The Bible is arguably the most important, physical component of Christianity. It is used as a guideline to show us the way to salvation, as well as a means by which we are able to know Him and His will better. Many, however, would question the validity of the Bible. Christians claim that the Bible is infallible, and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness ...,”(2 Timothy 3:16, ESV) but even Christians disagree as to what are legitimate books of the Bible. Given this, it is natural to be skeptical about the nature and subsequent uses of the Bible. Is the Bible truly the work of God, or is it merely another spiritual or historical text embellished with fantasy, as is the case with The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad,
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For instance, there is the Scriptural theme of God dwelling with His people. Genesis 3:8 sees God dwelling with man in the garden of Eden. In Exodus 29, due to the separation caused by the fall, God commands the construction of the tabernacle, saying “I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the alter ... I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God”(Exodus 29:45). 1 Kings 8:10 and 14 describes the shift from the tabernacle to the temple, before Ezekiel 10:18-19 details God’s leaving the temple due to Israel’s sin. It is also during this period that the temple of God is destroyed. However, in Haggai 2:7 and 9 and Malachi 3:1, God promises to return to a house whose glory will surpass the glory of the temple built by Solomon. Yet, when the second temple’s foundation is completed in Ezra 3:12, the elders, priests, and old men weep because of its painful inferiority to the first. 500 years later, God’s promises is fulfilled when He returns in Christ. Not only did God physically dwell among men, but after Christ’s death and resurrection He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His people - His new temples. Revelations 21:3, 22, and 26 bring the story full circle, describing a city without a temple, for “the dwelling place of God is with man”(Revelation 21:3). What makes this continuity even more impressive is that it survived through 66 books by 40 different …show more content…
It is source of joy, admonition, strength, peace, and instruction. It is a guiding lamp and a source of cleansing and truth, whose contents demand meditation. According to the Westminster Confession of Faith the Bible was given to us by God in order to “declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church ...”(WCF). The fact that God exists is evident in nature, to such a point as to “leave men unexcusable”(WCF), however the natural world is not enough to develop a close and personal relationship Him. It may be possible to learn about what He is like by observing the orderly, creative, beautiful world around us; it may be possible to ascertain His morality from our own, inborn sense of right and wrong, it may even be able to discern the fact that He loves us, but God made all of these aspects abundantly clear in His word. He desires a personal relationship with the people - the people whom he loved enough to sacrifice his son for - and thus He gave them and gave us the means to know Him, His will, and His boundless
For instance, there is the Scriptural theme of God dwelling with His people. Genesis 3:8 sees God dwelling with man in the garden of Eden. In Exodus 29, due to the separation caused by the fall, God commands the construction of the tabernacle, saying “I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the alter ... I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God”(Exodus 29:45). 1 Kings 8:10 and 14 describes the shift from the tabernacle to the temple, before Ezekiel 10:18-19 details God’s leaving the temple due to Israel’s sin. It is also during this period that the temple of God is destroyed. However, in Haggai 2:7 and 9 and Malachi 3:1, God promises to return to a house whose glory will surpass the glory of the temple built by Solomon. Yet, when the second temple’s foundation is completed in Ezra 3:12, the elders, priests, and old men weep because of its painful inferiority to the first. 500 years later, God’s promises is fulfilled when He returns in Christ. Not only did God physically dwell among men, but after Christ’s death and resurrection He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His people - His new temples. Revelations 21:3, 22, and 26 bring the story full circle, describing a city without a temple, for “the dwelling place of God is with man”(Revelation 21:3). What makes this continuity even more impressive is that it survived through 66 books by 40 different …show more content…
It is source of joy, admonition, strength, peace, and instruction. It is a guiding lamp and a source of cleansing and truth, whose contents demand meditation. According to the Westminster Confession of Faith the Bible was given to us by God in order to “declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church ...”(WCF). The fact that God exists is evident in nature, to such a point as to “leave men unexcusable”(WCF), however the natural world is not enough to develop a close and personal relationship Him. It may be possible to learn about what He is like by observing the orderly, creative, beautiful world around us; it may be possible to ascertain His morality from our own, inborn sense of right and wrong, it may even be able to discern the fact that He loves us, but God made all of these aspects abundantly clear in His word. He desires a personal relationship with the people - the people whom he loved enough to sacrifice his son for - and thus He gave them and gave us the means to know Him, His will, and His boundless