Are God’s words and work all recorded in the Bible?

Question2：

I admit not everything in the Bible is the word of God. It also contains the words of man as well as the words of Satan. This is a fact. But I also believe God’s words and work all are recorded in the Bible. I dare say that this is also fact. Therefore, our faith in God needs to be based on the Bible. We can’t believe in or accept anything beyond the Bible. Do you dare to say there are God’s words and work outside of the Bible? We believe all of God’s words and work are inside the Bible. Do you dare deny this point?

Answer：

Many believers in religious circles feel: “All of God’s words and work are recorded in the Bible. There is no word or work of God apart from the Bible.” Does this conform with the facts? Do they dare say that every single piece of work performed by Jehovah in the Age of Law is entirely recorded in the Bible? Can they guarantee that all of the words and work of the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace are entirely recorded within the Bible? What will be the outcome if indeed this view does not conform with the facts? Would it not make people look down on, delimit and blaspheme God? Isn’t it something that offends the disposition of God? As we all should really know, the Bible is compiled by people who serve God many years after God completed each stage of His work. Thus, it’s inevitable that some content is missed. There are some prophets’ words that are not recorded in the Old Testament, but are instead collated into the Deuterocanonical books. In the New Testament, there aren’t many words of the Lord Jesus recorded in the Four Gospels. In fact, the Lord Jesus had preached and worked for at least three years. The words He uttered exceed what is recorded in the Bible many times over. That is a fact no one can deny. The Bible says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25). There are also some letters of the apostles not recorded in the Bible. When Lord Jesus returns, He will still have to utter much more words and perform much more work. Could these things all be recorded in the Bible? The Bible has only recorded the prophecy of Lord Jesus’ return and not His word and work following His return. That is to say, the words of God recorded in the Bible are limited. These words are essentially nothing more than a drop in the sea of God’s life, only a ten-thousandth, perhaps just a trillionth of God’s life. Given these facts, how can people still say that God’s words and work are all recorded in the Bible? How could they say that there is no word or work of God apart from the Bible? Such statements are too arbitrary! They don’t conform with the facts. Many people use such statements to conclude that the Bible is the basis of man’s faith in God. This conclusion is not accurate. It is right to rely on the Bible as a basis for faith, but it alone is not enough. What’s most important is to walk the path of belief based on the work of the Holy Spirit. That is how to achieve God’s approval. If the Bible is the only basis with no work of the Holy Spirit, will man be able to understand the truth in the Bible or achieve understanding of God? If man lacks the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, misunderstands God’s word, like so, doesn’t that make it easy to go astray? These are all real and serious problems. If believers in God lack Holy Spirit’s work, they’ll never be able to gain the truth nor truly know God. Even if they read the Bible and listen to many sermons, they still won’t understand the truth nor enter into reality. This shows that people who believe in God without the work of the Holy Spirit won’t be able to achieve anything.

Many pastors and religious scholars use the human mind to explain the Bible. The result, they all end up as people who resist God. They’re just like the Pharisees who were also familiar with the Bible and observed some of its rules but lacked any knowledge of God. They appeared godly outside but had no reverence for God of any kind. When Lord Jesus appeared to do His work, they actually dared to use the Bible to resist and condemn Him, and so were cursed by God. What kind of problem is this? Can man’s faith in God be solely based on the Bible or not? The bitter lesson of the Pharisees tells us that basing our faith in God on the Bible alone is not enough. What’s important is to base our faith in the Holy Spirit’s work. Without the Holy Spirit’s work, it does not matter how many years people believe in God — they won’t be able to gain life. This is a fact nobody can deny. This shows that the statement, “Faith in God must be based on the Bible, departing from the Bible is not believing in God,” is incorrect, if we think about it, actually an absurd point of view. The word of God within the Bible clearly states, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). And in Psalms, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain” (Psalms 127:1). Both passages are classic lines of the Bible. One could say all believers know these two passages. Can faith in God be solely based on the Bible or not? The answer is clear: The main basis for belief in God is the work of the Holy Spirit as well as the actual words of God. That’s how to gain the truth and the life. Many people do not truly understand the Bible. They think eternal life is in the Bible, and that simply holding on to the Bible will accomplish everything. That’s an extremely absurd point of view. The Lord Jesus has said before, “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (John 5:39–40). “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Believers should know in their hearts that God truly is the Lord of all creation. God dominates and is in charge of all, and is the source of life for all. There is infinite wisdom and wonder in God. The Bible is merely a historical record of God’s work, a testimony to the first two stages of God’s work. The Bible is the Bible, of course, and God is God. The Bible and God are two different things and cannot be compared. The Bible cannot represent God and simply cannot save man in God’s stead. It is only God that can save mankind. If the Bible could save man, then why would the Israelites who have held firm to the Bible and blindly believed and worshiped the Bible for thousands of years still need the Messiah to come and save them? If the Bible could save man, then why did the Pharisees who held fast to it still condemn and resist Lord Jesus and become antichrists in enmity of God? This is sufficient to demonstrate that the Bible cannot save man. The Bible is merely a testimony to God. If man only holds on to the Bible but does not obey God’s work, he won’t be able to receive God’s salvation. Since man believes in God, he should obey God’s work and experience and practice God’s word, so that he may receive the work of the Holy Spirit and gain the truth and life. And so, that is why the Bible is only able to serve as a reference for man’s faith in God and cannot be the sole basis. One’s faith in God should be based on the actual words of God as well as the work of the Holy Spirit. That is the most important principle of believing in God. People are really too foolish and too ignorant if they cannot see through this commonsense knowledge. Treating the Bible as an idol or using it to replace the Lord is purely resisting God and blaspheming God. If people can blindly believe in and worship the Bible but cannot magnify and obey the Lord, then how could they possibly be true believers? How are they any different to the hypocritical Pharisees? This shows that if believers in God do not know the inner truth of the Bible and its relationship to God, it’ll be easy for them to deviate from the true way and be led astray.

