In March, 1997, members of a so-called "religious cult" ended their lives together in a mass suicide. They lived together north of the San Diego area and stated that they were going to leave their "vehicles" (aka "earthly bodies") to gain new heavenly bodies.
They believed that they would be transported to a spacecraft lurking behind the Hale-Bopp comet and begin a new dimension in their ongoing life. In a farewell video these 39 people appeared to be sincere in their belief that they would merely leave their earthly existence to instantly commence an idyllic heavenly existence.
I was troubled by their comments left behind in the videotape. With all of the claims made by a growing number of religious movements and secular groups about life after death, alien invasions, the impending millennium, and psychic phenomena, everyone should examine the spiritual foundations upon which they stand.
With the proliferation of television, movies, and computer cyberspace we have been invaded by "make believe" people living in fantasy adventures. The sheer volume of "other world" messages aimed at each of us, and particularly our children, will soon approach epic proportions. Everyone seems to have an absorbing interest in the "other" world. Whether it is life after death, or spiritual beings which we cannot see, mankind seems to innately believe that there is more to life than what we perceive with our five senses. In fact, every person seems to have a spiritual vacuum that only God can fill.
So what makes me any different from them? What makes my beliefs any better than theirs? Why is my holy book any more infallible than their holy book? Is the "Savior" I follow more credible than theirs? Am I really right? Are they really wrong?
It does make a difference in what we believe and whom we follow! I place my trust and faith in the God described in the Bible. After all the rhetoric is finished, my perception of life, death, and the beyond is rooted and grounded in the pages of the 66 books comprising the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. We believe this Book, in its original languages, to be inspired, inerrant, and infallible. That may sound like a simplistic, dogmatic, leave-your-brain-at-the-counter, approach to belief and faith. What makes the Bible, and not any of the other so-called holy books of every other religious group, unique in being called "The Word of God?"
Let's find out!
When someone is trying to convince another person of the claims of Christianity, he almost always refers that person to some proof text from the Bible to support his position. He argues that "Jesus said this" or "Paul said that." But, what do you do with people who regard the Bible as nothing more than clever stories and fairy tales. What about people who believe that "Jesus" and "Paul" are just figments of people's imaginations, misguided people who were creating a new religion in the dawn of an unenlightened age amongst ignorant fishermen and farmers.
Well, the Bible is just plain different! It is about eternal, undying love. It is a love letter. It is a road map. It is like a sharp slicing scalpel that peels away, layer by layer, our hidden agendas and masks of deceit. The Bible leaves us naked in the spotlight before our Creator, and shows us the path toward acceptance by Him. God's Word is the Lion that roars in winter, and an honest heart trembles.
Oh, I can argue from archaeology that historical evidence exists for the peoples and places described in the Bible. And, I can argue from history that many prophetic passages found in the Bible which predicted events in the future have been fulfilled throughout the centuries. I can point to thousands upon hundreds of thousands, and even millions, of intelligent, educated people who have staked their lives and reputations upon the pages of the book.
But, I think that the most telling argument starts from the inside of a person, not the outside. When a persons emptiness and hollowness cry out for reality, then God speaks to them through the pages of the Bible.
The Bible focuses on the one central event that changed history. Jesus conquered death and the theme of the Bible is life eternal. The life and death and resurrection of Jesus are what the Bible is all about. That is what will make a difference in the life of a person lost in confusion, trying to sort out all of the claims of a multitude of false voices. When Jesus says, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die," those words speak eternal truths that are forged from the anvil of God and they ring true in our hearts. Now some may say, "How do we really know that Jesus actually said those things? Someone may have just made them up!" Well, that is why people have to read the Bible themselves. If they are honest and want to know the truth, then the God who caused the Bible to be written will take His Word and cause His Spirit to convince the person of the truth about His Son.
The Bible is unique! Peoples lives are changed as they read its pages: from hardened prisoners, depraved drug addicts, and morally lost wayfarers - to the educated, the wealthy, and the morally pure. Some whose hearts were so hardened they could kill without remorse, now have hearts that are tender and eyes that weep for the lost.
