Caleb and Michael have been gracious enough to allow me to use this platform to promote a book which I am in the process of writing. The book is titled, “Does the Bible Really Say That?” Our next few articles will glean on that theme. We begin by establishing the need for Bible authority, which is a portion of the introduction of the book.
God’s Word is pure (Psa. 19:8). God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). God’s Word is inspired (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God’s Word is the perfect Guide (Psa. 119:105). God’s Word guards us from sin (Psa. 119:11). God’s Word is the basis for judgement (John 12:48). God’s Word is just that, God’s Word (Isa. 55:11). Since God’s Word is His authoritative Guide for our lives, we must conform our lives to the standards found within it (Mat. 7:21-23).
Did you know that there are certain commands given in the Bible that we are not expected to follow today? Allow me to explain. Was it God’s Law at one point in time for a man to build an ark by which he would be spared from a global flood? Absolutely! Genesis chapters 6-9 tell us about the life of Noah, and how he obeyed God by fulfilling His commands (Gen. 6:22). When Noah lived, if he desired to be pleasing in God’s sight, he was required to build the ark. We are not living in the time of Noah. There will never be another global flood (Gen. 9:11-17). We are not required to obey the command to build an ark, because we are not under the same law.
Are citizens of the United States bound to the laws of the country of Canada? No! Of course, American citizens are to abide by the laws of the United States of America. The laws under which you live are the laws that are applicable to you. Such is the case with God’s Law. We are not bound to the Patriarchal Law (before Mount Sinai), or to the Law of Moses (Sinai to Calvary). To what law then are we bound? Hebrews 9:15-17 tells us that we are bound to the law of Christ, the New Testament.
We are not bound to the Old Testament law today. We live after the death of Christ on the cross. This being the case, if something is written in the Old Testament, we are not expected to follow it. However, the Old Testament is valuable for our learning (Rom. 15:4). Keep in mind as we embark on this study that while the Old Testament is good for us to study and to help us learn, we are bound only by the laws contained in the New Testament.
God’s Word is absolute, authoritative Truth (John 17:17). God’s Word does not change (Mat. 24:35). God’s Word is objective, meaning that is not up for you or me to decide what is true and what is false, it only matters what God’s Word says.
