Why Should We Believe the Bible?

Ok folks. Here’s the warning. I’m going to get up on my soap box today.

Yesterday I posted an article which says that many children of Christian parents walk away from their faith when they enter college. That is not only sad, it is tragic. We have failed them! We have failed to help them recognize the truth. They leave for college with a faith that is based solely on what someone has told them, and when that faith is challenged they fall apart.

Years ago I attended a conference where a well known author and lecturer was speaking on the subject of psychology. During his speech he made the statement that an atheist has just as much reason to believe that there is not a God as we Christians do for believing there is a God. At the end of the conference I approached him and asked if I had understood him correctly. He replied that I had, so I proceeded to tell him that I disagreed with him. He cut me off and asked if I could put God in a laboratory and measure Him. I replied that of course I could not. He then replied, “There you have it.” turned his back and walked away. I have never again read one of his books. If his faith is that shallow I don’t want to waste my time reading what he has to say.

Now you probably need to understand that for years I sat under the teaching of one of the most brilliant minds in the country. Dr. Graff grew up an atheist but came to know Jesus as his Savior while earning his masters degree in engineering. When he attempted to understand theology from a scientific view point he was told not to try to mix theology with science because that was like trying to mix oil and water. Dr. Graff knew God had created both so he continued to study both, eventually coming to where he could explain many of the subjects that theologians avoid. Dr. Graff was one of the few men I have ever heard who could explain both theology and science to where both meshed and made good sense. Thank you, Dr. Graff!

I believe it is fair to say that most theologians are afraid of science, and because they fear the subject they avoid it rather than plunging in and dealing with their fears. As Josh McDowell states in the article I posted yesterday, most Christians can’t give a valid reason for why they believe the Bible. Most Christians I have spoken to understand faith to be a leap in the dark. That’s tragic! If our faith has no rational basis, no solid foundation, then is it any wonder our youth walk away? Why shouldn’t they? If we are basing our eternal souls on something someone wrote, and we believe those writings simply because we choose to believe them, then we are fools! We might just as well believe in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and Peter Pan!

Why am I so adamant about this? Because there are many people today who believe they are right, and yet they are following the devil. There are many who will give their lives to kill others because they believe they will go to heaven and be rewarded for dying a martyrs death. They believe! They may even believe in their cause as much as you believe in yours! Unless you have a solid basis for your beliefs your believe mean nothing whatsoever! And when someone stands up and tells people “I believe…”, yet gives no solid basis for those beliefs, they are merely spouting their ignorance.

Suicide bombers die believing a lie because they are brainwashed from the time they were little kids. Christian young people walk away from their faith believing they have been taught nothing more than fairy tales by those who wished to brainwash them so they would become good law abiding citizens.

Jesus never condemned the religious leaders for not believing His words by themselves. Jesus told them they were doomed because they rejected the evidence! Faith is not about taking leap in the dark! Faith is about acting on truth. Faith is based on fact! Read John 5. The reason Jesus told the religious leaders they were doomed is because they were rejecting the evidence, and then He listed the evidence for them. The Old Testament Law, the Old Testament prophets, the witness of John the Baptist, the evidence of the works He did, and the witness of His Father. Jesus never asked anyone to take a leap in the dark. We read in John 2:11 that the very first miracle Jesus did was to show His disciples who He was, and the result is that the disciples believed in Him.

We believe the Bible because it is proven to be true! And because it is true it stand the test that it is the word of God. And because of that I can base my eternal destiny on what it says.

So, do you know what you believe? Can you back up what you believe? Is your faith based on evidence, or did you just decide to believe something someone told you?

Know what you believe!

If you’d like help on this subject please drop me a line. I’d love to help you come to grips with the truth.

May God’s Spirit guide you into all truth,

Pastor Jim