This post was first published during November 2019. –ed.
Perhaps the greatest lie of postmodernism is the belief that we can define truth and determine reality from within ourselves. But the subjective realm of feelings and impressions is the worst place to go in any quest for truth.
God wrote a Book—just one Book—and in it He was able to say everything He wanted to say. He said it without error, without flaw, and without anything omitted or unnecessarily included. It is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And God gave His book to man through the means of inspiration, by which the Spirit of God moved in human writers who recorded the very words that God wanted them to write. People may believe or disbelieve the Bible, but no one has the power or the prerogative to establish truth or to change it. It is fixed, once for all—the Word of God is settled forever in heaven. This is profoundly essential.
That’s an important distinction we must not miss—the truth did not come from man. Man may discover, learn, understand, and apply it, but man has nothing to do with its origination. The apostle Peter—himself one of the inspired biblical authors—wrote that Scripture was not developed by the will of man, but by those “moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21) to record God’s words. No human being has ever had in himself any idea, thought, or experience that determined any divine truth—it all comes from God alone. No human or angel has ever been, or will ever be, a source for establishing divine truth. God’s Word alone accomplishes this.
Scripture itself attests to its divine author. The Old Testament contains more than 3,800 instances in which the writers claim to be speaking the Word of God. In the New Testament, there are more than three hundred such assertions. Paul claims that he received the gospel not from man but from God (Galatians 1:11–12). In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul quotes Luke’s gospel and refers to it as Scripture. In 2 Peter 3:15–16, Peter calls Paul’s writings Scripture. And Jude quotes Peter’s epistle (Jude 18), signifying similar biblical credibility. Altogether, the Old and New Testaments abundantly testify that they are the true Word of God.
And as the Word of God, the Bible has no expiration date. Peter extolls the timeless quality of Scripture in his first epistle, declaring, “The word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25). Time has no influence on God’s Word. Changing philosophies, worldviews, and cultural norms have no effect on it either. It is utterly unchanging and can never pass away. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” Jesus said, “but My words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33).
Perhaps the best way to understand the objective truth of Scripture is to hear the testimony of the One who is most trustworthy—the Lord Jesus Himself. He testified to the truth of God’s Word, down to every detail. He said, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail” (Luke 16:17). He consistently taught that He had come to fulfill the Word of God. In Matthew 5:17, He said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” He affirmed, “All things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished” (Luke 18:31). Looking ahead to the cross, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him” (Matthew 26:24). Later in the same chapter, He rebuked Peter for drawing his sword, reminding the impetuous disciple that He could call down legions of angels for assistance if He wished. Explaining that His arrest was part of God’s plan, He said, “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled?” (Matthew 26:54). He even called attention to incredibly specific prophetic details in Scripture. Psalm 22:1 predicted that the Messiah would cry out and say, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Hanging on the cross, Jesus exclaimed those words verbatim (Matthew 27:46). His life fulfilled everything that was written about Him, thus affirming Scripture’s truthfulness.
Scripture testifies to its own inspiration; it is the Word of God, originating outside of man. This is particularly important to understand in a culture dominated by the subjectivity of postmodernism. Truth cannot be subjective; there is no such thing as your truth or my truth. Truth is forever fixed. Authentic Christianity has always held that Scripture is absolute, objective truth. The Bible is God’s truth regardless of whether a person believes, understands, or likes it. It is permanent and universal truth, and therefore is the same for everyone. Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18–19 warn against adding to or taking away from Scripture, lest one suffer the plagues recorded therein. Proverbs 30:5–6 states: “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” The Bible is God’s Word to man—inspired, objective, and absolute truth.
(Adapted from Final Word)
