Marsha West -- Read the Bible? What a Concept!

READ THE BIBLE? WHAT A CONCEPT!

By Marsha West

August 18, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

So many barbaric and perverse things are going on lately that I sometimes dread listening to news reports. The America I grew up in was decent, but that�s all changed. When I was a youngster people had morals and respected laws. Kids obeyed their parents, parents spent time with their kids, families went to church together, even had their meals together. Prayer was said at the dinner table and allowed in public schools. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited every morning in classrooms across America. And no one complained about it!

When I was in grammar school my sister and I walked to and from school together. We walked when it was hot, when it was cold, even when it rained. Amazingly, our parents weren�t the least bit concerned that we would be kidnapped or molested. It was perfectly rational for parents to assume that their kids were safe.

In those days Christians believed that all truth is God�s truth, that God revealed His truth to us in His Word (the Bible) and in Him who said, �I am the Truth.� The scriptures were memorized and quoted frequently and no one was offended by it. People placed their right hand on the Holy Bible and solemnly swore to tell the truth, the whole truth� And meant it. Back then the Bible was the Good Book.

It still is.

God actually reveals Himself in Scripture, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. Which begs the question, why are so many Bibles shut away in drawers or collecting dust on bookshelves? That�s the 64,000-dollar question.

One excuse for not reading the Bible is that flawed men wrote it. Funny how that logic doesn�t apply to the Washington Post, The Enquirer, Doctor Phil or Deepak Chopra! Take my word for it. The Holy Spirit did not inspire Dr. Phil�s books. The Spirit of God did, however, inspire the authors of Scripture. �All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness� (2 Timothy 3:16).

Reading and studying the Bible is not a choice; it�s a command. Noted theologian R.C. Sproul puts it this way,

I could plead with you to study the Bible for personal edification; I could try the art of persuasion to stimulate your quest for happiness. I could say that the study of the Bible would probably be the most fulfilling and rewarding educational experience of your life. I could cite numerous reasons why you would benefit from a serious study of Scripture. But ultimately the main reason why we should study the Bible is because it is our duty. If the Bible were the most boring book in the world, dull, uninteresting and seemingly irrelevant, it would still be our duty to study it. If its literary style were awkward and confusing, the duty would remain. We live as human beings under an obligation by divine mandate to study diligently God�s Word. He is our Sovereign, it is his Word and he commands that we study it. A duty is not an option. If you have not yet begun to respond to that duty, then you need to ask God to forgive you and to resolve to do your duty from this day forth. (Emphasis added.) [1]

Christians will spend hours on end reading about an imaginary code in a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, but little to no time reading their Bibles. Is it any wonder that America is in a state of moral anarchy?

Before Bibles began playing host to dust mites, Christians knew what they believed and why they believed it. Not anymore. Biblical moral values no longer dictate the way believers live their lives. Professed Christians have all but cast off their biblical worldview and blended in with our godless society. Is it any wonder that the religion of Secular Humanism has infiltrated our nation�s institutions?

The Secular Humanist religion is anti-supernaturalism, therefore God does not exist. You might say that its theology is atheism. As well, it has a philosophy of naturalism and holds to a belief in Darwinian evolution. Secularists believe that man is self-sufficient. If man is self-sufficient, he has no need for God.

Don�t think for one minute that worldview doesn�t matter. It matters. The secular humanist�s influence on our courts has been dramatic. We�re hearing more and more how activist judges are handing down ungodly decisions. The ACLU, aided by liberal judges, are destroying the very foundations of our biblical heritage under the guise that the First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state. The radical Left hopes to eliminate every trace of biblical expression from this nation. Removal of the Ten Commandments displays from public property is a good example. According to author and historian David Barton, �No ruling has been more publicized than that against Judge Roy Moore in Alabama. In that case, the 11th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 5,280 pound granite monument of the Ten Commandments could not be displayed in the rotunda of the Alabama State Judicial Building.�

The irony is that America was founded on Judeo/Christian principles, so what could be more absurd?

Most Americans no longer believe in absolute moral truth as defined by Scripture. Instead they embrace moral relativism, which is the belief that truth is relative to the person and their situation. In other words, moral principles have no objective truth. Relativists use phrases like, �That�s your truth,� which translates to, �Believe what you want, I�ll believe what I want.� Relativists aren�t concerned that their view of rightness and wrongness is based on whatever seems right. Can a person�s worldview be considered sound if the object from which they form their worldview is illogical or indefensible?

During the 60�s and 70�s many young people held the belief that, "God is dead." Mainly because if God is indeed dead, then you�re free to �Do your own thing� as long as it won�t put you behind bars. Suddenly people�s outlook was, "Who cares?" "Better him than me," "Tolerate others," "Make love, not war," "Sex, drugs and rock �n roll" which led to �Create your own reality.� The 60�s spawned the "If it feels good, do it" generation. When people are free to create their own reality, their own truth, pretty much anything goes ? and there are no rules!

�In two national surveys conducted by Barna Research, one among adults and one among teenagers, people were asked if they believe that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or that moral truth is relative to the circumstances. By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always relative to the person and their situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers, 83% of whom said moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only 6% of whom said moral truth is absolute.�[2]

Sadly, this includes Christians.

Jesus Christ was not a relativist. Christianity and moral relativism are incompatible. Christianity believes it has the only truth! We believe this because Jesus said, �I am the way, the truth and the life?� With these words Jesus conveyed to His folllowers that he was the personification of Truth. Jesus also said, �These are the scriptures that testify about me� (John 5:39).

Jesus taught that truth is rooted in the authority of the scriptures, which have been tested, reflected upon, and debated for over two thousand years. Truth is not a personal preference. Truth is person. And that person is Jesus Christ. If you sincerely want to know more about Christ, read the Bible.

If you balk at the idea, look at it this way. To maintain your strength, good nutrition is essential. That�s a no brainer. To become a strong Christian your daily diet must include the reading of God�s Word. Believers have an open invitation to join the King of kings and Lord of lords in His throne room. How often do you visit with the King? If your answer is, �Not very often,� here�s a word of advice: Change your priorities. Most people find the time to talk on the phone, watch TV, surf the Internet, answer email, workout at the gym, read novels, etc. Wouldn�t you rather be talking to the perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe instead of lounging in front of the TV?

In Deuteronomy 111:18 God says, �Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.� James tells us, �Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like� (James 1:21-25).

During the 60�s and 70�s if sincere Christians had taken seriously the counsel of James and obeyed what the Bible says about morality instead of joining the �Do your own thing� revolt, America would be a far different place today. Youngsters would still have the same freedoms my sister and I enjoyed growing up. Walking to school with my sister and friends was fun! And it was safe.

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�Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.� ? Matthew 5:19

Footnotes:

1. R. C. Sproul - Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press; 1977) p. 31.
2. Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings

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Marsha West is the Founder and Editor of the E-Mail Brigade News Report, an online news report for conservative people of faith. Marsha is a freelance writer specializing in Christian worldview. She is a regular contributor to NewsWithViews.com, Alainsnewsletter.com, CapitolHillCoffeeHouse.com, plus her commentaries appear in MichNews.com and bibleteacher.org.

Marsha is also designer and webmaster of a Christian apologetics website, On Solid Rock Resources. She is currently writing a series of children's books for homeschoolers. Marsha and her husband reside in historic Jacksonville Oregon.

E-mail:�EMbrigade@aol.com

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