What are the Scriptures anyway?
Published by Rob Skiba December 13, 2014 at 9:57 PM
We use the word “Scriptures” all the time, but BIBLICALLY speaking, what were/are the Scriptures? In other words, looking at the New Testament, we sure do see the word used a lot, but in EVERY CASE to what are the authors referring?
Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scripturesnor the power of God.
Matthew 26:54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
Matthew 26:56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Mark 12:10 Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
Mark 12:24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
Mark 14:49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
Mark 15:28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Luke 4:21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:44-45 Then He said to them,“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
John 2:22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
John 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John 7:42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
John 10:35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
John 13:18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept;and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
John 19:24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
John 19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
John 19:37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
John 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
Acts 1:16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
Acts 8:32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
Acts 17:2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Acts 18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Acts 18:28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Romans 1:2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 11:2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Romans 16:26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
2 Timothy 3:15-16 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;
James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
James 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
1 Peter 2:6
Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
2 Peter 3:1
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
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Is the New Testament to be considered “Scripture”? Absolutely it is. But clearly, in every case, the above authors of the New Testament Scriptures are not referring to the writings of the New Testament, but rather that of what we call the Old Testament. Thus, it is very important – as so-called, “New Testament Bible Believing Christians” – that we do not to fall into this category…
Matthew 22:29
Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
How well do you know the Scriptures of which Yeshua is referring? When the Bereans were hearing about this new prophet named Yeshua, what did they do?
Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
They were NOT reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John or any of Paul’s writings folks! In order to discover the truth, they had to take the same Biblical journey as the men on the Road to Emmaus took with Yeshua:
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:44-45
Then He said to them,“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
When Paul was writing to Timothy, he told him to study:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What “word of truth” was Timothy to study? The New Testament? No. It had not even been written yet! He was to continue studying the Scriptures!
2 Timothy 3:14-16
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Let that sink in guys! Timothy was learned in the Scriptures (OLD TESTAMENT), which Paul said makes one “wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Are you wise in the same Scriptures that Paul and Timothy were? You know, the ones of which Paul said ALL are given by inspiration of God, profitable for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteousness? Again, nothing Paul said to Timothy had anything to do with the New Testament, which had not yet been written.
Now, the above 2 Peter 3 reference is very interesting. Note that Peter equates Paul’s writings as those which are twisted and distorted by “untaught and unstable people” asthey do the rest of the Scriptures. So, he recognizes Paul’s writings as Scripture, but he warns against using what Paul wrote to twist and distort the Scriptures that he and all of the other authors are talking about, i.e. Moses, the Prophets and Psalms. The result of twisting and distorting Paul’s writings is falling into the error of the wicked (which is lawlessness). How many people do you know who have fallen into this trap?
At this point, we must seriously consider what is being said, because I certainly see a LOT of people claiming to be “educated scholars” of the Scriptures, and yet they are doing exactly what Peter warned against! So, who are we going to listen to? The modern “theologians” and “scholars” that want to get you to stay away from the Old Testament? Those ignorant and unstable people who “twist and distort” Paul’s writings, trying to tell you the Law has been made “obsolete” and is not for us today? Sorry guys, as great as the New Testament is (and I think it is AWESOME), EVERYONE IN IT is telling us to search and study the Law, Prophets and Psalms to understand who our Savior really was and is! Why else do you think the book that precedes Matthew ends with this?
Malachi 4:
1 “For behold, the day is coming,Burning like an oven,And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”Says the Lord of hosts,“That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name, The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feetOn the day that I do this,”Says the Lord of hosts.
4 “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turnThe hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
If the New Testament really says we should consider “the Law done away with” (as MANY teach), why would YHWH say, “Remember the Law of Moses… before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”? We are getting close to that day folks! It’s coming. Why else do you think people all over the world are doing exactly what Malachi wrote? Is it just a coincidence… or is it a massive move of YHWH to get people back into the Scriptures, which testify of a Holy God and His only begotten Son?
Ever since I began going back to the Scriptures (5 years ago), I have been nothing short of utterly amazed at what I’ve been finding! I can now say with full confidence, that although I got saved at age 7 and have been in the Word my entire life, I was completely clueless as to who Yeshua really was, what He really did and what He is yet to do. The information was there all along – just in the first 3/4 of the Book I claimed to believe in, but never truly studied, because I was taught all I needed to know (as a Christian) was in the last 1/4 of it. The study we did today in Genesis alone has enough revelation in it that one could spend the better part of a month unpacking and still not get it all! We have missed sooooooooo much by starting our walk in Matthew instead of Genesis.
Dive into the “Scriptures” and get to know your Savior as the people in the New Testament did! I guarantee you will not regret it.
– Rob Skiba
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