The Bible claims to be a revelation from God

The first two chapters of Scripture present the perfections of Eden. The final two chapters more than restore the original glory in the Earth made new.

All the chapters in between record wise and longsuffering efforts of the Infinite Good Person reaching out to rescue His children from sin and protect them from evil. Some of those acts look mysterious and counterproductive to us now, but we are assured by our future selves looking back, “Great and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Your ways, O King of saints.” (Revelation 15:3)

There are a few stories of heroic efforts and even sacrifices made by higher beings for the people of Earth. However, only the Bible records the infinite sacrifice of God.

You are probably unfamiliar with the full story, because even most Christians do not read their Bibles thoroughly enough to know it and share it. The common conception is that the whole sacrifice consisted in the Infinite One incarnating Himself in a human body to sacrifice that body. That was the tip of the iceberg, as it were. That was the tiny visible part representing the Eternal Life taking our place so that we could take His.

That sacrifice was not just a substitution, but it was also a full exchange—His soul for our soul. Remaking our bodies into vessels of immortality is as easy as the wave of a hand, but it takes a miracle and an act of the will to trade sin for holiness, selfishness for unselfishness. That miracle took place on the cross and completes itself in the transformed life of the believer.

We are inspired to give everything to Him who gave everything to us.

The Bible presents an end to end explanation of life and death and cosmos. The Book teaches a consistent and complete solution to the problem of evil. By connecting the reasonable meanings of the human words in which it is written, one may see patterns of astonishing power and beauty that inspire and uplift us.

These patterns of truth work on both the individual and global level. All are included. All are invited. All may be transformed and eternally saved. In its pages, the thoughts of prophets and apostles, of God Himself, are recorded in such a way that anyone may understand and believe what they need for redemption.

The prophets did not make a vague Nostradamus forecast here or an ambiguous psychic projection there. Starting with the Babylonian empire in the seventh century B.C., the Bible specified the complete sequence of empires to dominate the world. It outlined the rise and fall of both military and religious powers. It predicted the dangerously demonic union of military and religion, church and state. With honest candor it foretold the corruption of the church because of that union. Detailed prophecies and symbols, spanning more than 2500 years, should not be ignored.

The second book in this series, Patterns in Prophecy, will investigate this claim in great detail.

The Bible was written over the course of 1500 years by dozens of authors addressing a myriad of situations using a variety of writing styles. The authors communicated as faithfully and clearly as they could the dreams, visions, thoughts, and words God gave them. It would seem that such a book should be nothing more than a messy conglomeration of passages. Yet, God orchestrated His prophets and apostles to develop the same themes and teach the same principles.

We think to ourselves, Why doesn’t God just speak to us directly? The answer is simple, we can’t understand His language and we rarely want to receive His message. Therefore, He vailed Himself and spoke in parables, poetry, and prose of human language that all fit together like the warp and woof of a fine tapestry. God seeks to inspire us, to get us to think intelligently. Tracing out the patterns of teaching from Genesis to Revelation builds our faith as well as our mind.

Many preachers take a verse here and a few verses there as proof of their major teaching. They drop their anchor on a passage then draw in all other doctrines to their position. However, they then become unable to communicate a complete and coherent picture of God and His strategy in dealing with good versus evil from beginning to end. Wittingly or unwittingly, they build a virtual idol called, God, and worship him whom they have made in their own image.

The Bible is an intelligent book constructed by an intelligent God. If we will be patient in allowing the book to unfold itself to our minds, we will be astonished at the power we will receive.

For centuries, skeptics have derided the Bible as a collection of myths and legends. Until the last 200 years, there had been no archaeological evidence to support the existence of such famous Bible personages as Abraham, King David, and others. However, the last century and a half has seen the development of well-organized scientific exploration of the dirt in the Middle East and the results have been astounding. Scores of cities and persons have been confirmed by ancient artifacts, and there are no discoveries that disprove the Bible record.

