This is Vision for Christ World, Toledo, Ohio, USA. My name is Tim Taylor. I am a Christian, and Christians read the Bible. But why do they read it? To confirm beliefs already taught to them, or to learn more about the Lord Jesus who saved them from eternal destruction? I have heard it said that the letters for the English word Bible, B-I-B-L-E, stand for Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. And there is some truth to that. Yet the Bible is so much more. It is the divinely inspired Word of God, as expressed through many authors living in different time periods over many years. Still, all of the Bible has one cohesive thread or thought running through it, the plan for redemption from sin of mankind through the life, work, and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Father God, let me proclaim your word, the Bible. I want to display your only Son, Jesus Christ, to those who are listening. Praying in the name of Jesus, amen. You can find more about us at visionforchristworld.com. Why not let people believe whatever they want about life, sin, heaven, hell, and God? Why do Christians insist on following the ancient rules and morals of the Bible? On the program today, I will answer these and other questions about the Bible and why Christians follow it so closely. Luke 8, 19 to 21 says, then the mother and brothers of Jesus came to see him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. Someone told Jesus, your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they want to see you. Jesus replied, my mother and my brothers are all those who hear the word of God and obey it. Acts 11 1, now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. The word Bible comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning book, a fitting name, since the Bible is a book for all people for all time. It is a book like no other, in a class by itself. Sixty-six different books comprise the Bible. They include books of laws, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy, historical books, such as Ezra and Acts, books of poetry, such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes, books of prophecy, such as Isaiah and Revelation, biographies, such as Matthew and John, and epistles, formal letters, such as Titus and Hebrews. About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1,500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and doctors. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes woven throughout. The unity of the Bible is due to the fact that ultimately, it has one author, God himself. The Bible is God-breathed, see 2 Timothy 3.16. The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God, see Psalm 12 and 2 Peter 1.21. The Bible is divided into two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New Testament is the story of a man. The nation was God's way of bringing the man, Jesus Christ, into the world. The Old Testament describes the founding and preservation of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world, Genesis chapter 12. Once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family within that nation through whom the blessing would come, the family of David. See Psalm 89. Then from the family of David was promised one man who would bring the promised blessing, Isaiah 11. The New Testament details the coming of that promised man. His name was Jesus, and he fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament as he lived a perfect life, died to become the Savior, and rose from the dead. Jesus is the central character in the Bible. The whole book is really about him. The Old Testament predicts his coming and sets the stage for his entrance into the world. The New Testament describes his coming and his work to bring salvation to our sinful world. Jesus is more than a historical figure. He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh. And his coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God himself became a man in order to give us a clear, understandable picture of who he is. What is God like? He is like Jesus. Jesus is God in human form. See John 1.14 and John 14.9. The New Testament begins with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was the descendant promised to David and Abraham, the one to fulfill the plan of God to redeem mankind and restore creation. Jesus faithfully completed his work. He died for sin and rose from the dead, the resurrection. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant, a New Testament, with the world. All who have faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live eternally. After his resurrection, Jesus sent his disciples to spread the news everywhere of his life and his power to save. The disciples of Jesus went in every direction spreading the good news of Jesus and salvation. The writers of the Bible claim that the Bible is the very Word of God. The Apostle Paul writes that all Scripture is God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3.16. That is to say, all the words recorded in the original writing of Scripture originated from the mouth of God before ever reaching the minds and the pens of the biblical writers. The scientific and historical accuracy of the Bible is important evidence of the trustworthiness of the Bible. But the Bible also contains fulfilled prophecies. Some of the biblical writers made claims about future events centuries in advance. If any one of the events predicted had occurred, it would be astounding. But the Bible contains many, many prophecies. Some of the predictions were fulfilled in a short amount of time. Abraham and Sarah had a son. Peter denied Jesus three times, Paul was a witness for Jesus in Rome, etc. Other predictions were fulfilled hundreds of years later. The 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus could not have reasonably been fulfilled by one person unless some greater power was involved. Specific prophecies like the birthplace of Jesus, His activities, manner of death, and resurrection all demonstrate the supernatural accuracy of Scripture. When it is put to the test, the Bible is proved true in every area. We should read and study the Bible because it is the word of God to us. There are so many questions that philosophers have asked that God answers for us in scripture, such as, what is the purpose to life? Where did I come from? Is there life after death? How do I get to heaven? Why is the world full of evil? Why do I struggle to do good? In addition to these big questions, the Bible gives much practical advice in areas such as, what do I look for in a marriage mate? How can I have a successful marriage? How can I be a good friend? How can I be a good parent? What is success and how do I achieve it? How can I change? What really matters in life? How can I live so that I do not look back with regret at the end of my life? How can I handle the unfair circumstances and bad events of life victoriously? We should read and study the Bible because it is totally reliable and without error. The Bible is unique among so-called holy books in that it does not merely give moral teaching and say, trust me. Rather, we have the ability to test it by checking the hundreds of detailed prophecies that it makes, by checking the historical accounts it records, and by checking the scientific facts it relates. Those who say the Bible has errors have their ears closed to the truth. Jesus once asked, which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven you, or rise, take up your bed and walk? Then he proved he had the ability to forgive sin, something we cannot see with our eyes, by healing the paralytic man, something those around him could test with their eyes. We are given assurance that the Word of God is true when it discusses spiritual areas that we cannot test with our senses by showing itself true in those areas that we can test, such as historical accuracy, scientific accuracy, and prophetic accuracy. We should read and study the Bible because there is so much false teaching. The Bible gives us the measuring stick by which we can distinguish truth from error. Reading and studying the Bible helps us to see beyond the attractive bait to the painful hook in sinful temptations. so that we can learn from the mistakes of others rather than making them ourselves. Experience is a great teacher, but when it comes to learning from sin, it is a terribly hard teacher. It is so much better to learn from others. The Bible is a book that is not merely for reading. It is a book for studying so that it can be applied. Otherwise, it is like swallowing food without chewing and then spitting it back out again. No nutritional value is gained by it. The Bible is the Word of God. As such, it is as binding as the laws of nature. We can ignore it, but we do so to our own peril, just as we would if we ignored the law of gravity. Here are some brief powerful statements from the Bible about eternal salvation. Please listen carefully. Your eternal destiny depends on what you do with these Bible verses. Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 5.8, God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace you are saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God. It is not from works, so that no one can boast. John 3.3, Jesus said, I tell you the solemn truth. Unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Mark 1.15, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel. Romans 10, 9, and 10. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. Now, let me pray for you. Father God, in the name of your one and only unique Son, Jesus Christ, I ask you to send your Holy Spirit to touch the heart and mind of every person listening to me right now. Cause them to desire to have their sins taken away, to pray and ask to be granted repentance that leads to life by God, and to repent of their sins, truly turning away from sin, to have that penalty for sin removed, so that through the faith you give them, they may believe in you, Jesus, and have eternal, never-ending life, starting today, by having personal, saving faith in you, Lord Jesus. Amen. Our website address is vision4christworld.com. Until the next broadcast, this is Tim Taylor, praying the great blessings of God with joy and peace upon your life as you embrace Jesus Christ in personal saving faith. I will leave you today with this text from Hebrews 4, 12 to 13. 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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.