Key of Knowledge

First, a few words about one of the most important truths revealed in the Bible. The greatest manifestation of God’s love is found in the Gospel message which explains that God has provided for our salvation from sin through the atoning death of Jesus, who died on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins. Scripture also tells us that God’s will for our lives is first and foremost that we believe in Jesus, trusting in Him as our Savior from sin, and that we repent, confessing Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Finally, we learn in the Bible that those who believe the Gospel message will be saved on the day of judgement and live in the kingdom of God forever. But those who disobey the Gospel, refusing to repent, believe and follow Jesus, disregarding His sacrifice for their sins, will pay the penalty of eternal separation from God.

If all of this is true then there certainly can be nothing more important in this life for us to know and carefully consider. That said, it is essential that everyone have the opportunity to know the reasons why we can be sure that God has spoken to our world in the Bible. Then, to also be able to know what the Bible teaches regarding the truth about life, especially in regards to what we have just described in the previous paragraph.

In what follows there is an outline of the reasoning behind the claim that God has spoken to our world in the Bible, and after that an explanation of each point of the outline. This line of reasoning is the foundation for our belief that God has spoken to us in the Bible. On other parts of the website we explore this and the other aspects of the truth about life in more depth. At the bottom of this page links will be provided to those topics.

We have endeavored in all of this to provide you with the “Key of Knowledge”. The knowledge of how one can know that God has spoken to our world in the Bible through Jesus, the Apostles and the Prophets; the knowledge of what He has said to us in the Bible about our need of salvation; and the knowledge of what God calls on each one of us to do in response to what He has spoken. This “Key of Knowledge” opens the door to the truth about life, the love of God, the Gospel of Salvation and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. It is our hearts desire and prayer that those who are seeking truth will take hold of the key, open the door, believe the Gospel and be saved!

THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE OUTLINE: HOW WE CAN KNOW GOD HAS SPOKEN TO OUR WORLD

A. THE NEW TESTAMENT: A trustworthy written account of Jesus Christ

1. The New Testament is a unique collection of 1st century documents portraying Jesus Christ

2. The New Testament portrayal of Jesus is based on eyewitness testimony

3. The New Testament is historically, geographically and culturally true to the time period

4. The New Testament has been carefully copied, passed down and preserved to this day

B. JESUS: The Son of God sent by God to bear witness to the truth

5. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God who was sent by God to tell us the truth

6. Jesus was attested to be God’s Son through miraculous signs

7. Jesus claims and miracles were acknowledged by others – friend and foe alike

8. Jesus was confirmed to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead

C. GOD: God has spoken to our world through Jesus, the Apostles and the Prophets

9. God spoke through Jesus; Jesus claimed this on many occasions

10. God used the Apostles to be Jesus witnesses in the world

11. God spoke through the Apostles; the Apostles and others affirmed this

12. God spoke by the Prophets of the Old Testament; Jesus and the Apostles confirmed this

THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE OUTLINE EXPLAINED

The following point by point explanation corresponding to the “Key of Knowledge” outline provides the reasoning behind the conviction that God has spoken to our world in the Bible through Jesus Christ, the Apostles and the Prophets.

A. THE NEW TESTAMENT: A TRUSTWORTHY ACCOUNT OF JESUS CHRIST

1. A UNIQUE SET OF 1st CENTURY DOCUMENTS

Our starting point is the New Testament which provides a written account of Jesus Christ. When we initially examine the New Testament, we view it as nothing more than a unique collection of documents carefully copied and passed down to us through the centuries. Some of the writers of the New Testament tell us they were eyewitnesses to what they reported about while others were contemporaries of the eyewitnesses. The historical, geographical and cultural setting of these documents places them in the 1st century.