As Michael G. Hasel said in his paper, Recent Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology:

Archaeology remains one of the most significant disciplines in terms of providing new information for the world of the Bible. While some may be tempted to ask: What about this person of the Bible? Why do we not have evidence for that event yet? We need to remember that, although over 200 years have passed since this discipline was established in the ancient Near East, we have still barely scratched the surface. Only a fraction of biblical sites are known. Of those that are, only a fraction have been excavated. Most of those excavated have had only 5% of the site uncovered. Fewer yet are fully published. For these reasons, we need to be cautious in negative assessments of Biblical events and history. One thing is certain, if support for archaeological research continues in this part of the world, the next five or ten years will reveal untold further discoveries to illuminate, illustrate, and in some dramatic cases, directly impact our understanding of the Bible.

 

If you wish to dig into Biblical archaeology, the following links may help you.

Is Archaeology Proving the Bible?

Recent Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology

New Archaeological Discovery Challenges Bible Skeptics

Christian martyrdom is not based on suicide bombings or enemy assassinations. The true believer does not seek it and is often afraid of death’s icy grip, but when given the choice between disloyalty and life, the child of God is strengthened by the Spirit of courage and even welcomes death.

Since it is the will of the Almighty that we should suffer for his name, and be persecuted for the sake of his gospel, we patiently submit, and are joyful upon the occasion; though the flesh may rebel against the spirit, and hearken to the council of the old serpent, yet the truths of the gospel shall prevent such advice from being taken, and Christ shall bruise the serpent’s head. We are not comfortless to confinement, for we have faith; we fear not affliction, for we have hope; and we forgive our enemies, for we have charity. Be not under apprehensions for us, we are happy in confinement through the promises of God, glory in our bonds, and exult in being thought worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. We desire not to be released, but to be blessed with fortitude, we ask not liberty, but the power of perseverance; and wish for no change in our condition, but that which places a crown of martyrdom upon our heads.

Love is the only acceptable motive for the true martyr. Love to God, love for the souls around him, love of truth is the reason for the ultimate turning of the other cheek. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3)

The true Christian looks through the portals of the tomb and past the night of death to the eternal day of light. They trust their Lord’s promise, “Fear none of those things which you shall suffer.... Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

The reason the true Christian can face death unflinchingly is because of the quality of life s/he enjoys. When the Bible alone, unmixed with modern church or world culture, holds sway in building the society, the fruits are clearly good. Arthur Maxwell tells the following story in his book, Your Bible and You.

In 1852 a missionary named Snow landed on the island of Kusaie, between Tarawa and Saipan in the Carolines. At that time it was a place of unspeakable horrors, but Snow patiently reduced the native language to writing and began to translate the Bible into it. Ultimately, after many years had passed, the whole Bible was printed in that language by the American Bible Society. Dr. Stifler reports an interview with the king of Kusaie, John Sigrah.

“ ‘How many murders a year now?’ the king was asked.

“ ‘There has not been a native murder in my lifetime,’ said the king, and he was 60 years old when he said it.

“ ‘Well, then, how many minor offenses? How many cases of detention in your jail this year?’

“ ‘Jail!’ exclaimed the king. ‘There is no jail.’

“ ‘But you must have some place to put the tipsy ones.’

“ ‘But there is no drinking on Kusaie’ was the answer. ‘No native has been known to taste alcohol in the past 30 years.’

“ ‘Marriage is a sacred thing on Kusaie. Divorce is unknown’ ” (p.23)

The summary of the matter is this: There are no original manuscripts (autographs) in existence of either the Old or New Testaments. However, there is such an abundance of ancient texts (in whole or in part) that agree with each other and are continually confirmed by modern scientific methods and discoveries that we can trust the words of Scripture to express accurately enough the teachings of prophets and apostles.

Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Hebrew-language manuscripts of the Bible were Masoretic texts dating to the 10th century CE, such as the Aleppo Codex. Today, the oldest known extant manuscripts of the Masoretic Text date from approximately the 9th century. The biblical manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls push that date back a full thousand years, to the 2nd century BCE. This was a significant discovery for Old Testament scholars who anticipated that the Dead Sea Scrolls would either affirm or repudiate the reliability of textual transmission from the original texts to the oldest Masoretic texts at hand. The discovery demonstrated the unusual accuracy of transmission over a thousand-year period, rendering it reasonable to believe that current Old Testament texts are reliable copies of the original works. (Wikipedia)

