Emulating Jesus is such a basic tenant of Christianity that it is infrequently disputed, however, it is also, and tragically, infrequently considered. For instance, one could not even casually read the New Testament and conclude anything but the fact that Jesus Christ is a Bible thumper. He is quoting Scripture all over the place, whether to his disciples (Jn. 13.18; Matt. 5-7), false teachers (Mk, 8.18; Jn. 10.35), and even the devil (Matt. 4.1-11). Jesus Christ was a Bible thumper.
It would be prudent then as followers of this Jesus to emulate his Bibliology, or his understanding of the Scriptures, specifically his view of inspiration and his view of authority.
How did Jesus view inspiration?
We see Jesus remarking frequently about the divine origin of Scripture. For instance in his famous Sermon on the Mount, we hear of Jesus saying “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matt. 5.18). And further he says, “It is written, “‘ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” (Matt. 4.4). Later on in Matthew Jesus is quoting the 110th Psalm and he, questioning the Pharisees, says, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? (Matt. 22.43-44). Jesus believed that the Bible originated from God, was binding for all and was understandable.
How did Jesus view authority?
Really these two conclusions are drawn from the same well; Scripture comes from God; for if it comes from the Sovereign to the subject it is binding and as Jesus said, it cannot be broken (Jn. 10.35). Therefore, we see Jesus quoting the Bible all over the place. Jesus had authority unto himself, being God incarnate; however, the pattern throughout his earthly ministry is to appeal to the Scripture (cf. Jn. 7.38-42).
So what does Jesus’ Bibliology mean to the follower of Jesus?
First of all we must begin with agreeing with him, that the Bible has it’s origin in the very being of God (Matt. 4.4; cf. also, 2 Tim. 3.16; 2 Pet. 1.21). This is not to deny that God used man to write and speak the words, for the words were in the writer’s penmanship or spoken with the prophet’s accent, however they came from the very being of God being preserved and spoken in accordance with God’s sovereignly intended purpose.
Secondly, we must labor to be more like Jesus in having our natural reflex be to quote the Scripture rather than to provide our own opinions. While our opinions may be biblically informed they are not biblically inspired. The danger is to move into a posture of self-authority at the expense of divine authority and this is not the road that Jesus walked.
Thirdly, we must remember that the commands in Scripture are divine commands, not merely opinions. God has actually spoken as the sovereign King with the expressed intention of his subjects obeying him.
Fourthly, we must approach and proclaim the Bible like it is understandable. A so often folk shy away from communicating biblical truths because of perceived difficulties, the language of the Bible is clear, we must work to understand it so we can obey it and also communicate it.
Fifthly, we must believe that we need this word. This belief is not only an intellectual need but also a consistently convinced will. Do we really believe that it is the word of God that equips the man of God to be adequate, equipped for every good work? (2 Tim. 3.17). If so we need to have the words tattooed on our minds.
