http://www.adventistsermons.blogspot.co.uk/ The Richness and value Of The Word ofThe Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Sprit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history. God by C A Murray of 3ABN (3 Angels Broadcasting Network).
The Bible reveals God and exposes humanity. It exposes our predicament and reveals His solution. It presents us as lost, estranged from God, and reveals Jesus as the one who finds us and brings us back to God.
Jesus Christ is the focus of Scripture. The Old Testament sets forth the Son of God as the Messiah, the world’s Redeemer; the New Testament reveals Him as Jesus Christ, the Saviour. Every page, either through symbol or reality, reveals some phase of His work and character. Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate revelation of God’s character.
The cross makes this ultimate revelation because it brings together two extremes: man’s unfathomable evil and God’s inexhaustible love. What could give us greater insight into human fallibility? What could better reveal sin? The cross reveals a God who allowed His only Son to be killed. What a sacrifice! What greater revelation of love could He have made? Indeed, the focus of the Bible is Jesus Christ. He is at the center stage of the cosmic drama. Soon His triumph at Calvary will culminate in the elimination of evil. Human beings and God will be reunited.
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The theme of God’s love, particularly as seen in Christ’s sacrificial death on Calvary—the grandest truth of the universe—is the focus of the Bible. All major Bible truths, therefore, should be studied from this perspective.
Authorship of the Scriptures
The Bible’s authority for faith and practice rises from its origin. Its writers viewed the Bible as distinct from other literature. They referred to it as “Holy Scriptures” (Rom.1:2), “sacred writings” (2 Tim. 3:15, RSV), and the “oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2; Heb. 5:12).
The uniqueness of the Scriptures is based on their origin and source. The Bible writers claimed they did not originate their messages but received them from divine sources. It was through divine revelation that they were able “to see” the truths they passed on (see Isa. 1:1; Amos 1:1; Micah 1:1; Hab. 1:1; Jer. 38:21).
These writers pointed to the Holy Spirit as the one who communicated through the prophets to the people (Neh. 9:30; cf. Zech. 7:12). David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Ezekiel wrote, “the Spirit entered me,” “the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me,” “the Spirit took me up” (Eze. 2:2; 11:5, 24). And Micah testified, “I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord” (Micah 3:8).
The New Testament recognized the role of the Holy Spirit in the production of the Old Testament. Jesus said that David was inspired by the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:36). Paul believed that the Holy Spirit spoke “through Isaiah” (Acts 28:25). Peter revealed that the Holy Spirit guided all the prophets, not just a few (1 Peter 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 1:21). At times the writer faded completely into the background, and only the real author—the Holy Spirit—was acknowledged: “The Holy Spirit says. . . ” “By this the Holy Spirit indicates. . . ” (Heb. 3:7; 9:8, RSV).