The New Testament has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work of literature, with over 5,800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts catalogued, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic, Nubian, and Armenian. The dates of these manuscripts range from c. 125 (the 𝔓52 papyrus, oldest copy of John fragment) to the introduction of printing in Germany in the 15th century. (Wikipedia)

The New Testament has far more manuscript evidence from a far earlier period than other classical works. There are just under 6000 NT manuscripts, with copies of most of the NT dating from just 100 years or so after its writing. Classical sources almost always have fewer than 20 copies each and usually date from 700-1400 years after the composition of the work. In this regard, the classics are not as well attested. While this doesn’t guarantee truthfulness, it means that it is much easier to reconstruct the New Testament text. (Dr. Gary R. Habermas)

It is commonly stated by skeptics that the Bible is a translation of a translation of a translation and so on. Therefore, they say, the result is a highly inaccurate rendering of the original much like the game where people sit in a circle and a message is transmitted secretly from mouth to ear. However, that depiction is wrong. All modern translations are based directly on the ancient collections of manuscripts, not on each other.

It is known that the Jewish scholars, called Masoretes, after A.D. 700, took upon themselves the special task of ensuring the accurate transmission of the Old Testament text to future generations, and established strict and detailed rules to be followed in the copying of Bible manuscripts. For example, no word or letter could be written from memory. The scribe must look attentively at each individual word in his exemplar and pronounce it before writing it down. The Masoretes even counted the verses, words, and letters of each section, and if these counts did not tally in the newly made copies, the work was discarded. The great majority of the Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts available today contain this Masoretic text.

However, not all Bible manuscripts were produced with such care and accuracy. Consequently, not all copies of the Bible in the original language read exactly alike. In fact, the total number of variations between the manuscripts runs into many thousands. Like the loss of the autographs, the existence of so many variants might seem to be a serious dilemma. On the contrary, however, there is such ample evidence available for the reconstruction of the wording of the auto—graphs of both the Old and New Testaments that it can safely be affirmed that in substance the text of the Bible is certain. The late Sir Frederic Kenyon, one-time director of the British Museum and a man uniquely qualified by a lifetime of experience with Bible manuscripts to speak with authority on this problem, has given this assurance: “The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation throughout the centuries.”-Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, Harpers, 1941, p.23. (Problems in Bible Translation. Review and Herald Publishing Association. p.15)

The Bible is the most translated and distributed book in the history of the world. That in itself is evidence of Divine inspiration and protection. The Book has survived countless attempts to destroy it from enemies both inside and outside the church.

The 36th chapter of Jeremiah records both the writing and the burning of Jeremiah’s first version of his book. This happened about 600 BCE.

Antiochus IV Epiphanus came to the throne in 175 BCE.... Perhaps to try to prevent such a violent religious conflict from occurring again, he decided to ban the Jewish religion. He outlawed Jewish religious practices, such as the observance of the Sabbath or offering sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. Even owning a copy of the Jewish Scriptures ran the risk of the death penalty. (When the Israelites Revolted Against the Ancient Greeks)

On March 31, 302, in an official edict called the De Maleficiis et Manichaeis compiled in the Collatio Legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum and addressed to the proconsul of Africa, Diocletian wrote: We order that the authors and leaders of these sects be subjected to severe punishment, and, together with their abominable writings, burnt in the flames. (Wikipedia)

Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; unless anyone from motive of devotion should wish to have the Psalter or the Breviary for divine offices or the hours of the blessed Virgin; but we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books. (Council of Toulouse, 1229)

No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned lest, be he a cleric or a layman, he be suspected until he is cleared of all suspicion. (Council of Tarragona, 1234)

It is dangerous, as St. Jerome declares, to translate the text of Holy Scriptures out of one idiom into another, since it is not easy in translations to preserve exactly the same meaning in all things. We therefore command and ordain that henceforth no one translate the text of Holy Scripture into English or any other language as a book, booklet, or tract, of this kind lately made in the time of the said John Wyclif or since, or that hereafter may be made, either in part or wholly, either publicly or privately, under pain of excommunication, until such translation shall have been approved and allowed by the Provincial Council. He who shall act otherwise let him be punished as an abettor of heresy and error. (Third synod of Oxford, England, 1408)

William Tyndale, John Wycliffe’s spiritual successor, completed a translation of the New Testament from the Greek in 1525, which church authorities in England tried their best to confiscate and burn. After issuing a revised edition in 1535, he was arrested, spent over a year in jail, and was then strangled and burned at the stake near Brussels in October 6th, 1536. It is estimated today that some 90 percent of the New Testament in the 1611 King James Bible is the work of Tyndale. Tyndale was unable to complete his translation of the Old Testament before his death.

