Why should I read the Bible?
Why should I trust the Bible?
Why do you call the Bible God's word?
How is the Bible different from other religious literature?
We'll answer these questions according to the Bible.
1. Why should I read the Bible?
2 Chronicles 17:7-9 says, “In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nathaniel and Micaiah to teach intwons of Judah. With them were Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob. Adonijah and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Laws of the LORD. They went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.”
- The people of Judah were Biblically illiterate. They had never taken time to listen to and discuss God's law and understand how it could change them. Jehoshaphat realized that knowing God's commands was the first step to getting people to live as they should, so he initiated a nationwide religious education program. He reversed the religious decline that had occurred at the end of Asa's reign by putting God first in the people's minds and instilling in them a sense of commitment and mission. Because of this action the nation began to follow God. Churches and Christian schools today need solid Christian education programs. Exposure to good Bible teaching through church school, Church, Bible study, and personal and family devotion is essential for living as God intended
2 Chronicles 34:31 says, “The King stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD to follow the LORD and keep h is commands, regulations, and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.”
- When Josiah read the book that Hilkiah discovered (34:13), he responded with repentance and humility and promised to follow God's commands as written in the book; the Bible is God's word to us. “living and active” (Hebrew 4:12) but we cannot know what God wants us to do if we do not read it. And even reading God's word alone is not enough; we must be willing to do what it says. There is not much difference between the book hidden in the temple and the Bible hidden on the bookshelf. An unread Bible is as useless as a lost one.
Psalm 119:19 says, “I am a stranger on earth. Do not hide your commands from me.”
- The writer says that he is a “stranger on earth” and so he needed guidance. Almost any long trip requires a map or guide. As we travel through life, the Bible should be our road map, pointing out safe routes, obstacles to avoid, and our final destination. We must recognize ourselves as pilgrims, travelers here on Earth who need to study God's map to learn the way. If we ignore the map, we will wander aimlessly through life and risk missing our real destination.
Why should I trust the Bible?
Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the LORD is right and true. He is faithful in all he does”
- All of God's words are right and true – they can be trusted. The Bible is reliable because, unlike people, God does not lie, forget, change his words or leave his promises unfulfilled. We can trust the Bible because it contains the word of a holy, trustworthy, and changeable God.
Proverbs 16:22 says, “Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.”
- For centuries people sought a fountain of youth, a spring that promised to give eternal life and vitality. It was never found. But God's wisdom is a fountain of life that can make a person happy, healthy, and alive forever. How? When we live by God's word, He washes away the deadly effects of sin (Titus 3:4-8) and the hope of eternal life with him gives us a joyful perspective on our present life. The fountain of youth was only a dream, but the fountain of life is real. The choice is yours. You can be enlightened by God's wisdom, or you can be dragged down by the weight of your own foolishness.
2 Peter 1:16-21 says, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love: with Him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain. And we have the world of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all you must understand, that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 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.”
- This section is a strong statement on the inspiration of Scripture. Peter affirms that the Old Testament prophets wrote God's messages. He puts himself and the other apostles in the same category, because they also proclaim God's truth. The Bible is not a collection of fables or human ideas about God. It's God's very words given through people to people. Peter emphasized his authority as an eyewitness as well as the God-inspired authority of Scripture to prepare the way of his harsh words against the false teachers. If these wicked men were contradicting the apostles and the Bible, their messages could not be from God.
Why do you call the Bible God's word?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “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.
The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths or merely human ideas about God. It is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed his plan to certain believers, who wrote down his message for his people (2 Peter 1:20-21). This process is known as inspiration. The writers wrote from their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts. Although they used their own minds, talents, language, and style, they wrote what God wanted them to write. Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. Its words are entirely authoritative for our own faith and lives. The bible is “God-breathed.” Read it and use its teachings to guide your conduct.
The whole Bible is God's inspired word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our lives. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show you what is true and equip you to live for Him. How much time to you spend in God's word? Read it regularly to discover God's truth and to become confident in your life and faith. Develop a plan for reading the whole Bible, not just the familiar passages.
How is the Bible different from other religious literature?
The Bible is not different just because it claims to have come from God, but it is different for several reasons:
The Bible claims for itself to be the word of God to man (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
Christ claims for the Bible by using and quoting the Scripture and He as Living word affirmed the written word.
The Bible writers themselves affirmed it by accepting as Scripture the writings of their fellow biblical authors.
The unity in Diversity: From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a single story: The rescue of mankind from sin through the death of Jesus. Consider these diversities in its origin:
It was written by 40 different authors
It was written over a period of 1600 years.
It was written in 3 different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic
Its writers come from many walks of life: Prophet (Jeremiah), Priest (Zechariah), Sheperd (Amos), King (David), Servant (Nehemiah), Doctor (Luke), tax collector (Matthew) and Pharisee (Paul).
It was written on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The Bible is to be trusted because its text has been miraculously preserved. The proof is the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, astounding evidence that can be sure that the Old Testament text has been accurately preserved as word of God.
The Bible's Historical, Scientific, and Prophetic accuracy are also claims to the Bible's uniqueness. The Bible gives historical facts (as mentioning the Hittites for 50 times or the ancient city of Ebla in northern Syria) or Scientific facts (The creation of Earth and heaven) or prophetic facts (as the Birth of Jesus Christ that Prophecied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament) proves the God who created the universe and set in motion the laws that govern our world is the same God who inspired the Bible.
The Bible has also proven itself trustworthy in its impact on socities and on individuals. Its power to change lives is seen wherever it has been taken by messengers of the Gospel it called (the word of life (Phil. 2:16) and the power of God to salvation (Rom. 1:16) and (Living and powerful word of God Heb. 4:12)
The Bible has
Provided new hope to the despondent
Brought quiet peace to the restless
led lowly people to greatness
Raised morality to its highest levels
Did amazing change for millions (Augustine, Martin Luther, Chuck Colson, Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
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