Comments from Pastor Billy about chapter eight of his summer book recommendation - a great read for high school graduates and their parents!
Everything I Believe Seems to Hinge on the Truth of the Bible-- How Do We Know It’s Really from God? (Chapter 10)
“The best evidence of the Bible’s being the word of God is to be found between its covers. It proves itself.”
-Charles Hodge
One of the things that is quite apparent to anyone inside or outside the Christian faith is the necessity and reliance on the Bible as the word of God. It is often the first thing that a non-believer will seek to discredit or have a hard time believing. As Michael Kruger states at the beginning of this chapter, “If the Bible can be undermined, then the entire Christian worldview falls apart.” We are the people of the Book, and we should not be ashamed of any part of what God has revealed to us in His Word.
One of the unique ideas of the Christian faith is that God has revealed himself personally to people. We are able to know, not completely, but in part, God. God has often been described as transcendent, which is true, but he is also personal and knowable. Kruger states it this way,
“He is what we might call a personal absolute. To say that he is absolute means that he is transcendent and all-powerful….But he is also personal, meaning that he is not just an impersonal ‘force’ or a ‘power’ but a living being who can, and does, relate to his creation.”
If God is the creator and sustainer of all things in the universe it would make sense that he could possibly communicate with his creation. If he is that powerful and absolute, there is no reason to believe that he would not be capable of knowable communication. Also, since this God cares about all his creation he will not just take the time to speak to a certain person only, individually, but will instead seek to communicate clearly to all people. What is the best way throughout history to be able to clearly communicate to a person at one time period, and yet make a way for future generations to know? While oral history would work for a while, it leaves much room for adaptation and change, while written history keeps a record so that all can come to it.
Therefore, God speaking, inspiring people to write down his words, allows for most people during that time and in the future to know who he is. The unity and clarity of the Scriptures as written are a wonderfully self-attesting revelation. A pagan philosopher in the second century, Tatian, converted to Christianity through an encounter with Scripture,
“I was led to put faith in these [Scriptures] by the unpretending cast of language, the inartificial character of the writers, the foreknowledge displayed of future events, the excellent quality of the precepts.”
God wants us to know him and how he works. He wants a relationship with his creation. He sent his son Jesus Christ into the world, willingly, to rescue us from our sins and show the ultimate display of love.
In Christ,
Billy