Many years ago, long before the results of modern scientific research were available, H. L. Hastings wrote: “The Bible is a book which has been refuted, demolished, overthrown, and exploded more times than any other book you ever heard of. Every little while somebody starts up and upsets this book; but it is like upsetting a solid cube of granite. It is just as big one way as the other; and when you have upset it, it is right side up, and when you overturn it again, it is right side up still. Every little while somebody blows up the Bible; but when it comes down, it always lights on its feet, and runs faster than ever through the world. They overthrew the Bible a century ago. In less than a hundred years, said Voltaire, Christianity will have been swept from existence, and will have passed into history… But the word of God ‘liveth and abideth for ever’ ” (Will the Old Book Stand? p.5)

God’s Anvil

I passed upon a blacksmith’s shop

And heard the anvil sing

The chime each time the hammer struck

A melody would ring

There strewn upon the blackened floor

Around the anvil’s base

The broken shards of hammer parts

The blacksmith had replaced

“And just how many anvils sir

Have you by now worn through?“

“I’d guess by all the hammer bits

It must be quite a few.“

“I’ll let you in,” said he with grin,

“to secret free of doubt.

This anvil, still original,

Wears every hammer out.“

With every blow the blacksmiths throw

the hammer crashing down,

sends cracks and quakes till hammer breaks

No flaws on anvil found

Just so the skeptics hammer down

Upon the Word of God

The anvil takes while hammers break

Their efforts all for naught

Relentless doubters carry on

Attempting one by one

To mar the anvil of God’s Word

In turn each one’s undone

— John Janzen ©2020

How could a book claiming Divine inspiration not have stories of Divine action? If there is no evidence of Infinity then we should naturally conclude that Infinity did not inspire it.

From Genesis to Revelation we see the footprints of God. The creation of the world, the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the 40 years of manna, the turning back of the sun, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, walking on water, the raising of the dead, the restoration of Earth to eternal perfection, these are only some of the records of Divine power. Although we cannot explain these actions with our scientific prowess, we can accept these historical events for what they are—evidence of God.

Not only are they evidence of God’s existence, but also of His intervention for us and interaction with us. There are many supposed Bible believers willing to believe in an infinite God as long as that God does not exercise His infinite power. By bringing God down to our finite level, these hypocrites feel in control as they reshape Divinity into their own fantasies.

What follows is a portion of an article written by a 19th century author named, Ellen White. She describes the problem and offers a solution for our finite wrestling with infinity.

The Mysteries of the Bible a Proof of its Inspiration

“Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?” “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.” It is impossible for the finite minds of men to fully comprehend the character or the works of the Infinite One. To the keenest intellect, to the most powerful and highly educated mind, that holy Being must ever remain clothed in mystery.

The apostle Paul exclaims: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” But though “clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.” [Revised Version.] We can so far comprehend His dealing with us, and the motives by which He is actuated, that we may discern boundless love and mercy united to infinite power. We can understand as much of His purposes as it is for our good to know; and beyond this we must still trust the might of the Omnipotent, the love and wisdom of the Father and Sovereign of all.

The word of God, like the character of its divine Author, presents mysteries which can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. It directs our minds to the Creator, who dwelleth “in the light which no man can approach unto.” It presents to us His purposes, which embrace all the ages of human history, and which will reach their fulfillment only in the endless cycles of eternity. It calls our attention to subjects of infinite depth and importance relating to the government of God and the destiny of man.

The entrance of sin into the world, the incarnation of Christ, regeneration, the resurrection, and many other subjects presented in the Bible, are mysteries too deep for the human mind to explain or even to fully comprehend. But God has given us in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine character, and we are not to doubt His word because we cannot understand all the mysteries of His providence.

