The body of Truth that we are talking about, these twelve different terms, is found ONLY in the Bible, and it comes from God, 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17. In this Scripture, Paul says these familiar words to Timothy: “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God” [“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”].

This body of Truth is today established through Jesus, Who has been given the authority by God over all things. In Matthew 28, verse 18, He Himself declared that God had given Him all authority in Heaven and on the earth. [“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’”] See also Hebrews 1:1-13—[“God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.’ But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’ And: ‘You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.’ But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”]

Jesus received this body of Truth from God, John 18:37—[“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth hears My voice.’”; John 14:6, 10—“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me…Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak on My Own authority; but the Father Who dwells in Me does the works.’”; John 17:8, 17— Jesus said, “For I have given to them the Words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me…Sanctify them by Your Truth. Your Word is Truth.”].

Jesus passed this body of Truth on to the apostles, John 14:26— [“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”], and the apostles and the prophets then recorded this body of Truth. We know and understand that the books of the Bible were compiled and put together in the form that we have them today, in this bound volume [the Bible], sometime later through a process called “canonizing,” (and that is an interesting study we might undertake some day). We believe with all of our hearts and have faith in the fact that what we have in this bound volume [the Bible] represents the Mind of God—all of what God would have us to know. Thus, the Bible contains all of the Truth that God has revealed to man. There are some skeptics who would question: “Well, what about this? What about that? What about the Book of this and that.” No, what we have here is all we need to know. We are not lacking in anything. It would be a capricious God—a God Who was not all-powerful—if somehow, someway, there was some instruction that was left either unfound, uncovered, or was left out of the canonized Scripture. I believe, and I know you believe, that what we have in the Bible is, as Paul instructed Timothy, all sufficient, 2 Timothy 3:16-17— [“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”].

This body of Truth is not to be changed. In Jude, verse 3, we see that we are to “contend earnestly” for this body of Truth: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith [the body of Truth] which was once for all delivered to the saints.” If it doesn’t matter that this body of Truth is from God and should not be changed, if doesn’t make any difference how we treat this Truth, then why “contend”? Why be concerned about it? Well, because it does make a difference! “Contend earnestly for the faith.” “the faith” was one of the terms that we mentioned a moment ago that describes this body of Truth. Who is to “Contend earnestly for the faith that has once for all been delivered to the saints.” That’s us! It is this body of Truth, and specifically the New Testament which is our authority today, that is the pattern for the church that contains all that we need to know and to follow God’s Will. And we are to CONTEND earnestly for it! We are to be combatants in an intensive contest FOR (supporting) the faith, the body of Truth given by God so we can hold to it, not change it ourselves, and refute those who do change it.