Bible ![[qabible.jpg]](qabible.jpg) |
The Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God. Therefore, it addresses a wide variety of topics relating to the most profound questions we have about life, the universe, and everything else in between. People who refer to the Bible on a regular basis have been greatly blessed, not only by its wisdom, but by the Bible's ability to describe the "big picture," explaining the "why?", "how?", "when?", "where?", and "what?" of human existence. However, to really under- stand what all the fuss is about, you must approach the Bible with a willing mind, a humble heart, and the right attitude toward God.
First of all, most people who claim it's full of contradictions can't name one. Those who actually cite alleged contradictions, don't understand the Bible as a whole, and take isolated verses out of context. For every book that has been written alleging contradictions, there are others written dis- |
spelling them. Here is a partial list: Alleged
Bible Contradictions Explained, by G.
W. DeHoff; Alleged Discrepancies of the
Bible, by J. W. Haley; Encyclopedia of
Bible Difficulties, Gleason Archer Jr.;
Difficulties in the Bible, by R.A. Torry;
Problem texts, by Peter S. Ruckman; Does
the Bible Contradict itself?, by W.F. Arndt.
Secondly, if the Bible is full of contradictions, discrepancies, and all sorts of unexplainable inconsistencies, how has it managed to survive this long? Who in their right mind would
write something blatantly
contradictory and think they
could fool anyone into
thinking it was the Word of
God? For that matter, who
would read it and be foolish
enough to believe it was the Word of God?
outweighs any alleged discrepancy Furthermore, the vast majority of the supposed "contradictions" were already stated by the third century. Surely the Bible should have died in the flames of non- credibility by now. But it hasn't. It's been the biggest, best seller of all time. |
No. While that may be a common
perception upon first reading the Bible, the
key to understanding it is to seek out the
author, Himself. You could say, it is for this
very reason that God made His Word "hard
to understand." He wants you and I to seek
Him.
One's initial attitude toward God
determines the degree to which Biblical
truth is revealed to them. King David often
prayed, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of
thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the
end. Give me understanding, and I shall
keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with
my whole heart." Psalm 119:33-34
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own. They did the most sensible thing they
could have done--they said to Christ,
"Declare unto us the parable of the tares of
the field" (Mat. 13:36). They sought Him,
crying, "Explain it to us! Teach us what it
means!"
The answer is God. God is its author.
Time and space doesn't allow for a |
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thorough explanation of all the fascinating reasons for believing the Bible is God's Word. We could mention the various scientific truths revealed in the Bible long before they were discovered by men. We could mention the prophecies, roughly making up one third of the Bible, most of which have already been fulfilled. Within the Bible, we find laws concerning hygiene, revealed long before man knew about germs. The Bible reveals God's character, His personality, and there's the wisdom, and the behavioral standards which are high above what man would have reasonably imposed upon himself. There are various other examples, but perhaps the most "supernatural" aspect of the Bible is its frank, often convicting and self-incriminating description of human nature. It has often been said that the Bible is a book that man could not have written, nor would have written, if he could.
One common misconception is that the Bible was written so long ago, it cannot possibly be of any practical use to us today. But the fact is, the primary issue addressed by the Bible has not changed, nor will it change as long as human nature remains the same. Oh, our technology and knowledge base may be different than |
what it was back then, but we still have all
the same tendencies and desires to sin.
One of the most useful, yet opposed, facts revealed by the Bible is that "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). We are all sinners. We not only sin by choice, we sin by nature. This natural gravitation toward sin results in self-destructive behavior. We smoke, even though it kill us. We commit fornication even with the threat of AIDS looming over our heads. The list can go on. But not only does the Bible reveal the problem, it reveals the solution--the reason Jesus Christ died in our place two thousand years ago. Please take the time to read the back [below] of this pamphlet. There you'll find the solution to sin. And if you'd like to learn more about the Bible, please write us for a free, at-home Bible correspondence course. |
you would go to Heaven? The Bible says
YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13).
BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you from going to Heaven
are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your
God," Isaiah 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans
3:23.
SECONDLY, you must realize that there is NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9) Baptism, good deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are all examples of good works that cannot save you, because, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he [Christ] saved us," Titus 3:5.
THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) THAT'S WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8-9
THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner and can't save yourself. And call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you. "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9
P.O. Box 815 Fargo, ND 58107