God’s Unbreakable Word - John 10:31-42

This passage is unique in many ways, because it speaks to doctrinal issues that rarely come up in Christians circles: the doctrines of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

Often those doctrines are assumed. If you go to basically any church’s website where they outline their doctrinal beliefs more than likely one of the lines will say something like, “The Bible is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.”

And to be fair those statements are always better than the alternative. “We’re a church that rejects the Bible…” A Bibless church is a contradiction in terms. It’s like saying he’s a NASCAR driver but doesn’t have a car. Huh? It doesn’t make sense.

But I recently read an article where the author wrote the following:

“…Many [leaders] and pastors of today affirm biblical inerrancy in theory but not in practice. That is, they will make the affirmation, sign [theological statements], Abstract of Principles, or [even the] Chicago Statement on Inerrancy without hesitation or mental reservation and then will go right on thinking and living in ways that are contrary to the Word.

They are theoretical inerrantists.

What do I mean? I mean that the spirit of the evangelical, inerrantist age in which we live is increasingly characterized by a satisfaction of verbal affirmations and signatures on documents rather than by lives lived in humble submission and conformity to Scripture.

What good is an inerrant Bible if you refuse to read and heed it? Who cares if a person has signed ten thousand affirmations of inerrancy and orthodoxy if he does not seek to order his life according to the plain teaching of Scripture?”

He’s got a point doesn’t he? Why does it matter if you claim you believe in the Bible if your life doesn’t, in any way, reflect that claim? The Christian’s reliance upon God’s Word should be more than a skin deep verbal affirmation. As I heard one pastor put it, “Scripture should be in our bones.”

And obviously, I bring this up because this passage teaches us a lot about the Christian’s relationship with Scripture. Jesus teaches and demonstrates for us the power and usefulness of God’s Word.

We learn three things from this passage: First, it teaches us that Scripture should be our defense (vv. 31-36). Next, we’re reminded that all of Scripture is authoritative (vv. 34-36). Because lastly, we see that Scripture is life-giving (vv. 37-42).

Last week, we ended with Jesus telling the Jews that he and the Father are one, which turned out to be quite the controversial statement. The Jews understood he was making himself God as we’ll look at a little more closely here in a moment. No doubt, this is an incredibly tense portion of Scripture.

Go to Scripture for defense (vv. 31-36)

Which is ironically, the primary element of this whole passage: Scripture.

This passage really centers around 34-36, which is of course, where Jesus quotes Scripture. Everything really hangs on that particular point.

But it’s certainly worth noting how Jesus got there. Because we’re picking up in this passage with the Jews picking up stones on the brink of executing him. The punishment for blasphemy is execution according to the Old Testament law, so these Jews are preparing to kill Jesus. Of course, it wasn’t his time, but he’s more or less knocking on death’s door isn’t he?

He’s staring down an angry mob of people that want to kill him. Hopefully, that’s a situation none of us have ever been in or will ever experience. And to be fair, this isn’t Jesus’ first rodeo gazing into the eyes of an angry mob that wanted to murder him.

If you remember in John 8, the Jews wanted to kill him because he made himself greater than Abraham and equal with God when he said, “before Abraham was, I am.” We’ve seen those two little words “I am” enough times to know what that means. It’s a subtle reference to God’s covenant name, “Yahweh.” The Jews he was talking to there thought of it as blasphemy and wanted to kill him there too. My point is Jesus has already been in this situation before, but there is one major difference between this episode and John 8: in John 8 we’re told in John 8:59, “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

Jesus hides and then slips out the back door. But that’s not what he does here. He confronts them. Can’t you just see the disciples telling Jesus, “I think it’s best we leave…”

But he confronts the Jews that are prepared to kill him and asks, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”

I’ve done all these wonderful things, which wonderful thing are you going to kill me for? And the Jews reply: “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

It’s interesting, because what they said is actually correct. He certainly has made himself equal with God. He did it previously in verse 30: “I and the Father are one.”

But here’s the kicker, he’s not an ordinary man. He’s committed blasphemy if he is indeed an ordinary man. That’s the charge, isn’t it? “You being a man, make yourself God.” But Jesus is God incarnate. He is the Word made flesh.

And all the good works he had performed, all the miraculous signs and wonders attested, confirmed, supported Jesus’ assertion. But of course, it fell on deaf ears. They weren’t believing anything that Jesus said.

That’s what makes verses 34-36 all the more interesting.

Jesus quotes one verse, from Psalm 82:6 which says, “I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you…”

We’ll talk in just a second, about what that particular verse is referring to, but here’s what I want each of us to consider right now: Jesus knows Scripture so well, that when his back is up against the proverbial wall he uses it as his defense and support.

He doesn’t big time them with a comment like, “you must not know who I am.” He doesn’t lecture them with a long theological treatise on the nature of the Trinity. He doesn’t say, “wait one second, perform some sort of miraculous sign or wonder. No, when his life is hanging in the balance he turns to Scripture.

