Evidence that Builds Faith

What did Jesus say about the Scriptures?

A few years ago I was in conversation with a young woman who had visited our church when she made a comment, “The Bible is just a compilation of writings of men and it has no authority, for it is just their ideas”.

This is a far too common concept. Let’s examine what Jesus had to say about the Scriptures.

• Jesus asserted the Scriptures of the Old Testament are divinely authoritative
  • When He was being tempted by Satan, Jesus used the Scriptures as a defense against temptation (Matthew 4:1-11)
    • Satan’s attempt “command the stones be made of bread”
      • Jesus’ response “man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord” Deuteronomy 8:3
      Satan’s attempt “if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down…” which included a quote from Psalm 91:11-12 “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all they ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone”.
      • Jesus’ response “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 6:16
      Satan’s attempt “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me”
      • Jesus’ response “thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and only Him shall you serve” Deuteronomy 6:13
      Jesus’ response was always “It is written”Jesus’ quoting of the Scriptures during His temptation indicates the authority of the Scriptures
    • Jesus and the Apostles used the phrase “it is written” 92 times to show the authority of the Scriptures
• Jesus viewed the Scriptures as imperishable
  • Jesus said the law and the prophets are so important that not the dot of an “I” of the cross of a “t” will be lost until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17)
• Jesus viewed the Scriptures as infallible
  • When He was accused of blasphemy and was about to be stoned to death, Jesus relied on the Scriptures to defend himself (John 10:35)
  • He also affirmed the truth of the Scriptures when He prayed for the disciples (John 17:17)
  • If the Scriptures were not true, why would Jesus use them to show the error of others? (Matthew 22:29)
• Jesus viewed the Scriptures as historically reliable
  • He affirmed two of the most historically disputed stories in the Old Testament
    • Noah (Matthew 27:37-38)
    • Jonah (Matthew 12:40
• What of the New Testament?
  • Jesus could not refer to the New Testament since it had not yet been written. He did, however, make some statements which would indicate things that would be recorded in the future
    • “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:25-26
    • “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:12—13

We conclude that Jesus saw the Scriptures as the divinely authoritative Word of God. They are imperishable, infallible, and historically reliable. If Jesus saw them in this light, can we not trust them too?