The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Dear Lord,
I praise You for Your written word. The written word points me to the living Word, Jesus Christ, who is the Truth Incarnate. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Scripture is More Precious Than Gold
How blessed am I to have such abundant access to God’s Word; to live in the United States where Bibles are still allowed and Scripture is right at my fingertips. God's wisdom is only a click away. The Bible is banned in 52 countries. People get killed for concealing a Bible for their own personal use. Obviously, the Word of God is that precious that people will risk their lives to keep His Word in their possession (See below for the list of countries where the Bible is banned).
If the Bible is just a dead pile of letters like most of this world believes, why would it be illegal or threatening to anyone to own a book of fairy tales? Obviously, we know that Satan is behind banning the Word of God since he hates the Truth. Ever since the garden, Satan's main goal has been to distort the Word of God - to ultimately keep souls from finding eternal life in Christ. The distortion of the Truth is the greatest evil that exists. “Satan’s greatest weapon is man’s ignorance of God’s Word” - A.W. Tozer. Scripture holds all the answers for not only this life but for obtaining eternal life, and so naturally, Satan does anything to stop people from having those answers. Since Satan is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), it comes at no surprise that the Bible is banned in so many places across the world. And one day, probably not too far away, it's going to be illegal to own a Bible in the United States as well. But for now, I am going to learn and memorize as much as I can from the very Words of God Himself. For His Word is life itself.
What could be better than freely holding the invaluable Word of God right in the palms of my hands? For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all that you desire cannot compare with her (Proverbs 8:11). How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver (Proverbs 16:16). Scripture is infinitely more precious than all the gold in the world. It's the only roadmap to eternal life. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).
Scripture is Revelation
All Scripture is God’s revelation to mankind. That means, it reveals. And what God reveals, He wants us to know. All Scripture is inspired by God; all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). The apostle Peter says holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Scripture was authored by God and written by men who were internally led by His Spirit. So, whether we choose to read it or not, the Bible is God speaking to us. The Bible is God communicating to us who He is. The Bible is the story of God, and by His grace we are a part of it. The Bible is God telling us His promises, as well as clearly stating His warnings. God is talking directly to us, you guys, and we will do well to listen to Him. Since Scripture is the Word of God, and God is the Word (John 1:1), we must give Scripture the due honor and respect that we also give to God. Not only does the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have immense glory, but Scripture, the very Words of God Himself, carries such glory as well. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Scripture is What God Meant it to Say
God doesn’t need to be defended as being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and since God is the Word, Scripture doesn’t need to be defended either. "The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself"- Charles Spurgeon. Scripture has its own power and glory. When I open the Word of God, it reveals itself to be true all on its own, and I am to approach the Word of God responsibly, trusting wholeheartedly in its authority, clarity, and sufficiency for my life. God commands me to not only seek to understand Scripture, but interpret it responsibly (meaning accurately), so that I may rightly receive God’s true, intended meaning for my life. If I don’t seek to understand the true meaning, I simply will not have God’s revelation for my life.
Scripture is not what I think it means to me personally. Scripture is what God meant it to say. There may be 1000 different applications to any given verse, but there is only one true meaning that God gives it, and I am commanded to know it and obey it for my life. I am not to be the interpreter of God’s intended meaning in Scripture, but I am to be the humble, obedient, and joyful receiver of it.
So how do I get to the true revelation of Scripture? Well, I must get to the meaning of it. This requires an accurate interpretation on my part. Thankfully, I am not alone when interpreting Scripture. I have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me and teach me all things, including how to rightly interpret and apply Scripture to my life. Scripture calls us to interpret Scripture in the plain, normal sense of language, just as I would interpret the natural meaning of any kind of book or document. Normal, natural literal interpretation is the only way to interpret it responsibly and to stop the reckless abuse of Scripture. As soon as anyone stops interpreting Scripture in the normal, natural literal sense that it demands for, it becomes a fair game for anyone to interpret the Bible in a wild and reckless manner. “Ignorance of Scripture is the most dangerous self-inflicted wound” - Dale Partridge
Scripture is Not a Riddle or a Puzzle
See, the thing is, God cares that we get His Word right. I mean, that’s why He wrote it; to communicate to us so that we are able to understand what He’s saying. Otherwise, what would be the point if He wrote something that wasn’t meant to be clearly understood and obeyed? If the Bible is confusing then that would mean the character of God is confusing, and we know that isn’t true. For Scripture makes it clear that God is not a god of confusion or disorder, but a God of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). See, if the Bible doesn’t mean what God meant for it to say, and everybody has a different view or interpretation of it, then nobody has the authority to say what is actually true. In other words, if the Bible doesn’t mean what it says it means in the normal, natural literal sense, then any and every personal interpretation is just as bad as the next. God didn’t write His Word for it to be cryptic, a riddle, or a puzzle for us to be confused over. God wrote His Word to be plain and obvious for those who have spiritual ears to hear; for those who desire to truly trust Him and obey what He says.
