The Word of God, Not Broken and Not Bound

John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

2 Tim. 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

As these verses above declare, the Bible, the Word of God, cannot be broken and is not bound in this modern world in which we live. If asked today to speak about the Bible, many wise and eloquent men could express only a measure of its greatness, so wonderful in its antiquity, yet never antedated. This wonderful Book of 66 books, a vast library in one volume, written by 40 men of different capacity and temperment and position over a period of 1600 years, has one message - progressive, constructive, and complete.

All who wrote are immortalized by their writing of this great Book, supernatural in origin, divine in authorship, human in penmanship, infallible in authority, infinite in scope, universal in interest, personal in application, regenerative in power, inspired in totality - the miracle Book of diversity in unity, of harmony in infinite complexity.

It comes to us drenched in the tears of millions of contritions, worn with the fingers of agony and death, expounded by the greatest intellects, steeped in the prayers of many saints, stained with the blood of martyrs. The accuracy of its statements and prophecies is substantiated by every turn of the excavator's spade in Bible lands, by history, by multitudinous inscriptions deciphered among classic ruins - from rusty coins and corroded marbles we find confirmations of its own veracity. Volumes that would fill the shelves of many libraries have been written on single chapters, single verses, and even single words. Yet those chapters, verses, and words are as fresh, as fertile, as inexhaustible as ever.

Addressing itself to the universal conscience, speaking with binding claims, commanding the obedience of all mankind, it is the one and only source of information concerning divine revelation, the world's creation, the soul's salvation, human destiny and the realities of eternity. Only the Bible can state, "Thus saith the LORD."

Isa. 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

We wonder at its indestructibility when we know how it has been severely abused in the hands of its enemies and sorely wounded in the house of its friends. Our faith in its eternal indestructibility is strengthened when we read, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalms 119:89 Isaiah wrote, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isa. 40:8 Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." Mark 13:31

All Scripture is God-breathed into the writers of this Book. This makes it plain that what we call inspiration is not the man, but the book; not the writer, but his writings; not the speaker, but his words. The purpose of God in inspiration was not to give us a number of infallible men who would soon pass away, but to give us an infallible Book that would never pass away. Between this position and infidelity is no neutral ground.

All Scripture is inspired. Therefore, no Scripture can be uninspired. Scriptures supporting verbal inspiration are abundant:

To the Christians at Thessalonica, Paul wrote:

1 Thes. 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

To the church at Corinth, Paul wrote:

1 Cor. 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Luke records the Spirit-filled Zacharias as saying:

Luke 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world

began:

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says:

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Of Moses, 'tis recorded:

Ex. 24:4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD,....

To Jeremiah, God said:

Jer. 30:2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

Jer. 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

Note especially now:

1 Cor. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

In this way spoke all whom God ever inspired to speak to us:

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

Note the last words of David:

2 Sam. 23:1-3 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

I pray that all this we have written indicate to you the truth of the facts, the Word of God in not bound and is not broken.