How Did Jesus Use Scripture | Derek Prince
As followers of Christ, understanding how Jesus Himself viewed and used the Scriptures is foundational for our faith. The way our Lord honored, quoted, and fulfilled the written Word sets the supreme pattern for every believer. In this article, we’ll take a close look at Jesus’ relationship with the Bible, examine how He used Scripture to face temptation, recognize its authority, and lived out its every word. By embracing His example, we learn not only to read but also to live and wield the Word in our spiritual walk.
The Authority of Scripture in the Life of Jesus
Every disciple of Christ is called to follow His example, and that begins with our attitude toward God’s Word. In John 10:35, Jesus highlighted the Bible’s authority by using two titles: “the Word of God” and “the Scripture.” When we speak of the Bible as the “Word of God,” we affirm that it proceeds directly from God Himself—not from human ideas, but from the very heart and will of our Creator. And as “the Scripture,” it refers to God’s words written down for humanity’s benefit, so that we may have everything necessary for salvation and godly living.
But what stands out most is Jesus’ emphatic statement, “the Scripture cannot be broken.” Nothing could declare the authority of the Bible more strongly than this. For Jesus, what is written is unbreakable, steadfast, and absolutely trustworthy. As His followers, we are held accountable for upholding Scripture’s authority in every part of our lives.
How Jesus Faced Temptation: The Power of The Written Word
To understand how Jesus practically applied Scripture, let’s look at the well-known encounter in Matthew 4. Right after His baptism and the affirmation from the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus entered a period of intense spiritual trial. Instead of an immediate season of comfort and blessing, He faced fasting, solitude, and direct temptation from Satan in the wilderness for forty days. This serves as a reminder: God’s approval or anointing does not exempt us from hardship; rather, such moments may even draw greater opposition from the enemy.
Matthew’s account shows Satan’s first tactic: planting seeds of doubt. After hearing God’s voice declare Him the beloved Son, Jesus was challenged with, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” Satan’s strategy is ancient—he always begins by questioning God’s Word. The same tactic was used on Eve in the Garden: “Has God truly said…?” Doubt leads to disbelief, which leads to disobedience. History shows whenever doubt enters, faith soon follows it out the door, and compromise comes next.
But Jesus models the perfect response. Each time temptation arises, He wields the phrase, “It is written,” countering every assault with Scripture. Significantly, all His responses came specifically from the book of Deuteronomy, and both Jesus and the devil accepted its authority without reservation. In spiritual battles, Jesus never relied on persuasive arguments, logic, or emotion—He stood on the foundation of the written Word.
Why the Word Must Be Spoken
Paul reinforces this in Ephesians 6:17 by telling believers to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The term “word” here is rhema (spoken word), not logos (written counsel). This highlights an important truth: the Bible sitting on a shelf or beside your bed is not enough. Its power is activated when you speak it, declaring its truth in the face of temptation or spiritual attack. The devil cannot stand against the living, spoken Word declared in faith. Jesus Himself never debated the devil—He simply declared, “It is written,” and the enemy retreated every time. The same spiritual principle holds for us today.
Jesus’ Endorsement of the Written Word’s Authority
Jesus consistently affirmed the authority of the Scriptures throughout His ministry. In Matthew 5:17-18, He addressed the idea that He came to abolish God’s Law: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
He referred to the “jot” (the smallest Hebrew letter) and the “tittle” (the smallest part of a letter), emphasizing that not even the tiniest part of written Scripture would ever be void or disregarded. This wasn’t just about spoken words or traditions—it was about the authority of the written Word itself. For Jesus, the permanence and accuracy of even the smallest markings in Scripture affirmed its inspiration and reliability.
Scripture’s Relevance Across All Generations
Later, in Matthew 22:31-32, Jesus challenged the doubts of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and rejected much of Scripture. He quoted God’s words from the burning bush—spoken to Moses 1,400 years before: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Jesus didn’t treat this as an ancient story, but as a present-tense reality—Scripture spoke as powerfully to His listeners that day as it did to Moses centuries earlier.
This shows Scripture is never outdated or merely historical. What God said then, He still says now. As Christians, we recognize that when we read the Bible, God is speaking to us, today and every day, with the same authority and urgency.
Jesus Fulfilling the Word: More Than Just Quoting Scripture
Jesus didn’t just quote Scripture or teach from it—He lived it out in every detail of His life. Throughout the New Testament, it’s recorded nearly twenty times that events in Jesus’ life happened “that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” His birth, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection—all were direct fulfillments of
