What We Believe about the Bible

Opening

Good morning!

When I was little, I used to sing a song in Sunday school that taught me how to spell and taught me an important life lesson. It went “The B-I-B-L-E. That’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God. The B-I-B-L-E.”

The Holy Bible – to say that this book is a BIG deal is an understatement. Our faith in God and our hope for eternity are built upon the words that fill its pages!

That’s why we read and study the Bible together in our small groups and services. We look to it for answers to life’s greatest questions, we lean on it for encouragement, and we trust it for personal growth. Or at least we should.

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What do you believe about the Bible? And how confident are you?

Let’s be honest. A lot is at stake. The Bible claims to have the answers to who created the universe, why we are here, how we should think and act, and how we can overcome the problems that we face. There are great consequences whether or not we get this stuff right.

Now, I would not be up here if I were not fully convinced that the Bible is completely true. And I know I’m not alone in this belief. It’s our conviction as a church.

Series and Bibles

Today we have a big topic before us. We’ve been in a series called “What we Believe” and today we will address what we believe about the Bible.

If we are going to do that, I recommend that you have a Bible in your possession. If you need one today, please raise your hand and an usher will bring you one. If you don’t have one at home, please take one of ours as a gift.

Here’s my goal for today . . .

If you are a believer, my hope is that you leave here today more confident and enthusiastic about the Bible, and motivated to prioritize it daily.

If you are not a believer . . . welcome! Thank you for being open to what we have to say. I hope that our passion for the Bible would intrigue you to open it up for yourself and see how God might speak into your life.

So what do we believe about the Bible?

The Holy Bible (Old & New Testament) is . . .

1. God’s Word for Us

The all powerful God is near and He has something to say to you. His complete message is here between Genesis 1:1 and the end of Revelation 22

It was written first TO a specific audience in the ancient world and understanding that context is important. But it is also written for us today.

If it is for us, are we listening to what God is speaking through His word?

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

For the word of God is alive 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.

This is no ordinary book! God uses it to speak directly into our lives. And there is power in it to cut right through us, to convict us, to draw us closer to Him.

Have any of you read a random passage of Scripture and felt that God is speaking to you? Right into your specific situation? It has happened to me on countless occasions.

Just recently I was feeling very frustrated with my kids and feeling sorry for myself. After my pity party I read Psalm 127:3 and God spoke right to me.

Psalm 127:3 NIV

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.

Okay Lord! I know I need to be more patient and count my blessings!

The Apostle Paul said that ALL scripture is God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16)

That’s the same breath that spoke the world into existence. The same breath that filled Adam’s lungs. That fills our lungs! - There is life in the Scriptures

Worth noting is that the word for breath in both Hebrew and Greek is the same word for spirit.

The Holy Spirit was present each step of the way as the letters and books were written and when the full canon of Scripture was compiled.

Did you know that God used approximately 40 human authors over a period of about 1500 years to bring us the books of the Old and New Testament that we have today?

That’s incredible! Not long ago, there was a move that followed the life of a boy that took over 12-years to film and that was a big deal in Hollywood. Try 1500 years to compose God’s story.

Peter gives us further insight . . .

2 Peter 1:20–21 NIV

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Even as God is speaking through various individuals and circumstances, it is His message that is coming through.

Now when it says that they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, please don’t think that these writers were in a trance and unaware of what was happening. These authors still wrote out of their own styles, personalities, and cultural context. Not to mention different genres of writing.

So each book is unique, but there is also a beautiful flow from one book to the next as the story of redemption unfolds and Jesus is at the center of it all.

Sometimes people claim that there are contradictions in Scripture. It’s important to ask them what specific verses they are talking about.

I have not encountered any perceivable contradictions that are not explained in the Bible itself or with some additional cultural context. The authors were NOT fools. They were intentional with every word they wrote.

We have the important task of appropriately interpreting the Bible.

Before you base a decision off of one verse, ask a few questions.

What does the surrounding context say?

Is this descriptive (simply stating what happened) or prescriptive (telling the reader what we should do)?

What do other Bible passages say? What does the Bible as a whole teach?

Are we looking at this in light of the gospel of Jesus? Remember he fulfills the law and gives us a new standard of living.