You may say, "Why should I read the Bible?" You should read the Bible because it is the greatest book ever compiled and continues to be "the" book most widely distributed throughout the world. To go through life without having read the Bible is ignorance.
You may say, "Why should I believe the Bible?" Because the Bible speaks to your deepest needs and wants. It introduces you to a man named Jesus who said he was God. In the pages of the Bible you will walk with Jesus throughout Israel. Then you will die with Jesus, and you will be resurrected with Jesus. There will come a moment in time as you read the Bible and honestly evaluate the claims of Jesus that you will answer the question, "Do I believe the Bible?"
I first read the Bible as a 19 year old. I was a factory worker with a high school education. I accepted the Bible and the God of the Bible as mine. It is now 50 years later. I subsequently attended six different colleges and universities. I practiced law for 23 years. Today, I teach at colleges and universities. My acceptance and belief in the Bible and the God of the Bible are just as strong and as firm today as when I first placed my trust and confidence in them in 1959. The winds of adversity and the storms of tragedy have not shaken my faith in God's Word; in fact, they have but strengthened my resolve. That says more about the strength of the Bible than it does about the strength of my personal faith.
You should read the Bible! You should read it frequently, with an open mind and a sincere heart. You should ask the God who caused it to be written to help you understand its plain message and absorb it's great truths. God did not create the Bible to be a hidden and obscure book, understood only by a small group of people. On the contrary, the same Spirit that moved upon those men who put pen to paper also indwells (lives within) those who have truly trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. Therefore the great truths of scripture are open to all who have received Christ and seek to know His scriptures.
I own many hundreds of books. Over the years of my life I have read thousands of books and have walked the halls of scores of libraries. There are only a few books that I have read more than once. But the Bible! Ah, there is a tale. Like most people who place their trust and hope in Christ, I read the Bible over and over and over again. It does not grow weary. It is not a tiresome ritual. It is my love letter from God. It is my road map. The Bible reveals God. Other religious "holy" books pale in comparison. Their content is man-made, the Bible is God-made.
In every nation, on every continent, people of every language read the Bible and embrace it as the Word of God. They accept it's truths as relevant for them personally and culturally because the Bible speaks to the deepest need of all mankind.
They believed that they would be transported to a spacecraft lurking behind the Hale-Bopp comet and begin a new dimension in their ongoing life. In a farewell video these 39 people appeared to be sincere in their belief that they would merely leave their earthly existence to instantly commence an idyllic heavenly existence.
I was troubled by their comments left behind in the videotape. With all of the claims made by a growing number of religious movements and secular groups about life after death, alien invasions, the impending millennium, and psychic phenomena, everyone should examine the spiritual foundations upon which they stand.
With the proliferation of television, movies, and computer cyberspace we have been invaded by "make believe" people living in fantasy adventures. The sheer volume of "other world" messages aimed at each of us, and particularly our children, will soon approach epic proportions. Everyone seems to have an absorbing interest in the "other" world. Whether it is life after death, or spiritual beings which we cannot see, mankind seems to innately believe that there is more to life than what we perceive with our five senses. In fact, every person seems to have a spiritual vacuum that only God can fill.
So what makes me any different from them? What makes my beliefs any better than theirs? Why is my holy book any more infallible than their holy book? Is the "Savior" I follow more credible than theirs? Am I really right? Are they really wrong?
It does make a difference in what we believe and whom we follow! I place my trust and faith in the God described in the Bible. After all the rhetoric is finished, my perception of life, death, and the beyond is rooted and grounded in the pages of the 66 books comprising the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. We believe this Book, in its original languages, to be inspired, inerrant, and infallible. That may sound like a simplistic, dogmatic, leave-your-brain-at-the-counter, approach to belief and faith. What makes the Bible, and not any of the other so-called holy books of every other religious group, unique in being called "The Word of God?"
Let's find out!
When someone is trying to convince another person of the claims of Christianity, he almost always refers that person to some proof text from the Bible to support his position. He argues that "Jesus said this" or "Paul said that." But, what do you do with people who regard the Bible as nothing more than clever stories and fairy tales. What about people who believe that "Jesus" and "Paul" are just figments of people's imaginations, misguided people who were creating a new religion in the dawn of an unenlightened age amongst ignorant fishermen and farmers.
