 |
Whether or not the Bible is true and to be trusted is, of course, a central question of Christian faith. A new school of liberal thought seems to be emerging. Previously, critics of Scripture have argued that the authority of The Bible became an illegitimate way for the Church to control society. “Believe the Bible or be damned for eternity,” was said to be the battle cry of churchmen who wanted power and prestige; they beat people with the Bible to get what they wanted. Now, the theme of Christian critics has changed. They currently tend to argue that the idea of scriptural authority never existed, not in the New Testament or the Old. That’s a radical idea put forth in a new book entitled How the Bible Became Holy, by Michael Satlow, professor of Judaic studies at Brown University.
What are the facts? Check a concordance for the King James phrase “thus saith the Lord” and you’ll see how many scores of times Scripture speaks with Divine authority. As Israel suffered one invasion after another in a series of roller-coaster victories and defeats, and as the Captivity and the Diaspora ravaged the ranks of Jews, the Word of God was the one thing that held Israel together beset by alien and hostile enemies. In the Church age, the authority of Scripture has enabled followers of Christ to survive martyrdom and persistent persecution for two thousand years. It has given us the concept of accountable government and a legal system rooted in a belief in transcendent justice. There are many reasons you can believe the Bible. The Words of Scripture have been tested by human experience and found by the long view of time to be trustworthy. You can believe the Bible!
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did� (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.
