All posts by Luella Campbell

JESUS SAID – 4

Bible Study, ,

John 12:47-48 NLT
[47] “I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. [48] But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.”

We have, somehow, developed the idea, that, on Judgment Day, when all people stand before God to give an account of their lives, God will interrogate them thoroughly, digging through all their words and actions to uncover attitudes and motives. This sounds like a very long process, given the vast number of all who ever lived and will still live. Imagine the terror of having to wait your turn!

What does the Bible say about Judgment Day?

First, Jesus said that we will be judged by His words…

John 12:48 NIV
[48] “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”

He also said that we would be judged by our words!

Matthew 12:36-37 NIV
[36] But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

As I was pondering this statement, several Scriptures came to mind.

First, everyone will judged by the standard of God’s Word, Jesus Himself.

Revelation 19:13, 16 NIV
[13] “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God…
[16] On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”

Second, what about our words? Jesus asked His disciples one question that everyone must answer…

Matthew 16:15 NIV
[15] “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Every human will have to give an answer by which he/she will be judged.

John 3:18 NIV
[18] “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Paul said,

Romans 10:9 NIV
[9] “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

This is the only response God requires of us to be saved from the ravages of our sin.

However…this confession is only the first step. Some words spoken can be empty, that is “idle” or “careless”. To authenticate this confession, there must be a lifetime of confirmation.

Luke 6:46 NIV
[46] “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV
[21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ [23] Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

To stand before the Judge, then, and to be declared, “Not guilty!” requires only two steps…

Faith in Jesus as Lord,
Obedience to His word.

Long before we ever face the Lord on judgment day, the Apostle John assures us…

1 John 3:19 NIV
[19] “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:”

1 John 3:23 NIV
[23] “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

The New Covenant has condensed all of the 613 laws and requirements of the Old Covenant into two simple commands.

The evidence that our confession of Jesus as Lord is true, lies in the way we have obeyed His teachings and confirmed our union with Him.

John 14:18-21 NIV
[18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Jesus speaks of an intimate union with Him that demonstrates the truth of His declaration,

John 15:5 NIV
[5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”

Judgment Day, then, is not about how good or bad we have been. For the unbeliever, his sinful life will expose his unbelief in Jesus as Lord. For the believer, his union with Jesus as close as a branch in the vine, will be on display by the fruit of that union…God’s love at work through him.

Let’s look at it this way. Simultaneously, every person appears before the Lord. What does He see? Light and darkness…that’s all. Those who have embraced Jesus as Lord and lived by His Word will be alight with His light. Conversely, those who rejected His word and loved by their own standards will be in darkness.

1 John 1:5-7 NIV
[5] “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

And so, Paul encourages us,

Ephesians 5:8-10, 12-13 NIV
[8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord.
[12] “It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. [13] But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”

Joyfully or reluctantly,

Philippians 2:10-11 NIV
[10] “… At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

…those who are proved true disciples according to His Word and our words, or those who are judged and condemned by the Word.

JESUS SAID – 3

Bible Study, ,

John 4:5-7 NLT
[5] Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. [7] Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”

Have you ever considered the impact Jesus’ words had on this Samaritan woman?

Let’s follow the thread of their conversation.

John 4:7 NLT
[7] “Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”

Jesus asked for ordinary water to quench His thirst…

John 4:9 NLT
[9]”The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

The woman objects, on the basis of longstanding animosity between Jew and Samaritan as well as on cultural grounds, a man and a woman, strangers, don’t talk.

John 4:10 NLT
[10] “Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

Jesus introduces a contrast. Well water versus living water…which one does the job? The woman is inquisitive. What does He mean?

John 4:13-14 NLT
[13] “Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. [14] But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

The woman is surprised, confused…

John 4:11 NLT
[11] “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?”

Jesus’ answer is even more puzzling. She is interested.

John 4:13-14 NLT
[13] Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. [14] But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“My water doesn’t need a bucket.” A bold claim! “My water does much more than your water!” What kind of water is this? It’s still about water but a shift from literal to spiritual. She wants this water but she is confused. Can His water relieve her of the drudgery of lugging water from the well every day?

