(Hebrews 4:12), “ For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Respect means “to regard with honor; to have a high opinion of; to place a great value upon; to reverence; to submit to the judgment or authority of another.” In our last lesson we looked at “The Importance of having a Proper Respect for God.” In this lesson we are going to look at the “The Importance of Respecting the Word of God.”
- WE SHOULD RESPECT THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE OF ITS PRODUCER
It is important that we properly respect and obey the Word of God because of the one who gave it. (II. Timothy 3:16a), “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” God is the Producer of the Word of God. It began with God and came to us from God. It is “inspired” (II. Timothy 3:16), “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II. Peter 1:21), “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Inspiration means “God breathed.” The Word of God came from God Who moved and breathed through the Holy Ghost upon holy men and these men, in turn penned the Word of God which we call the Bible. The Word of God is also “inerrant” which means, “it is free from error or untruths” (Psalm 119:160), “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.” From Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, the Word of God is perfect and without error. Furthermore, the Word of God is “infallible” which means, “it will never fail.” (Luke 21:33), “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
- WE SHOULD RESPECT THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE OF ITS PROMINENCE
(Psalm 138:2b), “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” The psalmist tells us that God has magnified (place His Word in a position of higher honor) that His own name. Think about it! We worship God because there is no other God besides Him. We worship God because He is Wonderful, Righteous, Holy, Just, True, and Good. There is no end to our worship of how great God is and our proper respect for His name. However, in this passage we are told that God has magnified His Word above all His name. We cannot show a proper respect for God with showing a proper respect for His Word that He has magnified above His Name.
- WE SHOULD RESPECT THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE OF ITS PRESERVATION
(Psalm 12:6-7), “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” The Scriptures are in every sense perfect and they are a perfect revelation of the mind of God to man! God has preserved His Word and communicated it to us. We believe that God has preserved the 1611 King James Authorized Version as the true Word of God for the English speaking people. Down through the ages two lines of manuscripts have always existed. There is the “muddy stream of the corrupt text”, which comes from Alexandria, Egypt; and there is the “pure stream of the New Testament” which comes from Antioch, Syria. The Word of God or 1611 King James Bible that came to us from Antioch became known as the Traditional Received Text or Textus Receptus, and was chosen by the early churches of the 2nd and 3rd centuries as the true word of God. The Textus Receptus is based on the vast majority (90) % of the 5000+ Greek manuscripts in existence. That’s why it is also called the Majority Text. The Textus Receptus is not mutilated with deletions, additions, and amendments as in the Minority Text or the corrupt text that came out of Alexandria, Egypt. Furthermore, the Textus Receptus agrees with the earliest versions of the Bible, Peshitta (AD150); Old Latin Vulgate (AD157); and the Italic Bible (AD157), which were written some 200 years before the minority Egyptian manuscripts that were favored by the Roman Catholic Church. The Textus Receptus further agrees with the vast majority of the 86,000+ citations from scripture by the early church fathers. It is untainted with Egyptian philosophy and belief and strongly upholds the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith: The Creation account in Genesis; The Divinity of Christ; The Virgin Birth; The Savior’s Miracles; His Bodily resurrection; His literal return; and the cleansing power of his blood. The 1611 King James Bible was translated from the manuscripts of the
Masoretic Text of the Old Testament; and the New Testament was translated from manuscripts which have their roots in Antioch, Syria of the Bible. All other modern day versions and the catholic bibles were translated from manuscripts which have their roots in Alexandria, Egypt. There is only one preserved Word of God for the English speaking people, the Authorized 1611 KING JAMES BIBLE.
- WE SHOULD RESPECT THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE OF ITS PURPOSE
(II. Timothy 3:16-17), “All scripture is given by inspiration of God 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.” What is the purpose of the Word of God in believers’ lives? Firstly, the Word of God Saves (James 1:21), “…receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.” The word “save” means “to deliver from the power of sin.” Secondly, the Word of God Sanctifies (John 17:17), “…sanctify them through thy word, thy word is truth.” Sanctify means, “to separate from the world.” The Word of God not only delivers believers from the power of sin but it will also separate them from the corruptions of the world. Thirdly, the Word of God Stablishes (II. Timothy 3:16-17), “profitable (beneficial); throughly (completely, fully, wholly); furnished (fitted and supplied with everything needed). The Word of God is beneficial to completely and fully fit and supply believers with everything they need to live a godly, holy, and righteous life before God in this present world. It is profitable for Doctrine (make know the fundamentals of faith); reproof (make manifest the believers faults); correction (bring back from error to a just standard as the correction of opinions or manners); and instruction in righteousness (instruction is the act of teaching or informing the understanding). Righteousness means (purity of heart and conformity of life to the divine law of God). Taken together, they mean (the teaching or informing of the understanding so that believers might have a pure heart and conform their lives to the teachings of God’s laws). Fourthly the Word of God Satisfies (Matthew 5:6), “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
How can believers have the right respect for the Word of God? Firstly, Love it – “regard it with honor; have a high opinion of it; and place great value upon it. Secondly, learn it – “read it, memorize it, meditate upon it; and study it.” Lastly, Live it – “submit to and obey its teachings.”
Pastor Allen Jackson