Church of the Nazarene
Burning Questions: Do you really believe the bible is true?
Burning Questions part 2: Do you really believe the bible is true? (the word of God?
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
Do you actually believe the Bible is True?
What does the world say?
A survey from 2014 by PewResearch indicated
35% of Americans read the bible at least once a week
45% say they seldom or never read the bible.
What do Christians say?
39% say the bible is the word of God and should be taken literally.
36% say it should not be taken literally or express another opinion or no answer at all.
18% view it as a book written by men and not by God.
What does your church say?
Church of the Nazarene Article of Faith IV
“We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.”
How can we unpack this question together?
We will examine two specific aspects of this question.
1. Reliability of the text
2. The story the bible is telling
2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
How did Jesus view the Scriptures?
Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
“The truth is that our own longings prove the story of the bible to be true. Man cannot really live and thrive apart from God’s word, apart from God’s story.”
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
So, do we believe the bible is true, that the bible is the word of God?
Yes!
The bible is confronting you with a question: What story are you living for?
How can we engage the bible?
1. Read it! As you prepare to read the bible, pray that God would open your heart and mind to hear his words.
2. Read it in Community! Life Groups are a great example of ways to engage the scriptures in community.
3.Listen to the word! There are many audio bible’s available for free on your smartphone.
4. Pray the word! Praying scripture back to God is a powerful way to get into the story.