Where the rubber meets the road...

"We believe in the plenary-verbal inspiration of the accepted canon of the Scriptures as originally given and that they are infallibly and uniquely authoritative and free from error of any sort in all matters with which they deal, including scientific and historical as well as moral and theological. 

(II Timothy 3 :16; I Corinthians 2:13)"

This is the first statement under the What We Believe tab on our church's website.

The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.

This is the first statement of the fundamental truths of the denomination I grew up in.

Whatever your opinion, whether you feel these statements are right, wrong, or you couldn't care less,

the fact that they are first on the list in both instances is significant.

Because, what we believe about the Bible is the foundation on which our whole belief system is built.

What we believe about the Bible is a "watershed" issue, 

and where we draw the line on this issue is of utmost importance.

Here are the three most common views of the Bible-

The Evangelical View-

(This is reflected in the statements above.)

The Bible is seen as presently applicable to our lives.

The Orthodox View-

The Bible is viewed as an historically accurate document giving account of the truths about the living God.

A person doesn't need to do anything further than to simply believe in the truths.

There is an absence of expectation that the Holy Spirit can make the Word alive today.

The Liberal View-

The Bible is a source of comfort but is not the final authority or decisive truth.

It is a book of faith inspiring stories, legends and myths open to subjective interpretation.

A final opinion on God, Jesus or the Bible is considered narrow minded.

Here's the problem...

"If the Bible is no longer the Word of God without error, each part may be eaten away step by step...

What the Bible teaches about itself, what Jesus taught about Scripture, and what the church has consistently held to through the ages, is a strong, uncompromising view of Scripture."

( from the article by Francis A. Schaeffer linked below)

Paul Little in his book, Know What You Believe says

"There is rational evidence of truth that the Bible is a supernatural book, that the God of the Bible who created the heavens and the earth, is God, and that Jesus Christ, His Son came to earth, lived, died and rose again.  There is no need for you to kiss your brains goodbye in order to believe this."

{At this point, I could go into all the evidence that the Bible is no ordinary book, 

but my purpose here isn't to write a research paper.

You may want to read Marking the Watershed by Francis A. Schaeffer,

Another article you may find interesting is, Science and the Bible.}

"If the Bible really is the supernatural, infallible, inerrant, God-breathed Word of God, 

than it not only has life-giving power, but life-governing authority." Jack Hayford

My premise, is that the things that divide us, things like what we believe about gay marriage or abortion and those sorts of hot-button issues are a symptom of an even greater divide...

the differences of what we believe about the Bible.

This is at the root of it all.

My purpose here is to make clear what I believe and where I stand.

{And to encourage you to think, to study, to delve into this yourself, 

rather than to just accept whatever the current cultural trend is or even what I'm saying.}

I believe that the Bible is perfect, true and complete.

I believe that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired and therefore inerrant Word of God.

I believe that the Bible is the final authority for all that we believe and how we are to live.

I believe that the Bible is the Truth.

So, that being the case, if what I think or what I feel doesn't line up with the Bible, 

then I'm the one in error.

The Bible is not subjective truth, "I feel it's true, so it must be."

It's the objective plumb line, by which I must measure what I think and feel, 

and how I am to act, react and respond.

This means, in our culture where there are few moral absolutes and cloudy views of right or wrong, 

where saying something is morally wrong is often considered to be narrow minded and bigoted, 

I am going to stick out like a sore thumb.

I am going to be considered narrow minded.

I may be thought of as hateful when I won't accept someone's lifestyle 

because I believe that the Bible calls it sinful.

On a personal note, embracing the Bible as God's Word, as the Truth, 

also means that I must accept what it says about the sinfulness of my own lifestyle.

I must recognize my selfishness, my pride, my lack of love, as grievous sins to God's great heart,

and I must do what He says,

repent and turn from my own way and return to His.

Much of the time, I feel like a fish swimming upstream.

It sure would be easier to go with the flow of culture.

But I can't.

I just can't.

I've been bought with a price.

I am not my own.

I am to glorify God in my body and in my spirit

by my words,

in my actions,

no matter what it costs,

no matter how unpopular.

And that, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road for me.

still following,