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I spoke to a man a few days ago who said that he was not sure that we could trust the Bible. It was an interesting point of view. I wondered what it was that made him have that point of view. I asked him the ultimate question, ‘Have you read it much?’ He suddenly looked very embarrassed and changed his tone completely. He admitted to me that he had never read it and, in fact, knew little about it apart from some of the more famous Bible stories. I was intrigued. What would make you comment in a derogatory way about something that you knew next to nothing about? If someone asked me my opinion on a topic that I knew nothing about, I would have to say that I could not comment. We had a lengthy conversation, and as a result, the gentleman now is at least slightly better informed.
The Bible describes itself as ‘The Word of God’. That is an amazing fact, and they are the words that God wants us to know. John, in his gospel, states that ‘Your word is truth!’ not that it just contains truth; it is truth. We can totally rely on the words given to us in the Bible by God Himself. The puzzling thing is that people do not read it more than they do. In 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16, we are told that every word of it is given by inspiration of God; literally God-breathed out each word. It is good for us as it tells us how we should live, corrects us when we go wrong, teaches us how we can live the way we should and enables us to live godly lives.
If people read the Bible more and followed its teachings, we would know more of God’s blessings.
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It has been estimated that a staggering 5 billion Bibles have been printed. However, this must mean that it is also the most neglected book that remains on shelves gathering dust, ignored because the average man knows little about it.
The devil knows that the Bible is truth; he has a vested interest in it remaining unread. In John’s gospel, we are reminded that the devil ‘does not stand in truth… there is no truth in him… he is a liar and the father of it. He peddles the lie that the Bible is of no relevance and is outdated. Nothing could be further from the truth!
The Psalmist wrote under the guidance of the Spirit of God that, ‘The entrance of Your words gives light…and understanding.’ The Bible is as relevant today as it has ever been. Yet, people would rather believe the lies than the truth. In the short term, it may be easier to push the truth away as the Bible is described as ‘living and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword… it discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart.’ This means that it points out our wrongs, and no one can escape that. If we push God’s word away now, we will not be able to push Him away in the day to come. Better to face up to our sin now in life than in the future.
The Bible is full of God’s promises. When Paul writes to Timothy, he reminds him that he had a great privilege; he was taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood; what did they do for him? They taught him wisdom, they pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and that through faith, Timothy found salvation. What about us, are we saved from our sin? Have we put our faith in the Lord Jesus? Do we love and read the word of God, the Bible?
Written by Stuart Scammell for Your542Day & Messages with Meaning (10/11/21)
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