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The Bible, whether true or not, could be ignored were it not for one thing. That thing is death. We must all die, no way around it. Interestingly, the Bible declares this as a fact, read Heb 9:27. In addition to death it also declares that everyone will face a judgment after death. If the Bible is true and this must be determined by each of us for ourselves; no one can make this determination for us. If it is true then, to ignore it amounts to spiritual suicide. The Bible says we are judging ourselves unworthy of everlasting life, Acts 13:46. It seems to me that the best approach to the Bible is to at first take it at face value. Meaning, that we simply accept it as true. After all it claims to be true (John 17:17). Then, as we investigate it, we can judge its truthfulness based upon the evidence we discover along the way. You would think that if God is behind the Bible, all He really wants from us is a fair hearing of His word. Here are some interesting declarations the Bible makes which to me adds to its authenticity. The Bible does claim to have its origin in the mind of God, 1 Cor 2:9-12 and God has revealed His thoughts to us through the person known mostly as the "Holy Spirit", Jesus calls Him the "Comforter" 4 times in John chapters 14,15, and 16. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles and prophets who put God's word into written form, John 14:26; Eph 3:5. The Holy Spirit no longer guides any man directly because today we have this treasure in earthen vessels, 2 Cor 4:7. |
God declares the Bible to be complete and sufficient to supply us with every good work, 2 Tim 3:16-17. He declares that the good news (gospel) of His son Jesus is the power of God unto salvation. He declares His word is finished, Jude 3, and must not be added to nor taken away from, Rev 22:18-19. The Bible also declares that there is no other way to God except through His Son Jesus, John 14:6 and that anyone trying to do so is simply a thief and a robber, John 10:1,7. These kinds of statements are exactly what I would expect to find in a message from God. God claims it to be His work, that its message and it alone can save us and that it is not to be tampered with. Even at this early stage of evaluation, the Bible is a work which takes on the air of truthfulness, of trustworthiness. Actually our examination of the Bible is never going to be over as long as we live. As long as we read and study the Bible we will be making new connections of truthfulness and opening new doors of understanding not recognized before. For the person with an open mind who is really seeking the truth, the Bible will abound more and more to a faith unshakable having no doubt they are looking into the mind of God. Send comments or questions to the Clintwood Church of Christ, POB 746, Clintwood, Va. 24228 or email bryanwa@ntelos.net Check out our new web site at clintwoodchurchofchrist.com |