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The Doctrine of the Bible in the New TestamentWHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS ABOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT AND WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS ABOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT D. Massimiliano Lorenzini I. What the NT says about the inspiration of the OT The NT contains many references to the inspiration of the OT. Zacharias' prophecy in Luke 1:70 says, "...He [God] spoke by the mouth of His prophets" (NKJV). In Matthew 22:43 Jesus said, "...How is it then that David [in the Psalms], speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'?" (NIV). In Acts 1:16 Peter said, "...the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David..." (NKJV). In Acts 3:18 Peter said, "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled" (NKJV). Again in Acts 3:21, 24 Peter said, "...God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began...Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these things" (NKJV). Jesus said in Matthew 22:30, "...have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?" (NKJV). In Mark 7:5-13 Jesus quoted from Isaiah and Exodus and refers to it as the "commandment of God" and the "word of God." In John 10:34-36 Jesus quoted from the Psalms and referred to it as the "word of God." In Romans 3:1-2 Paul said that the Jews were entrusted with the "very words of God" (NIV). In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..." (NKJV). Peter said in 2 Peter 1:21, "...for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (NKJV). Hebrews 1:1 says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways" (NIV). In Acts 13:32-35 Paul referred to two quotes from the Psalms and one from Isaiah regarding Christ by saying "What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us..." (NIV). In Acts 28:25 Paul said, "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet..." (NIV). Hebrews 3:7 begins a quote from the Psalms with the words, "So, as the Holy Spirit says..." (NIV). Hebrews 4:3 begins another quote from the Psalms with the words, "just as God has said..." (NIV). Hebrew 5:5 quotes another Psalm related to Christ with the words, "God said to him..." (NIV). Hebrews 7:21; 10:15; and 13:5 all contain similar statements. Jesus referred to the entire OT as the "Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms" in Luke 24:44. This corresponds to the Hebrew division of the OT as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Hebrew canon is identical with the canon that Christians accept. The only difference is in the order of the books which is the Pentateuch, the historical books, the wisdom literature, the major prophets, and the minor prophets. The NT clearly teaches that the OT books are inspired by God and are to be treated as the very words of God. II. What the NT says about the inspiration of the NT The NT contains ample evidence for its inspiration. What follows are some passages that teach Jesus' view of the inspiration of the NT. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (NIV). John 6:68 says, "Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (NIV). John 7:16 says, "Jesus answered, My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me" (NIV). In John 8:26, 28 Jesus said, "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world....When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me" (NIV). In John 12:48-50 Jesus said, "There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say" (NIV). In John 14:10 Jesus said, "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words that I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work" (NIV). In John 14:26 Jesus said, "But the Counselor, 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" (NIV). Next are some passages that teach the apostles' views of the inspiration of the NT. Acts 22:13-15 says of Paul, "He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard'" (NIV). In Romans 16:25 Paul said, "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past" (NIV). In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 Paul said, "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (NIV). In 1 Corinthians 7:10 Paul said, "To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord)..." (NIV). In 1 Corinthians 14:37 Paul said, "If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command" (NIV). In Ephesians 2:3-5 Paul said, "Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets" (NIV). In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul said, "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (NIV). In Titus 1:2-3 Paul said, "...a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior...." (NIV). In 1 Peter 1:23-25 Peter said, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you" (NIV). In 2 Peter 3:15-16 Peter said, "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction" (NIV). In 1 John 1:1-5 John said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (NIV). In Revelation 1:1-3; 1:10-11; 1:17-20; 19:9-10; and 22:6-19 are many references to the inspiration of the book of Revelation. The NT contains many references to its inspiration from God. III. Characteristics of the Bible mentioned in the NT Jesus affirmed the historicity of the OT. Jesus mentioned many OT characters as historical. Among these are: Abel (Matt. 23:35), Abraham (John 8:37-58), Daniel (Matt 24:15), David (Luke 6:3-4), Elijah (Luke 4:25-26), Elisha (Luke 4:27), Isaac and Jacob (Luke 13:28), Jonah (Matt. 12:39-41), Lot (Luke 17:28-32), Moses (Mark 10:2-5), Noah (Matt. 24:37-39), The Queen of the South and Solomon (Matt.12:42), and Zechariah (Matt. 23:35). Jesus mentioned the historicity of OT practices, places, objects, events, Moses' authorship of the Pentateuch, and Isaiah's authorship of the book of Isaiah. Jesus affirmed the fulfillment of OT prophecies (Matt. 26:23; Luke 4:16-21; Luke 24:25-27). Jesus affirmed the authority of the OT and used the OT authoritatively. Jesus used the OT in ethical discussion (Matt. 22:37-40), in refutation (Matt. 4:4; Matt. 15:3-6; John 7:21-24), in teaching (Matt. 13:10-16), and in prophecy (Matt. 24:15-16). Jesus saw Himself as the fulfillment of the OT (Mark 14:61-62; Luke 4:16-21; John 6:32-58). Other characteristics of the Bible mentioned in the NT are that the Bible is active (Heb. 4:12), alive (1 Pet. 1:23), all-sufficient (Luke 16:29-31), efficacious (2 Cor. 7:8-9, 10:9-11), enduring (Luke 16:16-17, Luke 21:33), eternal (Matt. 24-35), for all believers (1 Jn. 2:12-14), good (Rom. 7:12), holy (2 Tim. 3:15), illuminating (1 Jn. 2:8), inspired (2 Tim. 3:16), instructive (2 Tim. 3:14-17), perfect (Jam. 1:25), powerful (Heb. 4:12), pure (Jn. 15:3), a record of revelation (Jn. 20:30-31), reliable (Luke 24:44), righteous (Rom. 7:12), the standard of truth (Mk. 7:7-13, Acts 18:28), true (2 Tim. 2:15, Jm. 1:18), and trustworthy (Rev. 22:6). Yes, the NT affirms that the Bible is God's Word. |
