Saturday, July 12, 2008

Your Life, The Importance of the Bible

First off I'm sorry for taking so long to make this post. It has taken a lot of reference, and a couple different books. Now here is the post.

The Bible is something every Christian should read at every possible moment and want more than water itself. And yet we choose do so many other things. And when we are questioned about it we fall short. We lose sight of God, and eventually fall into sin. This is what happens to more than half of the Christian youth in America. This must stop! The solution to the problem is the simple act of reading the Bible and knowing what it truly is. And it is this.

The Bible is a book that is indestructible to man and time until the end of time. In Isaiah 40:6-8 it says

A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry out?"
"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass whithers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are the grass. The grass whithers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever."

Man and their accomplishments will fall before the Word of God is destroyed. As will time. A look back in history shows this.
In A.D. 303 The Roman Emperor Diocletian decreed that every Bible be destroyed. Feeling He succeeded he raised a column with the Latin inscription "Extincto nomene Christianorum" (the name of Christian is extinguished). In A.D. 312 Constantine succeeded him, and replaced this pagan symbol with a cross. And 1440 years later:
A French atheist named Voltaire boasted "100 years from my day there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker." Twenty years after his death the Geneva Bible Society purchased his house for printing the Bible. It later became the British headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society for storing and distributing the Bible throughout all of Europe.

You see, many men have tried to destroy the Bible all throughout time, and they have all failed. And they will always fail until Christ comes down from Heaven and even then they will not succeed.

The Bible is a book that was spoken by God through the hands of man, and can not in any way be contradicted by anything. In 2Peter1:20-21 it says

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

You see man wrote the Bible on paper, but God is the author and inspiration. How are we sure of this. Look at it logically by taking a verse. James 1:2 says

Consider it pure joy my brothers, when facing trials of many kinds.

It means you should be joyful during times of hardship in knowing that you have an eternity of paradise when all is over.
How could a man think of having joy in their suffering. Let alone writing it in the Bible. Now how could a man write this one verse let alone write a book in the Bible while not contradicting anything else already within the Bible?
To this someone might say someone could just study the Bible and write out a book in the Bible that doesn't contradict anything already written.
But the studying alone would take years to do, and even still you'd need the Bible to look back to. But with the writing as well, it would take many years maybe even a lifetime to write one book in the Bible. and yet Paul, who wasn't a Christian for the first years of his life, wrote 14. many of which were letters in a prison where he didn't have a Bible to read and compare to. He wrote until he was old without losing any value to his writings.

How could a man do this without the help of God? It's impossible! For man is a hypocrite! We always contradict ourselves in many fields. So man could not write the Bible for nothing in the Bible can contradict anything else in the Bible. In Deuteronomy18:21-22 it says

You may say to yourself "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

I have spoken in a previous post the God cannot contradict Himself, therefore everything He speaks comes to pass. So if man contradicts himself, but the Lord does not, and the Bible does not contradict itself, who does it sound like wrote the Bible?

The Bible is a book that is to be followed, not tampered with. In Revelations 22:18-19 it says

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share of the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Meaning if anyone tampers with the Bible in any way, they will suffer eternal damnation from God. Some have done this despite the warning. The Book of Mormon and the Koran are examples of this. There is warning against these false teachings in 2Peter 2:1-3 it says

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and destruction has not been sleeping.

These teachers will do all they can to get you to convert to their teachings. So you must read the Bible and learn their tricks in detail and learn to avoid them and stay true to God. In Hebrews 2:1-4 it says

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angel was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

If you do not read and study the Bible and ignore the Salvation, you will not escape the hand of the Lord. But not only this, you will be untaught and could easily be lured into converting to a false teaching. Where you will pay the ultimate price of losing your eternal life.
So instead, read and study the Bible, so that you may be filled with wisdom, strength, and knowledge to use against the false teachers.

But the Bible is not only the things I have mentioned here. These were only fractions of the whole. To understand the entire Bible you must read it with a desire greater than the desire of life sustaining water.

How To Read The Bible-F. B. Meyer
Read the Bible, not as a newspaper, but as a home letter.
If a cluster of Heavenly fruit hangs within reach, pluck it.
If a promise lies upon the page of a blank check, cash it.
If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it, and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire.
If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you.
If the truth is revealed in all its intrinsic splendor, entreat that its brilliance may ever radiate the hemisphere of your life.

The Bible is the Word of God made for man to read to make himself a better Christian and as a guidebook to go through life while understanding God more.
Long Live Jesus Christ
Thank you for reading.

3 comments:

Ms. Kei said...

nice post teejay ^_^

additional insight i got here:
'So if man contradicts himself, but the Lord does not, and the Bible does not contradict itself, who does it sound like wrote the Bible?'

thanks bro!
keep it up!

H U I Y I N G . said...

hi! im sure you don't know me. and i just so happened to pass by yr blog. hey! im from singaPORE and im a chirstian too!! just evry very encouraged at yr posts!!! and i'd like to say! KEEP GOING FOR GOD, keep shinning for Him!! and hey! u do have bro-n sis in christ all OVER THE WORLD! and hey! we're all running this race together! so, whenever u feel like giving up, think of all the other bro n sis in christ who are running too! keep going for God :)

Andrew Clarke said...

Great post, Chris. I found it uplifting to hear how the attempts to stifle the Bible and Christian expression were confounded to the point where it was instead amplified, as in Voltaire's house becoming a place of Bible distribution. And I agree - reading the Bible is spiritual oxygen without which we start to lose consciousness. By the way, you might have heard of books by Josh McDowell titled "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" and shows just how much good evidence from history there is to support the Bible's claims (though not to say that it replaces faith as the critical component, merely rebutts those who ridicule Scripture). A Bible I keep at hand has a preface listing 'Where to look in the Bible when..' and listing situations, such as needing peace. Blessings to you. Visit my sites if you wish, at http://threeswans.blogspot.com or www.threeswans.com.au