Biblical Support For The Doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation
(IV)
(Jesus Assures Preservation of the Bible)
-- Matthew 5:17-19
Lesson 6
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I. |
INTRODUCTION
No Christian should hold on
to any view that contradicts what Jesus has taught. Today,
there is much confusion and contention among “Christian”
teachers and leaders on the subject of the infallibility and
preservation of the Scripture. But as committed Christians,
we cannot afford to be confused or misled by false views
concerning the Scripture, especially when Christ has
unequivocally stated His view for us to hold on to. Jesus
affirmed the infallibility and preservation of the Scripture
by saying: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all
be fulfilled...” (Matthew 5:17-19). To understand Jesus’
teaching on the infallibility and preservation of the
Scripture, we shall study His words found in Matthew
5:17-19.
Matthew records these words
of Christ as part of the Sermon on the Mount. In verse 18,
for the first time in His sermon, Jesus used the
authoritative and dogmatic formula “I say unto you;” and He
repeats it again in verse 20: “For I say unto you ...” This
suggests to us that Jesus really expects our total attention
on the words that follow so that we may study them and
observe them as cardinal doctrine and practice. There should
be no contention about these explicit words of Jesus about
the Scripture. His view about the Scripture, expressed in
Matthew 5:17-19, should be our view always.
It would be very helpful if
we can recollect the historical and scriptural background of
the passage under our consideration to get the real feel of
its emphasis.
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II. |
HISTORICAL AND SCRIPTURAL
BACKGROUND
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A. |
Historical
Background
Since John the
Baptist introduced Christ to the world, the eyes of
everyone in Israel were upon Him. He appeared to be
very different from the scribes and Pharisees. He
did not follow the prevailing theology of His day
and refused to identify Himself with any of the
sects of His time. He disregarded their traditions
as well as their extraneous and legalistic rules. As
a friend of publicans and sinners, He proclaimed
love and grace. His meekness and humility made Him
distinguishable from all other religious teachers
who were proud, boastful and hypocritical. He
preached forgiveness of sins and dispensed mercy.
Consequently, the people and the Jewish leaders
wondered if He was destroying all the absolutes of
the Old Testament Scripture for some new teaching.
Many were inclined to think that He intended to
subvert the authority of God's Word.
So Jesus came
forward to remove their doubts and said, in effect,
“What you see and hear is nothing new at all. I did
not come to remove the Old Testament law but to
reiterate and fulfil it.” So His amazing manifesto
is in direct harmony with the Old Testament, though
it was in direct confrontation with their thinking.
When the scribes and Pharisees were making the
traditions binding upon people, Jesus was talking
about grace and mercy. But Jesus told them that they
had dragged the divine standard so low that it was
necessary to raise it again. Having a greater
commitment to the law than the most scrupulous
scribe or Pharisee, Jesus proceeded to support the
unfailing and lasting authority of the Scripture. |
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B. |
Scriptural Context
In Matthew 5:3-12,
Jesus gives a list of the characteristics of a true
Christian. Then, in verses 13 and 16, He emphasised
what a true believer ought to be and how he should
act. From verses 17 to 20, Jesus shows how it is
possible to be like what He taught us to be. Here He
shows us how to live out the Beatitudes and be the
salt and light in a decaying and darkened world;
certainly not by lowering God's standard that is
written, but by striving to live in complete
obedience to all that God has revealed, even to the
jot and tittle. This was, obviously, a shocking
appeal to the society of Jesus' day, which obeyed
only what it wanted to.
Jesus introduces
the key to a righteous life as nothing else but
keeping of God’s law. The only way to have true
righteousness is to go beyond the phoney externalism
of the scribes and Pharisees, to the inward
righteousness that is only wrought by the power and
authority of God's Word. Therefore, when Jesus came,
He did not abolish the Old Testament but He
reinforced it. |
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III. |
JESUS ADHERES HIMSELF TO
THE WHOLE OF SCRIPTURE
To understand how extensive
and emphatic Jesus' declaration of His view of the Scripture
is, the words He used must be carefully considered. First of
all, what did Jesus mean when He referred to the law or the
prophets? The term “law” can be a reference to the Ten
Commandments or the first five books of Moses, or to the
whole Old Testament. But usually, the Jews used the word
when they were talking about the oral scribal traditions
that they had been receiving from various rabbis.
Now when Jesus said, “Think
not that I am come to destroy the law…,” He was not talking
about the traditions of men. By using the definite article
“the law,” the multitude should have understood that Jesus
was talking about the law of God. But how do we know whether
Jesus was referring to the Ten Commandments or the
Pentateuch or the whole Old Testament? Verse 17 settles it,
when it says: “the law, or the prophets.” In the Gospel of
Matthew, “the law and the prophets” is used four times
(Matthew 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40), with reference to the
whole of the Old Testament. Therefore, we can confidently
say that “the law” in this passage in Matthew 5 refers to
the whole Old Testament.
