Week after week the New York Times tells us which books are currently best-sellers, but there is no book like the Bible. It is presented as a gift to babies at their birth. It is used as a background when a bride and groom display their new wedding rings for the first time. It is carried in the shirt pockets of soldiers as they march off into battle. Presidents place their hands on it as they take their oath of office. Those who are sick and dying read it to find comfort and strength as they face the unknown. And it is one of the few possessions placed in the hands of those who lie in their casket. The United States Congress even endorsed and helped print a Bible in 1782. The Bible is unparalleled in the respect it is shown.
However, not everyone shares that same respect for the Bible. There are those who hold the Bible in contempt. They claim the Bible is a dead book. While its message may have been relevant to those living in an agrarian culture two thousand years ago, they say it is outdated and unequipped to meet the needs of modern man. Some like Piers Morgan, of CNN claim the Bible is flawed and needs to be amended due to its teaching on homosexuality. Others even suggest that the Bible is morally and emotionally harmful, distracting humans from present concerns while involving them in wishful thinking about illusory concepts such as Heaven and Hell. A great deal of money has been spent producing “documentaries” and even movies that call into question the validity, authority, and accuracy of God’s Word.
Not all attacks against the Bible come from skeptics and unbelievers. Most “Evangelicals” in America look at the Bible as just a good book with some words of wisdom. Even those who consider themselves “friends” of the Bible have unwittingly stood in opposition to it. Some deny the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible and rather accept a weak view of inspiration. Others suggest the Bible is not inerrant, failing to understand how such a view undermines the authority of the Bible. And yet others claim some special, personal revelation from God, thus rejecting the all-sufficiency of the Bible.
These charges against the Bible from “friends” and enemies, bring to mind the proverbial “anvil and hammer.” Just as hammer after hammer strikes and pounds against the anvil, with the passing of time, the floor beneath the anvil becomes cluttered with broken hammers. Despite all the blows from the hammers, the anvil remains. Likewise, for centuries, skeptics and critics have struck blow after blow against the Bible in an attempt to destroy it, yet the Bible remains unscathed while the skeptics, critics, and their arguments lay in ruins.
Americans tend to take the Bible for granted. We have ready access to it in our native tongue. In fact, most people can quickly call up the Bible on iPhones or iPads. But not all people are so fortunate. Some individuals would love to own just a single copy of God’s Word in their native tongue. And yet, sadly, we often take for granted this incredible book.
It is no secret that there is a division in our nation. Much of this division is over how we should live our lives and whether God exists. This month, we want you to consider the nature, claims, purpose, and authority of the Bible, and remind you why the Bible has been, is, and always will be the Book of books. It is our hope that you will receive the teaching of Scripture, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Our prayer is that a lost nation will realize that an inspired book establishes the existence of God, and informs humanity how we should be conducting our lives. Ultimately, it shines as a light unto our paths. We hope you enjoy this special issue, and always we hope you will Think on these things.
