Scripture Proofs
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory . . . . And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 13)
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law. (Ps. 119:18)
Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them. (Ps. 119:129)
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)
To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass. (Acts 26:22)
For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:28)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether. (Ps. 19:7-9)
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13, 14)
But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1 John 2:20-27)
But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor. 3:14-17)
In the last post we covered the first part of this answer. Now, we come to the second part: "The Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God." This is the reason why, despite the evidences given in the first part, people still disbelieve: because only God's Spirit can break through our inherent depravity and tendency to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18 NASB).
Again, the Bible itself testifies to the fact that God teaches people through it. Paul talks about how God's Word is "not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit" who "interpret[s] spiritual truths to those who are spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). God's Word cannot be fully and truly understood by flesh, but it requires the Spirit who came to "guide [us] into all the truth" and to "take what is [Christ's] and declare it to [us]" (John 16:13, 14). Not only that, but the Spirit only "interpret[s]" spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." Elsewhere Paul states that believers "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." Thus, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells are those who are spiritual, and are those for whom the Holy Spirit interprets spiritual truths. Flesh - that is, those who don't have the Holy Spirit - read the Bible and see only intellectual truths. They are not persuaded of its truth and will not be unless the Spirit, through the Word, teaches them.
To expand on this a little bit, the apostle John even goes so far as to say in 1 John 2, "the anointing that you received from him [the Holy One, v. 20] abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you" (v. 27). We have no need that anyone should teach us. This doesn't mean we should never listen to pastors and theologians who have been studying for decades, or that we should ignore the great titans of church history. It only means that the Holy Spirit teaches us, so that we have no need to be taught by others. I think we should learn from others because they often have great insight. But we don't need to.
The Psalmist petitions to God: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Ps. 119:18). He wants to behold those wondrous things, so he comes to God, knowing that he is the only one who can show him. Paul expands on this when he speaks of the Israelites, "To this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed" (2 Cor. 3:15-16). Not only does the Lord remove the veil, but Paul is very clear that "only through Christ is it taken away" (v. 14, emphasis added). God is the only one who can reveal the true meaning of Scripture.
However, he often chooses to do this through human teachers. These teachers, like all believers, ultimately learn from the Spirit. Paul said, "To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass" (Acts 26:22). Paul preached from God's Word, and he had God's help. Had not God used Paul, all of Paul's preaching would have resulted in nothing. Instead, however, God worked with his Word through him to reach many and change the face of the world.
So, despite all the evidence that the Bible is God's Word, we will never believe this unless God himself reveals it to us. God alone, through his Word, is able to work his mighty works. If that is true, we need to be in the Bible daily, earnestly desiring to know his will.
To read the full catechism, click here.
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