Bible or not the Bible – is that even a question?

If you look around you, you realize: Christians treat the Bible differently! For some it is merely a helpful book. Others call it reverently: “The Word of GOD”, which is the supreme guideline for every lifestyle. And yet others say that one should not follow the Bible, but rather the Holy Spirit; the Bible stems essentially from another time and culture. Does my view of the Bible make a difference? It makes a crucial difference – your salvation depends upon it! Oops, I can “already hear the objection: “In the Bible it is written “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (it is written in Romans 10:9). Furthermore: “There is nothing written about having to read the Bible to obtain salvation! My faith saves me, not my behavior or my opinion of the Bible”! Agreed. However, in which Jesus do you believe then, if not in the One recorded in the Bible (namely in the New and Old Testament)? Where then does your faith stem from that Jesus was raised from the dead? You weren't there!? From where do you know that the Romans guarded the grave, and yet Mary found the grave empty after three days – met with the living LORD Jesus and after her the disciples and another 500 met Him also? The Bible is the foundation of your faith: it not only reported extremely accurate and reliable, but also explained the occurrences: starting with: “Where do people originate from?”, about: “Why is the world (and my own heart) so evil?”, to: “How did God solve the question of guilt?” And what is with your confession: “Jesus is Lord”? Surely you don't just see it as a Harry-Potter-slogan which magically transports you to the Kingdom of Heaven! Does it not boarder on hypocrisy when your life does not run concurrently with the rules of this LORD? The written Word was given through the inspiration of God, revealed by the Holy Spirit, so that we are able to accurately determine God's will for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The above mentioned argument is thus not to contradict, but to show the necessity for us to know and obey the Bible. Only through the Bible do we have access to a certain information source on living. In 2 Timothy 3:17 it is written: “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Ansgar Przesang