Romans chapter 1 says that we can look at the world around us and know that God exists and that he is very, very powerful. In my backyard are chickens, ducks, swans, sandhill cranes and moose. All of this points to the glory of God. If there is a painting, there must be a painter. If there is a building, there must be a builder. If there is a creation, there must be a creator.

If God exists (and he does), has he spoken? Yes! God has spoken to you and me through the Bible. Unfortunately, there are many wrong attitudes toward the Bible. One wrong attitude toward the Bible is rationalism. Rationalism says that the mind is supreme. People say, I think or, The Bible doesnt make sense to me. Extreme Rationalism is atheism or agnosticism. Gods Word is supreme.

Another wrong attitude is mysticism. Mysticism says that experience is supreme. Mysticism claims that experience is the final authority. A mystic says, If it fits my experience, it is correct and valid but if it doesnt fit my experience, it is invalid. No. The Bible is the final authority and all our experiences must be judged by Scripture. Experience is not the final authority for determining what is true and what is false.

Another wrong attitude toward the Bible is that of the cults. The cults teach that the Bible plus some other writing is supreme. The key mark of a cult is that while they affirm that the Bible is the Word of God they also affirm another writing as having equal inspiration.

The right attitude is the orthodox attitude. The Bible alone is the final authority and must be obeyed. Why do we believe the Bible? We believe the Bible based upon evidence. There is both internal and external evidence that the Bible is supernatural. The internal evidence is that the Bible claims to be inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture is inspired by God. Inspired means God breathed. Scripture is the product of the breath of God. He is the source of the very words themselves.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is fulfilled. Jesus said, The entire universe can go out of existence before the smallest letter or stroke of the Old Testament will fail. It is permanent. It is unchanging. It is unwavering. It is eternal. It has authority. It is forever relevant and forever authoritative.

We also believe the Bible because of external evidence. God used forty different authors over sixteen hundred years in three different languages in six different parts of the world to write the Bible and yet there are no errors and no contradictions. Take any other subject, such as science, and choose forty authors who wrote over sixteen hundred years. Would there be any real unity? Of course not! The Koran was written by only one author- Mohammed. The continuity of the Bible is evidence of its supernatural origin.

No other book contains fulfilled prophecy like the Bible. The Bible predicted the birth of the messiah in Bethlehem six hundred years before his birth (Micah 5). The Bible predicted the death of the messiah by crucifixion one thousand years before his death (Psalm 22). The Bible predicted the messiah, Jesus, would come from the tribe of Judah seventeen hundred years before he came (Genesis 49).

One person said, The Bible is not a book we could write if we would, nor is the Bible a book man would write if he could. Best of all, the Bible points to Jesus. Only the Bible spells out sin for what it really is- rebellion against God. Only the Bible presents a cure that truly and honestly works- the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. Many, many people have experienced the supernatural working of Scripture in their lives. Charles Spurgeon said, The Word of God is like a lion. You dont have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself. Read the Bible, obey the Bible and watch the power of God flow through your life!

Ethan Hansen is the pastor of Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.

Excerpt from:

God has spoken through the Bible | Faith | frontiersman.com - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman