I believe I am safe in saying that regardless of how immoral and skeptical our society has become that the vast majority of people around us still at least claim to believe in the validity of the Bible. Even though true New Testament Christianity is largely absent from the lives of most Americans still have at least a generic respect for the value of the Bible. But at the same time it is discouraging, even “hair pullingly frustrating” at times, to see, read or hear so many people who claim to accept the Bible’s spiritual value and yet at the same time reject its authority on so many levels. I’ve heard the Bible referred to as an allegorical book or so old that it is out of touch with modern realities. However, if a person is going to believe the Bible then that belief is going to demand our acceptance of certain realities.
If you believe the Bible then you must accept its source. “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). “For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible claims that its source is God. That claim is either true or false. If it is true then the fact that we have a book that came from God is so profound that it should shake us to our core and force us to our knees in total submission. If that claim is false then the Bible holds no spiritual value to us whatsoever and should be marked as a fraudulent work of lies. There is no middle ground. But to accept the Bible is from God and yet that reality not make us stand in awe of the document that we are able to possess is beyond ridiculous. If a person rejects that the Bible is from God and at the same time rejects the Bible that is one thing, but if a person is going to believe the Bible then they have to accept that God is its source and respond accordingly.
If you believe the Bible then you must accept its authority. “And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). “God…hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds…” (Hebrews 1:2). If the Bible is from God then it is infallible. It is the sum of truth (John 17:17) and contains the infallible will of God. It constitutes a standard by which we should live and by which we will be judged (John 12:48). In other words it contains an inherent authority by which we are bound. Therefore a person cannot truly believe the Bible without at the same time accepting its authority. The two go hand in hand. That authority governs the way we worship, the means by which we are saved, and the general way that we go on about our lives. The Bible contains authority. We must either accept it as a whole or reject it in the same.
If you believe the Bible then you must accept its moral code. Lying? Sex outside of marriage? Murder? Gossip? Homosexuality? These and other similar moral issues are all discussed and dealt with in the Bible. God’s will on these matters has been revealed. And what’s more is the Bible has been very clear in what those expectations are. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherent the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). Any ambiguity there? Absolutely not, and yet so often men and women who otherwise say they believe the Bible at the same time look at these words as mere suggestions. The Bible declares God’s moral expectations for our lives. So if you believe the Bible then by default you must at the same time accept its moral code.
If you believe the Bible then you must accept its finality. “Forever, O Jehovah, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). “I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Because the Bible is God’s word it cannot change because it has no need to be changed. God’s word is perfect and sealed in heaven. Man can try to change it here but that does nothing to change it there. God’s word is final, unchanging, and eternal. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). You don’t have the right to change it, I don’t have the right to change it, and God will not change it. So if you believe the Bible then you must at the same time accept that God’s word is final.
Belief in the validity of the Bible demands certain admissions from us. We cannot claim to believe the Bible and yet belittle it, ignore it, and reject it. It is God’s revealed purpose for our lives. It represents Jesus’ last will and testament. Accept it or reject it. That decision is up to you. But if you choose to accept it then do so fully by accepting its source, its authority, its moral code, and its finality.
-Andy