Who speaks in the Scriptures? Have you ever gone through the compendium of 66 books which we all call the Bible? While reading we can see the harmony it has among all the books. The reason is that the Author of the books is one and only God. 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21. All the writers of the books were of different eras and many may not have been aware of others’ existence but they all wrote the same message. The gist was the same. One can compare the Book of Daniel with the Book of Revelation. Don’t we find similarities in the prophecies?
1. Nature of God’s word
It is impossible for man to comprehend about the nature of God’s word by his own wisdom. We can prove this from many verses from the Bible pertaining to this topic.
1 Peter 1:25, Matthew 24:35 speaks about the eternity of the verses. Heaven and earth may pass away but the word of the Lord endures forever. As compared to the present day, The Bible was very different from what we had then.
People memorized the books of Bible and passed down before putting into written form. Persecution was common punishment for spreading the gospel . The Roman Catholic Church penalized many even up to the extent of death as punishment for distributing the word of God.
We should not forget the hard labor and sacrifice of John Wycliffe . His translation of the Bible into the English language in 1382, has been a blessing for many. Also Jan Hus, the Czech Priest was persecuted for translating the Bible into the Czech language. William Tyndale was also subject to prosecution by the Catholic church. His crime: Translating the Bible into English language. Can we still afford to ignore reading the Bible, when so much pain has been endured, so much blood has been shed?
2. The purpose of God’s word.
Hebrews 4:12 exemplifies the purposes of the word of God. It is living and active, is sharper than a two-edged sword. In addition, It has the power to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It converts the hearts , merely by listening to the word of God. The word of God quenches our soul’s thirst, fortifies us, helps us fight against the snares of the Devil and is the roadmap to heaven.
We should listen diligently the word of God and then only the purpose can be fulfilled. James 1:22 tells us that merely listening to it means deceiving oneself.
Jesus could fight the temptation against Devil after the fast of forty days and forty nights and He quoted the scriptures while the Devil misquoted. His knowledge of the scriptures, made the devil lose the battle. Since the beginning of the world, the Devil has been misquoting the scriptures thus people have fallen prey.
Even the most elect (Matthew 24:24 ) will be deceived if they are weak in the Scriptures. Prayerfully if read like a Berean (Acts 17:11) one can differentiate between the Truth and False. The devil is indeed the Father of Lies (John 8:44 )
3. The guiding light for you and me.
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
Psalms 119:9. answers this question well. The Bible is a book of moral instructions and directs our path. There is nothing compared to this Holy Book since it is unparalleled.
A slow and prayerful study, not merely reading is what is essential. Each word from the Bible has life. (Matthew 7:24) It is an integral part of our daily life. Shouldn’t we remember God every moment? Surely we should.
4. Attitude for understanding the Word of God.
A humble heart, submitting to Him, will only be the acceptable attitude for understanding the Word of God. Since we have the Truth there is no excuse now. Disobedience and rebellion will lead us nowhere. Moreover, if we keep His commandments only then can we claim to love Him (John 14:15), or else we serve Him with only lips and our actions contradict it (Matthew 15:18).
5. Searching the Scriptures. Be a Berean
Have you ever read and searched the scriptures like the Bereans? We can read about them in Acts 17:11. They were noble, readily accepting the message with great eagerness, but they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true was not. This practise is good and it omits errors and helps saving souls.
The Bereans searched the Scriptures and confirmed the truth, so should we likewise compare the Pastors’s sermon with the Word . We shall know them by their fruits by cross examining from the Bible.
How many would stand the litmus test we all know. Since the Word is Truth, we can be sanctified by the Word only. (John 17:17)
6. Proof of Divine Source of the Scriptures
The Almighty Himself gives evidence about the divine proof of the Scriptures Isaiah 45:21. Apart from this, a detailed study has made it clear that most of the events happening today have been prophesied long back and these have come true. Isaiah 46:9-10 also endorses this truth. From the first book to the last book, it speaks of the same message.
The Bible points towards God as its Author. To sum up we can read 2 Peter 1:19-21
God bless.