When Jesus was brought before the Roman official Pontius Pilate. We see the account of Jesus answering to the question of whether or not He was a king. He answers in the affirmative and states that He has come to bear witness to the truth. Pilate asks Him a simple yet profound question “What is truth?”
This is the question I would pose in this blog. What is truth and how can we be certain that His word is irrefutably true?
- The truth is in the prophecies
- All scripture is profitable
- Doctrine-the key to avoiding deception
- The old and the new-two halves to the whole
- The nucleus of the bible-Jesus
- The voice of God through scripture
- The authenticity of scripture
The bible is without a doubt, the most contentious and polarizing pieces of literature in human history. Having sold 100 million copies year on year, one would expect intense scrutiny. Just a quick Google search on church history would yield multiple examples of the persecution and continuous level of adversity that the holy scriptures have had to endure. None more so than the Old Testament and more particularly, the book of Genesis in recent years. Specific examples come to mind with reference to the creation account in the first chapter of Genesis vs the narrative of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin being the most main stream example. Vast and numerous have been the challenges to the word of God, but none more so than the deity of Jesus the Christ. Was He in fact God manifested in the flesh, sent by His Father for the redemption and forgiveness of all who believe on Him or was He just a good man with moral teaching that may be referenced in part apart from His claims to be the only way to Salvation? So, the question that can be posed is this. What makes the bible stand out from the multitude of other religious texts and claims to be the inspired word of God? How can anyone be 100% certain that the Judeo-Christian world view is accurate and have certainty in their hearts? Christians who have a firm grasp on the doctrine of Christ and salvation referenced in the book of Romans 3 can take refuge in the character and promises of God. Numbers 23:19 eludes to one of the many characteristics of the God of scripture. Simply put, He is not a liar. His nature is truth. When put to the test, God has given us prophecy. 6000+ in fact, half of which have been fulfilled and half to come. The main purpose of which was to prove Himself and his prophets true. See Deuteronomy 18:22/ Amos 3:7/ Jeremiah 28:9. As believers of the God of the bible, we have an incredible assurance of God’s trustworthiness in fulfilling what He promised. We can trust in the claim of Jesus’ deity in the simple fact that He fulfilled 48 Messianic prophecies and 324 prophecies individual prophecies related to the Messiah. John 17:17 His word is true
- How to be certain that the bible is the inspired word of God
The other 3:16 in the book of 2 Timothy makes a profound claim that we often do not fully grasp. It is that all scripture is inspired by God. Books like Romans and Corinthians are often credited to Paul, but we have to firstly get it into our hearts that every word in the bible is spoken by God. It is the word, will and testament of God almighty, as believers of the inspiration of scripture, this has to be coupled with faith. Hebrews 11:6 puts it simply, without faith it is impossible to please God. In order for believers to invoke the power of God, we must believe His word to be absolute truth. Simply because it is impossible for God to lie Hebrews 6. You and I can take no greater confidence that God is not a man that He should lie. Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken and will not make it good? Rhetorical as the question may seem, the short answer is that He will do what He said. We can put our full confidence in every word of the bible. Let God be true and every man a liar.
- How to dodge doctrines of demons
Doctrine can be defined as a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group. The bible clearly articulates and defines its beliefs, yet among the thousands of denominations and sects, we find vast contradictions in the core beliefs and practices today. The reason that God inspired the words in 1 Timothy was a firm warning that the craftiness and deceitful nature of our enemy, Satan is such that in the latter days, is that corruption of core beliefs will happen. So subtle and minor, however, the destructive nature of this results in sin and ultimately can lead multitudes to deviate on a bypass onto the broad highway that’s leads to eternal separation from God. One such example in Islam is that Jesus was a prophet, was sent by Allah and will come back one day soon, but the poison in the chalice is that He did not suffer and die on the cross for the propitiation of sin. He will come back, not to judge the world triumphantly as King along with myriads of angels, but to minister to Christians that they were wrong about what is believed about him and that He is just a prophet. See the poison? The doctrine of salvation articulated in Romans 3. The five Solas state that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to scripture alone to the glory of God alone. Whatdoes a drop of Strychnine (rat poison) in a bucket of milk become? The answer is that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. God expects us to study and understand core doctrines so that when the enemy comes with a little poison, we are able to identify His lies that intend to steal, kill and destroy. Know the truth intimately and it will set you free
- How to connect the old and the new testament
If one were to take a satellite view of the bible, similar to Google maps, you would see two provinces part of the same country. The history of the bible can be summarized as Paradise lost in Genesis, Jesus’ atoning sacrifice in the middle and paradise regained in Revelation. It is Gods redemptive plan for mankind. Him displaying His amazing grace toward sinful men who do not love Him. Another way of looking at the two parts of the whole is that there are two covenants that God makes with man. One under law and the other under Grace. The bible is by far, the most interconnected book in history. The Old Testament is so closely interconnect with the new. The New Testament is the fulfillment of the old.
- How to find the center of the bible
What is the most important aspect of the whole is that Jesus is seen in the beginning to middle right through to the end. He is the core focus of the entire bible as the God Man who was slain from the foundation of the world and is seen as the glory of Heaven at the end. He is the sum and fulfillment of the word seen in John 1:1. JC Rile put it this way “I charge every reader of this message. Ask yourself frequently what the bible is to him. Is it a bible which you have found nothing more than moral precepts and sound advice or is it a bible which you have found Christ. Is it a bible which Christ is all the way through? If not, you have used your bible very little. You are like a man who studies the solar system and leaves out the sun, which is the center of all. It is no wonder you find the bible a dull book”
- How to hear God’s voice through the scriptures
Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”
King Solomon knew a thing or two about this. In the Law of Moses, God commanded that a king was to personally hand write out a copy of the law and to observe it. This would take on average 6 months to write out 192 pages. As believers, we may not take such drastic measures, but God commands us to hide His word in our hearts. Practically, we can memorize His word, commit it to heart, write it on note pads and stick them up where we can be reminded and most importantly, to act in faith in what he has promised. God may never speak to us in a burning bush or a cloud of fire, but what I am certain of is that His Holy Spirit speaks to me through His word, but if we do not fill our hearts with scripture, how can I expect to hear from heaven? “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”
Conclusion
The very last word of the bible is “Amen’ meaning “let it be so” We have said this word countless times and maybe taken no consideration of what it implies. When we and more importantly God says Amen, we are standing in complete agreement with Gods promises, commandments and precepts. In other words “Lord, let your will be done” The bible is not just an instruction manual or a morally prescriptive self-help book. It is the unquestionable, undisputed, infallible Word of the God who spoke and everything had to obey at creation and will one day soon return for those who love Him and love truth. So to that I say, “come quickly Lord Jesus and fulfill all that you have promised”
Amen