Walking in Faith

The Bible is certainly a book unlike any other work in our society. In the Christian faith, the Bible is the means for God communicating with people on the earth and giving them insight into the character of God, the way we should live our lives, etc. Through the Bible, God reveals Himself to man. He reaches out to us and tells us (and shows us) His various attributes/characteristics as well as the purpose that He has for each one of us. While there is a large debate among Christians as to who ultimately chooses who, I am a firm believer that God reaches out to us and pulls us closer to Him. This is called a Calvinistic perspective. The opposing argument is referred to as Arminian. I believe that God reaching out for us is Biblical. Romans 3:10-11 tells us:

There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God,(NIV).

If Scripture is accurate, I can’t really see how this is my choice, but let me not digress. God chooses to whom He will share “special revelations” (such as Daniel, John, etc.) but He certainly shows all man many things as well. Psalm 19:1-4 talks about the heavens and the skies declaring the glory of God, speaking to all mankind. This is a statement that creation is proclaiming the existence of an ultimate creator. Another example is Romans 1:19-20 which states:

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them (NIV)

God isn’t trying to hide anything from us — that doesn’t make logical sense. He wants to know everything possible — everything that we can understand.

Another key belief of Christians is that the Bible is God-breathed. This means that all Scripture is inspired by the Lord, is infallible and was given to man through the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is very clear on this topic:

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV)

A few other examples would be 1 Cor 2:13 and 1 Thes 2:13. The Scripture is clear that God is the force behind the words. He is the instructor/author of the books, regardless of the man that penned the book. Based on Scripture being God-breathed, the next logical step is that the Bible is infallible and without error. This becomes a heated topic as you look at some of the denominations within Christianity and all religions outside of the Christian faith. Can a person prove it? No, but the evidence is fairly overwhelming. Of course, if you are a skeptic, you can always go really read the book and come tell me where there are holes and give me proof that the Bible is wrong. Thus far, I have not found anything inaccurate, but that doesn’t mean much — I am still new in the faith and growing every day!

Another key about the Bible is that it is not meant to be a complete history of the world, it is a thematic work where God has chosen what pieces to include and communicate to us. The books each have a specific purpose and agenda — they have a theme. All of the books fit together to reveal God and His plan. These books are written in different formats and styles but perfectly convey the message to the reader. The theme throughout the Old Testament is Christ, from beginning to end. Christ confirms this theme in Luke 24:44. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Messiah and the one that the Lord promised for eternal salvation and the Saviour of His nations.