I believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. I have always supported my faith in the Bible and the God of the Bible through my experiences. I believe the Bible to be God inspired. This was fine for my personal faith enrichment, but how was I going to explain and support this to reason with someone of a different persuasion or just did not believe in the existence of a God. That's where books written by professor John Dickson (The Christ Files: How Historians Know What they know about Jesus; and Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters) and Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ, where references to historical facts and attestation by non-christian historians, present and from antiquity, documenting the birth and person of Jesus Christ is crucial. The Bible is a collection of articles by many different authors written over a period of time all pointing to the same theme - a passionate and compassionate God who loves his creation, (wo)man! The Bible has been the most studied, discussed and dissected collection of articles by both folks who believe and do not believe it to be God inspired. Yet they are unanimous in their conclusion to the truth about the person and life of Jesus Christ; that cannot be denied.
Prof. John Dickson, a professor of archeology, who became a believer in Christ, persuaded by the evidence presented through his own research that started out to test the veracity of the Bible and its historical context, wrote, "I remain a devoted theist rather than a common sense deist because I'm convinced that the great mind standing behind the rational order of the universe has entered into human affairs in a concrete way in the life of Jesus."
Voddie Bocham, a Christian minister, who did not start out as a Christian, posed this question to an audience: Why I chose to believe in the Bible and answered it in a most succinct manner... "It is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings were divine rather than human in origin."
Apostle Peter, the first disciple of Christ, an eye witness to the life and works of Jesus Christ, writes in 2 Peter 1:16-21,
16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.In conclusion, the historical evidence for the bible, the life and person of Jesus Christ and my personal experience of the promises in the Bible lead me to believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. In the Bible you will find the answers to all life's questions. I continue to find that to be true. If you sincerely want to find this God, you will find him I am certain. For the Bible says that the God of the Bible is passionate to have a relationship with you.
PS: I want to thank my two friends, Magda and Binu, for the conversations that rekindled the fire in me to get back on my knees and be in the Word in prayer. And as Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 if someone asks about our hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. Let's build God's temples, one person at a time.
Below is the video of Voddie Baucham's message.
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