John 4:15 NLT
[15] “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

Jesus goes for the throat.

John 4:16 NLT
[16] “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.”

His instruction catches her by surprise. She instinctively dodges the implication. If Jesus is about to disclose an important truth, she must respond under her submission to her husband BUT, she doesn’t have a husband, only a “partner”! She blurts out,

John 4:17 NLT
[17] “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—… “

Jesus responds with “a word of knowledge”, a truth about the woman that He could never know without divine revelation.

John 4:18 NLT
[18]… “for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

For the woman, this disclosure was the turning point, hit her between the eyes, and moved her in a new direction. She tried to dodge the issue by becoming “religious”. She shifts her ficus from “a man” to “a prophet”.

John 4:19-20 NLT
[19] “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. [20] So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus pulls her back to His intention…it’s about God and her!

John 4:21-24 NLT
[21] Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. [22] You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. [23] But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. [24] For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

She continues her religious pose…

John 4:25 NLT
[25] “The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

… until…

John 4:26 NLT
[26]” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”

Was she convinced? Watch her response.

John 4:28-29 NLT
[28]”The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, [29] “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”

A radical transformation! She is no ashamed, afraid, longer avoiding the people, drawing water at midday when she didn’t have to face the silent accusations of her fellow-villagers. What was it that convinced her, changed her, set her free ….instantaneously?

“I know you!” What a relief! No accusation, judgement, condemnation…only reassurance. Jesus knew her but she was comfortable with that!

What did this conversation reveal?

“You crave real love but you are drinking at the wrong fountain!” Five husbands didn’t satisfy her. “Shacking up” with another man was equally disappointing. There is only one source of real, infallible, satisfying love that quenches thirst and never ends, the Spirit of God who is love.

Romans 5:5 NLT
[5] “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

John 7:37-38 NLT
[37] On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

How many in this world seek this love but try to find it by drinking at the wrong fountain.

Jeremiah 2:13 NLT
[13] “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”

Jesus called her, calls us, back to Himself as the only one who can quench our thirst for real, lasting, and satisfying love.

JESUS SAID-2

Bible Study, ,

Jesus said…nothing, but what He did not say spoke volumes. Sometimes Jesus didn’t need to say anything. He allowed His actions to speak for Him.

Here is an excellent example.

John 8:3-6 NIV
[3] “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group [4] and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. [5] In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” [6] They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.”

Why did Jesus let His finger speak for Him?

Many are the interpretations of His action, most speculation but few with understanding.

Jesus knew that His audience of religious leaders would recognise, immediately, what He meant because, as men thoroughly familiar with every word of the Tanach which they could recite by heart, they knew that He was quoting from Jeremiah 17:13.

Jeremiah 17:13 NIV
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

Jesus had just offered His people the “living water” of the Spirit to which the high priest’s action pointed. To complete the Festival of Tabernacles, the high priest performed the ritual of pouring water on the ground. Jesus cried out, in response,

John 7:37-39 NIV
[37] “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

The “water” He offered would not disappear into the dry ground as did the water poured out by the high priest. Instead, the “water” He offered would continue to flow and quench the thirst of anyone who drank it.

The Pharisees has so repudiated His words that they had sent soldiers to arrest Him. The soldiers returned empty-handed, to the wrath of the religious leaders.

John 7:45-48 NIV
[45] “Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” [46] “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. [47] “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. [48] “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?”

On the strength of the rejection of the religious leaders, Jesus wrote His indictment in the dust. What did He write? He wrote their names! His prophetic action meant that, since they had rejected Yahweh, the fountain of living water, they would be obliterated from the earth, like their names written in the dust.

His second indictment! How did He know their names? Only He, the Son of God, could know their names without ever being introduced!

Isaiah 43:1 NLT
[1]”But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Jesus knew much more than Jack, John, or James. He knew them, deep in their wicked hearts. So convicted were they when they realised what He was doing that they slunk away in disgrace without another word.