There are 27 separate documents that make up the entire New Testament. There are four Gospels which are biographical in nature and tell us of Jesus Christ during his time on earth. The book of Acts gives an account of the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire up until about the year 65 AD. The 21 Epistles (letters written by the Apostles and others) explain what the writers of these letters understood to be the meaning and purpose for which Jesus came to this world. They also provided spiritual guidance and doctrinal instruction for the new believers. Finally, the book of Revelation is prophetic and reveals the events of the end times and the second coming of Jesus Christ to this world in power and Glory to judge the Nations and usher in the Kingdom of God!

2. BASED ON EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY

One of the unique aspects of the New Testament documents is the fact that all of the authors are laser focused on the person of Jesus Christ giving an account of His life, death and resurrection from the dead. Also of great significance is the fact that some of the authors of these documents claim to be eyewitnesses of Jesus during His life, while others explain they were contemporaries of the eyewitnesses from whom they received their information.

For example, in the case of the Apostle Peter he wrote to assure his readers that he was not making up “cleverly devised tales” when he told them about Jesus, but that he was an eyewitness to what he reported about.

(2 Peter 1:16) “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

At the very beginning of the Gospel of Luke we learn that the author investigated everything carefully and based his account of the life of Jesus on the things he learned from the eyewitnesses who shared what they knew with him and others.

(Luke 1:1-3) Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

The fact that the New Testament account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was given by eyewitnesses or that it is based on eyewitness testimony is a very important piece of information that is foundational to establishing the trustworthy nature of these ancient documents.

3. HISTORICALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY AND CULTURALLY TRUE

So far we have learned that the New Testament provides an account of the life of Jesus Christ based on eyewitness testimony. As we continue to examine this unique collection of first century documents we also find that they are historically, geographically and culturally authentic and true to the time period in which Jesus lived.

The events recorded in the New Testament are imbedded in the history, geography and culture of the day in such a way that they cannot be mistaken for tales or legends. Well known historical figures such as Herod the Great and his sons Archelaus, Philip, Herod Antipas, along with Pontius Pilate play a real part in the accounts of Jesus life. Others like Caesar Augustus, Agrippa I, Agrippa II, the governor Festus and the Emperor Claudius are also referenced as part of the landscape of the New Testament.

We also find well known places like the Jordan river, the sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Capernaum and Jerusalem with its great Temple and Jewish ceremonial practices interwoven in the written accounts. The Apostle Paul traveled extensively through parts of the Roman empire visiting well known cities like, Rome, Athens, Ephesus and Corinth just to name a few. There are Jewish Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, Roman Emperors and Governors, soldiers and tax collectors, rich and poor, slave and free, all interacting with Jesus and the Apostles in a very real and authentic way as the Biblical narrative unfolds.

Without a doubt, the account of the life of Jesus and the early church found in the New Testament should be understood as a true account of what happened at a time and place in history which was very real and is known historically to us today. The claim that the New Testament is based on eyewitness testimony is bolstered by the various writers intimate knowledge of the history, geography and culture of the day.

4. CAREFULLY COPIED, PASSED DOWN AND PRESERVED

The New Testament documents were written in Greek some 2000 years ago leading some to question whether or not our English translations today accurately record what was originally written.

The story of the transmission and preservation of the New Testament text is fascinating and when carefully studied results in giving us the assurance that the English translations of the New Testament that we have today are essentially the same as what was originally written those many centuries ago! The amount of manuscript evidence is vast and the early dates of some of them impressive, and together with all the other evidence available makes the New Testament the best attested ancient document from antiquity that we have today!

We have provided a helpful survey of this topic on our website and we encourage others to further investigate this for themselves here: The New Testament Text

There are also a couple of excellent books that we recommend on our “Resources Page” found on the website. A very good starting point would be the book, “How We Got The Bible”, Neil R. Lightfoot; Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2003. For a more in depth treatment of the subject we recommend, “A General Introduction To The Bible” Revised and Expanded. Geisler, Norman L., Nix, William E. Chicago: Moody Press. 1986. There are links to Amazon for both books on the “Resources Page” on the website.

So far, we have learned that the New Testament is a unique collection of first century documents focused on the person of Jesus Christ and built on a foundation of eyewitness testimony. They are historically, geographically and culturally true, and they have been very carefully copied and preserved down through the centuries.