Next, let’s read more of Almighty God’s words. Almighty God says, “it is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, and a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work, and offers you no understanding of the aims of God’s work. Everyone who has read the Bible knows that it documents the two stages of God’s work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. The Old Testament chronicles the history of Israel and Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law. The New Testament records Jesus’ work on earth, which is in the Four Gospels, as well as the work of Paul; are they not historical records?”

“If you wish to see the work of the Age of Law, and to see how the Israelites followed the way of Jehovah, then you must read the Old Testament; if you wish to understand the work of the Age of Grace, then you must read the New Testament. But how do you see the work of the last days? You must accept the leadership of the God of today, and enter into the work of today, for this is the new work, and no one has previously recorded it in the Bible. Today, God has become flesh and selected other chosen ones in China. God works in these people, He continues on from His work on earth, continues on from the work of the Age of Grace. The work of today is a path that man has never walked, and a way that no one has ever seen. It is work that has never been done before — it is God’s latest work on earth. Thus, work that has never been done before is not history, because now is now, and has yet to become the past.”

“From the time when there was the Bible, people’s belief in the Lord has been the belief in the Bible. Instead of saying people believe in the Lord, it is better to say they believe in the Bible; rather than saying they have begun reading the Bible, it is better to say they have begun believing in the Bible; and rather than saying they have returned before the Lord, it would be better to say they have returned before the Bible. In this way, people worship the Bible as if it were God, as if it were their lifeblood and losing it would be the same as losing their life. People see the Bible as being as high as God, and there are even those who see it as higher than God. If people are without the work of the Holy Spirit, if they cannot feel God, they can carry on living — but as soon as they lose the Bible, or lose the famous chapters and sayings from the Bible, then it is as if they have lost their life.”

“After all, which is greater: God or the Bible? Why must God’s work be according to the Bible? Could it be that God has no right to exceed the Bible? Can God not depart from the Bible and do other work? Why did Jesus and His disciples not keep the Sabbath? If He were to keep the Sabbath and practice according to the commandments of the Old Testament, why did Jesus not keep the Sabbath after He came, but instead washed feet, covered head, broke bread, and drank wine? Isn’t this all absent from the commandments of the Old Testament? If Jesus honored the Old Testament, why did He defy these doctrines? You should know which came first, God or the Bible! Being the Lord of the Sabbath, could He not also be the Lord of the Bible?”