Well, the Bible is just plain different! It is about eternal, undying love. It is a love letter. It is a road map. It is like a sharp slicing scalpel that peels away, layer by layer, our hidden agendas and masks of deceit. The Bible leaves us naked in the spotlight before our Creator, and shows us the path toward acceptance by Him. God's Word is the Lion that roars in winter, and an honest heart trembles.
Oh, I can argue from archaeology that historical evidence exists for the peoples and places described in the Bible. And, I can argue from history that many prophetic passages found in the Bible which predicted events in the future have been fulfilled throughout the centuries. I can point to thousands upon hundreds of thousands, and even millions, of intelligent, educated people who have staked their lives and reputations upon the pages of the book.
But, I think that the most telling argument starts from the inside of a person, not the outside. When a persons emptiness and hollowness cry out for reality, then God speaks to them through the pages of the Bible.
The Bible focuses on the one central event that changed history. Jesus conquered death and the theme of the Bible is life eternal. The life and death and resurrection of Jesus are what the Bible is all about. That is what will make a difference in the life of a person lost in confusion, trying to sort out all of the claims of a multitude of false voices. When Jesus says, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die," those words speak eternal truths that are forged from the anvil of God and they ring true in our hearts. Now some may say, "How do we really know that Jesus actually said those things? Someone may have just made them up!" Well, that is why people have to read the Bible themselves. If they are honest and want to know the truth, then the God who caused the Bible to be written will take His Word and cause His Spirit to convince the person of the truth about His Son.
The Bible is unique! Peoples lives are changed as they read its pages: from hardened prisoners, depraved drug addicts, and morally lost wayfarers - to the educated, the wealthy, and the morally pure. Some whose hearts were so hardened they could kill without remorse, now have hearts that are tender and eyes that weep for the lost.
You may say, "Why should I read the Bible?" You should read the Bible because it is the greatest book ever compiled and continues to be "the" book most widely distributed throughout the world. To go through life without having read the Bible is ignorance.
You may say, "Why should I believe the Bible?" Because the Bible speaks to your deepest needs and wants. It introduces you to a man named Jesus who said he was God. In the pages of the Bible you will walk with Jesus throughout Israel. Then you will die with Jesus, and you will be resurrected with Jesus. There will come a moment in time as you read the Bible and honestly evaluate the claims of Jesus that you will answer the question, "Do I believe the Bible?"
I first read the Bible as a 19 year old. I was a factory worker with a high school education. I accepted the Bible and the God of the Bible as mine. It is now 50 years later. I subsequently attended six different colleges and universities. I practiced law for 23 years. Today, I teach at colleges and universities. My acceptance and belief in the Bible and the God of the Bible are just as strong and as firm today as when I first placed my trust and confidence in them in 1959. The winds of adversity and the storms of tragedy have not shaken my faith in God's Word; in fact, they have but strengthened my resolve. That says more about the strength of the Bible than it does about the strength of my personal faith.
You should read the Bible! You should read it frequently, with an open mind and a sincere heart. You should ask the God who caused it to be written to help you understand its plain message and absorb it's great truths. God did not create the Bible to be a hidden and obscure book, understood only by a small group of people. On the contrary, the same Spirit that moved upon those men who put pen to paper also indwells (lives within) those who have truly trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. Therefore the great truths of scripture are open to all who have received Christ and seek to know His scriptures.
I own many hundreds of books. Over the years of my life I have read thousands of books and have walked the halls of scores of libraries. There are only a few books that I have read more than once. But the Bible! Ah, there is a tale. Like most people who place their trust and hope in Christ, I read the Bible over and over and over again. It does not grow weary. It is not a tiresome ritual. It is my love letter from God. It is my road map. The Bible reveals God. Other religious "holy" books pale in comparison. Their content is man-made, the Bible is God-made.
In every nation, on every continent, people of every language read the Bible and embrace it as the Word of God. They accept it's truths as relevant for them personally and culturally because the Bible speaks to the deepest need of all mankind.
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