_2_Holy Scripture Identical with the Word of God

The chief fault which modern theology finds in the Early Church, in Luther, and in the Lutheran dogmaticians, is that they “identify” Scripture with the Word of God. We have already heard the remark of Nitzsch-Stephan: “The fault [of the old dogmaticians] … lies in this, that they did not at all distinguish between the Bible and God’s Word, or did so imperfectly” (Ev. Dogmatik, p. 245). Ihmels subscribes to this verdict, extending the censure at the same time to the Early Church and the Church of the Reformation. He says: “The old dogmatics sought to safeguard the uniqueness of Christianity by basing Christianity on a most unique supernatural revelation… . Revelation is thereby taken by it in an essentially intellectualistic meaning and is virtually identified with Scripture… . That is the fruition which descended from the first age of the Church… . The Church of the Reformation was much concerned about the pure doctrine, and this interest would seem to be best guaranteed by protecting this doctrine directly with the authority of the divine revelation. A second consideration was added, which more than ever seemed to be demanded by the immediate practical need of the Reformation. The Church of the Reformation rejected absolutely the authority of Rome, but it had no substitute but the authority of Scripture; and this authority seemed to be best safeguarded by identifying Scripture with God’s Word. However, as understandable as all this may be, considered historically, nevertheless, considered fundamentally, the verdict stands that there is an incongruity between the conception of Scripture by the Church of the Reformation [which identified Scripture with God’s Word] and revelation.” (Zentralfragen, 2d ed., p. 56 ff.) But what modern theology so unanimously, on the part of both the liberal and the “positive,” “conservative” wing, stamps as a “fault” in the Apostolic Church, in Luther, and in the old dogmaticians, that is the only correct position. It is what Scripture teaches of itself. Scripture teaches the identity of Scripture and God’s Word in several ways.

a. The Scriptures of the Old Testament are quoted in the New Testament plainly as God’s Word. The words of Is. 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall be with Child and shall bring forth a Son,” are quoted in Matt. 1:22-23 as “spoken of the Lord by the Prophet.” When Hos. 11:1: “Out of Egypt have I called My Son,” is adduced in Matt. 2:15, it is at once stated of these words that they were “spoken of the Lord.” Ps. 2:1: “Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?” is quoted in Acts 4:25 with the remark that God spoke this by the mouth of His servant David. When Is. 6:9-10 is brought to the attention of the Jews in Rome: “Go unto this people and say, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see and not perceive,” it is plainly stated in Acts 28:25 ff.: “Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the Prophet unto our fathers.” Heb. 3:7 it is said of a quotation from Psalm 95: “As the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Rom. 3:2 the entire Scriptures of the Old Testament, committed to the Jews, are called “the oracles of God,” God’s sayings, God’s words. And because the entire Scripture of the Old Testament is God’s Word, Christ says of it (John 10:35) that it cannot be broken in one single word — the one single word here being the word elohim, , gods, as used of government officials.

There is another lengthy series of Scripture passages which must not be overlooked when the question is raised whether Scripture and the Word of God are one and the same or not. These are the passages which state that all events in the world are directed by the Word of Scripture. All that has taken place and will take place, from the beginning to the end of the world, takes place because it is so written. Thus the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary occurred “that () it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet” (Matt. 1:22). John 17:12 Jesus speaks of the defection and end of Judas and adds: “That () the Scripture might be fulfilled.” When Peter seeks with the sword to prevent the arrest of Jesus in the Garden, Jesus intervenes with the words: “But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matt. 26:54.) And of all that happened to Christ, especially His suffering and the ensuing glory, Christ says: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). If all things written in Scripture must be fulfilled, Scripture cannot be the word of man, but must be the Word of Him who holds everything in heaven and on earth in the hollow of His hand, who guides all events, without whom nothing in heaven and on earth can occur, who is omnipotent and all-knowing, who is, in short, the great majestic God Himself. — Olshausen says concerning the quotations from the Old Testament in the New Testament: “The quotations from the Old Testament in the New Testament are not adduced as mere corroborations drawn from humanly important writings, but as irrefutable proofs from divine books. They possessed this convincing power because they proceeded not from human sages, but from men who were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 24

