For the last part of this fascinating series, I will
write a summary of what the Bible has to say concerning itself. I will call this piece… God’s Letter to You!
What
if one day you received a letter in the mail addressed specifically to
you. Let’s suppose that this was a
letter from Billy Graham himself! This
letter was hand written, and it gave you some “tips” on how to live a better
and godlier life. With a letter like
that in your possession, I’m sure you would feel honored.
Now
let’s say that you received a letter like this from God. However, this letter, unlike the previous
example, contains not only spiritual “tips,” but also the answers to every spiritual
question you have ever had. Not only
that, but it also had true stories about what God did in people's lives long
ago as well as a complete biography of the greatest man to ever walk the face
of the earth –Jesus. At this point you
should be experiencing one of two reactions: #1 “Of course that will never
happen. It would, though, be totally
awesome!” or #2 “I see where he is going with this.” If you are of the second reaction, you are
also ready to tune out. I might too if I
were the one reading this. You see, we
have lost an appreciation for the Bible and what is revealed through it. But seriously, would you push aside a letter
from Billy Graham?
Most
people know that the Bible is a holy document of some sort. If you have read the previous posts
concerning the Bible’s authenticity, you most likely have improved your view of
the Bible’s words. I can assure you,
though, the truths contained in it are heart-changing, life-changing, and
world-changing.
Let's
first begin by looking at whether the Bible says that it was inspired by
God. Now there are a couple of ways that
God "wrote" the Bible. Some of
it He dictated (the prophets, for example, like Isaiah and Jeremiah), some of
it He used the unique characteristics, circumstances, and experiences of the
authors to convey His message (the Psalms and Paul's letters, to name a
few).
For
that first method, we can find Biblical evidence that God dictated some of the
Scripture in Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and
others. Such examples are the following: "The
LORD said to Moses, (Ex. 27:1)";
"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: (Nu.
4:1)"; "At that time the LORD said to me ... (Dt 10:1)"; "Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says... (Isa. 7:7)"; "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: (Jer.
7:1)"; and there are countless
other verses that were obviously spoken by God.
However,
we know also that although God may have not been speaking directly, the
recorded words show that He played a significant part in their origin. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is
God-breathed..." The book of
Acts tells of Paul’s (Saul’s) conversion and what Jesus said to Paul. In Acts 9:6 Jesus said to Paul, “Now get up and go into the city, and you
will be told what you must do.” Paul
finds out that God’s plan for Him is to “…carry
[Jesus’] name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of
Israel” (Acts 9:15). In the end,
much of our New Testament is composed of Paul’s teachings, just like God
intended. So although Paul's writings
were not directed by an audible voice, God still used these people to proclaim
His truth.
One
verse that connects these two categories together is in the book of 1
Peter. In context, Peter is talking
about the fact that predictions made by God's prophets came true and thus we
should pay attention to it. He says in
verse 21, "For prophecy never had
its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit." In
other words, the prophets didn't make random guesses at the things to come but
instead were influenced and directed by the Holy Spirit.
Not only
does the Bible say it was inspired by God but it also declares that it is
true. Let’s look at two quick
examples. Psalm 33:4 tells us, "For the word of the Lord is right
and true..." In John 17:17
Jesus prays to God and says that, "...
your word is truth."
God's
Word is also powerful. You've heard this
statement before, but how powerful is it really? A famous example is Hebrews 4:12, "For
the word of God is living and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul
and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart." That's power for
you!!! By the way, what kind of fairy
tale have you read with this potential?
If the Bible is God’s Word, then it must be
useful for something. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 indicates,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so
that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy seems to be telling us that the
Bible is helpful for anything and everything.
And if we use it as the verse says, we will be completely outfitted for
all good works. Sounds like a good deal
to me. This concept of guidance is
reemphasized in Psalm 119:105, “Your
word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.”
There are also verses in the Bible
that show the necessity of God’s Word.
In Jeremiah 15:16 the prophet observes, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my hearts
delight…” The passage illustrates
that the Bible is like a spiritual source of food for us. Realize that eating is a priority, not an
extra thing to do on our check list.
Should reading Scripture be a priority?
Of course!
Please keep in mind that we
don’t need the Bible in order to be saved.
Someone can be saved without even having heard of the Bible. Rather they are saved by the words revealed
in the Bible: "That if you confess
with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)."
People also demonstrated how
much they loved God’s Word. The psalmist
says in Psalm 119:47, “For I delight in
your commands because I love them.”
Psalm 119:72 states that, “The
law of your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and
gold.” Psalm 119:97 says, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it
all day long.” Finally, Psalm
119:103-105 declares, “How sweet are
your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.”
We should love the Bible even more than these men did because we have
Christ. They had only the Law.
Scripture indicates that the
Bible is God’s word and that it is a necessary and useful tool in every
Christian’s life. If we read, treasure,
and apply God’s word to our lives, something great will happen. Psalm 119:11 tells us what one of those
"somethings" is. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I
might not sin against you.” By
storing God’s Word in us we can keep from sinning! It is like studying for a test. The Bible has the correct answers to the
tests. If we study the word, we will
answer correctly when the test comes.
Are you prepared?
In case you have forgotten about
all of the incredible things we have explored, here is a quick review. We began by examining the scriptures to see
if there were any contradictions. Seeing
that the Bible doesn't disclaim itself, we took a look at Biblical prophecy and
saw Daniel's prophecy of future kingdoms.
We saw how against all odds, Jesus fulfilled more than 300
prophecies. We looked at the extensive
scientific evidence for the Bible's authenticity including some revealing
archaeological discoveries. Finally, we
saw the Bible speak for itself and declare its authenticity. Does any doubt stand in your mind about the
truth revealed in the Bible? God's
letter to us is powerful, convicting, challenging, life changing, and
everlasting! Take action! Be in the Word, live the Word, teach the
Word, share the Word - God's Word!
Let me leave you with this
powerful verse from Isaiah 40:8, "The
grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands
forever."
