God reveals Himself in the Bible

Whoever only reads the Bible to receive confirmation of his own worldly view will not find what he expects to find. If we truly seek God (with our hearts) – especially through the Bible – we will also find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Whoever does this should then also desire to know the truth, even if it doesn't suit him at first, or he doesn't understand it immediately. The Word of God, consisting of 66 individual books, originated during a period of 1,600 years, and was written during this time by at least 40 different writers. The Bible was written by “holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Are we constantly aware of that? We should sharpen our senses through studying the Bible (Hebrews 5:14). The more we do this, the clearer our spiritual eyes will become to the truth of the Bible. The absolute highlight of the entire Bible is, undoubtedly, that which we read in Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” The incarnation of God is the central theme of the Bible, and ultimately the reason and goal of our faith in the Gospel, in other words the forgiveness of sin through God's Son Jesus Christ. No person was like Jesus, whose life was determined centuries prior to His birth. Who can say the same about his life? It was forecast that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1) and sacrificed as the Lamb of God (Isaiah 53:7-9). Isaiah lived in the former southern kingdom of Judah 740-741 BC. It was also written that Jesus would be sold and betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13). The Old Testament, which was completed approximately 450 years BC contains more than 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah, which were all fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus, when addressed by the Jews, said: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life'' (John 5:39-40). Those who ignore the meaning and uniqueness of the Son of God in these Scriptures fish in troubled waters and wander in dense fog. Such a person seeks truths befitting his own religious, moral and legal world view, but nothing more. Whoever ignores prophecies concerning Jesus Christ (as the Jews did) is unable to be moved in his soul, by God. Without Jesus, it is impossible to have peace with God (John 16:33). Peter wrote in his letter “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:19-20). Whoever seeks the truth, does not bypass Jesus (John 14:6). And whoever reads the Bible to get answers to existential questions concerning his life, will not be disappointed provided that he never loses sight of Jesus. In addition, our Biblical knowledge assist us in discerning the spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and the Center of God's Word. In Psalm 119:105 we read “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” This applies whenever we read the Bible with faith. And thus, we have our share in the eternal truth.

Jörg Bauer