The portions of Holy Writ presenting these great themes are not to be passed by as of no use to man. All that God has seen fit to make known we are to accept upon the authority of His word. Only a bare statement of facts may be given, with no explanation as to why or how; but though we cannot comprehend it we should rest content that it is true, because God has said it. All the difficulty lies in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind.

The apostle Peter says that there are in Scripture “things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest . . . unto their own destruction.” The difficulties of Scripture have been urged by skeptics as an argument against the Bible; but so far from this, they constitute a strong evidence of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could easily comprehend; if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not bear the unmistakable credentials of divine authority. The very grandeur and mystery of the themes presented should inspire faith in it as the word of God.

The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and a perfect adaptation to the needs and longings of the human heart, that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while it enables the humble and uncultured to discern the way of salvation. And yet these simply stated truths lay hold upon subjects so elevated, so far-reaching, so infinitely beyond the power of human comprehension, that we can accept them only because God has declared them. Thus the plan of redemption is laid open to us so that every soul may see the steps he is to take in repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to be saved in God’s appointed way; yet beneath these truths, so easily understood, lie mysteries which are the hiding of His glory—mysteries which overpower the mind in its research, yet inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The more he searches the Bible, the deeper is his conviction that it is the word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation.

Those are blessed with clearest light who are willing thus to accept the living oracles upon the authority of God. If asked to explain certain statements, they can only answer: “It is so presented in the Scriptures.” They are obliged to acknowledge that they cannot explain the operation of divine power or the manifestation of divine wisdom. It is as the Lord intended it should be, that we find ourselves compelled to accept some things solely by faith. To acknowledge this, is only to admit that the finite mind is inadequate to grasp the infinite; that man, with his limited, human knowledge, cannot understand the purposes of Omniscience.

Because they cannot fathom all its mysteries, the skeptic and the infidel reject God’s word; and not all who profess to believe the Bible are secure from temptation on this point. Says the apostle: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Minds that have been educated to criticize, to doubt and cavil because they cannot search into the purposes of God, will “fall after the same example of unbelief.” It is right to study closely the teaching of the Bible, and to search into “the deep things of God,” so far as they are revealed in Scripture. While “the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,” “those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children.” But it is Satan’s work to pervert the investigative powers of the mind. A certain pride is mingled with the consideration of Bible truth, so that men feel defeated and impatient if they cannot explain every portion of Scripture to their satisfaction. It is too humiliating to them to acknowledge that they do not understand the inspired words. They are unwilling to wait patiently until God shall see fit to reveal the truth to them. They feel that their unaided human wisdom is sufficient to enable them to comprehend the Scripture; and failing to do this, they virtually deny its authority. It is true that many theories and doctrines popularly supposed to be the teaching of the Bible have no foundation in Scripture and, indeed, are contrary to the whole tenor of inspiration. These things have been a cause of doubt and perplexity to many minds. They are not, however, chargeable to God’s word, but to man’s perversion of it. But the difficulties in the Bible do not reflect upon the wisdom of God; they will not cause the ruin of any who would not have been destroyed if no such difficulties had existed. Had there been no mysteries in the Bible for them to question, the same minds would, through their own lack of spiritual discernment, have found cause of stumbling in the plainest utterances of God.

Men who imagine themselves endowed with mental powers of so high an order that they can find an explanation of all the ways and works of God, are seeking to exalt human wisdom to an equality with the divine and to glorify man as God. They are only repeating that which Satan declared to Eve in Eden: “Ye shall be as gods.” Satan fell because of his ambition to be equal with God. He desired to enter into the divine counsels and purposes, from which he was excluded by his own inability, as a created being, to comprehend the wisdom of the Infinite One. It was this ambitious pride that led to his rebellion, and by the same means he seeks to cause the ruin of man.

There are mysteries in the plan of redemption—the humiliation of the Son of God, that He might be found in fashion as a man, the wonderful love and condescension of the Father in yielding up His Son—that are to the heavenly angels subjects of continual amazement. The apostle Peter, speaking of the revelations given to the prophets of “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow,” says that these are things which “the angels desire to look into.” And these will be the study of the redeemed through eternal ages. As they contemplate the work of God in creation and redemption, new truth will continually unfold to the wondering and delighted mind. As they learn more and more of the wisdom, the love, and the power of God, their minds will be constantly expanding, and their joy will continually increase.

