible I can see places where I have had to use White-Out to cover a wrong cross reference or a wrong understanding or application of a particular verse. The longer I have my Bible, the more White-Out I find myself applying to its pages. The one thing I don’t see in my Bible, however, is White-Out being applied to the biblical text itself. Though my understanding of the text is not infallible, the biblical text is. Though my understanding of God’s word may need to be corrected from time to time, the word itself will always be perfect, without the need for correction or revision. “Thy word is true from the beginning.” wrote the Psalmist, “and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). The word of God is an indestructible rock upon which we would do well to build our lives (Luke 6:47-48). Unregenerate man may despise God’s word but he will never refute it or prove it wrong. Peter declared that “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). In other words, the entirety of the Scriptures provide us with God’s—not man’s—interpretation of the world. Peter drives the point home: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). According to the great apostle, the declarations of Scripture are even more sure than our own eyewitness experiences (2 Peter 1:16-19). When engaged in an evangelistic or apologetical encounter, it is important that we not think beyond what God has written (1 Corinthians 4:6), but faithfully and courageously declare to others the sure testimony of God’s dear Son (1 John 5:9-12; Revelation 19:10). So long as our message to the world is confined to what God has revealed in His Holy Bible, we will never be bested in an intellectual, rational combat situation. With complete confidence, we may say with the psalmist, “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed” (Psalm 119:46). May the Lord show us all wondrous things from His word that will fascinate our minds, thrill our hearts, and strengthen our spirits.
God bless you dear saints,
Pastor John
English