The Church age, the Age of
Grace, is all about “belief,” not just a superficial casual
belief, but a
belief that reaches to the soul and cries out to God. The Bible speaks of real
authentic belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as the only means of being
saved from God’s judgment. Jesus called this belief, this wholehearted trust in
Him, being “born again.” Belief in Jesus brings life eternal to the spirit of
man that trusts in Him to be saved.
To arrive at the point of belief
though, one must know they are a sinner and what sin actually is. They must
know the condemning power of sin, and that they are helpless without a Savior.
They must know what God requires of them and that it is belief in His Son. Who
is God, and who are we that we need a Savior?
God left mankind a Book
called the Bible. He compiled it over a period of almost two thousand years.
Even though He used over forty writers, the Bible is one continuous unbroken
message from God. One person is proclaimed throughout both the Old and New
Testaments of the Bible; Jesus, the Son of God.
The Bible is God breathed.
“All Scripture is inspired by
God [literally God breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be
adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB)
The Bible is Holy Spirit
inspired.
“But know this first of all,
that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no
prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 NASB)
In fourteen (14) Scripture
passages God says the Bible is “My Word.” Four (4) of those are Isaiah 55:11;
Jeremiah 23:29; John 5:24 and John 8:31.
In just one chapter of Psalm,
chapter 119, David claims the Bible as “Thy Word” thirty-five (35) times, and
there are many more references for those who care to search.
From Genesis 1:1 through
Revelation 22:21 the Bible is the Holy Word of Almighty God, the one and only
true God.
God tells us in the Bible
everything we need to know about Him, our need for Him, and how we can be with
Him eternally. He tells us of judgments and of rewards. He leaves nothing
hidden that we need to know. He also informs us that the Bible is His word, not
the thoughts of men, but His word to us. God the Son, Jesus, is even called the
“Word.” (John 1:1) So the Bible is the very word of God, composed by Him, about
Him and for our benefit.
He has even proved that this
Bible we speak of is His word by fulfilling His prophecies contained therein at
a 100% success rate, which would be impossible for anyone but the one true God.
By many other methods, such as the world around us, He proves to us, one and
all, that this book we call the Bible is His word, but if we don’t believe the
Bible, what then?
How can we believe of sin and
its effects, or judgment, or salvation only in Christ, or salvation by grace
through faith and not of works if we don’t believe the Bible? How can we believe
we need a Savior, or in Heaven or hell, or in prophecies if we don’t believe
the Bible?
How can we look upon mankind
as anything other than another animal species if we don’t believe the Bible?
How can we have respect for each other and for life itself if we don’t believe
the Bible?
How can we have any hope in
this world and how can we know of life after death? How can we know of judgment
or reward after death if we don’t believe the Bible?
How can we believe there is
God who wants to save us, and one called Satan who wants to destroy us if we
don’t believe the Bible?
A Gallup poll, as of May 23,
2017, was taken on “Americans’ Views of the Bible.” The results are as follows:
Americans’ Views of the Bible
24% believe the Bible is the
actual word of God and is to be taken literally.
47% believe the Bible is inspired
by God, but not all of it is to be taken literally.
26% believe the Bible
consists of fables, history, and moral precepts and is recorded by man.
And we wonder what is wrong
with our society. If you warn people to flee a burning building, why should
they bother if they don’t believe in fire? If you warn them that a vicious bear
is after them, why should they run if they don’t believe in bears? This is the
dilemma for many Americans today, not even counting the rest of the world.
In May of 2017 a Gallup poll
showed the percentages of those polled who said that the following are morally
acceptable.
63% - Gay/Lesbian relations
(up 23% from 2001)
62% - Having a baby outside
of marriage (up 17% from 2002)
69% - Sex between an
unmarried man and woman (up 16% from 2001)
73% - Divorce (up 14% since
2001)
36% - Pornography (up 6% from
2011)
58% - Death penalty (down 5%
from 2001)
36% - Sex between teenagers
(up 4% since 2013)
9% - Extramarital affairs (up 2% since 2001)
43% - Abortion (up 1% since
2001)
Let’s try this poll by Gallup
on for size. Percentage of those saying it is morally acceptable by party
identification. Poll completed May 4-8, 2016. Republicans (R), Independents
(I), Democrats (D)
Gay/Lesbian: 44(R), 62(I),
75(D)
Having a baby outside of
marriage: 49(R), 64(I), 73(D)
Sex between an unmarried man
and woman: 54(R), 70(I), 78(D)
Divorce: 67(R), 68(I), 83(D)
Pornography: 22(R), 36(I),
46(D)
Death penalty: 74(R), 56(I),
47(D)
Sex between teenagers: 25(R),
36(I), 52(D)
Extramarital affairs: 8(R),
12(I), 9(D)
Abortion: 24(R), 44(I), 62(D)
(Note: Extramarital affairs
puzzled me for a while concerning the Democrats. They were at 9%? Then it
dawned on me that they were at 83% concerning divorce. Now it makes sense.)
When comparing the last two
Gallup polls with the first Gallup poll above, it is more than obvious what
happens to a society when the Bible:
· Is not regarded as the very word of God and taken
literally
· Is ignored, and
· When it is removed from the classroom, and elsewhere
in society
The hounds of hell are
unleashed and destroying the moral fabric of society. Without the Bible, not
just in the church, but also within society there is no moral foundation.
Nothing is left but a moral freefall where each person decides what is right in
his/her own eyes.
Due to our rejection of God’s
Holy Word, we are on the very cusp of facing judgment, individually and as a
nation.
No one wants to hear the
medical doctor say the word “cancer.” As bad as that is, we as a society are
suffering something much worse. We have a cancer of the soul that is dragging
millions into hell. I’m well aware that some do not want to hear that. “You’re
being judgmental. Young people don’t want to hear that. You can’t judge. You
need to show love. Etc., etc., etc.” I and others show you our love by telling
you the truth. If you don’t want to listen, that’s between you and God.
The Bible is not to be
interpreted by what “you” think it should say. It means just what it says, and
every word is from a holy God who will not be mocked. There is no greater love
than that shown by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Those of us who know Him
experience His love every day. Those who refuse Him will only experience His judgment.
Jesus said, “Do not fear
those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him
who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28 NASB)
If you are not part of the
24% who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken
literally, I pray your eyes will be opened to the Truth. Don’t listen to the
crowd. Don’t go with the flow. Be your own person and read the most important
book you’ll ever hold in your hand, the Bible. Ask God to open your heart and
help you see. Call upon Him before it is too late for your soul.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