Knowing all these things, we can now embrace the New Testament as a trustworthy source of information to learn about the amazing things Jesus said and did and the events surrounding His life! With this in mind we will move to the next four points.

B. JESUS: THE SON OF GOD SENT BY GOD TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH

5. JESUS CLAIMED TO BE THE SON OF GOD

Having established that the New Testament is trustworthy, we turn to it and learn that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, sent by God to bear witness to the truth and to speak the words that God had given Him. These claims are crucial to understanding why it is believed that God Has spoken to our world in the Bible.

The religious leaders of Jesus day hated Him and had Jesus arrested and brought before their council. In the Gospel of Luke we read that Jesus when being questioned by the council clearly stated that He was the Son of God.

(Luke 22:66-71) When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

The Jews then sent Jesus to Pontius Pilate hoping to persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death because He claimed to be the messiah, the Son of God and King of the Jews. While being questioned by Pilate Jesus revealed that He was indeed a King, but that His kingdom was not of this world and that He had been sent by God to bear witness to the truth.

(John 18:33-38) Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ……Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

These two examples represent just a small sample of the instances where Jesus affirms that He is the Son of God sent by God to bear witness to the truth. In the next point we will learn the reasons why we can believe these claims of Jesus.

6. JESUS WAS ATTESTED BY GOD THROUGH MIRACULOUS SIGNS

In point #5 we learned that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, sent by God to bear witness to the truth. Anyone can claim to be the Son of God but what if any proof is there that the claims which Jesus made are true? Jesus told the people to believe in Him based on the miraculous signs he performed by the power of God which He referred to as the “works of God”.

For example, on two occasions Jesus said the following,

(John 5:36) “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

(John 10:24-25) The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me.

The Apostle Peter who first delivered the word of God to the people on the day of Pentecost, reminded them that God had attested Jesus (affirmed Him to be true) by way of miracles, signs and wonders of which they were all witnesses.

(Acts 2:22-24) “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know– this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

We can believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was sent by God because of the miracles He performed by the power of God. As we will see, the claims that Jesus made and the signs He performed were not only witnessed and acknowledged by His disciples but others as well.

7. JESUS CLAIMS AND MIRACLES WERE ACKNOWLEDGED BY OTHERS

Consistently throughout the gospels the testimony from every quarter is that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and that He performed signs and miracles never seen before. Not only did those who had believed in Jesus report these things but others including His enemies acknowledged them as well.

Early in the Gospel of John we read of Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who while probably not yet a believer acknowledged that Jesus had performed many signs and that this indicated to him and others that Jesus had been sent by God.

(John 3:1-2) “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Later in the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John we read the account of Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. Some present who witnessed this were convinced that this miracle was proof that God had sent Jesus. On the other hand, some of the religious leaders rejected this assertion claiming that Jesus was a sinner because He had healed the man on the Sabbath!

(John 9:13-16) They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

The important point to realize in all of this is that both friend and foe alike acknowledged that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and that He performed miraculous signs. The authors of the New Testament of course believed that Jesus was the Son of God and they were writing with the desire to convince others of that fact. At the end of the Gospel of John we read,

(John 20:30-31) Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

8. JESUS WAS CONFIRMED THE SON OF GOD BY HIS RESURRECTION

Not only was the Apostle Peter the first to preach the message of the gospel on the day of Pentecost but he also was the first to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles when he met with the Roman centurion Cornelius and those gathered with him. Peter ended his message to them by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – the greatest of all the miracles and signs which confirmed Jesus identity as the Son of God!

(Acts 10:34-43) Opening his mouth, Peter said: 
 “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)– 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Before His crucifixion, Jesus himself had indicated that His resurrection would be a sign to the people of that day just like the prophet Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh. Jonah was as good as dead spending three days and nights in the belly of the sea monster before being expelled on dry land and appearing to the people of Nineveh calling on them to repent or face God’s judgement. This Jesus said foreshadowed Him spending three days in a tomb after His crucifixion before then rising from the dead.

