Quote: Rick Warren

But Is the Bible True?

Scripture:
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” – John 17:17

Reflect:
How do we know if we can trust the Bible? How do we know it is God’s Word?

The world, especially the Internet, is rife with people who claim that Christians believe in a storybook rather than a holy book. When Christians counter secular arguments with the truth of Scripture, they often aren’t taken seriously by skeptics, atheists, and sometimes even by people who claim to be Christians.

But in today’s verse, we can see clearly that Jesus said that His Word is the truth. Not one of many different truths, but the only truth. In this verse, Jesus was praying for His disciples during the Last Supper. He prayed that they would be “sanctified” by the truth of God’s Word. To be sanctified means to be set apart, cleansed, and made holy for a sacred purpose. Jesus was praying that the truth that He had communicated to them would set them apart and make them holy because they had a high and holy calling. The apostles were going to establish His church even though they were merely men. But Jesus knew His Word had the power to change lives.

Jesus wasn’t the only one in the Bible who testified to the truth of Scripture. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 and the main theme of the 176 verses is the truthfulness, usefulness, goodness and beauty of the word of God. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” The psalmist is saying that the entirety of the Bible is true and will never fail.

But we don’t have to believe the Bible is true just because the Bible tells us so. In fact, I believe that many young people are deconstructing their faith largely because they have no intellectual basis for believing the truths of the Bible. As soon as they go off to college or out into the world and have the truthfulness of the Bible challenged, their faith often falters and sometimes collapses completely. We need to understand that it is reasonable to believe the Bible is true.

Thankfully, we have scholars, historians, archeologists, and textual critics who can attest to the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. Did you know that it is hard to find a serious historian who denies Jesus’ existence even as they question or deny His deity? Louise Antony is a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts who is an outspoken atheist. But she was quoted in the Washington Post in 2012 as saying, “I don’t personally know a single atheist who would deny that Jesus existed…”. There is too much historical evidence that the Jesus of the Bible was a real person in history.

Bart Ehrman is an agnostic who questions the Bible but even he maintains that there is historical evidence for Jesus' existence. But while he points to differences and inconsistencies in biblical manuscripts as his biggest issue, it is interesting that he and many other secular and Christian textual scholars agree that of all the variants in the manuscripts that we have, the differences are minor. Most do not impact the meaning of the text, and not one impacts the understanding of any core Christian doctrine or biblical event. Secular scholars may reject the Bible because they are biased against supernatural events but many of those same scholars will affirm that biblical manuscripts have been preserved with a degree of accuracy that is remarkable - more than any other historical document.

Further, we can believe the truth of Scripture because it was written by eyewitnesses or those closely associated with and discipled by eyewitnesses. The Bible is full of primary source documents! Detective J. Warner Wallace is a former cold-case detective who decided to investigate the claims of the New Testament Gospels. He used his skills as a detective to determine whether or not each Gospel author could be considered a reliable eyewitness. What he discovered in his research led him away from atheism into a committed relationship with Jesus Christ. He went from being an atheist cop to a Bible-believing Christian, author, and apologist solely because he studied the evidence for the truth of the Bible.

I could go on and on about the reliability of the Bible, but I am out of space. This is just a small sample of the reasons I believe that the Bible is what Jesus said it is - the Word of God. If you are interested in this topic, I encourage you to start reading some apologetics books, specifically about how the Bible was compiled. You’ll find that Scripture holds up to scrutiny. I read the Bible because I believe it and I believe it because it has proven true. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

Pray:
God, thank You for Your Word. I know that it is the truth and that it has the power to sanctify me. Use Your Word to set me apart for Your purposes. Amen.

- Nat Crawford (Provided by "Back To The Bible")

Quote: Billy Graham

 

2 Timothy 2

Be Strong in Grace

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. ⁷ Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

⁸ Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, ⁹ for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.

¹² If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.

¹³ If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

Approved and Disapproved Workers

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. ¹⁷ And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, ¹⁸ who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

²⁰ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. ²² Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. ²⁴ And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, ²⁶ and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

 - 2 Timothy 2 (NKJV)

Application of God's Word: Daniel 8:1

 Verse: Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…
  

Application:
Daniel "made up his mind" to be devoted to principle and to be committed to a course of action. When Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself, he was being true to a lifelong determination to do what was right and not to give in to the pressures around him. We, too, are often assaulted by pressures to compromise our standards and live more like the world around us. Merely wanting or preferring God's will and way is not enough to stand against the onslaught of temptation. Like Daniel, we must resolve to obey God. 

It is easier to resist temptation if you have thought through your convictions before the temptation arises. Daniel and his friends made their decision to be faithful to the laws of God before they were faced with the king's delicacies, so they did not hesitate to stick with their convictions. We will get into trouble if we have not previously decided where to draw the line. Before such situations arise, decide on your commitments and what you will do. Then when temptation comes, you will be ready to say no.

Romans 12:2