WHY THE BIBLE?
The Bible is a very interesting book. It is very old, can be mysterious, and is the best-selling book of all time. It is loved and hated more than any other book. It is the final authority for many. AND it is the most understood book in the world without even being read (LOL). “Why the Bible” is a question millions of folks ask. Sometimes it’s asked in a negative/critical spirit. Sometimes it’s asked in a positive way. Let us look at the negative stuff first.
In the critical mode, people get away from it using arguments like these:
1) The Bible is for "ignorant folks" especially if they believe it literally.
2) The Bible can’t be accurate to the original manuscripts even if they were inspired because no original documents exist. And it has thousands of errors from being re-copied.
3) The Bible is “full of myths” such as 7-day creation, Noah & big flood, Moses & the Red Sea parting, David & Goliath, Jonah & whale, virgin birth of Christ, His resurrection, Heaven & Hell, etc., etc.
4) If I want to be university minded & scientific, I must go with the Big Bang theory & C. Darwin. Making a stand for the Bible I commit social/intellectual suicide.
5) How can you believe what you can’t prove? (See link 53 “Saying NO to God”)
Now, “Why the Bible?” We should be fair & make a case for the positive too.
1a) Some of the world’s best minds were very convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God. Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther, George Washington, John Q. Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, John Locke, and thousands of others . . .
2a) For decades I have studied the origin & transmission of the Bible to us through time. One notable book is by a Dr. Neil Lightfoot – “How We Got The Bible.” The objections above are WEAK when one looks at the truth of the matter. The materials used in early writing were mostly leather, vellum, & papyrus, which don’t last as long as modern quality paper. Therefore, the scrolls were re-written by scribes & occasionally a slip occurred. But the Jews of ancient ages were EXTREMELY careful in handling their sacred writings. The thousands of errors are because there are thousands of ancient fragments and copies today. People who bash the Bible don’t realize that it is the very BEST preserved book from ancient days. Psalm 12:6 “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
3a) I personally don’t want to think of those admittedly hard-to-believe stories mentioned above as “myths.” Nearly every one of them were alluded to as fact by Jesus Christ himself . . .
4a) The Bible offers HOPE for the seeker of God & truth, (and of course it shows the way to ETERNAL LIFE.)
I will take the salvation & Blessing of God any day before the endorsement & approval of the Big Bang/C. Darwin crowd. Romans 1:18-22
5a) The last negative argument from above is misleading. The Divine test of life is FAITH, which is a whole different element from scientific proof. To believe is a DECISION we make – NOT a matter of having proof. And God does require faith. But it is given as a gift if we are open to it. See Ephesians 2:8. I can honestly say God has delivered more personal confirmation of my faith and His presence than I ever expected, but I had to BELIEVE first . . . ". . .thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart;" Jeremiah 15:16
Well finally, the Bible is a progressive revelation of God. Starting out with Genesis and gaining momentum through the Old Testament. The New Testament is where it catches its “second wind” with the incarnation of God. The nature & mind & plan of Divinity is revealed in a wonderful way. I LOVE the majesty, character, grace, and His involvement with us imperfect humans. (Jesus was/is awesome!) One big advantage of the Bible is that it identifies the true GOD – we can say “The God of this Book” is the God I want to go with. And I totally understand it may not be politically correct these days to be specific & Biblical on this subject. But there are some PREMIUM benefits – see “What’s In It For Me,” link 28. Then to be "blunt as a spoon" about the title question see Psalms 119:24, Proverbs 13:13 & Mark 8:38. Also 2 Peter 1:4 "he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion and become partakers of the divine nature." Choose Jesus & His Word, they are Alive. Find a Bible believing church & connect. You will find HOPE there, and PEACE.
Many other interesting titles: www.gospelnotes.org * * F. J. Stone * *
65
