By Samuel Kwizera
The question above may seem irrelevant to many Christians, or just too simple to be a title for an article.
However, if you think you know the answer, I dare you to read this. If you don’t know the answer, I encourage you to read this too.
Is the Bible the word of God?
It’s easy to agree and say Yes, the Bible is the word of God, but as long as that “yes” is not supported by convictions that build the truth in you that for real the Bible is the word of God, you will always put men’s word above what God has to say on most issues.
One way to examine your convictions is to truly answer the questions below.
Do you believe God is not a big, huge old guy who sits up above the clouds controlling and punishing? Do you think God cares about his creation to the point that He spoke His will through the prophets and apostles in the Bible?
Forgive me if I have to make you think more, but do you believe God’s own rebukes and teaching are his message for you personally or it’s just a book to give pastors and others a point to support their arguments?
There are a few contradictions to the answers that typical Christians give. The symptoms of contradictions manifest themselves in many ways, but I intend to name one: Ignoring the call to read the Bible itself.
If we believe the Bible to be the word of God, how can we choose to live a life without listening to God’s word? How can we be content to walk blindly as if His word is not a lamp to our feet (Psalms 119:107)?
Letting our Bible dust allows the world to teach us how to live. We end up encouraging ourselves to live as if we are our own since we deny the scriptures an opportunity to make us wise for salvation and equipping us for the works of God.
The truth of the matter is that God cares about you. He is interested in your salvation journey and your well-being to the point of allowing you to know his will for your life. His will is not in someone’s mind, not above the mountains but in what he has revealed to you and me in his word. We may want to blame him for not speaking to us, for paying lots of money to prophets, for confusion but before we do any of that here is a question for ourselves to consider.
Has God been silent? Has he made his will known? Have we given the rightful authority his words deserve in our lives? The answer that the Bible is the word of God is simple but unfortunately, our actions and convictions betray our emphatic yes.
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalms 119:130