Before you base your life on the book of Leviticus, remember that directives for the church in the New Testament are often different than Old Testament Requirements - so please don’t sacrifice animals! Jesus has us covered!

If you ever run across something that doesn’t sound right or have questions about Scripture, please feel free to ask any of the pastors.

God’s Word implies that (like Him) it is infallible. In other words it is trustworthy and will not fail.

Isaiah 40:8 NIV

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

King David said “the words of the Lord are flawless” (Psalm 12:6)

Jesus, himself, affirmed Scripture time and time again. One example is when he was praying for his disciples, he asked the Father to . .

John 17:17 NIV

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

How refreshing in a world of lies. Sometimes it is hard to know what to believe because we are being bombarded with media and information all day long, especially with our phones attached to us constantly. Even fact-checkers (that sounds like someone we can trust) - even they have been exposed as being fraudulent and biased.

The good news is that there is a stable source of truth, that is unchanging - and that is the Bible -the Word of God for us

So what are we supposed to do?

James 1:22 NIV

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Be faithful in living out what God teaches us through the Bible

If you or I believe something that is in contradiction with Scripture, who is wrong? We are!

The Bible is the all-knowing-God’s Word for Us

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Another thing we believe about the Bible . . . Here’s my second point

The Bible is . . .

2. Standing Strong

There is no shortage of Bible critics out there. Many have attempted to discourage the church and prove that the Bible can’t be true. Yet here we are, still standing strong.

I’ve supported the Bible from Scripture. Let’s step back for a few minutes and look at things from a different angle

One of the most common objections to the Bible is some people believe science has disproved it. That is simply not true.

We actually agree with the science community that many of the events of the Bible conflict with Scientific laws. WHAT? That is what makes them miracles!

It can’t be possible that thousands of Israelites could cross the Red Sea on dry ground with walls of water on both sides for the Egyptian army to then drown in deep waters moments later (Exodus 14)

It can’t be possible that men could survive inside a burning furnace, untouched (Daniel 3)

It can’t be possible that a virgin could give birth to a child (Luke 1-2)

It can’t be possible for a man to be suffer the most gruesome death on a Roman cross, only to come back to life three days later (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20)

But if there is a God who is big enough to create the entire universe. Are any of these things really too big for Him? No!

Now keep in mind that the Bible is first and foremost a theological book (telling us about God and His design), rather than a science textbook.

However, we believe that the recorded events of Scripture are true. So when the Word of God speaks even about science (things in our natural world), it is trustworthy. And actually the Bible has at times been ahead of scientific discoveries.

That now, confirmed by advances in genetic research, the whole human race can be traced back to one couple (we call them Adam & Eve) - Gen 5

That the earth is round and suspended in space Job 38:16 and Isaiah 40:22

That blood is an essential part of life and health Leviticus 17:11

And much more that no one else in the ancient world (and in some cases in recent centuries) believed

Even today scientists are also limited in what they know for sure. I’m not bashing anyone, simply saying we are all human.

We should all have enough humility to recognize that studying events that took place 1000s of years ago and beyond, comes with limitations.

But shout out to scientists for their curiosity and research. There are many archeology and other scientific discoveries that have verified people, places and claims in the Bible.

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Sometimes when there appears to be tension, it may be a matter of how we are reading the text. There are passages in the Bible that are poetic and symbolic. We need to use discernment as we study.

If you have concerns about how science and the Bible mesh or want to dive further into these topics, I included some great resources in the sermon notes.

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The other area commonly targeted is the credibility of the Scripture we have today. Some have argued that there must have been change over time. We have strong evidence to show that is not the case.

One of the most significant archeology discoveries in the last century were the dead sea scrolls. Maybe you’ve heard of them.

Scrolls and fragments were found in the Qumron Caves near the Dead Sea dating between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. - Before Jesus’ ministry.

These have been heavily examined and now live in museums. We can look and see that the Old Testament verses have not changed in the last 2,000 + years.

When it comes to the New Testament, we have even more archeological records to back up the Bible.

Consider this: There are quote on quote “credible” ancient writings outside of the Bible that are accepted by historians where the earliest version we have are copies 1200 + years from the original date. You might have heard of names like Plato or Aristotle. These are included on that list.

Church, we have New Testament manuscripts (physical copies) that are within one generation of Christ and the apostles.

