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The Bible claims to contain messages that were not authored by mere men; it claims in thousands of places that God authored its words and transferred them to men in a variety of ways. To cite one such passage, the book of Hebrews begins this way: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...” (Hebrews 1.1-2). This is one of many claims. However claims are just that; proof is something entirely different.

What assurance do we have that the words that are contained in the Bible are words that God authored and not men? For one of the biblical characters to claim that he had a message from God would be one thing; thousands of people both past and present have done that. The real question comes down to this: Did the biblical speakers and writers offer evidence to support their claims? If they did, was this evidence credible and convincing? This is the subject matter of today's message.

Paul wrote: “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 1.5). The “word only” message is a message without ancillary proofs of its veracity. The “word only” messages are the messages about which thousands of men have made baseless claims over the centuries. However, the messages delivered by Paul and other biblical writers and speakers were not “word only” messages; they were backed by adequate evidence to support their claims.

Paul quantified the adequacy of the evidences that he and his fellow workers offered. Specifically he stated that the evidence was such that those who viewed it could come away with “much assurance” that they had heard a word from God. The New International and New American Standard versions say that the evidence was adequate to result in “deep conviction” and “full conviction” respectively. Furthermore, it is important to note that Paul's statement about conviction in Thessalonica was made to the people in Thessalonica. He did not boast to others about the confirming miracles he performed in Thessalonica; such would have been all but impossible for others to disprove. Rather, he made the claims to the very people who had witnessed the deeds. Had his claims not measured up to his performance, he could easily have been exposed.

A few verses later, Paul wrote, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2.13). In this text, Paul clearly distinguishes between the messages that men author and those that God authors. Just so there could be no misunderstanding, he reiterated the fact that his message had been received by the brethren at Thessalonica for what it really was, i.e. “the word of God.” As an aside, I once read a man's writings that affirmed that the biblical writers had no idea at the time that they were writing Scripture. In light of Paul's affirmation, I have no choice but to dismiss the statement of my contemporary in favor of Paul's own view of his work!

There are literally hundreds and thousands of pieces of evidence that support the biblical claims of inspiration and authorship. The very best people to have judged the veracity of such claims were the folks who personally witnessed the events as they unfolded. Their verdict is virtually unanimous; with one voice they cry out, “We know that we received God's word because it did not come in word only!”

Questions:

1. What is a “word only” claim to having a message from God?

2. Though not the subject of today's message, think back to Moses, the great giver of a former covenant. Did he have a “word only” message, or did he come with signs to verify the truthfulness of his claims?

3. In today's focus text, how did Paul describe the adequacy of his proofs of inspiration? To whom did he make this statement? Were his readers in a position to know if his report was accurate? Why or why not?

4. On one occasion, a man named Elymas directly disputed the claims of Paul regarding the fact that he was speaking for God. What happened to that man (see Acts 13.6-12)?

"'Winging It" from Stan Smith

Washed by the Water of the Word