BIBLE
The Bible is the most popular book in the world. Each year it tops the
"Best Sellers" list (even though they won't list it). It has been
estimated that billions of Bibles have been produced in the past 380
years. Some say that the number of Bibles printed over time would
provide one for each man, woman, and child that lives on the earth.
What is the one characteristic about the Bible that makes it so popular?
Simply answered, "It is the Word of God!"
The Bible is God's message to mankind. Some call it God's "loveletter"
to the human race. Christians say it is infallible, without error in
the original text. Its critics, of course, don't agree saying the Bible
was written by men, that it has errors, and it is not completely true.
But let me give you some thoughts on why I believe the Bible to be the
"Very words from the mouth of God."
I. There Must Be A Bible.
God has declared the that those who obey Him will go into Heaven, but
those who choose not to obey will be thrown into Hell; therefore, there
must be a Bible. Since God has declared that those who keep His
righteous standard will be blessed, then He must provide man with the
"Standard." Because God has a burning Hell for those who disobey, then
He must provide the Book of the Law, declaring when man has wronged God.
The Bible must exist because God holds man accountable.
He could have given His truths by "word of mouth" but it would have soon
been corrupted. Like any important truth or statement it must be written
in a document in order to be preserved. For example, imagine our
Declaration of Independence or the Constitution never being put in writing
and only passed along by "word of mouth." It would have been utter chaos
for our new nation. No, the Bible must exist because God exists and holds
man accountable and has chosen to reveal Himself.
II. The Bible Must Be Without Error.
Since God is responsible to provide man with the "perfect standard," by
which to live, He must be sure it is without error. A standard that
has errors in it is not a standard at all. Can you imagine trying to
measure with a ruler that is less than or greater than 12 inches? If
the Bible has errors then how is man supposed to know what God truly
wants him to do? No, the expected standard from God must also be
perfect in order to be effective.
To be without error means that whatever subject that the Bible speaks on
must be accurate. For example, when the Bible makes a casual reference to
the shape of the earth it has to be correct. We read in Isaiah 40:22 that,
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth." The writer under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks of God sitting on a throne and makes
a point that God sits above the earth. In passing he mentions that the
earth is a circle, in fact, the actual Hebrew word used is "Chug" (choog),
which really means sphere. The Bible says that God sits on a throne above
the sphere of the earth. Now man in all of his great wisdom concluded that
the earth must be flat like a plate, but the Bible said for centuries that
the earth was round like a ball.
Who was right? Of course, God was. But if man would have said the earth
was a sphere and the Bible claimed it was flat then the Bible could not be
God's word. We see this same idea in the false books such as the Koran
that claims to have been written by God. At one point the Koran claims
that the reason we have earthquakes is due to the fact that, "The earth is
held up on the backs of many elephants and when they walk the earth
shakes!" It is obvious that God did not author that book. The Bible is
God's Holy word and can be trusted whether it speaks of the universe or of
the way of salvation for man.
III. The Bible Must Be Easy to Understand.
Can you imagine your boss giving you an order to carry out, but he tells
you in Russian or Chinese? How could you be expected to obey him? It
wouldn't make any difference if it was a 100% true statement; if you
can't understand it, then it is meaningless as a directive. No, the
Bible has to be readily understood in order for God to hold us
accountable. Now this doesn't mean that we must understand every little
detail about the Battle of Armageddon, or know the exact meaning of the
number "666." But it does mean that in the areas essential to daily
living and the fundamental truths of the Christian Faith, the Bible must
be readily understood by all who seek truth in their hearts. There is
only one interpretation of every passage of Scripture, but often times
many applications.
A Bible that is open for various interpretations is no standard at all,
and again God would not expect man to obey it. The Word of God is
clearly written and simple to understand. I use one basic assumption
whenever I read the Bible, "If the literal meaning of the verse makes
sense, then stop right there." However, if the literal meaning does not
appear to match up with what we can understand, then I assume God is
using a "picture" of something else to make it more clear to me.
The greatest proof of the truth of the Bible in my life is the simple
fact that "it works!" I remember back to the days before my salvation
and realize that the new life I now live has been the direct result of
reading the Bible and doing what it said for salvation:
1. Believe in Jesus Christ. Believe that He was who He claimed to be--the
living God in human flesh who sacrificed His life on the Cross to pay the
debt that man owed to God for their sins.
2. Repent of my sins. To make a willful choice to turn away from all my
known sins. Mainly having the inner desire to turn from the life of sin to
walk in a new direction. A willingness to hate what God hates and to turn
away from it.
3. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A willingness and commitment
to do whatever the Lord Jesus Christ would desire me to do. No longer to
live my life the way I wanted to but rather to desire to live a life
patterned after His life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
My life is completely changed and it has been transformed by the Living
Word of God--The Bible.
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 130
Shreveport, LA 71110
MODEM (318)-949-1456