I had a conversation with a man once about spiritual concepts. He had grown up in church, but had rejected Christianity as the way to know and experience God. His belief system revolved around the idea that God — according to him — was “bigger” than the God of Christianity. When I pressed him on what he meant, he said, “I believe there are many ways to God and to know God, and that all religious pursuit leads to the same end.” When I pressed him on WHY he believed that philosophy, he couldn’t give me a solid answer. Finally, in a bit of frustration at having his viewpoint challenged, he said, “I just feel like I am right.” I just feel… a dangerous way to approach spiritual concepts, I pointed out. And then he asked me, “Well how do YOU know that you are right as a Christian?” I suspect he thought he had caught me in a “gotcha” conundrum. So I told him, “I know I am right because the Bible teaches what I believe.”
I wish I could tell you that conversation ended with him seeking out Jesus as savior, but that is not the way it went. You see, he just viewed the Bible as a religious book on the same level as other religious writings… and he had no desire to be challenged in his viewpoint. I left that conversation sad because he was dying of cancer — and he had no hope.
Today, the Christian faces a significant challenge — many people do not accept the authority of God’s Word as the unchangeable, inerrant and inspired word of God. A couple of years ago, George Barna, a Christian research think-tank, conducted a survey of evangelical Christians about morality, truth and the Bible. The results are alarming.
58% said there is no absolute, moral truth.
77% said that right and wrong are determined by factors other than the Bible.
69% said that people are basically good.
59% said the Bible is not the authoritative and true word of God.
(The American Worldview Inventory Survey 2020)
My friends, CHRISTIANS responded this way! You know, this is no accident. Since the beginning of time The Enemy has sought to challenge the authority of God’s word as a way to lead people away from God and into sin.
Remember the Garden of Eden? What did Satan say to Eve? “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the Garden?’” When Eve replied, “No, we just must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or we will die.” Satan replied, “You will not certainly die.” “For God knows if you eat of that tree you will be like him, and you will know good and evil.” Lies mixed with truth… and the push to deny God’s word. The term sneaky snake… comes right from this event. Later, how did Satan try to tempt Jesus? By challenging the veracity of God’s word and distorting its meaning.
Satan understands better than 59% of evangelical Christians that the Bible is the living, active word of God — so he seeks to discredit it, and lead others to discount it. It is absolutely essential for Christians to hold fast to the teaching of the Bible, because culture is constantly pushing back against its teaching, and culture is influenced directly by Satan.
Dangerous grounds for a Christian to deny the authority of the Bible, because if the Bible is not true about some things… then perhaps it is not true about anything. Peter told us… Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 Paul affirmed this when he wrote to Timothy… “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16
Today, I am pondering the wonderful gift God has given us in the Bible. The very words of God written to you and me so that we may know him… may know his will for our lives… and most importantly… know the Good News found in the truth it reveals. Treasure God’s word… Trust God’s word… apply God’s word… like they were the very words of God… because they are!
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