Jesus the Son of God, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, defended, supported, and preserved himself by quoting Scripture.

It’s exactly what he did when he was tempted by Satan. He quoted Scripture.

There’s really something to be said here about God’s Word being so ingrained in you, so deep in your bones, that it pours out of you when your life isn’t going the way you want it to. As we all know, it’s not a matter of if you're going to experience trials and tribulations - it’s simply a matter of when. Hopefully you never have to stare down a mob of people ready to stone you, but I think you get my point.

Now, no doubt, he turns to Scripture in an ironic sense. The Jews claim to be Biblical experts and here’s Jesus using it against them. And of course, Jesus was quoting Scripture to make a technical point, I understand that.

But nevertheless, he knows the Bible so well, he’s able to quote it at a moment’s notice. What is your primary defense mechanism?

Where do you turn when the anxiety is building? When stress is overwhelming? Do you turn to your friends and family? Do you feed pet sins, vices, and addictions?

But those things never satisfy. They won’t provide comfort to your soul.

You and I need to recall Scripture like, Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” That’s what we need to remember.

You and I need to develop a rolodex of Scripture that we hide in our hearts not to flex our spirituality on others, but instead to put to use when life is hard.

Because when you strip everything away all you and I have is the Lord and his Word. Knowing what the Lord has promised is what propels you forward. What else do you have? Where else will you turn?

Exodus 14, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” The Lord is with us. He fights for you. He protects you. And it’s Scripture that helps you remember that truth!

All Scripture is Authoritative (vv. 34-36)

Next, I want you to notice that verses 34-36 show us that all Scripture is authoritative.

Now it’s important that we understand the flow of the back and forth between the Jews and Jesus. The Jews have accused Jesus of blasphemy. They said that Jesus, “made himself God.” However Jesus didn’t make himself God, because he’s always been God.

But, Jesus uses Scripture to defend himself in a rather unexpected way. He quotes an obscure Psalm, Psalm 82:6, which says, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you…”

Now, Jesus isn’t denying his deity or quoting it to establish some sort of weird pantheistic theology that teaches all people and things are gods. He’s not doing either of those things. He’s citing Psalm 82:6 in order to establish a theological principle.

Psalm 82:6 is referring to the authorities that reigned over the people of Israel. Asaph, the author of Psalm 82, is referring to them as “little g” gods, because they spoke and acted on behalf of the one true God. I think it’s probably a reference to the period of the judges, when judges ruled over Israel because they often spoke and acted on behalf of God.

There’s some scholarly debate over who the “little g” gods are referring to here in Psalm 82:6, but the overall point that Jesus is making is quite clear: Scripture calls ordinary, fallen, sinful people as “little g” gods.

Hopefully, you can see the argument that Jesus is making here. He’s making a Biblical argument based upon the use of the word “god or gods.” The Jews have accused him of making himself God and so he points to a Scripture that refers to fallen sinners as “gods.”

And Jesus’ point is quite simple: if Psalm 82:6 can refer to people as a “little g” god, then why are they going to stone him for referring to himself as God? It’s an argument from the lesser to the greater.

As one commentator put it, “If earthly judges are called gods because they represent divine justice, does not [Jesus], who comes from heaven and was consecrated by the Father for his Messianic task, have the right to this designation?”

And all of this, of course, helps us understand what Jesus said in the second part of verse 36, “…do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”

Because no one ever accused Asaph of blasphemy when he wrote Psalm 82 and made general use of the word “gods,” and yet, it’s precisely what they’re doing to Jesus.

Jesus had them over a barrel. Because either they have to deny Scripture in order to kill him or accept the words of Psalm 82 and let him go.

But what I really want you to consider is the fact that Jesus builds his entire defense around one verse from an obscure Psalm. He’s not quoting a famous Psalm like 2, 23, 110, 121, or 136. He’s not referring to some well known passage.

Jesus’ defense is really built upon the authority of Scripture. The fact that all Scripture is equally authoritative.

Which is precisely why Jesus said in verse 35 that, “Scripture cannot be broken.”

The obscure parts of Scripture are every bit as authoritative as the well known parts of God’s Word. God’s Word cannot be set against itself. This is inerrancy.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Not all that long ago, I was talking to a friend about something related to God’s Word. I forgot the nature of our conversation, but somewhere along the way I mentioned to him a passage or verse from something like Romans or Philippians.

And his response was, “well those are the words of Paul, but I like the words of Jesus.” It sounds righteous and pious, right? Because as we all know, Jesus is better than Paul, which is of course true. But it demonstrates a very poor understanding of the inspiration and authority of God’s Word.

Scripture was written by many human authors under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So, God is the author of the Bible even though it was carried out by human hands. Two books of the Bible might have two different human authors but they are both equally authoritative and inspired.

So saying something like, “I like the words of Jesus better than Paul” you’re setting Scripture against itself. You’re saying that the gospels are somehow more authoritative than the other parts of the Bible.

