Can We Trust the Bible?

Four years ago I taught the young adults of our church to study the Bible for themselves. In that study we looked at almost all the necessary tools and skills of Bible Study that pastors, preachers, and other Bible scholars are accustomed to. They basically learnt that developing the habit of studying the Bible for themselves was one old time habit that has, since the first century (…and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:11 nkjv), mushroomed many a giants of the faith. To achieve that comprehension, we used materials that I had gleaned from a number of resources. The book that I used the most was Living by the Book written by Howard and William Hendricks. It was second to the Bible during that study series. If ever you had the chance of laying your hand on this book please, gobble it; a master piece for any lay person who desires to learn to read and study the Bible for one's benefit.
As I pursue to encourage you to read and invest your life in the Bible, I have realized that a number, from time to time do wonder if they can trust the Bible; whether it is worth the reading and the life investment. Please read this short quotation from the Hendricks' comment on the unity of the Bible as God's revelation.
"Many of us want a word from God, but we don't want the Word of God. We know enough to own a Bible but not enough for the Bible to own us. We pay the Bible lip service, but we fail to give it "life service." In a world where the only absolute is that there are no absolutes, there is little room left for the authoritative Word of God as revealed in the Bible.
The question is, can we trust the Bible? It is credible? Is it reliable? Is it determinative for life in our time? Consider what Scripture says about itself.
If you have ever studied some complex or controversial subject in depth, you know the frustration of trying to find two or three authorities who agree on any and all points. It basically never happens.
The Bible stands in marked contrast. It is unique in that its parts conspire to form a unified whole. You see, the Bible is not only one Book, it is sixty-six books collected in one volume. These sixty-six separate documents were written over a period of more than sixteen hundred years by more then forty human authors who came from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Yet the Bible is a single unit, bound together by the theme of God and his relationship to humankind. Each book, section, paragraph, and verse works together with the others to reveal God's truth. That's why Scripture is best understood by relating its individual parts to the integrated whole.
The Bible presents itself as revealed truth from God. The word it uses for "revelation" actually means "unveiling," like pulling back a curtain to show what is behind it. In Scripture, God has revealed things that would otherwise not be known at all. He has unveiled that which is absolutely true – not speculated, not conjectured, and not hypothesized. It is truth that is entirely consistent – never controverted, compromised, or contradicted by other parts of the revelation." End of quote.
Think through dear friends, you can be assured that every time you sit down to read the Bible, you actually handle the very spoken Word of God. Hope you will choose to guard your heart by daily being engaged in reading the Bible this year.

READING THE BIBLE

As we attempt to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, there a number of things that we must purpose to do to achieve it. God has lavished the church with many means of grace that cause us to never relent from the worship of Him. One among the foundational means of grace is the reading of the Bible. From my childhood in the Lord, reading the Bible has been one cardinal means of grace. To separate it from the Christian life and worship is tantamount to denying the Trinity. Therefore because of such immeasurable worth of the Scriptures, be encouraged to read the bible in a different way this year.

On page 2567 to 2575 of the ESV Study Bible (2008) is an article on Reading the Bible. This articles explains five essential ways of how to reading the Bible: Reading the Bible Theologically; Reading the Bible as Literature, Reading the Bible in Prayer and Communication with God; Reading the Bible for Personal Application and finally Reading the Bible for Preaching and Public worship. In that fashion is this article. I have tried to summarize it for those who may not have access to the ESV Study Bible and particularly to the young in the Lord who would wish to read through the whole Bible this year.

As a pastor, I am many times guilty of reading the Bible for preaching and teaching purposes. At times I find myself justifying my studying for preaching as my devotional time as well. Many believers are equally guilty of this mentality; reading the Bible as a dictionary or as an answer book to life's questions. That ought not to be the case; there are more and better reasons than that. God wants every believer to read the Bible for his/her own nourishment and growth in the Lord.

Part I. Reading the Bible Theologically

Let us begin with "Reading the Bible Theologically". Every time the word theology pops up in a conversation or writing, many young Christians tremble and feel incompetent to biblical studies. This word simply means the "Study of God". Here we mean reading the Bible "With a Focus on God" His Being, Character, Works, Purpose, Presence, Power, Promises and Precepts. To achieve this, every Bible reader must keep the following aspects of the Bible in mind.

First, God's church and people individually, must consider the Bible as an Instructional Manual. The church is called upon to be seen as a people of the book (Bible). The Bible cannot be separated from the church or the Christian. Any attempt to do that has always 'sunk the ship'. Those who have done so have ended up nowhere but in total blindness, heresy and pain. For that reason as you read the Bible, remember that God is instructing you on how you should live your life for His praise and glory.