John 8:7-9 NLT
[7]” They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” [8] Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. [9] When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.”

Case dismissed! Not only had Jesus exposed their hypocrisy once again but He had also driven away the woman’s accusers. He was free to forgive, to show mercy, and to send her away a new person.

JESUS SAID – 1

Bible Study, ,

Jesus said and did many things that puzzle us…until we understand them in the wider context of His role as a Jewish rabbi. He was trained in the Tanach, and was not only thoroughly familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures but was also Himself the Word of God in human form.

John 1:14 NIV
[14] “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Who, but Jesus would know and fully understand what the Scriptures meant and what God intended by what was written. His every thought and action were the expressions of the written Word. His clash with His arch enemy, the devil, for example, and His victory over him, rested on these three words, “It is written.”

Matthew 4:4 NIV
[4] Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Let’s examine some of His words and deeds and try, through them, to get to the heart of what He and the Scriptures meant.

L Iet’s consider His relationship to the Father. In John’s presentation of Jesus as the Son of God, he records Jesus’ claim to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man, God and Messiah. These claims would be outrageous if they were not true.

As the Son of God, Jesus linked Himself with David’s prophetic word in Psalm 2.

Psalms 2:7 NIV
[7] “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

Hebrews 1:5 NIV
[5] For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?

This statement has nothing to do with human procreation but rather the expression of relationship. In ancient Hebrew, the word “son”, meant “one who continued the house”, that is, one who perpetuated the life, character, and standards of that household in the next generation.

Hebrews 3:5-6 NIV
[5] “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. [6] But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.”

A son had a specific role in a Hebrew household. The eldest son stood in the place of and represented the father in all family matters. He took responsibility for all his “second born” siblings’ actions, hence Reuben’s attempt, as Jacob’s eldest son, to rescue Joseph from the pit into which his brothers had thrown him because he would be held accountable.

Genesis 37:21-22 NIV
[21] “When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. [22] “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.”

A firstborn son’s role was to submit to and obey his father and to learn the father’s trade so that he would carry on the father’s business in the next generation. For example, Jesus found James and John working with their father, Zebedee in the fishing business.

Now let’s examine Jesus’ words…

Matthew 5:17-18 NIV
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

As God’s Son, Jesus was committed to absolute obedience to every detail of God’s covenant with Israel, not only in letter but in spirit. When Jesus said that He came to “fulfill” the law, He meant that He would complete God’s instructions by obeying the law perfectly according to God’s intention, including His attitude and motive.

His perfect interpretation of and obedience to the law clashed with the religious leaders’ interpretation and brought their wrath down on Him because He exposed their hypocrisy. They claimed to be righteous because they obeyed every commandment to the letter but…the pride of their own self-righteousness obliterated all their claims.

Matthew 23:23-24 NIV
[23] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. [24] You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

Jesus obeyed God’s law to the letter, not because of pride but because He loved the Father! His passion was to do the Father’s will. As David prophesied,

Psalms 40:6-8 NIV
[6]”Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. [7] Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. [8] I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

Jesus also claimed to be the Son of Man. What did He mean? Was this only a reference to His humanity or did He mean something more?

Daniel 7:13-14 NIV
[13] “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

In Daniel’s vision, he saw a human figure approaching God and acting as someone much more than just a man. He was receiving the rewards that imply deity…authority, glory, and sovereign power, the worship of all nations, and an eternal kingdom. These descriptions fit only one person, Jesus, God’s Messiah.

Jesus’ death on the cross as a blasphemer was a travesty of justice because His accusers ignored the evidence. They condemned Him because He did not meet their standards rather than the standards of God’s law. Although they had no answer to His question,

John 8:46 NIV
[46] “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

… the Sanhedrin still condemned Him to death for answering the high priest’s question …

Mark 14:61-62 NIV
[61]… “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” [62] “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

What an indictment against Himself! Son of God, Son of Man! Jesus deliberately and clearly stated both claims so that His resurrection would vindicate Him. The very purpose for His coming! He was saying, in His reply, “I am both God’s Son, and God’s Messiah,” in perfect fulfilment of God’s Word… and for that they killed Him.

