Differing opinions and commentaries on the Bible are coming at us from every direction. So, when we’re studying the Bible, how much of it, if any, are we supposed to trust? Well, of course, the short answer is “All of it”. And rightly so. Because the entire Bible is inspired by God and it’s His own revelation to us about Who He is. Nevertheless, the facts in this case shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, God gave them to us.
Looking at the Hebrew or Jewish scriptures, what we refer to as “The Old Testament”, we discover that it’s a compilation of writings by people of different countries, continents and centuries who could never have met to collaborate. And yet, they all agree on the Messiah – the Son of God – who will come to redeem the world from the penalty of sin. In these writings, gathered and published some 400 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, we find prophecies telling us what to look for so that we’ll be able to identify the Messiah when He arrives on earth. Things like the city of His birth. He will make the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk. He will raise the dead to life. He will be innocent, but die a criminal’s death. He will have his hands and feet pierced and be buried in a rich man’s grave but will rise back to life on the third day. The list goes on and on. The point is that Jesus fulfilled over three hundred prophecies found in a book that was published and widely distributed before His birth. Only God could know that much about someone before He’s born.
We can’t overlook the fact that God is faithful to reveal Himself to His children. He is faithful to fulfill every one of His promises. And history records his perfect record. He’s never failed on His promises…and He’s not about to start now. The promises of Jesus’ return are just as reliable and literally certain as the promises of His first advent. He will return to claim His faithful and take us to a place He is now busy preparing. Even so, people from every background will try to get us to believe what the world says about the Bible. However, God’s own revelation of Himself gets us to believe what the Bible says about the world.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