If it were possible for created beings to attain to a full understanding of God and His works, then, having reached this point, there would be for them no further discovery of truth, no growth in knowledge, no further development of mind or heart. God would no longer be supreme; and men, having reached the limit of knowledge and attainment, would cease to advance. Let us thank God that it is not so. God is infinite; in Him are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And to all eternity men may be ever searching, ever learning, and yet they can never exhaust the treasures of His wisdom, His goodness, and His power.

God intends that, even in this life, truth shall be ever unfolding to His people. There is only one way in which this knowledge can be obtained. We can attain to an understanding of God’s word only through the illumination of that Spirit by which the word was given. “The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God;” “for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” And the Saviour’s promise to His followers was: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. . . . For He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you."

God desires man to exercise his reasoning powers; and the study of the Bible will strengthen and elevate the mind as no other study can do. It is the best mental as well as spiritual exercise for the human mind. Yet we are to beware of deifying reason, which is subject to the weakness and infirmity of humanity. If we would not have the Scriptures clouded to our understanding, so that the plainest truths shall not be comprehended, we must have the simplicity and faith of a little child, ready to learn, and beseeching the aid of the Holy Spirit. A sense of the power and wisdom of God, and of our inability to comprehend His greatness, should inspire us with humility, and we should open His word, as we would enter His presence, with holy awe. When we come to the Bible, reason must acknowledge an authority superior to itself, and heart and intellect must bow to the great I AM.

We shall advance in true spiritual knowledge only as we realize our own littleness and our entire dependence upon God; but all who come to the Bible with a teachable and prayerful spirit, to study its utterances as the word of God, will receive divine enlightenment. There are many things apparently difficult or obscure which God will make plain and simple to those who thus seek an understanding of them.

It is sometimes the case that men of intellectual ability, improved by education and culture, fail to comprehend certain passages of Scripture, while others who are uneducated, whose understanding seems weak and whose minds are undisciplined, will grasp the meaning, finding strength and comfort in that which the former declare to be mysterious or pass by as unimportant. Why is this? It has been explained to me that the latter class do not rely upon their own understanding. They go to the Source of light, the One who has inspired the Scriptures, and with humility of heart ask God for wisdom, and they receive it. There are mines of truth yet to be discovered by the earnest seeker. Christ represented the truth as treasure hid in a field. It does not lie right upon the surface; we must dig for it. But our success in finding it does not depend so much on our intellectual ability as on our humility of heart and the faith which will lay hold upon divine aid.

Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them. There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases is a positive injury. When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubt; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct.

Whenever men are not seeking, in word and deed, to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. When we are truly seeking to do God’s will, the Holy Spirit takes the precepts of His word and makes them the principles of the life, writing them on the tablets of the soul. And it is only those who are following the light already given that can hope to receive the further illumination of the Spirit. This is plainly stated in the words of Christ: “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine."

Those who look to the Scriptures to find discrepancies have not spiritual insight. With distorted vision they will see many causes for doubt and unbelief in things that are really plain and simple. But to those who take God’s word with reverence, seeking to learn His will that they may obey it, all is changed. They are filled with awe and wonder as they contemplate the purity and exalted excellence of the truths revealed. Like attracts like. Like appreciates like. Holiness allies itself with holiness, faith with faith. To the humble heart and the sincere, inquiring mind the Bible is full of light and knowledge. Those who come to the Scriptures in this spirit are brought into fellowship with prophets and apostles. Their spirit assimilates to that of Christ, and they long to become one with Him.

Christians … love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life. They are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. (Letter to Diognetus, AD 80 - 200)

The Christian, even when he is condemned, gives thanks. — Tertullian, Apology 46

When Christians are brought before you simply because of their name, is there ever found a criminal of any sort? It is always with your people that the prisons are streaming, the mines are sighing, and the wild beasts are fed. It is from you that the exhibitors of gladiator shows always get their herds of criminals to feed up for the occasion. You will find no Christian there except for simply being one. Or, if one is there as something else, he is a Christian no longer. — Tertullian, Apology 44

The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins. — Soren Kierkegaard, The Journals of Kierkegaard

Which line of evidence appeals most to you?

Which line of evidence do you consider the weakest?