(Matthew 12:38-40) Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The Apostle Paul, who traveled extensively throughout the Roman empire preaching the Gospel, wrote to the church at Rome saying that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by virtue of His resurrection from the dead.

(Romans 1:1-4) Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead

The miracles Jesus performed and His resurrection from the dead are very strong evidence that the claims which Jesus made to be the Son of God sent by God to bear witness to the truth are true and should be believed.

C. GOD: HE HAS SPOKEN BY JESUS, THE APOSTLES AND THE PROPHETS

9. JESUS CLAMED THAT HE SPOKE FROM GOD

In the first four points, we presented the reasons why we believe the New Testament is a reliable source of information regarding its portrayal of the person of Jesus Christ. In the next four points we learned that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, sent by God to bear witness to the truth, and that Jesus and the Apostles told the people to believe these claims because of the miracles He performed and most importantly His resurrection from the dead.

Believing that the evidence we find in the New Testament confirms that Jesus is the Son of God sent by God to bear witness to the truth, we are now ready to learn why we believe that God Has Spoken to our World in and through Jesus. We believe this to be true because that is exactly what Jesus asserted to be the case on many occasions!

Consider the following statements of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John:

(John 7:16) “…Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

(John 8:26) “…He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”

(John 8:40) “…you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God;”

(John 12:49) “…I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”

(John 18:37) “…For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Apostle John also tells us that the main reason that God has spoken through Jesus is that we might come to know God for ourselves,

(1John 5:20) And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true;

Based on Jesus own words we believe God has spoken to our world first and foremost through Him! When we read the words of Jesus recorded in the New Testament we can know with confidence that God is speaking to us through them.

10. JESUS CHOSE THE APOSTLES TO BE HIS WITNESSES

In the previous point, we learned that God has spoken to our world through Jesus who was shown to be the Son of God sent by God to bear witness to the truth. So that others down through the centuries might learn what God had spoken through Him, Jesus made the following astonishing statement which we might also consider a promise:

(Matthew 24:35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

In order that this might come to pass we learn in the Gospels that Jesus chose the Apostles to be with Him, to learn from Him and assist Him with preaching and teaching in the days of His earthly ministry.

(Mark 3:13-14) “And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach…”

During this time, the Apostles lived and worked with Jesus and came to know what He said and did better than anyone. Unbeknownst to them Jesus was preparing the Apostles so that they might be His future representatives and proclaim the Gospel to the world. After His resurrection and before His ascension to Heaven Jesus gave some parting instructions to the Apostles saying,

(Matthew 28:18-20) “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We learn more about these final instructions in the book of Acts,

(Acts 1:6-8) So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Because Jesus sent the Apostles out to be His witnesses to preach and to teach what they had learned from Him, all the world is able to know what God has spoken through Jesus. Perhaps the Apostle John explains best what took place as He and the other Apostles went out into the world just as Jesus had instructed them.

(1 John 1:1-4) What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.


11. GOD ALSO SPOKE THROUGH THE APOSTLES

We have learned that God has spoken to our world in and through Jesus and that God used the Apostles to be the conduit through which the Word of God spoken by Jesus would flow to the rest of the world down through the centuries. But it is also vitally important to understand that God also used the Apostles themselves to speak to our world revealing even more about His plan of salvation than what had been revealed previously through Jesus.

During the last supper when Jesus spent some of His last moments on earth with the Apostles He spoke the following words to them foreshadowing how God would also use the Apostles, speaking through them in the days ahead.

(John 14:25-26) “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

(John 16:12-13) “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;

We learn here of some very important things that Jesus said would occur after His ascension to heaven:

(1) God would send the Holy Spirit to help the Apostles;

(2) the Holy Spirit would teach them all things;

(4) the Holy Spirit would refresh their memories

(3) the Holy Spirit would guide them into the truth

We know from the second chapter of the book of Acts that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit did come and empower the Apostles to begin their preaching and teaching ministry with great boldness. Shortly after the day of Pentecost we find the Apostle Peter bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles for the first time as was mentioned in point # 8. In his address to those present Peter tells us in verse (42) that God had ordered him and the other Apostles to preach to the people.

