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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. As we saw last week Psalm 19 teaches us that God’s word is inspired, infallible, authoritative, everlasting, priceless and sanctifying. 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.)

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 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 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 from the Holy Spirit. What the Scripture says, God says.

And because the Scriptures are inspired, they are also infallible. The one leads to the other. There are no errors in the Bible 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. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” (Psalm 19:7a) The word translated “law” in verse 7 is the Hebrew word Torah. It is a general term for God’s word that signifies divinely revealed teaching. And David says the law of the Lord, this divinely revealed teaching, is perfect.

There are many books out there full of all sorts of facts and information. But only the Bible is a perfect book. 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.

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 all things. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows the heart of every 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. He knows all things, and so he 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.” (Psalm 12:6) 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.” (Psalm 18:30) Or again in Psalm 33: “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33:4) Jesus summed it up this way for us in John 10: “The Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35)

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

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

But 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. So 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 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie.” (Numbers 23:19) People lie all the time, but not God. God is not a man that he should lie. Titus 1:2 describes him as: “God who does not lie.” (Titus 1:2) Hebrews 6:18 says, “It is impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18)

Psalm 119:160 says of God: “All your words are true.” (Psalm 119:160) Isaiah 65:16 calls him “the God of truth.” (Isaiah 65:16) 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 word is perfect and complete in every way. As 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. God’s word is perfect and complete.

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 section 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.” (Psalm 19:7a)

That word translated “reviving” is a word that means to bring someone back, to refresh, to 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 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

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

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

God’s word not only teaches you about salvation. It gives you the faith you need to be saved. You are saved by faith, and faith comes from hearing the word of God. As Paul writes in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Paul writes 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.” (Romans 1:16) 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.

The gospel has power to save because it is the word of God. That’s why Paul was able to write 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 Thessalonians 2:13)

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?” (Thomas Watson) 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, 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!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 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 are a new creation in Christ. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” (Psalm 19:7a)

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 thirdly, 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.” (Psalm 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 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. And so God not only gives you new life through his word. He also gives you a trustworthy guide to help you for the rest of you life.

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

First of all, 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.” (Proverbs 2:6) Psalm 119:98 says: “Your commands make me wiser than my enemies.” (Psalm 119:98) 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.” (Matthew 7:24)

When we first come to Christ, we are still simple people. We are naïve and easily led astray. But as you read and study God’s word, God will give you the wisdom you need to live a good and productive life that is pleasing to God 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 secondly, 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.” (Matthew 22:29) And so it is vital that you know the Scriptures, because they will keep you from error and guard you from false teachings that would 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, and 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.

You are bombarded by so many messages every day. In the music you listen to, in the movies you watch, in the books that you read, in your conversations with friends, every day you are confronted with 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. Test everything you hear by the word of God. Be like the noble Bereans we read about in Acts 17 where Luke tells us: “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) 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 GPS and the inaccurate maps? Aren’t you glad you don’t have to make that trip with all those faulty tools? Well, the good news is you don’t need to take the road trip of life with faulty tools either. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7)

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

© Ray Fowler

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