The Bible: Inspired Word of God
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:16–17 Most Evangelical Christians believe, as I do, that the Bible is the infallible and verbally inspired Word of God. The Bible is a well preserved record of God speaking to men through the ages to reveal Himself and His will for our lives. He chose 40 different writers over a 1600 year period to accomplish it. Many have died to preserve it. We call the Bible the Word of God because that's what God calls it. We also call it "the Scriptures," a word which occurs over 50 times in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus, in His prayer for His followers on the night before He was crucified, called God's Word "the truth"—the truth that would set believers apart from the world: "Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth (John 17:17). The word for truth here means "divine truth," as opposed to any other truth. Most would call that kind of truth absolute.
Of course, the Bible doesn't mean much unless we read it and apply what it says to our lives. Men have died for that privilege, to be able to read and to help others understand what is in the Word of God. Sometimes, especially in America, we take our Bibles for granted by letting them collect dust on a shelf or reading them "every once in a while." Not so in other parts of the world, where to have a Bible to read—or even a part of the Bible to read—is a privilege. Think about that for a minute. Most of us have one or more Bibles in our homes. We have the time, opportunity and ability to read it. But most surveys tell us we don't spend much time reading the Bible. Is it a lack of motivation? Well, let me tell you that people in restricted (anti-Christian laws), hostile (routine persecution of Christians) and monitored (trending toward persecution of believers) countries in the rest of the world don't lack motivation when it comes to their desire to have a Bible. One look at this short video showing a group of Chinese believers receiving their own shèng jīng (Bible) for the first time is worth a thousand words. The video is a bit blurred, but you'll get the message:
The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) and other Christian ministries are committed to seeing every believer in a hostile or restricted nation receive a copy of God's Word in his or her own language and in an easily accessible format. They all are asking and inviting us to sponsor Bibles. More than 180,000 Bibles have been sponsored through VOM so far, including children's Bibles, Bibles for adults, and Bibles for secret distribution in the world's most restricted nations. You're invited to help. Please go here for more information.
She loves her new illustrated Bible. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. — Hebrews 4:13
