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The debate is over whether the Bible is “the Word of God” or contains “the words of God”. Many people argue over this as both Christians and onlookers to the Christian faith. The consensus seems to be based on the truth that “all scripture is inspired by God”. But merely issuing this statement does not answer the conundrum about the authority of the Holy Scriptures and this threatens to turn the faith upside down, or at least confuse believers. Personally, this has been a bother to me as I am a Christian and prefer to uphold the truths of the faith. Hence, I have been pondering what is correct in light of the two positions.
The arguments
In “modern” Christianity, there are people who have come to accept the non-traditional view that the Bible is not all “the Word of God” rather it contains “the words of God”. This is a very interesting perspective as it was always held that “the Bible” equals “the Word of God”. So, why this confusion? Well, the school of thought that holds the idea that the Bible contains the Word of God, or the words of God, insists that voices of other entities like Satan and men or women are captured in the Scriptures. Hence, the Bible is not “all” the Word of God but contains it. This is a decent argument.
The other camp strongly focuses on the technicality that “all” scripture is derived from the inspiration of God and therefore everything written is from God, thereby concluding that the entire scripture constitutes the Word of God, regardless of whether God spoke it or not. Despite the disparity in the conclusions, the two sides still approach the Bible as an authoritative document that can help us vitally connect and live for God. By this, regardless of the position emphasized in the argument, both groups hold the Bible as sacred. So, the designation “Holy Bible” is not in question. I would therefore attempt to bring a balance from this common ground.
Truth is critical
As Christians aiming for balance, it is important to be truthful. The idea of truth is that it stands no matter the position you take. It is unbending and unemotional, cannot be manipulated. Truth can be hidden or suppressed but it always mounts up a defence and all those who are noncompliant with the truth will inevitably be crushed under its weight— whether now or in the judgement to come after the curtains are drawn.
There is no point being emotional and trying too hard to defend either position if you can start from the common ground that the Bible is sacred. This is because you can ask, “why is the Bible sacred?” Your truthful attempt to decipher why it is called the Holy Scriptures will yield greater benefits than holding a position that allows you to misuse or abuse the Bible. Accurate understanding of what the Bible is would also allow you to understand and properly apply its contents. You only benefit when you surrender to truth rather than trying to impose your subjective opinions on it.
With that said, both perspectives have a good argument. Neither is wrong nor accurate. Properly looking at what the Bible is requires us to first outline the key words of “the Word of God” and “the words of God”. Since we can all agree the Bible is sacred and are not arguing over its designation as “Holy”, we can dive into what the Bible actually is, or is not if necessary.
The Master Storyteller
The Bible is a sacred text that, indeed, contains the words of God. That is, the words spoken directly or indirectly by God through His servants via the inspiration of God in the Holy Spirit. Also, it contains the words of other voices. So, yes, the Bible is not “all” the words of God. That is very correct! But don’t end there. We still haven’t figured out what the Bible is, or is not! You see, the words of God in the Bible are not in isolation. In fact, they are all connected to a story line both on a micro and macro scale.
Truly, the words of God are usually interjections within the broad scope of the Bible story. Yes, that’s right! The Bible is one giant story broken down into smaller stories and the one telling that story is God himself. So, like any master storyteller, He knows when to interrupt with His voice and also to allow the story to follow its own course to arrive at the scripted end. Think of a Netflix documentary where the storyteller speaks to bring perspective to the viewer on what’s going on, what happened, or what will take place next. The storyteller does not speak all the time but his inputs are invaluable to the story. So, yes, the Bible contains the words of God, and rightly so. It captures the voice of other entities as well because it is a story that was, is and will be!
Definitions are important
On the other hand, the Bible is the Word of God. This seems confusing but give me some time to break it down. You see, while “the Word of God” and “the words of God” seem similar, they are not the same—they cannot be used interchangeably! The mixup with this is simply a poor understanding of their definition. Often times, when I have heard people argue this, they have made the mistake of misapplying the terms.
Generally, the Word of God, the Holy Bible, Holy Scriptures and the Bible are used interchangeably. They all semantically indicate different things but they are used to mean the same thing—the Holy Bible. If you get this, then I can explain why they are used that way. The Holy Scriptures, Holy Bible and the Bible usually refer to the same idea—the Bible, which is a collection of books that contain mini stories and collectively paint one giant picture. It is because if this unique feature we know the Bible is God’s story—although there are different stories over vast timelines, they connect to the same theme.
It’s all Inspiration
The scale of the Bible tells us that there is a “brain”—or in Christian parlance, spirit—behind it, and the major mode of communication for that Spirit is what we know as “inspiration”. So, despite having different authors, the Bible truly has just the one mastermind behind it all—aka God! When you hear “all scripture is given by inspiration”, this is what is being communicated: one Spirit is behind it all. Therefore, the Bible is one ginormous picture that was painted over many generations and time. Now with this, it is easier to understand that the Bible is a product of God’s mind. Conclusively arriving at this understanding is very important!
On the issue of “the Word of God”, I will lightly say it is an entrenched nickname for “the Logos” that has become synonymous to the Bible—not without merit though. As we discussed earlier, the Bible is heavily imbued with the mind of God—so much to the point that interacting with the Scriptures brings you into the mind of God. Through the Scriptures, we perceive God’s perspectives and preferences and we can align with those positions in our decision making and living.
This way, the Scriptures come alive in our lives and we become participants in the commonwealth of the God of Heaven. On this account, our lives become an evidence to both the mind and existence of God, we become his witnesses! More on this later. So, as we read the Bible and immerse ourselves in the experience, the Bible “reads” us as well. In a way, we become one with the mind of God and are absorbed into the realm of God. We live on earth as in Heaven.
The man, Jesus Christ
There was a man who completely embodied this reality when He walked on earth. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the man we all, as Christians, believe in and are proud to follow as our Lord and Master. It is this man, Jesus Christ, who was first called “the Logos” because he embodied the mind of God and lived it out perfectly. He is the very demonstration of what God thinks, aka the Bible, and rightly retains the unique nickname of “the Logos of God” as identified by the Apostle John.
You have to know that theologically “the Logos” is “the Word” that completely displays the full mind of God, just as can be deciphered from the Scriptures. Seeing how the Scriptures and “the Word of God” are so analogous, it was only a matter of time before they came to be interchangeably used—bringing us to this debate about “the Word of God” being the Holy Bible versus the Holy Bible merely containing “the words of God”.
Remarks
We live in a generation were many believers want to appear deep or as possessing superior revelation. The simple fact is there is a need for proper theological education, whether formal or informal. Imagine that “the Word of God” versus “the words of God” is a huge debate in the African Church. One group highlights the theological technicality to defend the authority of the Scriptures while another group feigns deep knowledge of the Bible like there is something new under the sun. In the end, it is a confusion of different entry points into the same truth—that Scripture is sacred, inspired by God, and reveals His mind regarding all of His creation. The Holy Scriptures are the Word of God and indeed, contain His words!