Was He “guilty” of the claim He made? What was the final proof of His “guilt”?

Romans 1:4 NIV
[4] “… and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We can conclude, then, that Jesus’ claim to fulfill the law was both accurate and accomplished. He was crucified as a blasphemer and law-breaker, but the Father raised Him from the dead, vindicating Him as Son of God and Son of Man because He spoke the truth. Nothing He ever said or did contradicted His intention…

17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Acts 2:23-24 NIV
[23] “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. [24] But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

Jesus died as a sinner but death could not hold Him. He has the right to accredt His own righteousness to everyone who believes in Him.

GOD’S WORD – A PERSON

Apologetics, ,

There are so many things we can learn from God’s Word about His Word and what His Word does and reveals that it would take a lifetime and more to discover every facet. To cut a very long story short, let’s examine just one more claim that wraps up every part of this book’s remarkable nature and its power to transform lives as a divine/human book.

The Bible has been described as “the manifestation of God in another form”. If this is true, then we must realise that God and His Word are inseparable. He is both who He is and what He says.

However, even more amazing is that this Book, this Word came here as a person, God’s Word living as a human on this earth.

This truth can be, for us, just a philosophical idea or a life-changing reality, depending on how we receive it. If we regard what John wrote about the Word being a Person as an application of the Greek philosophical idea of the “logos” rather than God speaking to us by His Son, we will miss the whole point of what John was saying.

Again, let the Bible speak for itself.

Genesis 1:1 NIV
[1] “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Hidden in this Hebrew sentence are the latters “aleph tov”, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Although untranslatable, Jesus revealed their significance in the last chapter of Revelation.

Revelation 22:13 NIV
[13] “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

“He (the Word) was with God in the beginning.”

Genesis 1:3 NIV
[3] “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

John unpacks Jesus’ role in creation…

John 1:1-3 NIV
[1] “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

… and in the world…

John 1:4-5 NIV
[4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Can you see how, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John understood that the Jesus who came from the Father is God and that He was the agent through whom creation happened and through whom God speaks.

Our limited human minds grapple with this revelation but, like all God’s truth, we must receive it by faith or reject it according to our attitude to revealed truth.

Point one, then…Jesus is God in human form and He is the one who partnered with the Father to create the universe, God’s spoken word through whom the universe came into being.

Point two, Jesus is the incarnation of God’s final message to the world. Throughout the history of Israel under the Old Covenant, God spoke to His people through His prophets. However, His message was completed in the life and death of His own Son.

Hebrews 1:1, 3 NIV
[1] “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
[2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Jesus not only spoke God’s Word, He came as the God’s Word itself. In other words, what Jesus did and said was not in His personal capacity as God in human form but rather as God’s Word doing and speaking. He could nevar speak or act outside of His unity with the Father because He was the Father’s voice to the world.

Consider His words…

John 12:47-50 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. [50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Jesus, the Word, is the standard by which God will judge humanity.

Whatever Jesus said was the Father speaking! It’s that simple! Hence, as a man, Jesus had all authority because He was God’s message to earth.

Jesus told His disciples clearly that His life, as the embodiment of the Torah, God’s instructions to His people, was not to do away with His law but to fulfil every detail in the way the Father intended.

Matthew 5:17-18 NIV
[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

It was only because Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the whole law, fulfilling every detail, that He could be the perfect sacrifice to atone for all humanity’s failure to achieve God’s perfect standard of righteousness.

In view of all we have considered concerning the Bible and what it has to say about itself, those who refuse to take it at face value and believe what is written must carry the burden and the consequences of their unbelief. Those who put their faith in what is written and live by its instructions will experience all the benefits and blessing of what God has promised because God has spoken His final Word in Jesus and has nothing more to say. To reject the Bible, then, is to reject Jesus because He is the Word in human form.