The red letter Bibles have the same problem. The red letter Bibles elevate the words of Jesus over the rest of the Bible. Because Jesus is God, he technically inspired the entire Bible! They’re all the words of Jesus!

My point is there is no Scriptural hierarchy. Jesus is showing us here that one verse isn’t more authoritative than another verse. It’s all equally binding upon Christians.

Because as we all know, there is a real temptation to pick and choose the parts of God’s Word that we like while ignoring the parts that we don’t like. Not only does this happen in the church, it happens culturally as well.

Christians and non-Christians alike will often quote, “judge not lest you be judged.” We all love that verse! We’re always eager to apply it, and call people to repent for judging too harshly.

But our enthusiasm tends to wane when passages conflict with widely held cultural beliefs : “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Are we willing to apply passages like that one too? Do we believe it holds the same degree of authority as the passages that we find ourselves naturally gravitating towards?

Christians must recognize that every bit of Scripture is authoritative. But the reality is, far too often, our application of Scripture is inconsistent. It’s hard isn’t it? And yet, it’s what our Lord calls us to do.

This is the point that Jesus is making to the Jews. They think they’re the Bible experts and they consistently apply Scripture across the board, but of course, they didn’t. Because they want to kill Jesus for blasphemy even though Scripture itself uses the same language that Jesus did.

And here’s the difference between someone that’s been born again and the Jews in this particular passage. If you’ve truly been born again, you’re probably well aware of the fact that you inconsistently apply God’s Word to your life. Isn’t that what it means to be a sinner?

The Jews didn’t think that because they didn’t believe they could be wrong.

But of course, what they’re doing to Jesus is much worse. He’s not an ordinary man, in fact, as verse 36 tells us, “the Father consecrated and sent [him] into the world.”

He’s the Son of the living God and therefore has every right to refer to himself as God.

And all of this drives home Jesus’ overarching point: all of God’s Word is authoritative, not just the parts that support your agenda.

The Word of God is life giving (vv. 37-42)

Because they certainly had an agenda.

I hope you’ve seen throughout this whole passage that the Jews are not looking for a reason to believe in Jesus, rather, they’re looking for reasons to reject him.

And whenever that’s perspective you’ll probably find what you’re looking for. They’ve accused Jesus of blasphemy and now seek to arrest him. Perhaps based upon his argument they've course-corrected. It appears they no longer want to kill him, they simply want to arrest him.

But what’s so interesting to me is that Jesus continues to make his appeal to them in verse 37-38.

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

It’s very similar to what he said in verse 25, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me…” He’s repeating it in verses 37-38 a point he had previously made in verse 25. That is, look at what I’ve done because my works support my message.

Even as they seek to do him harm, he’s still holding out the gospel to them. After all, everything he said was divinely inspired.

The words of Jesus Christ are life-giving. He is the Word made flesh.

Which is why verses 40-42 are so profound. He goes back across the Jordan, where John the Baptist had been baptizing, which of course is where Jesus’ public ministry began.

Everything started there. So after he, perhaps miraculously, escaped the hands of the Jews he goes back to where it all started. It’s a full circle moment. But look at what is recorded for us in verses 41-42.

“And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.”

It’s a sort of ironic ending to this whole episode because people there did precisely what the Jews were not willing to do: examine what Jesus said and evaluate whether his works supported his claims.

And we know what happened: they believed in him. They received spiritual life from the Word made flesh.

The Scriptures aren’t just facts, data, and historical information. It certainly includes facts, data, and historical information but it is so much more than that isn’t it?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us, “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy [God].”

Scripture is how we know what Jesus did and what’s required of us. The gospel of grace is revealed to us in the Bible. The truth of God’s Word breathes life into your soul.

I’ve heard countless stories of people putting their trust in Christ from simply sitting down and reading God’s Word.

Not too long ago, I heard a pastor tell a story and after the service on a Sunday a young man walked up to him and said, “This morning, I became a Christian.” The pastor said, “praise the Lord, that’s wonderful news! Just out of curiosity at what point in the sermon do you think you became a Christian?” And the young man replied, “oh, the sermon had nothing to do with it! It was the passage of Scripture that you read.”

It’s a great story, and yet, we so quickly forget the authority and power that is revealed to us in our Bibles. They’re in practically every house, but far too often they just sit there collecting dust.

You see God’s Word will defend you because it’s authoritative. But it’s not just a rigidly oppressive law book. Instead, it’s through God’s Word we receive spiritual blessing and nourishment because it’s where the gospel of Jesus Christ is revealed to us.

This passage is a wonderful reminder to all of us: if you want to know Christ, then seek him as he is revealed in Scripture. If you want to grow in holiness and righteousness then seek the Lord as he is revealed in Holy Scripture.

The Word of God is sufficient. It was sufficient yesterday, it is sufficient today, and it will be sufficient tomorrow.

Let’s pray together.