All believers of God have a few things in common; God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, church, and especially the Bible. But interestingly enough, not all believers can agree on the oneness of God and the Bible that people on the earth published. God’s written word has been a source of great contention throughout history and continues to be so even today. If that’s how it happened at the beginning of heaven, it would surely be that way on the earth. Biblical studies and theology, as men teach it, have created much division in the church for believers. These divisions mostly come because there is an enormous amount of information in our church libraries that scholars use to find their answers to the question that is our Bible. Knowledge is increasing with greater speed today than ever before.
The Bible has been the believer’s handbook for centuries. Those who believe in Jesus acknowledge that the source of truth comes from the pages that are written within. It has been the standard by which we judge everything in heaven and earth. It is what guides the believers in the way of righteousness to know if something is a truth from God or a lie that is not from God. Therefore, many divisions arise. People want to be right with God again, like before the Adam incident. So comes the need to decipher every word of God. This way of thinking can be both good and bad, but it has become destructive for many on a large scale.
It’s incredible to think about how long the Scriptures have lasted through so many generations of people. Still today, the Bible is the most remarkable book on our planet, and even now, it still presses forward to change lives. Many in the world teach that the Bible is a spiritual book; others believe it is a history story about God’s people on the earth. Some say it’s both. Either way, it is evident that something is missing among today’s many pastors and leaders, and we need to talk about what that is. As believers, we must not get trapped in these divisions, but we must learn from them.
Some people say the Bible has too many flaws to be completely accurate. We don’t have original copies so scribes will make some mistakes through all the copies of translations passed down with time. I’ve studied the different translations, and I freely acknowledge that man has had his hand in it; therefore, I understand why some would argue that it has been compromised in some way. Others might even attest to its historical accuracy, assuming that it is a book based on historical evidence. Once these questions and others like them begin to arise in you, they can easily cloud the truth of God’s real intent for us when He gave us the Bible.
There is a secret to trusting the Bible; you must learn to judge it after the Spirit and not after the flesh.
When doubts about its authenticity are present, they can lead to many other questions that will cause you to not only question your Bible but to question God and how real He is. This way of thinking will ultimately cause you to doubt yourself. It forces you to walk in fear of not truly being right with God. If you can’t trust your Bible or your God, you can’t expect to trust yourself or others. History teaches us that the Bible has withstood time, and faithful men have faithfully kept its accuracy intact. While it is vital to have a Bible that speaks the truth from its original writers, some things are out of our control, like translating Hebrew to Greek and then Greek to English. I can’t do that, can you?
The good news is that your salvation belongs to God. In the end, it comes down to doing your best to please God with what you’ve been given.
You may ask why this teaching would fit into a series about being a believer. But the whole premise of a believer is to believe. Our physical Bible is a significant part of our lives on earth. When any question arises to protest its faithfulness to represent God, you must be prepared to answer it with a sound mind of confidence in its stability.
I care very much about the accuracy of the Bible; it’s my number one go-to book. But you see, I’m not too concerned about every little detail of the exactness of the scripture. They have been well preserved, and I will trust God with the rest. I also realize that man has had his part in it; therefore, people will always continue to debate the scriptures and their genuine authenticity and their much-debated interpretation. But there is one thing that people will never be able to put their hand in or take away from you.
It’s your experience with God.
It’s when God Himself speaks to you and writes His word in your heart, and you know what? He doesn’t need a physical book to do that.