Introduction
The Bible is usually crucified by many people who claim to be scholars and knowledgeable. They compare it to the scientific discoveries. In so doing, they shipwreck their lives when they fail to reconcile the scientific findings and the claims of the Bible. It ought to be understood that the Bible is not a scientific book and its purpose is not to explain scientific occurrences but to establish the relationship between man and God. This piece of writing discusses the Bible and the need to accepts its claim by faith.
The Bible: The Inspired Word of God
The Bible is a book that God has given through men unto the children of men. Paul writes that “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work” (2Ti 3:16-17). Peter affirms this when he indicates that “We also have a more sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation. For prophecy was not borne at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke being borne along by the Holy Spirit” (2Pe 1:19-21).
The “scripture” mentioned in the above paragraph refers to the Old Testament, but the New Testament was also written by people under divine revelations. Paul again testifies that by revelation God made it known to him the mystery which he has written about in his epistles. The mysteries which were not revealed to the people of old but have been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Eph 3:3-5). The New Testament of the Bible was written by the Apostles of Christ under divine inspirations and revelation, as well as their first-hand experience of Jesus Christ.
Understanding through Faith
It ought to be mentioned that “the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). This informs us that human beings are three in one. That is, they are spirits, having souls, and living in mortal bodies. Unlike the spirit and the soul, the body is mortal. Jesus tells that man should not fear those who can kill the body, but the one who can kill or destroy both the body and the soul in the hell-fire is to be feared (Mat 10:28).
The book of Hebrews chapter 4 and the 12th verse again teaches that the body and the soul could be fused together and the only thing that could separate the soul from the spirit is the word of God. This tells of the powerful and effectual nature of the word of God. It sets the spirit free from the entanglement of the body so that it stands in its proper position to hear from God. As it is written, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one” (1Co 2:14-15). This pre-supposes that the spirit of an unbeliever is not liberated from his soul by the word of God so, s/he is not able to discern the spiritual things of God.
When people are regenerated (i.e. when their spirits become alive to God), they begin to live by faith because they see things as God sees them. Yes, Faith plays an important role in walking with God because it helps in understanding and accepting the things of God. For “Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb 11:3 KJV). The spiritually inclined persons accept that the biblical account of creations (e.g. Gen 1, Joh 1:1-3, etc.) as recorded in its pages is true. It is believed that there were no scientific observations or experimentation at the laboratory during the period of the evolution, so faith is equally required to fully comprehend the evolution account.
We only perceive or comprehend with our spiritual intelligence that the worlds were created by God out of nothing (Gen 1:1-31). This is the faith of all those who call on God, the God who quickens the dead, and calls those things which are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). It has been argued that the teachings of God must be understood by faith, but there are also other convincing scriptures to persuade us to believe that the world was created by God but not evolved as Science claims. We need to seek biblical claims in the context of the Bible. This means that Christians should not lean on faith in understanding texts which need simple rationalization. The scriptures must be studied and understood in its own context.
Conclusion
The Bible is the word of God because those who wrote it were inspired by His spirit to do so. It is very effective and powerful to the extent that it changes the lives of humans from decay unto glory. Its claims are authoritative and they must be accepted as such. Some of its claims are understood and accepted only through faith but not nationalism. But the Bible also presents its own claims systematically and must be studied using proper principles of hermeneutics.
Prayer: May God help us to be discerning as we study His word so that we shall understand it in its proper contexts. In the name of Jesus Christ.