Interestingly, in 5:17 “the
law” and “prophets” are not connected by the conjunction
“and” (Greek kai)
as in the other three places mentioned above. Here instead
of kai,
Matthew uses the adversative “or” (Greek
e).
Lenski comments: The “adversative” divides the Old Testament
into two parts: “The law” or Pentateuch; “the prophets” or
all the rest of the Old Testament. In other words, the word
“or” implies that the attitude taken by Christ is the same
towards both. Thus, Jesus most emphatically proclaims His
full adherence to the whole of the Old Testament.
Another term that stresses
His total adherence to the Scripture is “fulfil,” when He
said: “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (5:17). Now
the question before us is – In what way did Christ fulfil
“the law” and “the prophets?” Many commentators argue that
Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets in two different
ways. The prophets are fulfilled in a predictive fashion:
what they predict comes to pass and is thereby fulfilled.
The law, some say, is fulfilled by confirming the law in its
deeper meaning while others say Jesus fulfilled the law by
dying on the cross, thus satisfying the demands of the law
against all who would believe in Him. Though these ideas are
established elsewhere in the New Testament, the emphasis
that Matthew conveys is more extensive. Elsewhere, Matthew
records Jesus as saying, “For all the prophets and the law
prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:13). Not only do the
prophets prophesy, but the law also prophesies. In other
words, the entire Old Testament has a prophetic function and
Jesus came to fulfil the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:17,
therefore, we must rid ourselves of conceptions of
fulfilment which are too narrow. Jesus fulfilled the entire
Old Testament – the law and the prophets, in many ways.
Because they point towards Him, He had certainly not come to
abolish them, but rather, to fulfil them in a rich diversity
of ways. In summary, we can say that Jesus’ life and
ministry were not in opposition to the Old Testament, but in
fulfillment of all that it says.
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IV. |
JESUS AFFIRMS THAT EVERY
LETTER OF THE SCRIPTURE WILL BE PRESERVED
Thus, after declaring His
total adherence to the Scripture, He states His view of the
Scripture: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law, till all be fulfilled” (verse 18). As we noticed
before, “the law” in this verse also refers to the entire
Old Testament. It would be unwarranted if we say “the law”
refers only to the legal requirements, especially when we
study verse 18 in the light of verse 17. Thus, referring to
the entire Old Testament, He wishes to make a strong
assertion when He says, “For verily I say unto you.” The
word “verily” is a translation of the Greek term “amen”
which is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for “truth.”
Therefore, it generally identifies something true, faithful
or absolute. This expression, thus, explains to us how
highly Jesus regards the Scripture, and how important the
following statement is of His view of the Scripture - “Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Jesus then tells us how
long the Scripture will continue to be unerring and
authoritative - “till heaven and earth pass.” In other
words, Jesus was emphasizing the relative imperishability of
God's Word, by saying that it would be here even when the
universe passed out of its present existence.
Then He continues to
express His view in the most exhaustive way by saying, “one
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.” A “jot” (or
yodh)
refers to the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which
is very similar to an apostrophe. A “tittle” is an appendage
or portion of the letter, a mark by which one letter is
distinguished from another. So what Jesus is saying is that
not even the tiniest Hebrew letter shall pass from this law
until all would be fulfilled.
If God does not preserve every letter of the Scripture, then
the truth of God’s Word would be lost. The purity and
authority of the whole Scripture are dependent on every
section of the Scripture, every book, every chapter, every
word, and every letter. Even the smallest letter or a
portion of a letter cannot be lost, if the authority and
infallibility of the Scripture have to remain unaffected all
through time. The Lord Jesus assures us that His Word will
be preserved true to every letter. We may have difficulty in
understanding how the Lord could speak of absolutely perfect
preservation of the Scripture in its originals, when there
were cases of scribal errors in manuscripts. Though scribal
errors have occurred in some copies, the Lord promises to
keep His Word free from all such human errors for His people
to believe and obey.
Today, we have no need to
approach the Scripture with doubt. It is divinely preserved
from all impurity. Through the history of the church, we can
see how God providentially guided godly men not only to
determine the books of the canon of the Scripture, but also
to recognise the exact original words of those books for an
obedient life. In the Hebrew and Greek texts underlying the
King James Bible, we have these perfectly preserved texts
through the ages, recognised by godly men during the days of
the Reformation, and continued to be used by the church for
the past 400 years approximately. A perfectly preserved
Bible to the end of times – that is what the Lord Jesus
promised in Matthew 5:18, and that is what we have today.
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V. |
JESUS WARNS US NOT TO
DISREGARD EVEN THE LEAST COMMANDMENT OF THE SCRIPTURE
Because every letter of the
Scripture will be preserved to the end of days, Jesus warns
us about setting aside or disannulling any portion of the
Scripture. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven” (verse 19). The word “therefore”
takes our attention backward, and gives us one reason why we
should not disregard the Scripture. The reason is, as we
found earlier, that God’s Word is imperishable.
