The Bible: ExplainedSample

Is the Bible reliable and trustworthy? Scripture is the inspired Word of God that documents the story of God, His people, and His unending pursuit to be close to who He loves—you. Even if you don’t get every Bible question answered, God uses our pursuit of those questions to lead us back to Him. So how do you go from a head knowledge of the Bible to actually internalizing it and believing it? What happens if you have doubts? It can sometimes feel like you have to have every argument settled and every doubt answered, but that’s not the case. If you’re unsure about Scripture, you’re not alone, and wrestling with those doubts can actually draw you closer to God. Check out how that happened for David—a guy who even graduated with a degree in biblical studies and questioned his faith. God can use our doubts to take us to a deeper faith. We see this in Genesis when a guy named Jacob physically wrestled with God. And God wasn’t angry with Him; He blessed Him. Here’s the thing: God doesn’t always answer everything we want to know, but He answers everything we need to know. Will you have questions? Will some things about God or His Word seem odd or confusing? Probably. But it’s okay to have those questions. Bring them to God and to others because He will meet you in your questions and lead you back to Him. And you don’t have to believe the Bible based on blind faith alone. Faith is absolutely believing without seeing, but trusting the Bible is a mixture of truth and faith—just as David talked about. So there is faith involved. But there are also well-researched, scholarly answers to questions about the Bible. So pursue both. Build your faith through research and build your faith through prayer. That combination of spiritual plus practical is the key to unlocking a faith that withstands the test of time. There’s a beautiful reminder of this in Philippians: … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 NIV We are saved by God’s grace alone, but we continue to grow in our faith by taking steps to get to know God and to become more like Him. Asking questions only helps us continue to work out our faith, building our foundation so that we can grow in our knowledge and understanding of who God is. Just as David’s story reminds us—the Bible is reliable. It introduces us to the character of God, and reading it gives us the mind of Christ and helps us understand Him more. Now, imagine never being able to hear it. That’s the case for millions of people around the world. There are people waiting for the truth of Scripture in their language. And when people hear the Word of God in words they understand, they realize God is pursuing them and it goes from being something they know to something they believe. That alone reinforces our faith that the Bible is living and active, and it’s important for us to move from just reading it to actually living it out in the world in a tangible way. Pray: God, thank You for meeting me in my doubts. I’m really struggling with ____, and I need Your power to help me overcome my unbelief. Help my thoughts align more with Yours, and give me a supernatural excitement for not only reading Your Word but sharing it with others.