Bible Basics: Part 2 Session with Michael Pearl from the Big Texas Shindig

Transcription

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Michael Pearl:  So that's what this is going to be about. "Behold the days come . . . that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD"

Notice that underline. What does that say? Does it say word or words? Words. "But of hearing the words of the LORD." Keep that in mind, a famine for hearing the words of the Lord.

If a Greek lexicon determines the meaning of a word in the Bible, then I'm no longer hearing the word of God. I'm hearing the word of the Greek lexicon.

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Now they were actually hearing the apostles themselves speak, but they didn't trust the apostles. They searched the scriptures. What scriptures were they searching? They were searching the Old Testament. That's all that was available to them at that time.

They searched the scriptures daily. Today, Christians, rather than searching the scriptures to determine if it's so, they search the lexicons to determine if the scripture is so.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God,"—all scripture—"and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

All scripture is given by inspiration of God. Traditionally, the Church has believed in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the scriptures. That is, that every word in every part is inspired.

Now when I went to what was at that time called Mid‑South Bible College, that today is called Victory University, with Huckabee as one of the board members, when I first went there they clearly believed in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the scriptures. Today, they do not. Other universities that we could name do not, including places like Patrick Henry, Liberty University, Tennessee Temple, the Christian college in Florida—what's the name of it?

Congregation:  Pensacola.

Michael:  Pensacola. How did inspiration take place? "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets . . . " How did inspiration take place? "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." He spake by the tongue of His holy prophets.

God used the tongue of the prophets. In using their tongue, He used their wisdom, their words, their culture, their language, but the end result was, though a prophet opened his mouth, what came out was not the word of God. It was the words of God. That's a very important distinction. It's the difference between faith in God and faith in man.

If all I have is the word of God, then you could say what I have are the ideas of God; what I have are the doctrines of God. But when you say we have the words of God, then you can count them and know exactly how many are there. You couldn't replace any of them.

How did inspiration take place? "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you," Jesus said to the Apostles, "into all truth." So Jesus promised them that after his departing, the Spirit of God would lead them to truth. "For he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."

That's how it took place.

"Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth . . . " So the apostles said, "The things we're teaching, we're not getting our words from man's wisdom. It didn't come from the science of textual criticism. It didn't come from Greek studies. We're getting our words from God, by which the Holy Spirit teacheth."

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