Scripture is Abundantly Clear to Only Those Who Desire To Obey
As a Christian, I am responsible to rightly divide the Word of Truth. To rightly divide it means to “cut it straight” so that I can understand His Word clearly and be well-equipped for what He would have me do, say, or think in any situation in my life. Otherwise, I ought to be ashamed to not handle His Word responsibly. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). I am never to take away from Scripture or diminish it, nor dare I ever add to it, for if I do, God says He will add to me the plagues described in His Word, which would be terrifying. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book (Revelation 22:18).
I trust that when God warns me about something, He means exactly what He's warning me of. See, God is not a hidden god of mystery, and the knowledge of God and the interpretation of Scripture is not a mystical experience, an inner knowing, or a vision of the divine. The real God of the universe makes Himself clearly known in Scripture to those who desire to know Him, and His commandments are loud and abundantly clear to those who desire to obey Him. Blessed are those who truly listen to His Words and prove their faith to be real through their actions - through their loving obedience to His Word. Cursed are those who walk in darkness, in their own pride and ignorance through their lack of knowledge and desire to know God and His will for their lives. The will of God is found in the Word of God. And it's the one who does the will of God who is saved. Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).
Scripture is the Mind of Christ
"For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The mind of Christ is the Bible. And if I want to know what God thinks about anything, it’s no mystery to me, but it's right there in Scripture for me. Not only that, the Lord has given me the internal teacher, the Holy Spirit, to help me to interpret God’s Word responsibly and truly understand His revelation for my life so that I may do the will of God and prove my faith to be authentic. I cannot trust and love Jesus Christ and not trust and love His Word too, for Jesus is the Word incarnate.
I hold in my hands the Bible, the mind of Christ. And I have living in me, the Spirit of Christ.
I praise You Lord, for choosing me and saving me through sending Your Son Jesus to die for my sins. Before really seeing the light of the gospel, I was a nominal Christian, a lukewarm Christian, a hypocrite who called myself a Christian - when I didn't even know what it meant to truly follow Jesus Christ and be saved. Lord, thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening my blind eyes to the light of the gospel before it was too late for me. Thank you for saving me from hell and giving me life in Christ. When I deserve hell, You've given me heaven in Christ Jesus, all by Your grace. What. A. Gift. And I praise You for graciously giving me Your Word to learn about who You are and what Your will is for my life so that I may do it and prove my faith to be real - and bring You glory.
Truly repent of your sins, believe in the gospel, and you will be saved. My prayer is that you come to the full knowledge of God and truly see the magnificence and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is your final answer. The day of salvation is today, and none of us know how much time we have left on the clock. Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray amen.
Love,
Jenna
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3
"If we want to do the will of the Father, we need to study the Word of the Father." – RC Sproul
"You can't love Jesus and not love His Word." RC Sproul
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17)
52 countries where the Bible is banned:
1. Afghanistan
2. Iran
3. Kazakhstan
4. Kyrgyzstan
5. Maldives
6. Mauritania
7. North Korea
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Somalia
10. Tajikistan
11. Turkmenistan
12. Uzbekistan
13. Yemen
14. Algeria
15. Bhutan
16. Brunei
17. China
18. Cuba
19. Djibouti
20. Eritrea
21. Kuwait
22. Laos
23. Libya
24. Malaysia
25. Morocco
26. Oman
27. Sudan
28. Tunisia
29. Bahrain
30. Bangladesh
31. Central African Republic
32. Columbia
33. Egypt
34. Ethiopia
35. India
36. Iraq
37. Jordan
38. Kenya
39. Lebanon
40. Mali
41. Myanmar (Burma)
42. Nepal
43. Niger
44. Nigeria
45. Pakistan
46. Philippines (Mindanao)
47. Sri Lanka
48. Syria
49. Tanzania
50. Turkey
51. United Arab Emirates
52. Vietnam