“The Bible has accompanied mankind for thousands of years; people have treated it as though it were God, to the extent that they are using the Bible to replace God in the last days. This is something God very much despises. That is why, in His spare time, God has had to clarify the inside truths and origins of the Bible one by one. Otherwise, the Bible will still be able to replace God in people’s hearts, and they will all use the words of the Bible to condemn or measure God’s actions. God’s explanation of the Bible’s substance, construction, and the flaws therein is not refuting the existence of the Bible, nor is it condemning the Bible. Rather, it is to provide a suitable and appropriate interpretation, to restore the original face of the Bible, and to correct the misunderstandings people have toward the Bible. This is so that everyone can have an accurate view of the Bible and no longer worship the Bible and lose their direction — mistakenly thinking that their blind faith in the Bible is the same as believing in God and worshiping God, and even fearing to face the true background of the Bible and the flaws therein. …If people cannot break free from the shackles of the Bible, they will never be able to come before God. If people want to come before God, they must first eliminate everything in their heart that can replace God. That way, they will be able to satisfy God. Even though God has only explained the Bible here, don’t forget that there are many false things that people truly worship apart from the Bible. The only thing people do not worship is what truly comes from God. God is merely using the Bible as an example to remind everyone: Do not go down the wrong path. Do not, while believing in God and accepting God’s word, walk into extremism and fall into confusion again.”

The words of Almighty God have clearly revealed that the Bible is only a testimony to God, a record of the first two stages of the great work of God. The value and preciousness of the Bible lies in the words of God in the first two stages of His work recorded in it. This allows all mankind to see through the word of God in the Bible how God created all things, how He created mankind, how He guided mankind and how He redeemed mankind, helping people achieve some understanding of God. Many have turned to God due to the records that are in the Bible. They not only have accepted that God created all things, but also hunger for God’s word and search for the footsteps of God. This is the edification the Bible has brought to mankind and where the value of the Bible lies. And yet the work of God is always progressing forward. Man’s salvation is not achieved upon completion of just the first two stages of work. God’s management plan includes three stages of work. If man clings to the Bible but rejects God’s work of the last days outside of it, then that would be a great loss. God’s work of cleansing, saving and of perfecting all mankind is mainly achieved through His judgment work of the last days. That’s why all truths expressed by God during the last days are so vital to man’s salvation, purification and entry into the kingdom of heaven. Why did Lord Jesus prophesy that when He returns, every individual who accepts Him will all be able to go to the marriage supper? The Lord said, “Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb”(Revelation 19:9). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Everyone is clear that this marriage supper means that God will truly gain man and perfect man, making man be of one mind with Him never to part again. This is why Almighty God of the last days expresses the complete truth for cleansing and also for saving mankind. Those who accept and obey after hearing God’s voice are all indeed wise virgins. They’re raptured before the throne, attend the marriage supper of the Lamb and enjoy the water of life which does flow from God’s throne. Through experiencing God’s judgment and cleansing in the last days, they will escape the bondage of sin to achieve change and be made into overcomers by God. They are the most blessed people as well as the people who will receive eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven. If people only hold on to the first two stages of God’s work in the Bible and do not accept the work of judgment of Almighty God in the last days, then their lives will consist of sinning in the day and confessing at night. They’ll still resist and rebel against God and won’t be compatible with God. If they can never achieve cleansing and salvation, then how could they enter the kingdom of heaven? Is this not true? Therefore, if believers want to be cleansed and brought into the kingdom of heaven, they must accept Almighty God’s judgment in the last days and walk out from the Bible. Then they can receive the Holy Spirit’s work and obtain the truth, strip away their corrupt disposition and become people who accord with God’s heart, who can enter the kingdom of heaven and attain eternal life. If people only base their belief in God on the Bible and remain stuck in the Bible’s words and rules, stuck in the same spot by only acknowledging the first two stages of God’s work, then that will make it easy for them to be cast off and abandoned by the pace of God’s work, and will lose them the chance to be cleansed, saved and perfected by God in the last days. This will completely sever them from God’s work of salvation. Their efforts will come to naught, and they will all be eliminated by God. In the eyes of God, they are all people who have indeed betrayed Him, and they are all unbelievers who belong with the evildoers. In the end, they are all like the Pharisees of old who were cursed and punished by God for being stubborn and holding onto the Old Testament and resisting and condemning the Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23). It’s clear: This will be the outcome for those who hold on to the Bible and refuse to accept the work of God in the last days. Let’s take another look at Almighty God’s word.

Almighty God says, “Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. Those who are controlled by regulations, by letters, and shackled by history will never be able to gain life, and will never be able to gain the perpetual way of life. That is because all they have is turbid water that has lain stagnant for thousands of years, instead of the water of life that flows from the throne. Those who are not supplied with the water of life will forever remain corpses, playthings of Satan, and sons of hell. How, then, can they behold God? If you only try to hold on to the past, only try to keep things as they are by standing still, and do not try to change the status quo and discard history, then will you not always be against God? The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders — yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows in the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life.”

from the movie script of Break the Shackles and Run