The Bible Says So…Can You Believe It?
Sinful humanity does not seek God because of the fear of being confronted by the offended party (Gen 3; Rom 3:10–12). Avoidance is how Adam and Eve managed their relationship with God after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. We cannot escape our all-knowing, omnipresent Maker, however.
Satan also works to hinder man’s relationship with God. The devil lies to people about the Triune Godhead. He also distracts us from seeking after God. He blinds the minds of people from seeing, knowing, or understanding the Gospel of God (2 Cor 4:4).
Spiritual blindness, distortion, distraction, and disinterest are only remedied by God’s revelation of Himself. Sinners have long been exposed to the wonder of God’s creation. Whether one peers into a telescope or a microscope, there is no end to what there is to discover. All of creation bears witness to the existence of our Creator. He is Lord of all (Acts 10:36).
Not only do we observe the physical universe; but we see process and organization all around us. The stars in the heavens have their assigned places and from the viewpoint of earth, we see a story being told in the night sky. The seasons also tell the story of life and death. Every day the sun dies in the west; and it is resurrected from the dead every morning in the east. This is coupled with the eco-system and every other complex system in the biosphere. Animate or inanimate, our God has created all things and He sustain it all.
God’s administration of all that He has made is a providence to behold. All of that which God sustains by the Word of His power is His general revelation for humanity to consider Him and His glory; therefore, cultures around the planet have some conscious acknowledgement of a Creative power far greater than man. Thus, the generic term “god” finds its place in most human languages.
Cultures and societies are producers of history, too. History is God’s story; regardless of whether God is acknowledged or not. In fact, atheism is part of recent history, so it is also a part of God’s story.
History informs us of people, places, times, and events in the past. The history of the world is told by fallible human beings, who have limited information. Humans are sinners; so, there is the distortion of history, too. Ironically, that, too, is a part of history.
The ruler of this world is the devil (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), who is identified as the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44). The children of the devil are liars, too (Rom 3:4; 1 Jn 3:10). Some liars have the task of writing history; and here is the root of the problem with history.
One may ask, “Who and what is the devil?” How do we know about him and his children? Who are his children? Why are they both liars? If they are liars; then who is telling the truth. What is truth?
If everything is designed to reveal God to us; there is only one book that claims to be the sole source of special revelation. The Holy Bible itself claims to be the written Word of God, the Word of truth (2 Tim 3:16; Heb 4:12; 2 Pet 1:20–21). Scripture tells us certain things about creation; the administration of creation; the history of humanity; certain events of history; the problem with humanity; the solution to the problem; and the future of the world.
The Bible limits its scope on every select subject. It only tells us what is necessary for us to know about God, ourselves, and most importantly from a human perspective…God’s salvation of sinners. The Bible tells us God did certain things at certain times. This includes how He revealed Himself to specific people in particular ways.
The Bible also reveals two groups of people in the world (Ps 1; 1 Jn 3:10): first, there are those who do not believe the Bible; second, there are those who do believe it to be the special revelation of God. It is futile for a believer in God’s Word to dispute with one who denies the Bible is an authoritative source. The Bible actually explains why the unbeliever does not believe the Bible to be the special revelation of God. God has not permitted the unbeliever to believe the Word of God. Only the Holy Spirit can open the eyes of faith for the natural man (Acts 16:14; 1 Cor 2:14–15; Eph 1:18). The world cannot receive the Spirit of God (Jn 14:17); but the Spirit is sent to whomever God chooses to reveal Himself (Jn 14:26; 15:26).
In days gone by, God spoke to Adam; Cain; and Moses via direct address. Others received revelation from the angel of the Lord (pre-incarnate Christ), as did Joshua on the banks of the Jordan River. Angels played their part in the issuance of God’s Law (Torah) to Moses atop Mount Sinai (Heb 2:2). Others, like Joseph, received dreams and visions. Still others like Balaam were privy to miracles, signs, and wonders. All of these divine revelation methods are recorded in the Bible, with numerous other examples of each type.ee
The Holy Bible, as special revelation, was inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16), who moved specific men to write the Scriptures (2 Pet 1:20–21). Some 40–50 human authors, over 1500 years, wrote the 66 books of our one Bible. That is a miracle itself because the Bible is one book with one message and without contradiction. Who could do that?
There is a warning to the many so-called “Christians” who claim to be Christians but who hold a low view of the Bible. These people do not know nor do they like what the Bible says about specific subjects. They place their own opinions up against what God has said; and what has been written. This is a dangerous position to hold because of self-deceit.
The Bible must be revered as the written Word of God and believed on in all points; otherwise, one must acknowledge himself or herself to be an unbeliever. This does not include those who are newly born again. Infants need the milk of the Word, to spiritually grow up into Christ and the knowledge of Him. This is the spiritual maturation process. It takes time to learn sound doctrine; and sometimes we get bad information leading to an unprofitable belief in a bad doctrine.
Our warning is to those who claim to have been Christians for a very long time; even since childhood, but who hold heretical views of doctrine. It is unlike the Spirit of truth to withhold the Word of truth, and its right interpretation from the children of God.
This does not mean the spiritual warfare over what is truth is not an authentic battle. It is; but in that struggle, the Holy Spirit will prevail. Greater is He that is in the believer than he that is in the world. Thus, this holding bad doctrinal positions should not remain an ongoing issue. If the Spirit is leading and guiding you into all truth (Jn 16:13); then, the heretical doctrines of the Judaizers (see Galatians); the Arians (see Gospel of John); the Licentious Libertines (see Jude); the Pelagians (see Romans 3–5); the Socinians (see Romans); the Arminians (read Romans 9 until you believe it and Ephesians 1); the Mormons (see 2 Cor 11:3–4); etc. should not persist for elongated years.
The only way out of heresy is the truth of the Bible, God’s special revelation to His elect, redeemed, regenerate people who believe and delight in the Holy Bible and the sound doctrine found within it.
My dear reader, do you have a problem with: the biblical doctrines of man’s total depravity; eternal punishment in fiery hell; the election of some people and the reprobation of others; the definite atonement by Christ for God’s chosen people; the sovereignty of God in salvation, along with the everything else; or any other revealed doctrine of the Bible, then you need to repent and believe what the Bible says.
You must examine yourself as to whether you believe the whole counsel of God, on what you know it says about a subject. You must then judge yourself as to whether your unbelief and disobedience is because you want to be a god, too (Gen 3:5). Of course, that will be known on the Day of Judgment when all things will be revealed. The Bible says so.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
July 25, 2024
