Christ's View of Scripture

by Leland M. Haines

       One of the most important questions to ask is, What was Christ's view of the Scriptures? The answer to this question is found in several New Testament passages.
        One indication of Christ's view of Scripture is found in His reply to the Jewish charge that He committed blasphemy by making Himself equal with God. In His reply He appealed to Scripture and added the statement, "The scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Christ believed Scripture was authoritative. For Him there was no question about breaking or setting aside Scripture, because it is God's revealed truth.
       A record of how Christ viewed the authority of Scripture is found in the account of His temptations in the wilderness, which occurred after a forty-day-and-night fast. The tempter said to Christ, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Christ answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:3, 4; cf. Deut. 8:3). Every time he tempted Christ, the devil's words were ineffective, since God had revealed the truth through the Scripture. Christ introduced each of His answers by, "It is written" (Matt. 4:7, 10). This statement is used in the Bible to refer to the Word of God only. Jesus also stated that we are to live by "every word," not just by a part of Scripture, but by all of its words and teachings.
       Jesus made other "it is written" statements. When He cleansed the temple, He said, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matt. 21:13). In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus told His disciples they would be scattered because "it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (26:31; cf. Zech. 13:7). He used the authoritative words "it is written" to show that the Word of God justified Jesus' actions. This authoritative formula showed that He believed the Old Testament was absolute truth.
       Jesus also used "it was said" statements (Matt. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). These statements referred to the revelation given by Moses to the Israelites. The disciples had heard the law expounded many times, but Jesus was going to give man a New Covenant. His disciples were to live by His "I say unto you."
       When the Sadducees asked about marriage, Jesus replied, "Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" (Mark 12:24). He then asked, "Have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" (v. 26; Ex. 3). He then told the Sadduces that God was the God of the living; there was a resurrection (v. 27). They "greatly err" because they did not turn to the Scripture to seek their answer but reasoned among themselves. Jesus confirmed that the Scriptures contained what "God spake," and His Word was clear and easy to understand. These leaders erred, as all others who err, because they "know not the scriptures."
       In connection with the rich man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones, Jesus remarked, "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee" (Luke 12:20). This may be a paraphrase of Jeremiah 17:11 or an instance Jesus recalled from history. This shows that Jesus believed God did speak to man and His communications could be understood. If man can understand the spoken Word, surely he can understand the written Word.
       In one of His prayers, Jesus said that His disciples are not of the world and therefore live on a much higher plain. He asked God the Father, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). They were to live by truth, and this truth is known because "thy word is truth." Earlier Jesus spoke that "God is true" (3:33; cf. 7:28; 8:26) and about "the Spirit of truth" (14:17; cf. 16:13). He bore witness to Himself: "He that cometh from above is above all. . . . And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth. . . . For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (3:31-34). Jesus Christ spoke the "words of God" to His disciples, and they in turn wrote the same word.
       Jesus believed God spoke through His prophets, such as Moses and Jeremiah, to give men His commandments. This is evident in His response to the Pharisees and scribes' question about His disciples transgressing the traditions of the elders. Jesus asked them, "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death" (Matt. 15:1?7; cf. Ex. 20:12; Jer. 35:18, 19).
     Jesus further revealed His view of Scripture in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man asked Abraham to warn his brothers so they would not go to hell, the place of torment. Christ said, "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he [the rich man] said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:29-31; cf. vs. 19-28). Christ, by relating this incident, gave His support to Abraham's view that Scripture is sufficient for man's redemption, and if men will not believe it, they will not be persuaded. Jesus viewed Scripture as the all?sufficient means to reveal the Way.
     On another occasion Jesus expressed this view again. He told the Jews, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify [bear witness] of me. . . . For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:39, 46, 47). The Old Testament Scriptures bear witness to Christ and are on the same level as His own Word; they are to be believed. Jesus believed the Scriptures are authoritative and trustworthy so that man's belief about Himself and His redemptive mission can be directly tied to them.

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