Second, the Bible is canonical. A canon is a rule or standard. God has set forth the Bible as His unchanging standard of truth, right, love and goodness, wisdom, worship, doctrine and devotion. You are to read it as a God-given rule of belief and behavior. Any other standard is human initiated and will soon or later fail you. Apart from the Bible all other standards, no matter how high they may be set, they are totally separated from the only true authority of life- the God of the Bible. Thus, as you read the Bible, remember that it is God's rule and standard of how you should live your life for His praise and glory

Third, the inspired Scripture: As unique as the incarnate Christ is- both human and divine, so is the Bible- both Human and divine. The Bible is the breathed out word of God by God Himself. It is God witnessing to Himself in and through the Scriptures. Therefore the Scriptures must be read as God's own self- revelatory instruction, given in the form of human testimony. In the Bible, God tells the truth about Himself. Therefore as you read the Bible this year remember that it is God Himself speaking into your life of how you may live your life for His praise and glory.

Fourth, the Unity of the Bible: Keep away from the misconception that assumes the Bible to be a ragbag of religious bits and pieces, which are unrelated to each other. Rather the Bible is a beautiful carpet in which all the complexities of the weave display a single pattern of Judgment and Mercy, Promise and Fulfillment. The Scriptures are so unified with God at the center. Jesus Christ has fulfilled all prophesies, hopes, promises, and dreams and has linked the two testaments together in an unbreakable bond. It is so unified as a product of one single mind- the mind of God. Therefore as you read through the Bible this year remember that God wants you to know His revealed single mind so that you may live your life for His own praise and glory.

In conclusion, as you read the Bible always remember that you hold in your hands God's given guide to sinners for their salvation and godliness; God's handbook to the church for worship and service; the spoken mind of God.

Reading the Bible theologically follows these elements and is done with God at the Center, looking and listening for Him throughout its pages, with the controlling purpose of discerning Him with maximum clarity, through his own testimony to His will. Such reading is pursued prayerfully for illumination and seeks the help of the Holy Spirit.

Worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth

As 2011 commences, Faith Baptist Church Riverside in Kitwe, the Lord's flock which I shepherd, has purposed to get serious with God by choosing WORSHIP as the theme for 2011. "Worship the Lord in spirit and truth"- from John 4: 23- 24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (ASV 1901)

Through the year, we shall define the meaning of biblical worship, understand the object of our worship, the nature of worship, and seek to be true worshipper of God. From Sunday to Sunday we attempt and delight in the practical nature of worship. I pray that by the end of 2011 the church family will be filled with true worshippers of God who call upon His name in spirit and truth.  
Here are four of the many nuggets of worship. How does your life look like in this area worshipping God? Would you like to see yourself become a better worshipper? Be encouraged to keep reading this blog as I try to help the young in the Lord established their feet as true worshippers of God:

1. Did you know that true worship of God is not fully expressed on Sunday only during your worship service, but throughout the week? Sunday is just the apex of your life of worship during the week. If you live the weeks like the devil don't think you can worship God on Sunday like an angel. Our God does not dwell in the church where you leave Him there when church is over and come to see Him the following Sunday. Just a correction, the man you leave behind is not God but your pastor who has no idea what you are doing during the week. But God watches you daily. He is ever present with you when you wake up or go to sleep; He sees you in your dreams understands your thoughts and knows you intentions before you act. This is the God we Christians worship. Therefore expressed your worship to God 24/7/365.
    
2. Did you know that true worship does not begin from church but in your heart? The Lord told the Samaritan woman at the well that if she is to truly worship God she must first worship God in spirit. The word spirit refers to the heart. Worship must flow from a sincere soul/heart. There must be clearness of heart in our walk with God. God cannot be worshipped with hearts that are filled with sin or unrighteousness. No matter how holy and righteous we may appear before people and use our gifts in the most fantastic way, God will remain far from us if our hearts are not right. Therefore a true worshipper of Christ begins with his/her heart relationship with God.
3. Did you know that to truly worship God you must know Him as the Bible says He is? The Lord further says that we must worship him in truth. This indicates the prescribed way in which God is to be worshiped. Christ is the truth and if we are to worship God we must know the truth of Christ only found in the Bible. Anything more or less than what it says is damning. For God has only given to us one prescribed biblical standard. We must read the bible to discover for ourselves who God is so as to worship Him better. It does not matter how many church services we can attend, prayer meetings, concerts and you name it, if we do not read and meditate on the Bible for ourselves, we will never know how to worship in truth.
4. Lastly, did you know that the God we worship sets the standard of worshiping Him? We must always keep in mind the object of our worship- it is God the Almighty. Many people today are so focused on how good a worshipper they are and forget to whom worship is rendered. Whether He approves of it or not God is usually out of the picture. It's like claiming to have enjoyed a wedding ceremony which had neither the bride nor the groom. The Lord Jesus says that the Father is seeking true worshipers and not vice versa. Therefore as you endeavour to worship God this year embrace this nugget; firstly who is being worshipped, then the nature of the worship being given and finally you and I the worshippers.

Have a blessed year as you join the church family at Faith Baptist Church Riverside in becoming true worshippers of God who worship the Lord in spirit and truth. Ensure to guard your heart from being diverted from being such a one!