Why The Bible?

Episode 103 Why The Bible?

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast here at That’s In The Bible. My name is Eric and I wanted to take a few minutes to welcome all of our listeners to our podcast, new and old. Welcome.

First of all congratulations on finding us. With the boom in podcasts, shows such as ours are not easy to find. And thats not because we are trying to make it difficult to find us, we are on all the major podcast directories now such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Audible, Stitcher, and a whole bunch more. We have also completely revamped our website at thatsinthebible.com to make it easier to listen to the topics you want to hear. Now that we have over 100 episodes you can still scroll through them all, but we have also grouped our episodes into categories to make it a quicker task to find the episode subject you are most interested in. We have also made it a breeze for you to leave your input. Down at the bottom right hand corner of every web page is a small microphone symbol. Press on that, and you can leave an audio comment or question for us. We may include your audio question on our next podcast, so you could be part of our show! You may have a comment or question about something you have heard on one of our podcasts, or you may have an idea for a topic you want covered, you can tell us that too. For those of you who are mic shy, we also have on our webpage an easy contact form you can fill out and leave for us, if you would rather not leave voicemail message. We have also included reviews where you can leave us a review and read new ones as they come in. So there are multiple ways to communicate with us, and you can always still leave us an email at thatsinthebible@gmail.com.

So who are we? I know early on when we first started the podcast back in 2009 we had the question,  “are you guys pastors?”. It’s a fair question, although I don’t believe you have to be a pastor to be able to read and understand the Bible, or to present a study from the Bible. But to answer your question, yes, each of our regular presenters here on the that’s in the Bible are trained, ordained ministers. They have all received degrees from Bible institutes. You can find a short bio on our website about Pastor and Missionary Matthew Sutton, Pastor Steven Baer, and Pastor Scott Strobel. I, as the host and sometimes a presenter of a study, am the only ringer of the group who is not a pastor, but I have completed course work through Charity Baptist Bible Institute out of Ohio. Again, let me say that the Bible is written for all and to be understood by all, and you don’t need a degree to understand the Bible or to study the Bible. 

But you do need something. And what is that? Let me explain. I have a friend that I have known since we were in the 6h grade. He is the smartest guy I know. He went on to get a PhD in electro-magnetic engineering from Syracuse University, has worked with several prestigious companies and universities, has been selected to work with the U.S. Navy as a research scientist, and has published many articles in his field. He is a smart guy. We still keep in touch by phone from time to time. Inevitably the topic of me being a Bible believer comes up. I have witnessed to him over the years and had sent him a King James Bible several years ago, but he has yet to read it. On one of my most recent phone calls with him I asked him why he hasn’t read it yet, after all it has been said that no ones education is complete without having read the number one best selling book of all time, The Holy Bible. He said to me, “Eric, I have tried to read it but I couldn’t understand it so I stopped reading it.” I was a bit taken aback. I asked him, “Wait a minute, you found it difficult to understand so your answer was to stop reading it?, Has that ever worked to help you to understand anything you have found difficult before when approaching something? To stop reading it? To stop trying to do something?” And the answer to that is of course not. Anything we try to do that has a learning curve may take some effort to begin with. And so therein lies the crux of the matter, motivation. I suspect he was not motivated to press on, and I also suspect that he didn’t like what he was reading. It doesn’t take long to see that the Bible takes a very honest view of man, the Bible doesn’t sugar coat man and who he is. But even more than that, since he is not saved, and does not have the Holy Spirit residing inside him, he will never truly be able to comprehend all that the Bible has to say, nor truly understand it. The Bible says, 

1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 

The Bible is a spiritual book and it has to be spiritually discerned. You see the moment you receive Jesus Christ as your saviour you get spiritually circumcised, you soul is cut away from your body, and the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence inside you.

Colossians 2:11-13 KJV [11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: [12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  [13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

So its a spiritual circumcision, the operation of God,

And when that happens you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV [19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

And thats how fortunate we are as a saved person, that we have the Holy Spirit within us to guide us, so when we read the Bible the Holy Spirit is helping us understand it.

John 16:13 KJV Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and unlike the unsaved man, the Bible is not foolishness to us, because the Holy Spirit has given the same man the ability to have spiritual discernment.

So what’s the purpose of this podcast? Thepurpose of this podcast is to take every subject, every topic, every principle and every question and look at these topics and questions through the lens of the Bible. That is, what does the Bible have to say about it. To that end we will refer to scripture as the final authority, not opinion or whatever the current cultural feeling of the day is.

So why the Bible? What makes the Bible the final authority? To begin with the Bible is perfect and is God’s word, and is able to correct anyone and anything.

Psalm 119:89 KJV For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 12:6-7 KJV  [6] The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. [7] Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

So the Bible is the pure word of the Lord written and preserved for us today. 

1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

But what about correction, can the written word of God really be used to correct the thinking on the current events and situations of the day?

2 Timothy 3:16,17 KJV [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

So yes, Scripture itself says that it is meant to be used for correction. Let’s read it again.

  This concept of having the Bible correct the current events of the day may be new to you. Some of you may be thinking how can a book be a final authority? Well think about it, we all have a final authority. It could be you, you could be your own final authority. It could be a news station such as CNN, MSNBC or Fox News that shapes your opinions and outlooks. It could be celebrities or sports figures. It could even be another book, like Charles Darwins book entitled “The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”. Fascinating how the title of that book is always shortened to just the origin of the species, and the Natural Selection of Favoured Races is dropped. Wonder why? Well I am getting off track here. So what I am saying is that you that could be your own final authority. I was before I got saved. But as a Christian I want to follow Christ and the Bible. I want to be corrected by that book. I want to do and think what pleases God. Granted I often fail and fall short, but that is my desire. There is a saying, “As you read the Bible, it reads you.” And there is truth in that saying. 

