2. HOLY SCRIPTURE THE WORD OF GOD.

In contradistinction to all other books in the world Holy Scripture is the Word of God. As the writings of Plato are the word of Plato and those of Cicero are the word of Cicero, just so the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which the prophets and apostles wrote by divine inspiration, are throughout, from beginning to end, the words of God Himself. This is not a "dogmatic construction," as rationalistic theologians have contended, but it is God's own testimony, given in Scripture. Hence Christian believers affirm not merely that the Bible contains God's Word, but that it is God's Word, that is to say, "Holy Scripture and the Word of God are interchangeable terms."

Holy Scripture is therefore a unique book; for it is neither a human nor a divine-human record of "revealed salvation facts," but God's own inspired and inerrant Word. The books of Christian authors contain God's Word as far as these pious writers have drawn from the Bible what they have written. But Scripture does not belong to this class of writings, but is in a class by itself. That was Luther's attitude toward the Holy Bible, and it is that of every true Christian believer, who readily subscribes to what Luther writes on this point: "You must deal with Scripture in such a way that think just as God Himself has spoken." (St. L., III, 21.) The same truth Luther affirms when he says: "Holy Scripture did not grow upon the earth." (St. L., VII, 2095.)

Even sincere Christians at times forget this paramount truth because in Holy Scripture God speaks to us not only in simple, every-day terms, but also of very ordinary matters, things pertaining to the affairs of our earthly life. As a matter of fact, as Christ Himself during His sojourn on earth "was made in the likeness of man and found in fashion as a man," Phil. 2, 7. 8, so that some believed Him to be "John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets," Matt. 16, 14, so also God's Word is set forth in Holy Scripture in the common speech of men and accommodated to our common earthly needs. Luther warns all believers : ''I beg and warn most faithfully every pious Christian not to be offended at the simple speech and narrative which he will frequently meet with; let him not doubt, no matter how simple it may appear, that • these are nothing but words, works, judgments, and narratives of the divine majesty, omnipotence, and wisdom. For this is the Scripture, which makes fools of all the wise and prudent and is open alone to the lowly and simple, as Christ Himself says in Matt. 11, 25. Therefore give up your pride and haughty spirit and regard Scripture as the greatest and most precious sanctuary and the richest mine, which can never be fully exhausted, in order that you may find the divine wisdom, which God here presents so plainly and simply that He may quench our pride." (St. L., XIV, 3 f.) In spite of its simplicity we therefore identify Holy Scripture with God's Word and declare that it is God's Word from beginning to end and in every part. In this we follow God's own directions given in Holy Scripture; for as we study that holy Book, we find:

a. God's Word

given in Holy Scripture; for as we study that holy Book, we find: a. That in the New Testament the Scriptures of the Old Testament are directly and absolutely quoted as God's Word. We thus read, Matt. 1, 22. 23: "All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet Is. 7, 14, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child," etc. In Matt. 2, 15 we read: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet Hos. 11, 1, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son." In Acts 4, 25. 26 the words of Ps. 2, 1. 2 are quoted as having been "spoken of God by the mouth of His servant David." Acts 28, 25f. quotes the words in Is. 6, 9. 10 as words "which the Holy Ghost spake by Esaias the prophet." In Heb. 3, 7ff. we find a quotation from Ps. 95, 7 f., with the express remark, "as the Holy Ghost saith." Finally, in Rom. 3, 2 the Holy Scriptures, which were entrusted to the Church of God of the Old Testament, are directly called "the words of God" (τα λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ). In fact, according to the unmistakable testimony of Christ the Old Testament Scriptures are so absolutely the Word of God that He says of them: "The Scripture cannot be broken," John 10, 35. The reference in this instance, sc., to Ps. 82, 6, is of great importance; for there magistrates are called "gods" (אלהים, θεοί). This appellation, according to our Savior, was not a mistake and could not be a mistake because "the Scripture cannot be broken." From this passage therefore as well as from many others we learn that the Bible is verbally inspired, so that every word in Scripture is God's own infallible Word.

The series of passages in which the Old Testament Scriptures are called "God's Word" is supported by another group of texts, in which the Scriptures are presented as so absolutely divine that all things foretold in them must be literally fulfilled, indeed, that all events that occur in this world are directed by God's will, as revealed in Scripture. This takes Holy Scripture out of the class of human writings and places it in a class by itself, as God's own holy Book. Thus in John 17, 12 our Savior speaks of the apostasy of Judas and the loss of his soul and adds that this came about "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Christ's own betrayal and capture in Gethsemane had to take place in order that "the Scripture might be fulfilled," Matt. 26, 54. Similarly we read in Luke 24, 44 ff. that Christ had to suffer, die, and rise again "because all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms viz., in the entire Old Testament concerning Me." Olshausen is right in arguing that in the New Testament the quotations from the Old Testament are referred to not as proofs from human writings, but as incontrovertible testimonies of their being di·vine writings. But the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures are God's own Word was stated by Christ Himself when He gave the command: "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me," John 5, 39.

b. The New Testament vs The Old Testament

b. The fact that the Scriptures of the New Testament occupy the same canonical position as those of the Old Testament and are therefore in the same manner and to the same degree the Word of God is proved by a number of clear passages. In 1 Pet. 1, 10-12, the apostle first establishes the fact that the prophets of the Old Testament testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow through "the Spirit of Christ which was in them," but then adds: "Which (the sufferings of Christ and His glory) are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost (ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, by the Holy Ghost) sent down from heaven." According to this passage the apostles in the New Testament proclaimed the Gospel by the same Spirit of Christ which was in the prophets of the Old Testament, so that their writings are the Word of God in the same sense and to the same degree as were those of the prophets. If the objection is raised that this passage refers to the oral word of the apostles, we may quote passages in which the apostles place their written word on the same level with their spoken word and demand for it the same reverence and obedience, 1 John 1, 3. 4; 2 Thess. 2, 15; 1 Cor. 14, 37; 2 Cor. 13, 3. As in 1 Pet. 1, 10-12, so also in Eph. 2, 20 the word of the apostles in the New Testament is accorded the same divine dignity and authority as the word of the prophets in the Old Testament; for both are declared to be the foundation upon which the Church is built. In addition to this, Christ states expressly that Christians would believe in Him and hence obtain salvation "through their (the apostles') word," John 17, 20, which proves that their word is God's own Word; for this alone is able to save souls, Rom. 1, 16; Jas. 1, 21.

Overview chap. 3