In this blog my purpose is to share the Word of God in an effort to bring hope, encouragement,inspiration and the path to salvation. My prayer is that this
purpose is achieved.
No other book has ever been attacked and maligned and yet revered, loved and looked to for guidance and inspiration as the Bible. From the time of creation when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden God's Word has been under attack. Satan asked Eve whether God actually told her she would surely die if she ate the fruit of every tree in the garden. That's not what God told Adam and Eve but that is the way Satan twisted the word around. The greatest leaders of the world over the centuries have hailed the Bible as holding the answers to all the problems that face mankind. At the same time people from all walks of life have scorned the Bible as filled with myths passed down from generation to generation and many just saying it is untrue. Over the centuries government and rulers have destroyed it, forbid people to read it and possess a copy of it. In more modern times we have not allowed the Bible and prayer in public schools, we have removed Scriptural words including the word "GOD" from many of our government building, parks and other places. In our day we call it being politically correct because we are afraid we will offend someone. Yet it has survived and will continue to survive. The Bible is a very unique book. God is the author of the book but yet in another sense man is also the author. Over a period of roughly 1500 years probably 40 different men wrote portions of the Bible. The amazing thing is many of these men never knew each other, lived in different times and places and yet the Bible reads with great continuity. Some of these men were kings, prophets, poor simple men such as fishermen as well as learned intellectual men. These men writing in their times under the leadership of God the Holy Spirit. These men were not perfect and made mistakes in their own personal life but that did not hinder God from using them to record is Word. And it is Gods Word/Gods Book. I think I read somewhere that phrases like "God Said", "The Lord said", "thus saith the Lord" are repeated 2500 times in the Bible so it is clear that these are God's Words as he communicates to mankind. The basis of much criticism of the Bible is how do we know it is Gods Word and this is especially true for those who don't recognize the existence of God. One of the best proofs, I have already mentioned and that is how it has survived throughout the centuries of mans efforts to eradicate it. Archaeology overtime and continue to this day to make discoveries that validate the Bible. The book of Genesis mentions the Hittite people but historians found no other record of such people and therefore declared the Bible to be in error. Then archaeologists discovered the enormous Hittite capital Hattusa in Turkey thus validating the Bible. Critics have claimed that portions of the Bible could not have been written by, for example Moses, yet we have now discovered artifacts that prove that Moses wrote that portion of the Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls are yet another example of archaeological finds that prove the Bible is what it is claimed to be. One of the amazing things about the Bible is the accuracy of prophecy. I believe it is said that about one fourth of the things written in the Bible were prophetic. These are prophecies that were made and fulfilled very soon and some hundreds of years later. There are hundreds more that have not happened yet but rest assured they will when God is ready for them to happen. The most compelling proof of the accuracy of the Bible relates to the first coming of Jesus Christ. There were three hundred plus prophecies telling of the coming of Jesus Christ and they were all literally fulfilled. This event has recorded history and personal testimony as to time and place and events to prove its validity. Another factor to consider when to seek proof of the truth of the Bible is take a look at the lives that have been transformed. There are millions of young and old people whose lives have been changed, marriages that have been saved, families that are no longer separated, people who have been freed from alcoholism and drug additions simple by coming to Christ and accepting Him as their Savior. They all can testify to the changes made in their lives and these facts cannot be disputed.
To conclude this posting I want to take a look at four words and what they mean: Revelation, Inspiration, Illumination, and Interpretation. In the sense of the Bible revelation means that God has spoken and has communicated to man. When we speak of inspiration that means the validity of the revelation. In other words it guarantees Gods revelation. Illuminations refers to God the Holy Spirit being the teacher as He communicates with man. Interpretation relates to how we see what Gods Word is saying to us. In modern time this has proven to be a problem as the effort to make Gods Word "more understandable" the result has been in many instances to actually change to meaning and even in the factual content. Differences in these various ways we interpret Gods Word is the reason we have so many different denominations. Many Bibles are printed as paraphrases and are not translations.
Also, I want to pass on to you words of advice I received years ago as instruction when you use the Bible and they are:
1. Start by praying.
2. Then read the Bible.
3. Study the Bible.
4. Meditate on what you have read and studied.
5. Read what others have written about what you have just read and studied.
6. Obey the Bible.
7. Pass it on to others.
As I always say remember That God Loves you so much that he sent His Son Jesus to live a sinless life and to die on the cross for each of us so that if we will confess our sins and receive him as our savior we will live with Him in Heaven forever. That is the truth and hope of Gods Word. I also love you.
Grandpa Bill