Then Jesus forewarns us of
the consequences, if we disregard even a smallest portion of
His Word – “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” The word “break”
(Greek luo)
means “to loose, release, nullify or destroy.” Therefore,
the idea conveyed is if anyone releases himself from an
obligation to obey or to teach exactly what it says, even
the least of it, he will be called the least in the kingdom
of heaven. This suggests that such men will face the Lord’s
judgment for unbelief and loss of reward.
Another significant phrase
that should be noticed is “these commandments.” The
expression “these commandments” must be understood within
the context since any expressed antecedent for the term
“these” is absent. In the previous verses, Jesus referred to
the whole Old Testament and claimed that He came not to
destroy but to fulfil them. Since Jesus is the fulfillment
of “the law” and “the prophets” (or the whole Old Testament
points to Him), our responsibility is not only to obey the
commandments of the Old Testament but also His teachings as
found in the New Testament. We must also take heed of the
words of the New Testament writers for they were written as
inspired by His Spirit.
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VI. |
CONCLUSION
In this passage, we have
seen how our Lord promises to preserve all the letters of
His Word that His people may have an infallible, everlasting
Scripture. As disciples of Jesus, we must also hold the same
view of the Scripture, which Jesus proclaimed. To doubt the
perfect preservation of the Bible, as many have done, is to
simply deny Jesus’ promise. That would also mean to drift
away from the perfect standard of righteousness. The message
the Lord gives in Matthew 5:17-19 is: Fulfil God's law, and
do not break even the least of His commandments, because His
Word is pre-eminent, permanent and pertinent till the end of
days. All Christians must affirm their allegiance to the
Word of God. If anyone, therefore, questions its perfect
preservation, infallibility and authority, he cannot be
considered a faithful Christian, let alone a faithful Bible
teacher. Dear reader, it is time for us to take heed of our
Saviour's words more than ever before, and uphold His
perfect Word by believing, obeying and proclaiming all of
its words.
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VII. |
IF WE REJECT THE DOCTRINE
OF THE PRESERVATION OF THE BIBLE
Rejecting the Doctrine of
the Perfect Preservation of the Bible will lead to many
severe spiritual dangers. It will undermine the very
foundation of the Christian faith. The following are the
dangerous outcomes of not believing in the Perfect
Preservation of the Bible.
If we reject the Perfect
Preservation of the Bible, then we concede that:
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1. |
We don’t have the
inspired Word of God intact, as the words of the
originals are not kept pure (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16).
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2. |
We don’t have an
absolutely infallible, inerrant Word of God, even
though the Lord promises a perfect Word of God
forever (cf. Psalm 19:7-9). |
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3. |
God is unfaithful
in keeping His repeated promise that He will
preserve His Word forever (cf. Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm
111:7-8; Psalm 119:89, 152, 160). |
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4. |
Jesus’ promises,
such as, “my words shall not pass away,” are
unreliable (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).
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5. |
Jesus did not mean
what He said, because the Bible is not preserved as
He uttered - “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18; cf. Luke 16:17).
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6. |
God was so
incapacitated by the errors of man and dark events
of history that He failed to keep His promises
concerning the Preservation of His Word. (It also
casts doubt on God’s sovereignty, providence,
omnipotence, omniscience, etc.) |
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7. |
The faith of the
Old Testament prophets and saints that God’s Word
will be kept intact forever is a false faith. “The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of
our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8). “The
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the
judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether” (Psalm 19:9). |
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8. |
The affirmation of
the apostles of Christ and the New Testament writers
that God’s Word will be kept intact forever is
false. (Matthew, Mark and Luke quoted Jesus’
affirmation of the Preservation of God’s Word, cf. 1
Peter 1:25). |
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9. |
Our forefathers’
faith that the Word of God “by His singular care and
providence, kept pure in all ages” is not acceptable
(Westminster Confession of Faith I.VIII). |
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10. |
Anyone can question
the authenticity and authority of the words in the
Bible (cf. John 17:17). |
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11. |
Some parts of the
Bible must be subjected to the “scholarly opinion”
of certain individuals. When those intellectuals
point to us where the Bible is allegedly wrong, we
should believe them more than the Bible itself (cf.
Matthew 5:17-19). |
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12. |
It is wrong to have
the presupposition that believers have an absolutely
trustworthy, perfect Bible (cf. Psalm 18:30; Psalm
111:7-8; Psalm 119:128). |
Denying the Perfect
Preservation of the Bible will harm and hurt the Church. It
will open the door for anyone to criticize the text of the
Bible according to his personal thinking or opinion. This
will further lead to doubting the absolute accuracy and
authority of the Bible. Thus the very foundation of the
church, the absolute sufficiency, trustworthiness and
authority of the Bible will be weakened and destroyed. If we
preachers do not have a perfectly preserved Bible, what
assurance can the hearers have in our preaching of the Word?
If we do not have a perfectly preserved Bible, our preaching
is vain.
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