I am still thinking today about the Bible and about the word of God

I am still thinking today about the Bible and about the word of God. I would like to explain in just a little more detail exactly what the difference between the two are. The fact that the Bible is not the word of God, and is something 'different' than the word of God, BY NO MEANS is to imply or state that the scriptures are in any way CONTRARY to the word of God. In fact, if the word of God comes to someone it will and MUST ALWAYS be able to be confirmed by consistent evidence of the scriptures. Anyone who watches our ministry page here on facebook, or anyone who is familiar with the ministry that God has committed to me in ANY venue; knows that my preaching and writing is basically NOTHING BUT scripture confirming scripture confirming scripture. That is the way the holy Ghost has taught me to preach from the beginning, and it just happens to be the same way that Jesus and the apostles preached. In fact that is how the new testament scriptures were written, by confirming the truth of Jesus and the new testament through old testament scripture; and that brings me to the point of today's post. The following scripture is one that is misunderstood by many who hold to the mindset that the Bible is the word of God: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16). I actually had a comment on yesterday's article where someone quoted that scripture erroneously, in order to support their traditional thought on the matter. He actually quoted the above scripture as, ["The Bible is the Word of God (written) and Living. Through the bible we find truths and examples. 2Tim 3:16."] Wow! I don't know whether he came up with that himself, or whether he got it from some perverse Christian translation; but I DO know that it is nothing but religious Christian fluff. But now I'm going to reference a passage that I quoted in part in yesterday's article, that will open the door to us to put the preceding scripture in it's true context and understanding: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION. 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" (II Pet. 1:20,21). THAT IS THE WHOLE THING MY FRIEND!! OF COURSE "all scripture is given by inspiration of God." Webster's theological definition of "inspiration" is, "A divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul." And that is exactly what Peter was saying, that the scriptures were written by those who were "moved by the holy Ghost." It is the holy Ghost that is the word of God, not the scriptures, which Jesus attested to as well: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the SPIRIT SAITH unto the [congregations]" (Rev. 3:13). The apostle Paul confirmed that the Spirit is the word of God as well: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the SPIRIT, which IS the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). A simple grammatical breakdown of that passage will show that it is "the Spirit" that is being said to be the word of God. The scriptures are a written account of the fact that the word of God did come to the writers of the Bible. But here is the problem: If you think that the Bible is the word of God, it leaves the door open to any private interpretation. The truth of the gospel is not a variable thing in the mind of God, or of his Son, who are in "one mind and one accord" in all things (Jas. 1:17; Jn. 17:22). So how is it that man has divided the gospel into ten thousand versions, and there is nothing but division in the body of Christ? Because everyone thinks that the Bible is the word of God, and everyone has THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION of what supposedly is the word of God. Sound confusing? Yeah, and with good reason, or actually I should say bad reason. The fact remains that the word of God CANNOT be read or written. It has to be HEARD and EXPERIENCED! There is no "written word of God."

My friend, the word of God is what it is, and it is ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Period. It is not subject to man's interpretation of the scriptures. Anyone can make anything they want to make out of what is written, but when God's word comes to a person, it is exactly what it is - ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Unless your READING of the scriptures is INSPIRED by the holy Ghost, you will never know what you are reading about. You can think anything you like about the scriptures, but there is only one way to truly understand what is written, and that is by THE WORD OF GOD COMING TO YOU!! The beloved apostle said it very simply this way: "But the ANOINTING which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same ANOINTING TEACHETH you of all things, and IS TRUTH, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (I Jn. 2:27). Again we see that it is THE SPIRIT [anointing] that must impart divine understanding to us, which divine understanding IS the word of God. In the testimony of Wisdom, or the Word of God in Proverbs 8, which is actually the testimony of the Son of God; we read the following: "I AM understanding" (Prov. 8:14; I Cor. 1:30). It is the ANOINTING that John mentioned, which is the SPIRIT, that truly is the word of God. And as he also stated, it is that anointing that we MUST be taught by. In fact, that anointing IS the Lord Jesus Christ, as the following passage shows us: "Now the Lord IS that SPIRIT" (II Cor. 3:17). In closing I would like to note that this faulty thinking about the scriptures being the word of God is not new, and it is not harmless in the least. The devil used scripture, unchanged at that, to tempt Jesus to do evil (Mat. 4:6). Was THAT the word of God? Not unless Satan momentarily switched places with God. In fact one of Satan's favorite past times is to quote scripture, but when he does so, it is NEVER the word of God. When Jesus came here, the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Chief Priests, etc., knew the scriptures backward and forward, and inside out. These people were so well versed in the scriptures that they undoubtedly could quote many chapters consecutively by heart. And these were the people that Jesus said the following to: "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye CANNOT HEAR MY WORD" (Jn. 8:43). And the real clincher: " And ye have not HIS WORD abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will NOT COME TO ME, that ye might have life" (Jn. 5:38-40). The very embodiment of the scriptures that they CLAIMED to believe was walking and talking among them, and they rejected him. And how did they justify their rejection of the Son of God? BY THE SCRIPTURES! He was constantly accused of breaking the sabbath because they had their own idea of what breaking the sabbath meant. Eventually he was condemned for blasphemy because they had their own idea of what blasphemy was. They claimed their righteousness by means of Moses and the law because they had their own interpretation of Moses and the law. These were scriptural truths, but the truth is they were WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING; meaning that they were void of the word of God, as Jesus said. And those who hold to the claim of the Bible being the word of God today, refuse thereby to "hear what the Spirit saith unto the [congregations]." So the question is, do YOU really want to know the true word of God? Well here's a good place to start: "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28). Amen.