I have read many books seeking to convince skeptics and unbelievers that the Bible is true and that Jesus is the Savior of the world. In fact I am presently reading a really great book by Dan Hayden called “Did God Write the Bible?” It is concise, detailed, and full of wonderful information that could convince the the most stubborn skeptic that the Bible is true.
I suppose though for myself, that the best and most convincing proof that the Bible is what it claims to be, is You… and me.
Most of the books on the New York Times best sellers list are accolades of how wonderful human beings are and proclaim the praises of their achievements. Other best sellers are “how to” books on “Looking out for number one”, and “how to climb over everyone else” to get to the top of the human food chain.
The Bible however, is about the frailties of man and the fact that he is a hopeless sinner who is flawed with no hope of correcting or mending himself. Sounds depressing doesn’t it? Why would anyone want to read a book about their faults, as if we are not already well acquainted with our shortcomings.
For the honest seeker of truth, there must come a time in life when one wonders how the world became the mess that it is. When did all of the world’s problems begin and why is the human condition at such a desperate place? If we are really evolving and improving over time as some claim, why then is the world getting worse as man progresses technologically?
In my ministry of teaching the Bible, I have had the privilege of visiting several other countries. I remember the excitement of those first few journeys across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to distant lands in anticipation of meeting diverse and different people. Once I arrived in these nations and got to know the people who lived there, I was awestruck by the fact that they were exactly like me, and everyone else in the world for that matter. How is it that people who have never met each other could be so identical in their very nature? Being self Centered is a universal trait found in every person around the world.
This reality led me to the conclusion that all people must have had a common beginning. People in Asia are virtually identical to those living in Europe in their basic moral structure and behavior. Even more startling was that in every corner of the earth people struggle with patience, selfishness, honesty, sexual purity and the lust for material possessions. There is no culture that is exempt from sin, or the effects of it on human life.
All the books that man writes about man are focused on finding, developing, and revealing the good within. Even the self help manuals that fly off the store shelves are primarily focused on developing the human potential.
Only the Bible is brutally honest and rightly describes the true human condition. Only the Bible reveals that man was created by God perfect in every regard, but became flawed because of sin.
There it is again, that word sin. I really hate it. I have always been uncomfortable with seeing the flaw of sin in myself as well as in others. It is even more difficult to teach about sin and the consequences of it’s actions, to others. The reality is that sin is real and the effects it has on every part of human life. Sin is the reason that there is so much pain and sorrow in the world today and it is the reason why our lives are not as happy and satisfying as they could be.
People blame their circumstance, their parents, their job and their spouse for why they exhibit the negative affects of sin. In truth, it really doesn’t matter how good things are around us, the problem is not from without, but from within. We sin because we are sinners at our basic core. Sin is what we do naturally no matter who we are or where we are.
This is the reason that I know the Bible is true because only the Bible accurately describes the true human condition in terms of our fallen nature. Only the Gives us the solution for our sin problem, the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Men have always sought to do something to rid themselves of their inner sense of guilt. Penance, good works, turning over a new leaf, and many self help and multi step courses. None of which really work in the long term because none of these address the true cause of man’s problem, he is a sinner by nature.
Only the Bible reveals that it is not by changing one’s self that they become different, it is by dying and experiencing a new birth that a person becomes new. The flesh of a human being is so corrupt that no amount of training can ever change it because the basic structure within us is broken beyond repair. This is why God does not seek to improve the flesh. Instead His focus is on making the dead spirit of man that is within, a new creation. As long as man seeks to improve himself externally he will always fail. It is only by being “Born Again” by the Spirit of God that a human being can truly be changed.
The process of being “Born Again” is a supernatural work of God that He does inside the person who places their faith in Jesus Christ. From the moment that any person hears about what Jesus has done on the Cross in payment for their sins, and then believes this truth within their heart, they experience this new birth. All other religions of the world are different in that they seek to change man from his flesh. Only the Bible teaches that the flesh of man is beyond hope and that it was by the death of God’s Son that payment for all sin was accomplished. It took the death of the Son of God to pay the tremendous price required for all of the sins of all people. Because Jesus is the creator of all things and is the eternal God, His life has an eternal value that is high enough to pay for the sins of ever person.
This is why no church, religious organization or any other person who claims to be able to lead man into eternal life has any validity. All other men are also sinners themselves and in need of a Savior. Only Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life which qualified Him to be the Savior of all men.
I trust the Bible because it tells the truth about the human condition. I would much rather be told the truth so that I can take steps to correct something based on truth, rather than to continue to believe a lie that has no future hope of success.
Many people claim that the Bible and Christians are narrow minded and dogmatic in their statement that there is only one way to heaven. The reality is that only Jesus met the requirements to make eternal life possible. There is only one way to heaven because there is only one man who was righteous enough to pay the price necessary to save us all. That is why I follow only Jesus and believe only the Bible. There is no substitution for truth, particularly when it has been demonstrated to be truth in such vivid detail in Jesus Christ.
Rob Robinson
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