What does it look like to trust the Bible? Well, as we dust off our Bible and actually see what’s inside, we find that Ephesians 2:8 is a verse familiar to Christians: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”. This explains clearly to us the truth that grace is not earned, it’s a gift. And, by definition, any gift that is earned is not really a gift at all, it’s compensation. But what’s most amazing in this familiar verse is the fact that we are saved from all penalty of sin through our faith in Jesus Christ and by no other means. It’s exactly as Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me”. Now, it would be absurd to say I have faith in God, but I don’t trust His Word. After all, faith and trust are interchangeable. So, to say I have absolute saving faith in Jesus, but I don’t absolutely trust in His eternal Word isn’t faith - by any definition.
Since receiving the message at Flatland church this past Sunday and the subsequent related blogs, we’ve come to know that all scripture is God’s revelation of Himself, and hopefully by now we believe this. But there’s a bridge between belief and faith that each one of us must cross in order to be saved. If, for example, I believe that a glass of water served in a restaurant is safe and good for me, that’s one thing. But belief in the safety and benefits of that water doesn’t provide the hydration I need to sustain my life. Drinking the water that someone has served me is the act of faith - the bridge I have to cross - to save and sustain my life.
We have every reason to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. After all, we have agreement by hundreds of eye witnesses, prophecies proclaimed and fulfilled, people willing to die by slow and tortuous means to ensure the truth is shared. And the list of incontestable evidence goes on. But until you and I make a personal choice to act on that sound belief, we’re just slowly dying of thirst. What does it look like to trust the Bible? It’s stepping out in faith; it’s crossing the bridge between belief in the Word of the Lord into acting on it by saving others in love and obedience to Him.
“He (Jesus) replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.’”
Just to hear the Law does not make a man right with God. The man right with God is the one who obeys the Law. Romans 2:13 NLV
