WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE?
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It is of the utmost
importance that our study of the Pillars of the Faith begin with the Bible. After
all, our doctrine, our beliefs, our very faith is based upon this Holy Book.
What then, do we know and believe about the Bible? First,
why do we believe the Bible? Simply put we believe the Bible because it is
the Word of God. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Again, we see that the
Bible is the Word of God in II Peter 1:21. It says, “For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost.” This is evidenced by the fact that the Bible
agrees in all its parts. Some men scoff at such a statement and try to find
contradictions, but, careful study of the passages in question always show
the Bible to be true. If
the Bible is the Word of God, it is absolutely true and absolutely
trustworthy. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot
lie, promised before the world began.” If the Bible is the Word of God, and
God cannot lie, then we can be sure that anything the Bible says is true. Since
the Bible is the true, trustworthy, Word of God, it is what we must base our
doctrine on. As we have already seen, II Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible
is “profitable for doctrine.” Why would we base our beliefs on anything else.
We cannot base our beliefs on the teachings of any man, for men will make
mistakes and sometimes tell outright lies. Some
religions claim that the writings or sayings of a man are equal or superior
to the Bible. The Mormons believe in the writings of Joseph Smith. Muslims
believe in the writings of Mohammed. Catholics believe that the Pope is
infallible when he speaks ex cathedra. Truth be told, though, these men are
no more than any other man. They are just as susceptible to error as any one
else. So,
we must first understand what we believe about the Bible before we look at
what we believe about anything else. We must base all of our beliefs on what the Bible teaches. If we
base them on anything else, we will quickly fall into error. Many men that
have been great men of God have fallen away when they started to question the
infallibility of the Bible. Some
say that the Bible just contains the Word of God or is just God’s message.
The Bible does not only contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God. It is
not merely God’s message, it is God’s very words. Psalm 12:6-7 tells us this.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them
from this generation for ever.” Finally,
I will state that the above is not true for every Bible version. It is only true
for the King James Version. I will not go into the reasons here, because they
can be found here, at the
Bible page. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t all say the same thing
only phrased different. It’s not just whichever one you like best. It comes
down to this: they are different and therefore, they can’t all be right. Only
one can be right. God’s inspired, infallible Word has been preserved in the
King James Version. Now,
with the discussion of the Bible complete, I would encourage you to read the
other articles on this section of the website. Remember, base everything on
what the Bible says. Don’t take my word for it. As I’ve already said, people
make mistakes. Take everything in context of what the Bible says. |