The restoration plea calls for a return to the Scriptures from an understanding that they are given by the inspiration of God. If the Bible is not the Word of God, then the restoration plea is misplaced. Thankfully, we can have full confidence that the Bible is the Word of God.
Many things about the Bible speak to its inspiration. The Bible’s many predictive prophecies are arguably the most impressive evidence. The longevity of the Bible is also a subtle supporting argument for its inspiration; no other work of literature has survived for so long and been preserved as well as the Scriptures.
In addition to evidences such as these, the Bible testifies of itself that it is the Word of God. In Luke 24, Jesus spoke of Old Testament books in such a way as to entail all of them and leave no doubt that He viewed those books as inspired. “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me’” (Luke 24:44 NKJV).
Some have no difficulty affirming that the Old Testament is from God, but refuse to accept that the New Testament can also rightly be described as Scripture. In truth, both Testaments were given by inspiration of God.
The apostle Paul told Timothy “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because this passage included mention of the Gospel message preached by Paul (2 Timothy 3:10) and the Scriptures we now refer to as the Old Testament (2 Timothy 3:15), we can safely conclude that Paul viewed both testaments as inspired.
The apostle Peter told Christians that he would keep reminding them of things they already knew because they would need to know those things after he died (2 Peter 1:12-15). He went on to assure them that the Gospel message that he and the other apostles had proclaimed was legitimate: “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21).
Just as the prophecies that predicted Jesus Christ came from God, so too the fulfillment of those prophecies came from God. Since Peter’s readers understood how to treat the “prophecy of Scripture,” they were to apply that same understanding to their treatment of the Gospel message.
In 1 Timothy 5:18, the apostle Paul quoted from an Old Testament verse (Deuteronomy 25:4) and a New Testament verse (Luke 10:7), but he referred to them both as “Scripture.” Clearly, Paul did not consider God’s inspired Word to be limited to the Old Testament.
These passages have been considered so that we can state with confidence that both the Old Testament and the New Testament both were given by inspiration of God. As Peter explained, the Scriptures did not originate with man (2 Peter 1:20-21). Instead the Holy Spirit used certain men to record the heavenly message. These men were not merely “taking dictation” or being some sort of “divine stenographer.” The Holy Spirit worked through each writer’s own vocabulary and style, and yet insured that God’s message was properly recorded.
The Bible is the Word of God. What a blessing that we can study it and obey!
