Trust the Word

I am currently reading the C. H. Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students.  In the passage I was reading today, Spurgeon quotes one Mr. Arthur Mursell.  Mursell had an excellent summary of theologians who reject the Bible.  In part, it reads:

The histories and events of the great chronicle are rudely contradicted and gainsaid, because some schoolmaster with a slate and pencil cannot bring his sums right.  And every miracle which the might of the Lord wrought for the favor of His people, or the frustration of their foes, is pooh-poohed as an absurdity, because the professors cannot do the like with their enchantments.. . . And so our great men are satisfied when they think that their toy wand has swallowed up the wand of Aaron: but when Aaron's wand threatens to swallow up theirs, they say that part is not authentic, and that the miracle never occurred (Lectures, page 229).

In other words, if they, like Pharaoh's magicians, were able to mimic the miraculous, they profess they would believe.  They deny what their eyes cannot see, because they are hard hearted and blind.

Why should we Christians doubt the Bible?  What evidence really exists against it?  Does the fact that some people have questions really undermine the Bible?  Beyond shear imagination, where is the proof that miracles don't happen?  The best evidences put forth against the truth claims of Christianity are usually anecdotal (I have never seen), and theoretical (if, then).  But the rejection of Christianity is as rooted in "faith," as the acceptance of Christianity.  The only way a person could truly know that there was no God is by knowing everything.  If there is any gap in a person's knowledge, then logically it is possible that evidence could be waiting in the gap.  As to rejecting the Scripture, where is the definitive proof?  If you listen long enough, you realize its all conjecture.

As believers, we trust the Scripture because God breathed them out.  They are true and trustworthy, as the Spirit bears witness in our hearts. The Scriptures cannot lie, because God cannot lie.  As we study the truth, the Word takes root in our hearts, and crowds out the lies of the world.  The Word of Truth cannot be swallowed up by the lies of Satan or else it would no longer exist.  Where the Bible is faithfully preached, the gospel of Jesus Christ is still transforming lives.  Hold fast to the truth, stay in the Word, and it will bear its fruit in your life.

His Word My Hope Secures

Like most people, I love the song Amazing Grace. My favorite verse is the original fourth verse, which often goes unsung. It says, "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures." These words remind me that my hope rests in the One who revealed himself through the Scriptures. His Word secures my hopes, because it as unbreakable as his own character. The Bible is trustworthy and true, because it was breathed out by God.

I am reminded of Agur's words in Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." God is true, so his Word must also be true. Our assurance rests in the character and nature of God, and it will not prove false. It is comforting to know that he is my shield and portion "as long as life endures." We know that in Jesus life is eternal.