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Psalm 19:7

INTRODUCTION: Our series is called the Magnificent Word of God, and we are looking at various aspects of God’s word as presented in Psalm 19. Last week we looked at the inspiration of Scripture. Today we will look at the infallibility of Scripture. When we say that Scripture is infallible, we are saying that it is without error, that it is true in all it says, that it is a trustworthy guide for life. (Read Psalm 19:7 and pray.)

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Imagine you were taking a cross-country trip by car and the only tools you had to guide you were a broken-down compass that didn’t point north, a faulty GPS, and a set of road maps that were out of date and full of errors. Oh yeah, and someone took down all the road signs as well. How confident would you be of reaching your destination? Probably not very confident.

Well, if you need trustworthy tools just for a road trip, how much more do you need trustworthy tools to guide you in life? You need a trustworthy guide to navigate life, and God has given us that in the Scriptures.

Last week we looked at the fact the Bible is God’s inspired word, that is, that Scripture comes from God. All Scripture is God-breathed. Men spoke from God by the Holy Spirit. What the Scripture says, God says, and what God says, Scripture says.

And because the Scriptures are inspired, they are also infallible. The one leads to the other. The reason there are no errors in the Bible is because the Bible comes from God. God’s word is infallible because God is infallible. Or to put it another way, you can trust God’s word because you can trust God.

I want us to look at three things we learn about God’s word from Psalm 19:7 this morning. 1) God’s word is perfect and complete. 2) God’s word will give you new life and salvation through Jesus Christ. 3) God’s word is a trustworthy guide for your life.

I. God’s word is perfect and complete

First of all, God’s word is perfect and complete. That’s what Psalm 19:7 says: “The law of the Lord is perfect.” The word translated “law” in this verse is the Hebrew word torah. It is a general term for God’s word that signifies divinely revealed teaching. The word translated “perfect” is a word that means perfect, whole or complete. David tells us the law of the Lord, this divinely revealed teaching, is perfect and complete.

There are many books out there full of all sorts of facts and information. But there is only one perfect book. Only the Bible is perfect. It contains no errors. All its words are trustworthy and true. It contains all you need to know in order to come to God. It is sufficient for salvation. God’s word is perfect and complete in every way.

As we learned last week, the Bible comes from God, and there are two characteristics of God that especially ensure us of the infallibility of his word: God’s omniscience and God’s truthfulness.

    A. God is omniscient, so his knowledge is complete.
        – Psalm 12:6, 18:30, 33:4; John 10:35

First of all, God is omniscient, so his knowledge is complete. God knows it all! He knows the end from the beginning. He knows the heart of every woman and man. He is perfect in knowledge and understanding.

Have you ever gotten an answer wrong on a test? Of course you have; we all have. Why do we make mistakes on tests? Because we don’t know everything! But not God. God knows all things, and therefore God does not make mistakes.

That’s why we read in Psalm 12: “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Ps. 12:6). Seven is the number of perfection. God’s word is perfect. Or in Psalm 18: “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30). Or again in Psalm 33: “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does” (Ps. 33:4). Jesus summed it up for us this way in John 10: “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

God is omniscient, so his knowledge is complete. God does not lack any knowledge, so you do not need to worry about God making any mistakes in his word.

    B. God does not lie, so all his words are true.
        – Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; Psalm 119:160; Isaiah 65:16

However, omniscience is not enough. Someone could be omniscient and know all things, but unless they were also truthful, you still couldn’t trust what they said. Omniscience guards against mistakes, but it does not necessarily guard against deception. That brings us to our second characteristic of God. God does not lie, so all his words are true.

Three times in the Bible we are told that God does not lie. Numbers 23:19 tells us: “God is not a man, that he should lie.” The implication there is we are men, we are human beings, and therefore we do lie. But not God. Titus 1:2 describes him as: “God who does not lie.” Hebrews 6:18 says: “It is impossible for God to lie.” People lie all the time, but not God. God is not a man that he should lie.

Psalm 119 says of God: “All your words are true” (Ps. 119:160). Not just some of them. Not even most of them. All God’s words are true. Isaiah 65:16 calls him “the one true God” or “the God of truth.” It’s who God is. It’s part of his nature. Not only does God know all things so that he never makes a mistake. He is also completely truthful, so he never misrepresents anything or deceives you in any way. God’s omniscience guards against mistakes in his word. God’s truthfulness guards against any falsehoods in his word.

God’s word is perfect and complete in every way. Charles Spurgeon writes: “There are no redundancies and no omissions in the Word of God…. The gospel is perfect in all its parts, and perfect as a whole: it is a crime to add to it, treason to alter it, and felony to take from it.”

So that’s the first thing Psalm 19:7 teaches us about God’s word. God’s word is perfect and complete. God is omniscient, so his knowledge is complete. God does not lie, so all his words are true.

II. God’s word gives you new life and salvation

The second thing Psalm 19:7 teaches us about God’s word is this: God’s word gives you new life and salvation. Throughout this psalm you will notice that David not only tells us what God’s word is but what it does. And here in verse 7 he tells us: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (Ps. 19:7). What is God’s word? It is perfect. What does God’s word do? It revives the soul.

The word translated “revive” in this verse is a word that means to bring someone back, to refresh or restore. God’s word brings you back to God who is the giver of life. God’s word gives you life and vitality, like food gives life to the body. God’s word has power to give life, preserve life and sustain life. God’s word gives you new life and salvation.

