WHY WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE BIBLE'S INSPIRATION (Part 3)

By Bob Myhan

A second reason for accepting the Bible’s claim to be inspired of God is the remarkable unity the Bible exhibits. Though each of the human writers had his own writing style, the one theme of the Bible passed from writer to writer much like the baton in a perfectly-executed re­lay race. Joshua picked up where Moses left off, Judges picked up where Joshua left off, etc. The common theme was the reconcilia­tion of mankind. Some refer to this theme as the “scarlet thread of redemption.” The Gospel of Matthew begins by tying itself to the Old Testament through the lineage of “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:1-16). This was to show that Jesus—as the adopted son of a de­scendant of David—was in line to be the king of Israel. Of course, it is Luke’s geneal­ogy (3:23-31), which shows that Jesus “was born of the seed of David according the flesh” (Rom. 1:3).

REASON #3: THE BIBLE’S FLAWED PORTRAITS

The Bible does not glorify its heroes but presents them truthfully with all their faults and weaknesses. When you read the Bible, you real­ize that even the faithful of whom it speaks had their weaknesses. What made them great was not that they were innately good but that they trusted in God. Consider the following examples.

Noah was clearly a man of faith (Heb. 11:7). However, we are told that, after the flood, Noah “began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became un­covered in his tent” (Gen. 9:20-21).

Drunkenness is everywhere condemned in the Bible. There is no reason to think it was acceptable to God prior to the giving of the Law of Moses.

Another example of a flawed portrait is that of Abraham, the father of the faithful (Rom. 4:1-25; Heb. 11:8-19). But he lied about Sarah being his wife on two occa­sions (Gen. 12:10-13; 20:1-2).

A third example is Moses, the lawgiver of Israel (John 1:17). Though a man of faith (Heb. 11:24-27), even Moses gave in to weakness on one occasion and was not al­lowed to enter the Promised Land with the people of God as a consequence (Num. 20:7-12).

A fourth example is King David, who was described by God as “a man after My own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). Yet, he committed adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11:1-26).

A fifth example is Peter, who three times denied knowing Jesus during the lat­ter’s appearance before the high priest (Matt. 27:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:25-27) and later played the hypo­crite by refusing to eat with Gentile Chris­tians (Gal. 2:11-14).

All of these details could have been left out of the Bible and probably would have been had it been the product of mere men, who tend to whitewash their heroes’ life stories. Such objectivity supports, if it does not prove, the inspiration of Scripture. &

And Peter Said To Them

By Kent Heaton

The crowd moved close to hear what the men were saying. Confusion filled the minds of the people as a strong wind was heard filling the house. Nothing like this had ever been seen or heard. Twelve men were standing preaching in the native tongues of “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and prose­lytes, Cretans and Arabians” (Acts 2:9-11). The men were speaking about the mighty works of God.

Then one man spoke above the mur­muring of the crowd and explained what was happening. The events of that day were a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy many years before. He spoke of the man Jesus who had been killed by lawless men yet raised by the power of God to be Lord and Christ. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). The crowd was moved with fear and sorrow. Crying out to Peter and the rest of the apostles, the multitude begged to know what to do.

It is here we find the depth of human emotion seeking an answer that for cen­turies [had] eluded man in the promise of a coming savior. Honest hearts cried out for guidance to find peace with God. They had killed the Messiah in ignorance (Acts 3:17) and what hope lay before them, now? Would Jehovah God come and de­stroy them as He did the early world or the cities of the plain? (2 Pet. 2:5-6) Is there any hope for man without a Savior? The answer lies in what happened next.

As the voices settled from the desper­ate cry of despair, a single voice spoke. “And Peter said to them” (Acts 2:38). Peter spoke and gave the anxious hearts hope. Through the agency of words, Peter outlined the avenue of salvation offered by God to those men whose hearts had been changed by the preaching of the gospel. They would not be condemned if they would heed the instructions given. Paul would write later, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). What Peter told them would bring them into a relationship with God. They need only heed the words and obey the words to find salvation.

“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation’" (Acts 2:38-40). How simple the divine pattern given by God through men. Through the agency of the spoken word, those gathered on the Day of Pentecost found salvation.

Many people seek for a magic pill or formula to find peace with God. His an­swer is found in the word delivered by holy men moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Salvation is in the word of God (Eph. 1:13; 6:17). Those on Pentecost obeyed the word spoken by Peter as directed by the Holy Spirit. We must do the same. Jesus reminds of the power of words: “He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day” (John 12:48). & (Via the internet) 

How Important Is Attitude?

By Clif Dennis

One morning a lady awoke and looked in the mirror only to dis­cover that there were only three hairs on her head. Good!!, she exclaimed. I think I'll braid my hair today! The next morning the mirror revealed only two hairs were left. Wonderful!!!, today I can part my hair down the middle! But on the third morning she had lost another hair and had only one left. Her spirits were not damp­ened. Now I can have a ponytail! On the fourth day she woke up with no hair. Wow!! Today I don't have to fix my hair!!!!

My Comment: What an attitude!!! Attitude determines character. Can we learn to be happy no matter the circumstances? The great apostle Paul did. "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in what­ever state I am, to be content.....” Phil. 4:11. Sometimes we get confused about our wants and our needs. Lord give us this day our daily bread. This is all we need! Seeking material things beyond our needs just for the sake of accumulating is wrong. See Matt. 6:33 & (Via the Reminder)