It wasn’t the first time this happened to me, but it was especially disturbing because of who the conversation was with: someone who used to confess the Christian faith but then made a hard left turn. I don’t think people set out to drift away from the truth, but we need to realize that choices can have major consequences. Many today deny the authenticity and authority of the Bible, sadly out of ignorance. But it’s often rejected by those who don’t want to conform to its truth, but rather compromise and conform to the ways of world.

In the last post we considered the question, “How do you answer someone who may not want the Truth?” A right attitude is vitally important, but a right attitude without a right answer is sadly lacking. If Joe or the crowd, or my friend, are to have objections rightly answered, the question of accuracy has to be addressed. For Christians, it’s more important than ever to know what you believe and why.

As stated before, The Bridge from OneDayBow is an allegory of the Christian faith lived out in the here and now. Much of the content is Biblical in nature, and a fair amount of text comes from the Bible. I say that because as Tim speaks to Joe and others, the theme is Biblically accurate, but within the confines of this allegory. In other words, The Bridge from OneDayBow reflects the truth contained Bible, but it isn’t the Bible. Therefore, Tim isn’t going to go into the history or the veracity of the Bible that we are blessed to have. But I will…

Some people have the mistaken idea that the Bible is an ordinary book with an ordinary author that was trying to make a name for himself. If that were the case, it would be a pretty amazing person that could come up with something that’s attracted millions of followers for thousands of years. But we can’t overlook that it would also be necessary for that person to accurately record history, have the actual ability to foretell the future, and leave behind archaeological evidence that would be unearthed and embraced thousands of years later as authentic. If you think the Bible is an ordinary book, you’ve likely never studied it.

In actuality, and provable fact, the Bible is a compilation of 66 books written by about 40 authors over a period of many hundreds of years. According to the Bible itself, it is the revelation of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, given by inspiration to those who then wrote down His words. The books contained in the Bible are divided into two portions which are referred to as the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old was recorded and accepted before Jesus Christ was even born. The New records His birth, life, death, and resurrection. It also records the formation and growth of the early Church and related teachings and prophecies, all penned in the first century.

The Old Testament records a period spanning several thousand years. The first book is Genesis, which gives an account of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth as well as the first two humans, Adam and Eve. It tells of their disobedience to God’s will (sin), which caused ongoing separation from God. (For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23) With sin, death entered the world just as God had warned. But despite mankind’s failure, God didn’t stop caring about people. From the very beginning He purposed to bring about reconciliation between Himself and mankind. The Bible is the story of redemption: God’s determination to bring humanity back into a right relationship with Himself.

But there would be a cost to redeem, the highest cost. Just as God foretold hundreds of years in advance in His Bible, His Son Jesus Christ would come and would die for the sins of the world. Through His death and resurrection, the world would be shown how great God’s love and justice are. Because of this, we have the opportunity to receive forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, His indwelling Holy Spirit, and the gift of eternal life! All received through faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of His Son for our redemption, as foretold and then revealed in the Bible.

It’s amazing to realize that a perfect God would go so far to redeem mankind. The Bible says that all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved. He hears our prayer and is willing to save all who seek Him in truth. As Romans 10:9 states, ^“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” And where is that Good News found? Yep, in the Bible.

Maybe this is an eye opener for you. If so, please don’t shut off your device and move on with your life like it doesn’t matter, because it matters vitally.

Maybe you’re still not convinced. Please, check it out for yourself and you’ll find there is more than enough evidence to support the authenticity of the Bible, and the existence and authority of the One Who reveals Himself in it.

And once the issue of the Bible’s authenticity has been resolved in your mind, act on the truth that it contains and don’t turn away. It’s not just a book to be read, but to be lived.