The Bible is not “Gods Word.” It's simply "The Bible."

MatthewG said:

So many people believe today that the Bible is considered either “Gods words or The Word of God.”

It’s not true… it’s a collective of God and his people their doings and happenings. It’s simply “The Bible.” Nothing more. If you disagree with an interpretation all of sudden you’re going against “Gods words or the word of God.” When all you are doing is disagreeing with an interpretation.

Why is that? Taught Tradition?

What you take out of it and use of it is at your discretion.

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You said the Bible isn’t really “God’s Word,” just a book about God and people doing things. But the Bible says something different. In 2 Timothy 3:16, it says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” That means God gave the words, not just people. The Bible didn’t come from people making stuff up, it came from God. In Psalm 119:160, it says, “All your words are true.” So calling it “just a book” is wrong, it goes against what the Bible says about itself.

People have tried to downplay the Bible for a long time. But the Bible knew this would happen. 2 Timothy 4:3–4 says people will stop listening to the truth and will look for teachers who tell them what they want to hear. It’s like in Genesis 3:1, where the serpent says, “Did God really say…?” That’s how it starts, by questioning God’s words.

You also said that disagreeing with someone’s interpretation isn’t the same as disagreeing with God. But the Bible says not all interpretations are valid. In 2 Peter 1:20–21, it says, “No prophecy comes from someone’s own interpretation.” That means you can’t just make up your own meaning. You have to compare Scripture with Scripture. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were praised because they checked the Bible every day to make sure teachings were true. So if someone disagrees with a correct interpretation based on the whole Bible, they’re not just disagreeing with a person, they’re disagreeing with God’s truth.

You asked if this is all just “taught tradition.” The Bible says no. In Matthew 15:3, Jesus says, “Why do you break God’s command for your tradition?” Truth doesn’t come from tradition, it comes from God’s Word. In John 12:48, Jesus says that His words will judge us in the end. So the Bible, not tradition, is the standard we answer to.

You also said people can just take what they want from the Bible and use it how they like. But James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the word, not just hearers.” The Bible tells us how to believe and live, it’s not a buffet to pick and choose from. 2 Timothy 4:2–3 warns that people will stop following good teaching and look for teachers who say what they want to hear. That’s dangerous.

So here’s the bottom line: the Bible calls itself God-breathed, true, and the final authority for what’s right and wrong. It’s not just a human book. You can’t treat it like one. If you reject its truth, you’re not being neutral, you’re either standing with God’s Word or against it. The choice matters.

MA2444 said:

It's at our discretion huh? That's not what Hebrews 4:12 says!

Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires..../NLT

Hmm, let me see here. v12 says it is alive. I wonder what that could mean? What does alive mean anyway? Oh! Alive means alive. I looked it up in the Greek too and alive means alive.

Not only that, but "it" exposes our thoughts and desires? What is "it" It is the Word of God, duh. So while you are reading your bible...it is reading you!

SO this verse alone destroys what you said. What should I do this verse now? Tear it out?
If what you say is true and it's just a poorly translated book...then how about you tell us what Hebrews 4:12 really means?

I can understand that you may not trust the bible for your own reasons, but why come on a Christian forum and try to teach others to not read it? Not trust it? Why do you do that?

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People get defensive of the Bible when it is not really warranted.

Even to the point that they believe a particular translation is the Word of God. The real question is, what is the Word of God? As a Theologian I can tell you that it is a matter of perspective. The Word of God has always been evolving.

For example you site Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires..

Great verse and true….the Word of God is alive and powerful…. alive and powerful, that is the key point. But stop and think…..
What Bible or scripture was this verse referring to? What scriptures existed when Hebrew 4:12 was written? No Bible existed at that time. Again no Bible existed at that time.

They had scrolls of the Hebrew scriptures that we call the Old Testament. The Word of God at that time was the Hebrew scriptures. And the Christian Word of God was being presented by word of mouth. The first Christian writings were by the Apostle Paul and most of them were letters to congregations…. people call them churches but no church buildings existed in this time period. The four Gospels were written after Paul’s writings.

Did Paul think he was writing scriptures? No. Did he think he was writing about the Word of God? Yes. Did Peter and John think they were writing about the Word of God? Yes. So the Word of God was progressive and evolving in the 1st century….but still no Bibles.

Emperor Constantine commissioned the first bound “books” the first Bibles and they did not include the Old Testament. The New Testament was about the 1st century writings of Christians. Then their writings went from writings to what we consider scriptures. They are the foundation of Christian beliefs. But the Word of God did not stop there because the Word of God is alive and powerful and exists as a concept.

Well after the biblical period the Word of God taught us that polygamy and concubinage and slavery was wrong. The Word of God taught us that women are equal Christians and progressed as the women’s rights movement.

So today we have several Bible translations….some more accurate than others. Progressive because we know more about the scriptures today than what they knew a few centuries back. We know more about Koiné Greek and the other languages in the scriptures and we discovered a lot of the actual early writings.

So again….What is the Word of God and can that living Word be limited to the Bible?