Did God Write the Bible?

 

Is the Bible a human book or is it a Divinely inspired book?  Admittedly, the Bible was written by human authors, 40 of them over a time period of 1500 years. But according to Scripture, these human authors were all led and inspired by God as to the subject matter that they wrote. Scripture is explicit about this . . .

  • II Peter 1: 20-21 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

  • II Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Continue reading “Did God Write the Bible?”

What Does God Think of Abortion?

When I heard about the law recently passed in New York State allowing late term abortions up to the point of birth, I was both appalled and grief-stricken. New York Governor Cuomo celebrated the passing of the bill and said, “it is a victory for all New Yorkers.”

But I wonder what God thinks about it? Is the continuing and increasing abortion rights propagated by some lawmakers a victory for mankind or is it an abomination in the eyes of God?

Some who approve of abortion, even up to the time of birth argue that life does not begin until the baby takes it’s first breath. Before that, it is simply a fetus; not a living being. They propose therefore, that “Human life begins when the baby starts breathing.”

But, what does God say about the beginning of life? From Scripture it appears that life begins at the moment of conception.

  • “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the One who formed you from the womb, ‘I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out the earth all alone . . .'” (Isaiah 44:24, NASV).

  • “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:13-16, NKJV).

  • “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV).

  • But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace . . .” (Galatians 1:15, RSV).

  • “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit…[saying] ‘As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy'” (Luke 1:41, 44, NIV).

  • Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3, NASV). 

                       *Scriptures copied from Focus on the Family Website

If, indeed life does begin at the moment of conception, as the Bible indicates and science supports as well, then that embryo conceived in the womb of the mother is a living being. Accordingly then, the aborting of that embryo or fetus would result in the killing of an innocent human life.

 According to American Life League, there are 2,899 abortions performed in the US every day. That means that there are 12o abortions every hour; one performed in the United States every 30 seconds.

For these who honor the sanctity of human life and uphold the rights of the unborn, these are horrifying and heart-breaking statistics. If so for us, I wonder how it must be for God who is the Father and creator of all life?

We get an answer to that question from the way God reacted to the pagan nations in the Old Testament that practiced child sacrifice. In the eyes of God it was an abdominal and sinful practice, one for which He judged those nations. (Leviticus 18:21, 24-30, 20:2-5; II Kings 16:3; II Chronicles 28:3, 33:2)

God hates murder. One of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt not murder.” Abortion is murder. It is the snatching of an innocent living being who has no voice of its own from the womb and casts aside to die.

My heart goes out to the mothers who have been victimized in the whole premise of these unholy practices by our culture.  We are accountable as a society for failing them also.  

*Artist Duane Bryers

Is Your Favorite Bible a Translation, Version or a Paraphrase & What is the Difference?

According to the “Guinness Book of World Records”, the Bible is still the best-selling book of all times. And it has been translated in more languages and dialects than any book ever written. “Wikipedia” records that “The full Bible has been translated into 670 languages, the New Testament has been translated into 1,521 languages and Bible portions or stories into 1,121 other languages. Thus at least some part of the Bible has been translated into 3,312 languages.”

And have you noticed the great number of translations of the Bible in  modern English on the market today? Since 1900, there have been over 200 + New Translations of the full Bible or  only of the New or Old Testament. The most common and most popular include . . . Continue reading “Is Your Favorite Bible a Translation, Version or a Paraphrase & What is the Difference?”

Does God “Lead” us Into Temptation?

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a model prayer. We often refer to it as the “Lord’s Prayer.” Matthew and Luke both record it: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4. And both record Jesus as teaching them to pray, “And lead us not into temptation.”

Through the years lots of folks, including some in the Roman catholic Church have had a problem with this phrase, “lead us not into temptation.” God wouldn’t lead us into temptation, would He? Pope Francis I went on record to say that the phrase, “lead us not into temptation” is not a good translation. “The one who leads us into temptation,” he says, “is Satan.” So he suggests that it should rather be rendered, “abandon us not when in temptation”.

Continue reading “Does God “Lead” us Into Temptation?”

How Do I know if I Am Saved?

Billy Graham said he believed one of the oldest tricks of the devil is to make Christians doubt their salvation. “When we doubt our salvation,” he writes, “We doubt God’s Word, and when we doubt God’s Word, we are powerless and ineffective tools for Christ?”

So, is it possible to truly and absolutely know that we have been born again, even if the devil tries to make us doubt our salvation? Yes! The Bible gives us many assurances; ways we may know for sure. Here are four . . .

Four Ways I May Know that I am Saved

1. First Assurance – The Absolute Trustworthiness of Scripture

God in His Word promises us that He will save “all” who believe upon His Son. The Bible says, “Whoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13.  Have you called upon Jesus to save you? If you have, you can have the absolute assurance that you are saved. This is God’s genuine promise! All who have given their lives to Jesus and believed upon Him may have the firm confidence of salvation based upon the infallibility of God’s Word. Continue reading “How Do I know if I Am Saved?”