THE BIBLE,
A TRUE BOOK
By Medford
Caudill
Goshen, Indiana
"Sanctify
them through thy truth; they word is truth" (John 17:17)
It
has been said that a good way to deliver a sermon is to tell what you are
going to say, then say it, and then remind everyone of what you just said.
Following that form of logic, what I intend to do after stating that the
Bible is a true book, is to show why it is true, what we mean when we say
it is true, and then finish up with, if the Bible is true then how does
it apply to our daily lives.
Psalms 119:129 tells us that, " Thy testimonies are wonderful."
The Bible tells us wonderful truths about wonderful things. It is an
amazing book. You can read it through several times a year for many years
and still be fascinated in the awe, and even surprised by it. I would hate
to contemplate life if the Bible was not a true book. What would I know
about God? What could I know about salvation? What could I know about the
destiny of my eternal soul? I am lost and undone. I am not able to understand
these matters of eternal importance without this book to guide me.
I. WE SAY FIRSTLY
THAT THE BIBLE IS A TRUE BOOK BECAUSE IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.
It
claims to be such. Jesus certainly thought that it was. In our text Jesus
in the midst of prayer to His heavenly Father calls it "thy word."
Numerous times the various prophets claimed the same ground as Zephaniah
who begins his book with: "The word of the Lord which came unto ..."
They said over and over with Isaiah, "Thus saith the Lord God."
Psalms 119:152 says: "Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of
old that thou hast founded them forever."
If God has not given us the Bible it must be for one of two reasons.
If God has not given us the Bible it may be because He cannot communicate
with His creation. In which case, He is not God. Do we really believe that
an all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing Creator is incapable of communicating
with His creation?
It is either He cannot or He will not communicate with His creation. If
He will not then He is not the God who "so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life." Can we really believe that the God who
gave His Son for the sins of His people would not inform them of that fact?
Can we believe that a loving God would not tell us how to shun Hell and
gain Heaven?
God is true and therefore His Word is true. Once again Jesus said so in
our text. These words are given us "In hope of eternal life, which God,
that cannot lie, promised before the world began ..." (Titus 1:2).
Truth is part of His essential nature. "The works of His hands are verity
and judgment; all His commandments are sure" (Psalms 111:7).
John Gill said of God's work in the giving of the Scriptures to man; "Now
since God is the author of them who is perfect Being, in whom is not darkness
at all; not of ignorance, error and imperfection: they coming from Him,
must be free from everything of that kind; He is a rock and His work is
perfect; as His works of creation, providence, redemption; so this work
of the scriptures."
II. WHAT WE MEAN
BY THE STATEMENT; THE BIBLE IS A TRUE BOOK?
Everything in it is true. The science is true and correct. The arithmetic
is true, if it says there was a certain number of anything there was exactly
that number. Everything adds up correctly. The history is true, from the
names of the first man and woman to the names of the churches in Acts.
The history is true right down to the conversations taking place exactly
as recorded. No guesses about who said what. The words spoken by various
people were exactly as the Scripture records them.
We also mean when we say that the Bible is a true book that it is inerrant,
that is without error. Earthly books can be without error but mostly aren't.
It is difficult for even two eyewitnesses to an event to recall it in exactly
the same way. Yet, the Bible because, "holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Peter 1:21), is without error.
Men may make errors, the Holy Spirit does not.
We mean also when we say that the Bible is a true book, not only is it
inerrant but it is infallible. A man may write a book that is error free
but he is still capable of writing error. The wit said one time, "I never
made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once but I was wrong." The Bible
cannot be wrong. Due to its unique nature as the Word of God and being
preserved by God, it is incapable of containing error.
III. WHAT DOES IT
MEAN TO US IF THE BIBLE IS A TRUE BOOK?
First of all, if the Bible is a true book it means that those who don't
believe it are cursed. "Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,
which do err from they commandments" (Psalms 119.21). Unbelief
in the Bible is a very serious thing. In fact it is a great sin and will
not go unpunished. "Thou hast trodden down all them that err from their
statutes; for their deceit is falsehood" (Psalms 119:118).
If the Bible is a true book then read it. Everyone should read through
the whole Bible at least once a year. If every word of it is true then
read every word. Start where God started in Genesis 1:1 and read
through to where God ended in Revelation 22:21.
Don't just read it but study it. Think about what you read each day. Make
notes about it. Read what others have to say about it. Memorize it.
Finally, practice what it says. In everyday life put it into practice.
If the Bible says don't steal, then don't steal. If the Bible says to love
your neighbor, then love your neighbor. If the Bible says to confess your
sins, then confess your sins. If the Bible says to repent, then repent.
Practice what it says not just in your everyday life but in your church
life also. If the Bible says to be baptized, then be baptized. If the Bible
describes a certain kind of church with certain officers and certain ordinances
organized in a certain way, then seek out such a church and join it. If
the Bible says forsake not the assembling of your selves together, then
forsake not the assembly.
The Bible is a true book. We urge you to read it, believe it, and put it
into practice.
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