The Scripture Cannot
Be Broken






The tendency to question the divinity and authority of the Old Testament Scriptures is very widespread in these dark and ungodly times. And it is not just the unbelievers who reject God's inspired Word.

Even the majority of professed Christians, especially those of "higher" learning who consider themselves modern and enlightened, say that most of the incidents recorded in Genesis are not historical facts, but simply stories written to reach certain lessons.

This class of critic is the shallow, vulgar, blatant blasphemer, who speaks evil of the things he understands not, contradicting the Word of God and attributing to fallible men the inspired record of truth.

So few really read and prayerfully study the Bible for themselves. Most are content like sheep to accept the superficial assertions of the Bible's shallow critics. Could anything be more foolish in a matter of life and death?

There are many ways of showing that the views of such critics are contrary to both reason and truth. Perhaps the strongest and most direct as far as dealing with professed "Christians" is concerned, is to go direct to Jesus and the apostles in order to get their views on the Old Testament (the only "Scriptures" existing in their day, for the New had not yet been recorded).

We confidently use Jesus as our greatest and ultimate authority.

He claimed to be the Son of God and to speak the words of God, and proclaimed himself to be the divinely appointed "Way and Truth and Life."

And these were not just empty claims because he proved them by the wonderful works that he did, and his testimony was confirmed by God in raising him from the dead to sit at His right hand. Therefore Jesus' value as a witness is of paramount importance.

The scribes and Pharisees, who had drifted very far from the truth and understanding of the Law, were giving more authority to their own traditions than they were to Moses and the prophets, though, like the religious world today, they professed to believe them.

Therefore, when they heard the message of Jesus which was really in perfect harmony with the message of the Old Testament, they thought he was a deceiver and a blasphemer.

But Jesus clearly assured them of his unswerving loyalty to the Old Testament Scriptures when he said (Matt. 5:17) --
If the Old Testament writings were fables and folklore, there would be nothing for him to fulfill!

For Jesus' view of the Old Testament, let us join him, after his resurrection, as he meets two of his disciples on the way to Emmaus. First he reproves them for their slowness to believe ALL that the prophets had spoken: then --
Later on he appeared to the eleven as they were gathered together in Jerusalem, and said to them (Luke 24:44) --
Could any words be stronger or clearer? Further evidence of his complete faith in the Old Testament as the Word of God comes before us during a clash with his persecutors, when he said (John 5:45-47) --
On another occasion, he gives striking evidence of his simple belief in the word-for-word inspiration of the Old Testament, not just the hazy, evasive "general" acceptance of it in "principle" that we find so prevalent in modern Christendom.

He bases his whole argument on one single word in Psalms (John 10:34), and summing up he says (v. 35) --
In full harmony with his Master, we likewise find Paul basing an argument, not just on a single word, but on a single letter -- on the fact that a word occurs in the singular and not the pural (Gal. 3:16) --
To further illustrate the absolute confidence Jesus had in the divinity and historical accuracy of the Old Testament records (which modern Christendom calls myths, legends, garbled traditions), let us look at 4 more striking incidents.

In the first we see that the man-invented theory of "evolution" had no place in the belief and teaching of Jesus. Speaking of the Genesis record of the creation of the first man and woman, in answer to a question of the Pharisees, he said (Matt. 19:4-5) --
We find this form of address very prominent in Jesus' teaching: "It is written" -- "Have ye not read?"

To him -- God's Son, the Word made flesh -- the Scripture was the final, conclusive authority. Do we stand unashamedly with him, in the face of all modern self-wise presumption to the contrary?

The next historical event we consider is the Flood in the days of Noah, which moderns scoff at as manifestly untrue and unbelievable legends. But notice how Jesus speaks of it with a confidence beyond dispute or doubt, and couples it with the destruction of two cities in the plain of Jordan --
One of the most thrilling experiences in the life of Moses was when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush that was not consumed (Ex. 3).

Jesus brings this into his conversation with the Sadducees as a cardinal point of proof when he silences them concerning the resurrection (Luke 20:37).
The final case we present is that of Jonah. Here is a record that many who claim to follow Christ (and therefore should know better) like to assail with the scornful laughter of an assumed superior wisdom.

BUT NOT SO WITH JESUS! In fact, he specifically uses it as the one great and outstanding sign of his own death and resurrection, and does so with unqualified confidence, without restriction or limitation--
NO! The Old Testament is NOT composed of "myths, legends, and garbled traditions." It is the infallible WORD OF GOD, and His glorious message of grace and life to the human race. Wise indeed is he who so accepts it!

A humble, reverent reader of the Old Testament will soon discover that it contains the very foundation of the Christian faith, and the subject matter of the Gosple preached by Jesus and the apostles. Paul said, defending his preaching before Agrippa (acts 26:22) --
And when he arrived in Rome, a prisoner in chains for Christ's sake, he called the chief of the Jews together --


Homepage