It Is Written

“It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

Christ Himself appealed to the Holy Scriptures in response to the temptations of Satan.

Let me say it again.

God Himself quoted the Bible in order to properly interact with bad ideas.

There’s a particular segment of Christianity that would have us all believe that to take the words of the Bible as an ultimate authority is somehow to dishonor both the Bible and God. Serious Christians are accused of an idolatry of Bible worship by those who would rather not take what it has to say quite so ultimately. 

“Jesus is the true Word!” they argue.

Of course, all of this is meant to give credence to the ideas that the teachings and standards of the Bible are to be culturally reinterpreted and, put simply, that you can deliberately and blatantly misinterpret the text and misrepresent the intent of its authors while still maintaining a clear conscience about the integrity of your faith.

But what is the example of Jesus, our true Word? 

It appears that He was perfectly comfortable appealing to the authority of the written word. Throughout the Gospel accounts, Jesus quoted 27 Old Testament books 78 separate times. The Apostles followed His lead and quoted the Old Testament 209 more times. Christ and His apostles demonstrated a reverence for the authority of the Scriptures that many today would consider archaic, even Pharisaical.  

The go-to verse for their appeal to an authority higher than Scripture is John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

The implication, of course, is that some kind of knowledge of Christ outside of, beyond, or in addition to the Scriptures can supersede what is written inside of them. 

But the next time someone attempts to use this verse in order to justify their rejection or modification of what is taught in the Bible, remind them of Christ’s words later in John 8:31, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” as well as II John 1:9, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

(You might also point out the context of John 5 and the verses immediately preceding and following verse 39. That verse isn’t saying what many claim it is saying.)

Jesus and His apostles demonstrated a reverence and regard for the authority of the Scriptures that many within Christianity today reject. The choice before us is simple: follow both the teaching and examples of Christ and the men tasked with writing the New Testament and spreading the initial news of His resurrection, or capitulate in the name of social relevance, ideology, modern academic condescension, political correctness, or our own personal rebellion.

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‘But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.” – Psalm 50:16-17