God's word... the Bible

Up until the 19th Century the Bible was generally considered to be an accurate and reliable record given by God for the guidance of people but since the latter part of that century through to the present time trust in the Bible has eroded. A document launched some years ago by the Roman Catholic Church in England illustrates this. They warned their five million worshippers that they should not expect total accuracy from the Bible with the first 11 chapters of Genesis being particularly suspect. While at first sight this seems an enlightened attempt to make the Scriptures acceptable to the secular mind, in reality it strikes a blow at the trustworthiness of the entire Bible. Jesus teachings on marriage, Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah and Adam and Eve are all sourced in Genesis. Jesus believed that the early parts of the Bible were history! See how in Matthew 19 when he was asked a question about divorce he referred to Genesis 2 and spoke about marriage. To throw doubt upon some sections of the Bible has the consequence of placing dark shadows of doubt over the whole. This approach means nothing can be trusted. The Bible is a revelation of God from God. From the first until the end the writers make no claims other than they were passing on the message God gave them directly. This is what God says; is a common preamble in the Bible. It is a faulty approach to only accept the bits you agree with and find comforting while discarding the portions that are beyond our reason or are irksome, awkward and condemning. 500 years ago at the Reformation the Bible was called the most dangerous book in the world. People were killed for possessing it and churches sought to suppress its truth. It transformed cultures and countless lives. It is not just cold words on a page but the living Word that brings us into contact with a living God. We do not find God through the wisdom of our own reason. It is the entrance of God’s word that brings light!