    A. God’s word makes you wise for salvation.
        – Psalm 119:93; 2 Timothy 3:15

How does God’s word do that? First of all, God’s word makes you wise for salvation. Paul wrote to Timothy: “How from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). Psalm 119:93 says: “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life” or as other translations have it, “for by them you have given me life.” The life comes through God’s word. God’s word makes us wise for salvation.

As we learned last time, God’s creation reveals to us God’s glory. But God’s word reveals to us his will. The Scriptures teach us God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ his Son. God’s word makes you wise for salvation.

    B. Faith comes from hearing the word of God.
        – Romans 1:16, 10:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13

But it goes even further. God’s word not only teaches you about salvation. It also gives you the faith that you need to be saved. You are saved by faith, but where does that faith come from? Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Paul writes in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

So, first God’s word makes us wise for salvation. It teaches us his plan for salvation. And then, through hearing the message from God’s word, faith is sparked. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” There is power in the word of God. There is power in the gospel. When you hear the gospel—the good news that God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins—that gospel has the power to save. Why? Because it’s God’s word. The gospel has power to save because it is the word of God.

That’s why Paul writes to the Thessalonians: “We also thank God continually because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). God’s word is powerful and active, and it works in those who believe. It provokes faith.

Thomas Watson wrote: “The whole earth hangs upon the word of God’s power, and shall not our faith hang upon the word of God’s truth?” (Watson; Body of Divinity). God’s word has power to save you through the gospel of Christ. Faith comes from hearing the word of God.

    C. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
        – John 5:24; 2 Corinthians 5:17

And when you respond to the gospel in faith, when you put your faith in Jesus who died for you, the Bible says you become a new creation. God gives you new life in Jesus Christ. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” You’re a new creation! God gives you new life!

Jesus said in John 5: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). When you come to Christ, you have crossed over. You used to be under death and condemnation, but now you have crossed over and you are a new creation in Christ. Or as Psalm 19:7 puts it: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

III. God’s word is a trustworthy guide for your life

1) God’s word is perfect and complete. 2) God’s word gives you new life and salvation. And then finally 3) God’s word is a trustworthy guide for life. We see this in the second half of Psalm 19:7: “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7b).

The word translated “statutes” in verse 7 is a word that speaks of God’s reminders or warning signs. The same word is often translated “testimonies” in other translations. These are God’s covenant terms with his people, his warnings and reminders that he gives us to keep us straight, to keep us on the right path.

The “simple” person in Scripture is the naïve person, the person who is not grounded in God’s word and therefore easily led astray. Until we come to Christ and start growing in his word, we are all simple people.

But God not only gives you new life through his word. He also gives you a trustworthy guide to help you for the rest of your life! Yes, you get new life in Christ, but it doesn’t stop there. That’s just the beginning! Now God is going to walk you through the rest of your life guided by his precious word.

    A. God’s word gives you the wisdom you need
        – Psalm 119:98; Proverbs 2:6; Matthew 7:24

God’s word gives you the wisdom you need for right living. Proverbs 2:6 says: “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” We learned that phrase “from his mouth” last week when we talked about inspiration. The Bible comes from God’s mouth. It is inspired by God. It is God breathed. From God’s mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Psalm 119:98 says: “Your commands make me wiser than my enemies.” All the wisdom you need for right living, it’s right here in God’s word. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he finished by saying: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).

When we first come to Christ, we are still simple people. We are naïve and easily led astray. But then as you read and study God’s word, God will give you the wisdom you need in order to live a good and productive life that is pleasing to God, that serves others and will reap eternal rewards. God’s word gives you the wisdom you need for life.

    B. God’s word will protect you from every false way
        – Matthew 22:29; John 8:31-32; Acts 17:11

And then finally, God’s word will protect you from every false way. Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 22: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). A lot of people are in error today because they do not know the Scriptures. They don’t know God’s word, so they are sitting ducks for false teachers. It is vital that you know the Scriptures, because they will keep you from error and guard you from false teachings that would otherwise lead you astray.

Jesus said in John 8: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). God’s word is truth. Knowing the truth will set you free from the lies of the enemy that tie you down and keep you from the freedom that God has for you in Christ.

We are all bombarded by so many messages every day. In the music you listen to, in the movies you watch, in the books you read, in your conversations with friends—every day you are confronted with all sorts of messages telling you, “This is the right way; this is the best way to go.”

Don’t be a simple person. Don’t be naïve. Don’t be easily led astray. Instead, test everything you hear by the word of God. Be like the noble Bereans we read about in Acts 17: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). They didn’t take anything for granted. This was the apostle Paul teaching them, and they still went to the Scriptures and tested everything he said. Examine everything you hear by the word of God, and you will grow wise and be safe.

God’s word gives you the wisdom you need. God’s word will protect you from every false way. God’s word is a trustworthy guide for life.

CONCLUSION: Remember that road trip we talked about earlier—the one with the broken compass and faulty GPS and inaccurate maps? Aren’t you glad you don’t have to make a trip with all those faulty tools?

The good news is you don’t need to take the road trip of life with faulty tools either. Why not? “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7).

The Bible is God’s inspired, infallible word. 1) God’s word is perfect and complete in every way. 2) God’s word will give you new life and salvation through Jesus Christ. 3) God’s word is a trustworthy guide for your life. It’s really that simple. You can trust God’s word, because you can trust God.

© Ray Fowler

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By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org

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