How can I tell if my father loves me or not? The best way to respond to this is to listen to what my dad has to say and observe his actions. While not every Christian has a father here on Earth, every Christian does have a father in heaven. There is never a father on earth like him since he is bigger, closer, older, and more significant. It is crucial that we understand and hear our heavenly father declare that he loves us for this reason. In response to the query, “Does the Bible contain God’s Word, or is it God’s Word itself?” this is also the reason. The solution is both/and rather than either/or.
God’s Word according to Karl Barth
Thanks to a theologian named Karl Barth, the notion that the Bible is not God’s Word but rather only contains God’s Word is highly prevalent today. According to him, there are three components to God’s Word: scripture, preaching, and divine revelation. Scripture contains God’s revelation, yet it is not the same as scripture. Although there are some beneficial aspects to his widely accepted views, there is a significant flaw in this theory.
We don’t need to search for God’s Word in the Bible
What if my father had written me a few letters but he lived far away? However, these letters are not sent to me directly. I’ve been informed, however, that they’re concealed someplace amidst a huge stack of letters that seem alike! How could I possibly understand what my father was saying to me if I didn’t know which letters were indeed his? I’m left wondering how much of the Bible is God communicating to me and where in the Bible I might locate it if the Bible just “contains” God’s Word. I couldn’t really tell if I was hearing God or not, and I would have to pick and choose whatever passages of the Bible to read.
All verses of the Bible are the Word of God
For this reason, happily, Karl Barth was not exactly correct and we don’t actually need to be concerned about this issue. “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man; rather, men spoke from God as they were guided by the Holy Spirit,” according to the apostle Peter (2 Peter 1:21). Furthermore, he concurs with the apostle Paul when he states that “God breathes out all Scripture.” (2 Timothy 3:16). These verses cannot imply anything less than that the entire Bible is the inspired word of God in its original, original languages.
It’s not about the Bible itself
We run the risk of idolizing the Bible, though, if all we think it says is that it is the Word of God. Some Muslims see the words of the Qur’an as lucky charms, and many feel that reading it in Arabic does not qualify one as a reader of the Qur’an. Christians should not handle the Bible in this manner. Although the words themselves are not magical in our eyes, their meaning makes them significant.
Jesus’ words are in the Bible
The Bible contains the eternal Word of God, Jesus Christ, in addition to being the Word of God itself. The apostle John writes, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you,” while we are unable to sight or touch Jesus. 1 John 3rd. It is through the words of the Bible that we know Jesus.
Through the Bible we get to know God
I want to hear my dad tell me I’m loved, so I read his letters. I’m interested in learning more about his letters because I’d like to know my dad better. Although we should learn more about the Bible because it is God’s Word, this is not our ultimate objective. Our ultimate objective is [to learn more about Jesus], the divine Word of whom the Bible is composed.
So, is the Bible the Word of God or does it contain God’s Word? Indeed! Both and.