(Acts 10:39-43) We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Furthermore, when we read the New Testament epistles it is apparent again that the Apostles realized and embraced their role as God’s representatives chosen to speak on His behalf. For example, the Apostle Paul also affirms this for himself on more than on occasion writing,

(1 Corinthians 14:37) If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.

(Galatians 1:11-12) For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

In conclusion then, when we read the New Testament, we can do so knowing that not only has God spoken to our world through Jesus but He has also spoken through the Apostles so that we might know the truth.

12. GOD HAS SPOKEN THROUGH THE PROPHETS

We have learned that God has spoken to our world through both Jesus and the Apostles and that we have this revelation from Him in the New Testament scriptures. But How about the Old Testament? How can we know if God has spoken to our world through them?

Jesus and the Apostles on numerous occasions quoted from and referred to the Old Testament scriptures as the Word of God. Because we know that God chose Jesus and the Apostles to teach us the truth we can also know that what they said about the Old Testament is true and can be believed. For example,

In the Gospel of Matthew when quoting from Exodus 3:6 Jesus tells his listeners that God has spoken to them in this scripture saying, “have you not read what was spoken to you by God” (Matthew 22:31) And then again when quoting Exodus 21:17 Jesus refers to this as “the commandment of God”. (Matthew 21:17)

The Apostles also embraced the Old Testament as the Word of God. The Apostle Peter writes that the Old Testament prophets were, “men moved by the Holy Spirit who spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Likewise, the apostle Paul writes to his young assistant Timothy referring to the Old testament scriptures as being inspired by God. Paul writes, “from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (2 Tim 3:14-16)

Because Jesus and the Apostles embraced the Old Testament Scriptures as the Word of God we too can know that God has spoken to our world through them. When we combine this with what God has spoken through Jesus and the Apostles as recorded in the New Testament we now see why we can know with certainty that God has spoken to our world in the Bible!

What we have presented thus far constitutes the primary reasons why we believe God has spoken to our world in the Bible. There are additional reasons for believing this and you can learn more about those here: Other Evidence

You can view a brief summary of this entire subject on this page: God’s Word

For a more detailed treatment of this subject read the first three topics in the contents of the “Library” which are: (1) The Bible – The Book (2) Jesus – Who was this Man? (3) The Bible – God’s Word. You can find those three topics listed in the contents of the “Library” here: Library

THE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE: GOD’S LOVE, GOD’S WILL AND THE JUDGEMENT TO COME

Having explained the reasons why we believe God has spoken to our world in the Bible we now want to provide you with the other part of the “Key of Knowledge” – what God has said in the Bible regarding the truth about life. As mentioned earlier, the greatest manifestation of God’s love is found in the Gospel message which explains that God has provided for our salvation from sin through the atoning death of Jesus, who died on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins. Scripture also tells us that God’s will for our lives is first and foremost that we believe in Jesus, trusting in Him as our Savior from sin, and that we repent, confessing Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Finally, we learn in the Bible that those who believe the Gospel message will be saved on the day of judgement and live in the kingdom of God forever. But those who disobey the Gospel, refusing to repent, believe and follow Jesus, disregarding His sacrifice for their sins, will pay the penalty of eternal separation from God. We have also addressed these issues on the website in a few different places.

For a brief summary of these important topics you can visit these two pages: (1) God’s Love and, (2) God’s Will

For a more in-depth treatment of these things please read the last three topics found in the “Library” which are: (4) A Biblical Worldview (5) The Gospel – God’s Love (6) The Will Of God. You can find those three topics listed in the contents of the “Library” here: Library

We hope that those who have visited this page have found it helpful. It is our hearts desire and prayer that many will take hold of the “Key of Knowledge” and open the door to the truth about life. Please send any questions or comments you may have to us via the “Contact Us” page.

May God Bless you as you continue to seek Him!