Christians who use their Bibles for more than just decorations and actually read them are familiar with the narratives concerning the temptations of Jesus by Satan. When tempted, Jesus replied with, "It is written". The Bible should be the foundation for our lives and conduct, and "It is written" should be second nature to us under many circumstances.
Jesus is an example to us. Even though he was God the Son, he knew Scripture. So did other people in the Bible. Someone may object that they were special and inspired by God, but we are to know the Bible which gives us life and guidance.
When I was a child, I was told that Satan could not enter a room that contained a Bible, which doesn't hold up when we see apostate churches loaded up with them in the pew racks. Also, Satan was able to step up his game by quoting Scripture as well, but took verses out of context as well as misquoted — just like he did in Eden (Gen. 3:1). Jesus knew what Scripture said, and responded to Satan with the corrected contexts. Note that Jesus also quoted from the books of Moses, which are under attack today; if they were incorrect, he certainly would have told us. We need to know and believe the Bible from the very first verse, as well as solid doctrine, then stand firm.
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| Satan Tried To Tempt Jesus by James Tissot |
When I was a child, I was told that Satan could not enter a room that contained a Bible, which doesn't hold up when we see apostate churches loaded up with them in the pew racks. Also, Satan was able to step up his game by quoting Scripture as well, but took verses out of context as well as misquoted — just like he did in Eden (Gen. 3:1). Jesus knew what Scripture said, and responded to Satan with the corrected contexts. Note that Jesus also quoted from the books of Moses, which are under attack today; if they were incorrect, he certainly would have told us. We need to know and believe the Bible from the very first verse, as well as solid doctrine, then stand firm.
As well as showing Jesus’ total submission to the will of His Father, the Father was getting His Son ready for His Messianic ministry. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that “because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Thus, it needed to be manifest that Jesus was able to conquer Satan and all Satan’s temptations. Note that when God the Son took on human form in the Incarnation (Philippians 2:6–8), He was able to experience many things that were not possible of God in His divine essence, including being tempted, as the Gospels describe.To read the rest, click on "The Jesus defence: 'It is written'".