Hebrews 4:12 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

As we see from this verse the Bible is capable of discerning mans thoughts and the intents of his heart and motives. Using the scriptures for correction is a Biblically sound practice.  Our Lord Jesus Christ himself when confronted and tempted by the Devil, quoted scripture to combat the Devils false teaching and motives.

Matthew 4:1-11 KJV Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. [3] And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. [4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

Our Lord quoted - Deuteronomy 8:3 KJV And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.) 

Notice, our Lord quoted scripture, He didn’t refer back to synagogue tradition, quote some early synagogue teachers or rabbi’s, or some popular persons thoughts or opinions, but rather He corrected the Devil with the authority of the scriptures.

Continuing on with Matthew 4: 5-7 [5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

(Quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 KJV  Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.) On a side note it is interesting that the devil himself is a very religious being who also quotes from the scriptures, and you can find his handiwork in a myriad of religions when you compare them to the Bible.

Matthew 4:8-10 [8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; [9] And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. [10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

(Quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 KJV Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.)

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Three times the Lord corrects the Devil with scripture, he doesn’t use man’s word, nor religious leaders, nor synagogue dogma or tradition. Why is it that even today some religions ( I am looking at you Roman Catholicism) make church tradition equal to or even over the Bible in authority? Jesus, when dealing with the scribes and Pharisees encountered this veneration of tradition which ran counter to the commandments of God revealed in Scripture. Its telling to note that it was the religious leaders of the day that opposed Jesus and for which he had his harshest words. 

Mark 7:7,9,13 KJV [7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. [9] And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. [13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

So let’s follow Jesus’ admonition here and when religious tradition runs counter to scripture, lets throw tradition out in favor of scripture. The Bible ladies and gentlemen is our guide.  

Psalm 119:105 KJV [105] Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

The Bible is to be our guide in this life and light our way. And in this day and age how could you trust or depend on anything else? How do you know what to believe? How do you know what the truth is? 

John 17:17 KJV Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

The Bible says thy word is truth. That we can count on. Today it is so difficult to tell what the truth is in any given situation. How are you really supposed to know what truth is? Well, we just read where truth is to be found, and it is in the pages of the Bible, “thy word is truth”.  I can tell you before I was saved I reached a point where I was searching for answers. I decided I would read the Bible for myself, I started in the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew and by the time I got to the gospel of John, I had enough faith to call upon the Lord for salvation. Now you may be saying, even as a Christian I don’t know if I have that kind of faith or enough faith to have the Bible as my final authority. Do you want to increase your faith? Lost or saved, read your Bible. 

Romans 10:17 KJV So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Religions come and go, fashion comes and goes, celebrities come and go, science comes and goes, your opinions are fluid, they come and go, everything comes and goes, but the Bible stays the same, it endures forever.

1 Peter 1:24-25 KJV [24] For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: [25] But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Matthew 24:35 KJV Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

In case you missed it…

Matthew 24:35 KJV Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Well thats just your interpretation. Really? How many ways can you interpret that? There is no interpretation necessary. 

So in this podcast we will give the Bible its proper place. We will approach it as truth (John 17:17), as the word of God (I Thess 2:13), which is pure and preserved for us today (Psalm 12:6,7), and is able to correct false doctrine, practices, world events, and mans thinking and practices that run contrary to the Bible. (Hebrews 4:12). 

Did You Know?

This adherence and elevation of the Bible is nothing new. Unlike the slick and worldly entertainers, politicians and sports figures of today, America’s founding fathers were outspoken proponents of the Bible. 

• *Our first president George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
• John Adams our second president said, “The Bible is the best book in the world” and “Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their own law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited…what a utopia; what a paradise this region would be!”
• Our third president Thomas Jefferson said, “The Bible is the source of liberty.” He went on to say, “The Bible makes the best people in the world.”
• John Quincy Adams our sixth president said, “So great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once a year.”
• Chief Justice John Jay, who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said, “The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and the next. Continue, therefore, to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.” 

These have been quotes from America’s founding fathers. Unfortunately our country has slipped like much of the world into godless paganism. 

But the goal of this special episode has been to give you some background into why we place such an emphasis on the Bible, and why we believe that every action, every thought, every motive, every event, can and should be seen through the lens of God’s word, to determine the best course of action. So as a new listener where should you start? If you would like a sampling of how we follow the Bible to answer topical questions of the day, take a listen to episodes 99, 100, and 102, where we give quick answers from the Bible to common questions such as what the Bible says about Tattoos and piercings, Music - Does it matter what kind of music you listen to?, Vegetarian vs Meat Eater, Climate Change, Cross-Dressing and much more. Now while we all have our own opinions on these topics have you ever wondered what the Bible says about these issues? With our Podcast you can follow along with us in your Bible to see if what we say is actually what the Bible says. 

And one last thing, if you are using anything other than a King James Bible also called the authorized version and using one of the new modern translations, you will soon discover words missing from your Bible, and may even have entire verses missing from your Bible! I would strongly recommend that you avail yourself of a complete Bible, the King James Bible so verses and words won’t be missing from your bible.

Well thanks for joining us, I encourage you to put us to the test, I hope you are interested and curious enough to see what the Bible has to say about these issues and many more. And remember you can always drop us a line at thatsinthebible@gmail.com, or leave us a voice message on our website that we talked about earlier. Lord willing we will see you all on the next episode.