Living By Faith Blog

Strong Sword or Rubber Dagger?

Every day we need to fight the fight of faith.  One of the main weapons we use for this fight is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph 6:17).

But if we doubt the truth of God’s Word, we’re not heading into battle with a strong sword, but with a rubber dagger.  That won’t be pretty.

So how can we overcome doubts about the Bible?

Understand Why We Believe

Some people think true faith doesn’t need reasons.  But that’s wrong.

Throughout the Bible God gives us reasons — evidence — for why we should trust Him.

So the way to overcome doubts about the Bible is by reminding ourselves of all the evidence we have for believing that the Bible is the very word of God.

Here’s evidence I find helpful —

There Is A God

One reason I believe there is a God is because I have experienced Him so powerfully that I know — this is God.

But I don’t always feel that, which is why it’s crucial to understand other evidences God gives us.

One of the most powerful evidences is the fact that you exist on a beautiful earth in a massive universe.  How did that happen?

There are only two possibilities.  Everything came into existence either by accident, or by design.  But I’ve never seen things as complex as the human eye or as beautiful as California Poppies come into being by accident.  These sorts of things always come into being by design.

So the beauty and order in the universe shows that there is a designer — a Being powerful and wise enough to create this universe.  And any being powerful and wise enough to create this universe is God.

So the most reasonable explanation for this universe is that there is a God.

How Can We Learn About God?

A book exists which claims to be from God.  It’s called The Bible.  You can see this in 2 Timothy 3:16 —

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

The word “Scripture” refers to the Old Testament.  But Peter also says Paul’s writings are “Scripture” (2Pet 3:15-16).  So “Scripture” can refer to both the Old and New Testaments — the entire Bible.

And what does it mean that the entire Bible is “breathed out by God”?  It means it’s the very words of God, because when you speak, your words are “breathed-out.” (To see this, open your palm in front of your mouth and speak some words.  Feel the breath?)

And there are many verses which teach that the Bible is the very words of God.  Here are some of them — Josh 24:26; Psa 1:1-2; Jer 30:2; 1Cor 14:37; 2Pet 1:20-21.

But the Bible’s claim to be from God doesn’t prove it’s from God.  We need more evidence.

And we have that evidence in —

Jesus Christ

How can we know anything about Jesus Christ?  It’s because we have eyewitness accounts from people who were there 2,000 years ago.

The New Testament descriptions of Jesus are not based on legend or hearsay, but on eyewitness testimony, as you can see from Luke 1:1-4; 1Cor 15:5-8; John 20:30-31; 2Pet 1:16; 1John 1:1-4.  And there is no good reason not to trust these eyewitnesses.

These eyewitness accounts show that Jesus was fully God, as he calms a storm (Mark 4:39), heals blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52), raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44), forgives sins (Mark 2:5-7), dies on the Cross (Mark 15:39), and rises from the dead (John 20:20).

So we have massive historical evidence that Jesus was God — and no evidence that He was not.  Which means that 2,000 years ago God Himself came to earth in the person of Jesus.

What Jesus Said About The Old Testament

Jesus taught that the Old Testament Scriptures were the very words of God —

• In Mat 5:18 Jesus says everything in the Old Testament would be fulfilled.
• In Luke 24:25 Jesus says we are foolish if we don’t believe all that the Old Testament prophets spoke.
• In Mat 19:4-5 Jesus says what Moses wrote in Gen 2:24 was the very words of God.

So Jesus — God Himself — said the Old Testament was the very words of God.

What Jesus Said About The New Testament

The New Testament was written by Jesus’ apostles, the 12 men He had chosen to accompany Him during His earthly ministry.

And Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach the apostles all things and enable them to remember everything Jesus taught (John 14:26).  That means the apostles would be speaking and writing truth directly from Jesus.

And when we read what the apostles wrote, it’s clear that they knew they were writing God’s very words (1Co 2:13; 1Co 14:37; 2Pe 3:2).

So Jesus — God Himself — tells us that the New Testament is the very words of God, and this is borne out by the way the apostles wrote.

What This Means

If you have your Bible nearby, pick it up.  Hold it in your hands.  And consider —

This book is one-of-a-kind.  These words are the very words of God.

That means the following statements are absolutely, perfectly, 100% true —

In God’s presence is fulness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

All your sins can be forgiven through Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:9)

God will supply all your needs. (Phil 4:19)

God will never leave your nor forsake you. (Deut 31:6)

Changes everything.

Comments?  Feedback?

• Why Trust Jesus Christ?
• Billy Graham’s Battle To Trust The Bible
• Bored With The Bible?
• Don’t Face The Lion Without Your Sword

(Picture is from Microsoft Publisher Clipart.)