b. The same applies to the writings of the Apostles of the New Testament. 1 Pet. 1:10-12 proves that these writings, too, were God’s own Word. Peter first states concerning the Prophets of the Old Testament that they prophesied by “the Spirit of Christ, which was in them,” of the grace that should come in the New Testament era, but then adds concerning the Apostles of the New Testament: “which are now [in the New Testament era] reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” It is here clearly taught that, like the Word of the Prophets of the Old Testament, so also the Word of the Apostles of the New Testament is the Word of the Holy Ghost. The objection that Peter here refers only to the preached word and not to the writings of the Apostles is not valid, since the Apostles expressly declare that they wrote the identical things which they preached. Thus the Apostle John (1 John 1:3-4): “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you … and these things write we unto you.” In like manner the Apostle Paul admonishes the Thessalonians not to make a distinction between his oral Word and his written Word. He says (2 Thess. 2:15): “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our Epistle.” The Apostles were also fully aware of speaking and writing not their own, but Christ’s Word. We saw above that Paul demands of the “prophets” and “men with the Spirit” in Corinth that they be subject to His Word because, as he says, “the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians (13:3) he reminds the entire congregation of the fact that Christ is speaking through him. And when Paul (Gal. 1:8-9) pronounces a curse on everyone preaching “another Gospel” than he himself taught, we have, as has been correctly stated, the choice between but two things: either we must assume that Paul’s Word is actually Christ’s Word, as he himself asserts in the passages from First and Second Corinthians, or we must assume that he was deranged when he cursed every departure from the Word as proclaimed by him. A third assumption, or a middle course, is out of the question. So abundantly do the Scriptures themselves testify that the Scriptures of both the Old Testament and the New Testament are God’s Word. Scripture and God’s Word are therefore actually to be “identified.”

The Bible is a book truly unique. It is, in distinction from the millions of other books in the world, God’s Word. It is in a class by itself. If we, in the external arrangement of the books in a library, wished to show the importance and authority of the books, we should have to place the Holy Scriptures on one side and all the other books on the other side. True, many other books contain God’s Word; for example, the writings of Luther. But what there is of God’s Word in the other books is taken from the Bible. It is entirely true when Luther in his methodology for the study of theology says that no other book teaches eternal life (namely, correctly) but Scripture alone. (St. L. XIV:434). Scripture is neither a human nor a “divine-human” report on God’s Word and the “facts of the revelation,” but is itself the Word of God. That is Luther’s position as to Scripture. To quote, for the first, only two short words of Luther. He says: “You are so to deal with the Scriptures that you bear in mind that God Himself is saying this” (St. L. III:21). And: “The Holy Scriptures did not grow on earth” (St. L. VII:2095). As spokesman for the old Lutheran dogmaticians, Gerhard writes: “There is no real difference (non est reale aliquod discrimen) between God’s Word and Holy Scripture” (locus “De Scriptura Sacra” §7). There is no real difference, but only a difference in expression, between the two terms “Holy Scripture says” and “God says.” “Holy Scripture and the Word of God are interchangeable terms.”

We are at times apt to lose sight of this truth because the Holy Scriptures speak to us in such simple human terms and also dwell — especially in the Old Testament — on such ordinary affairs of life as the household, agriculture, stock raising, clothes, food, etc. For this reason Holy Scripture fares as did Christ in the days when He walked upon this earth. Because Christ was found in fashion as a man, the Jewish public took Him for a mere man, like John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets (Matt. 16:14). The same thing happens to Scripture. Because the Scriptures are written in human language, they are not regarded as God’s Word, but placed in one class with human books and are even criticized by men. For this reason Luther warns in the preface to the Old Testament: “I beg and faithfully warn every pious Christian not to stumble at the simplicity of the language and the stories that will often meet him here. He should not doubt that however simple they may seem, these are the very words, judgments, and deeds of the high majesty, power, and wisdom of God. For this is Scripture, and it makes fools of all the wise and prudent and is an open book to the small and foolish, as Christ says Matt. 11:25. Therefore dismiss your own thoughts and feelings, and think of the Scriptures as the loftiest and noblest of holy things, as the richest of mines, which can never be exhausted, so that you may find the wisdom of God that He lays before you in such foolish and simple guise, in order that He may quench all pride.” (St. L. XIV:3f.)