#1 – Supernatural
It did not originate with men. It came directly from God to sovereignly chosen
individuals. Man would not write it if he could because it condemns him. And he
could not write it if he would because it surpasses him. It is a supernatural book;
therefore, it is written, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Timothy 3:16).
#2 – Spiritual
You may learn certain facts from scripture, you may have a general knowledge of
scripture and memorize certain verses. But you will never understand the scripture as
God intended apart from the spiritual eyes to see, which enlightenment begins in the
new birth. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” Christ
said in John 3:3. Paul’s desire for the Ephesian saints was that “the eyes of your
understanding be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). And the Psalm declares, “Open thou
mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18).
#3 – The Savior’s Book
It is the Savior’s book for two reasons. First, He endorsed it and He said “the scripture
cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Secondly, it is about Him and therefore He said again,
“Search the scriptures; for . . . they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
#4 – A Sovereign Book
By sovereign I mean that it is not a subjective standard but an objective standard. And
as a matter of fact, it is the only inflexible standard by which right and wrong and good
and evil shall ultimately be made manifest. It is a divine tribunal before which our faith
stands either condemned or justified so that Christ could and did say, “He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
#5 – A Sustaining Book
We live in a world of great turmoil and strife, a world of confusion, a world of great
disarray. But amid the confusion and trial of life, promises from God’s word give us
staying power. The psalmist declares, “Sustain me according to your promise, and I
will live; do not let my hopes be dashed” (Psalm 119:116-NIV). The word “sustain” there is given in the KJV as “uphold,” and God’s word is able to sustain us and uphold
us amid the confusion in this world in which we live.
#6 – A Surviving Book
It has been assailed and attacked by the most vicious of men. It has been denied. It has
been ignored. It has been perverted, distorted, twisted, misrepresented, and misapplied.
And yet it flourishes today more so than ever before. The French infidel Voltaire, who
lived in the seventeen hundreds, uttered a prediction that the Bible within 50 years of his
lifetime would be extinct from the face of the earth. There would be no more word of
God to be found. Well, within 25 years of his death the Geneva Bible Society converted
his home into a publishing house for the word of God. And the Bible is alive and well in
the world today. This is why Jesus Christ said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
#7 – A Supercharged Book
There is a certain vitality, a certain life and energy, to the scripture itself. The writer of
Hebrews referred to the word of God as “quick and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). The
word quick means alive. Powerful is from the Greek word energes, which is the word
from which the English energy comes. And the word of God is alive and energetic. It
is a force at work in the world today. There is a vitality to it. This is why it is likened
unto seed in Luke 8:11. There’s life in seed. And when that seed is sown and existing
conditions are right, it is able to produce life in a spiritual realm. “Being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth
for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Peter 1:23-
25). Jesus Christ Himself said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
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