And where some of the famous writings (that you probably learned about in social studies back in the day) . . . only have a handful of copies. There are over 5600 copies of the New Testament in the original Greek. Plus another 19,000 copies in other early languages.

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Most Secular (or non-Christian) scholars and experts acknowledge that the version we have today is very close to the original text.

In the few places there is debate about certain words or verses - none of our theology or doctrinal positions hang on these things

There is so much more evidence that we don’t have time to get into today, but see the references in your sermon notes if you want to explore this further.

No book has been under more scrutiny than the Bible and it wins out every time.

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As we consider how the Bible is standing strong, do you want the best evidence? Look around the room. See how God’s Word has transformed lives.

I love the testimony of a blind man that Jesus healed. The pharisees were drilling him and asking him questions about Jesus. The man didn’t have all the answers for them, but he said

John 9:25 (NIV)

“. . . One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

It’s tough to argue against someone’s personal experience.

Here is my best evidence folks: This book changed my life! And it continues to change my life.

The Bible is God’s Word to us, the Bible is Standing Strong and here is my final point . . .

The Bible is . . .

3. Sufficient and Essential for Faithful Living

Sufficient because it is enough. We have more than enough to live for Christ.

And it is essential because it is necessary for us to know about God and what He requires of us.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This Bible is here to equip us so that we can live effective lives.

And it is practical!

Theologian and Author, Greg Allison says “Scripture is written in such a way that it can be understood by God’s people.”

That’s not to say that it is always easy. I’ll confess to you that some things have been difficult for me to understand and I’m a pastor.

If you’ve joined me on Wednesdays for Thru the Bible, you’ve learned that there is a lot that I don’t know.

Gregg Allison goes on to say that yes some things are hard, but not impossible to understand.

It’s beautiful how God puts other believers in our path to help us understand God’s word.

And as mentioned earlier. The Holy Spirit is essential as we approach Scripture. God is working in us to understand it, contextualize it, and apply it.

Here is my advice. Pray before you read and ask God to help you understand! He comes through!

Consider Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Deuteronomy 30:11–14 NIV

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

You see . . . we should be people who take His word seriously. Store it in our hearts and in our minds.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NIV

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Joshua says,

Joshua 1:8 NIV

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

In other words, make it an essential part of your life!

We Christians get up in arms when we hear about the Bible being taken out of schools and out of the courtrooms. And I understand. It is a concerning sign of our culture’s spiritual decline.

But if we have the word in us, and we are speaking it and living by it everywhere we go, and we are teaching our children to know and live by the word; guess what . . . it is as if the Bible is still in those places.

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Let’s NOT be like the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus. They tried to argue with him based on their limited understanding. To them . . .

Matthew 22:29 NIV

Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Remember the B-I-B-L-E Song “. . . stand alone on the word of God.”

Don’t lean on your own understanding.

Every one of us is fallible. But not so the Scriptures.

Closing

The Bible is not Jeff’s word, or Josue’s word, or your word. It is God’s Word for us. Listen to God and let Him guide you!

All these centuries later, the Bible is still standing strong. Be confident. This is not an ignorant belief.

And the Bible is sufficient and essential for life in the faith. So get to know it and apply it.

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Here is my challenge to you: spend time in the word each day.

I know you are busy, but make time. Wake up 5 minutes earlier. Cut your lunch break short. Come up with a plan!

If we can make time to scroll senselessly through social media or to make Starbuck’s runs, We can make time for the Bible. We just need some personal discipline.

If you need some help learning how to read the Bible, where to start, I provided some references for that too in the notes.

And stick around this place where we regularly open the Bible together.

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This week our God-sized community goal is to fast and pray God-sized prayers.

Fasting is making a sacrifice - giving something up - so that you can fill that space with God.

We’re asking that you give up one thing (something distracting or unhealthy - or maybe even neutral (neither good or bad) and give a minimum of 5 minutes to reading and reflecting on Scripture. If you can do more, great!

If you miss a day, move forward and try again the next day.

On the back of your sermon notes there are 7 prayers from the Bible. Consider reading these prayers and using them as a launching point to pray your God-sized prayers this week.

Don’t waste the privilege we have to freely access God’s Word! He has a message for you! Do your part to hear from Him.

Let’s Pray!