BIBLICAL LITERACY

Biblical Literacy

"Sanctify them by thy truth: thy word is truth." In this simple, yet profound statement, Christ reveals the nature of the Scriptures. The Word of God is truth. In this post-modern era that says truth is what you make it, it is essential that we immerse ourselves in the unchanging truth of the Bible. If we have this standard by which to judge right from wrong, we cannot err. Unfortunately, knowledge of the Bible is at an all time low and Christians do not know what they believe or why they believe it. In fact, many Christians know about the same amount of scripture as many atheists, and many learned atheists know more. This is a tragedy. If we are to defend our faith properly, live rightly, and understand the very doctrines we base our eternal destiny upon, we must study the Word.

Now the wise of the world (who have become fools) say that Christianity is equivalent to ignorance, blindness, and myth. The Bible is nothing more than a collection of fables and moral literature collected over the centuries. They assert that anyone who would take such a book literally must be unintelligent or scared to accept the findings of reason and science. To unprepared young people who have not studied and memorized the Word, this so-called scholarly and humanistic analysis of the Bible is devastating. They do not want to be considered ignorant and so they sacrifice their Christianity on the altar of human reason and academic acceptance. Many times this weakness is due to the failure of parents and pastors to instill the Word in their charges from youth; but in the end, poor training is no excuse. After all, Christianity should not be a religion we are simply taught, but it should rather be a real, personal, and tested faith. We must take responsibility for ourselves if we are to stand fast in the faith.

Not only does knowledge of the scriptures defend us from attacks from without Christianity, it also keeps us from error from inside the Church. The Church is plagued by much nonsense and outright sin masquerading as Christianity and ministry. Carnal pastors are more concerned with people in the pews than true conversions, and so they avail themselves of all the worlds marketing tools and ploys to get crowds. The truth of the Gospel is compromised, softened, or done away with all together to this end. But this softening of the truth is not without its consequences. In fact, a recent study² shows that less than fifty percent of those who claim to be Christians believe that the Bible is entirely accurate. Another study³ shows that sixty-three percent of teens who claim to be Christian believe that "Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and all other people pray to the same God, even though they use different names for their god." Clearly the church is facing an epidemic of ignorance; ignorance of the most basic doctrines of the faith. In such a weak state, it is easy for false teachers to subtly twist the truth to achieve their goals, and many unwitting souls fall prey to their appealing words.

Now it is evident that men's opinions change often and there is ever a new wind of doctrine, but what should our response be? Luke says of the Bereans, "They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." And again, Paul says, "what saith the scripture?" If only Christians today would be diligent to search the scriptures, they would not follow every doctrine, opinion, and marketing scheme of men. Would you have discernment? Would you know sound doctrine? Know the scriptures. I challenge you, if you have not studied the Word as you should, then begin. Immerse yourself in it, meditate on it, and let it shape your thinking-- let it shape your world view.

¹ John 17:17

² http://oldpaths.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/sad-and-startling-statistics/

³ http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/152005a.asp

⁴ Acts 17:11

⁵ Romans 4:3

By Sam Guzman Click here for bio and archived articles

Re: Biblical Literacy Posted On: 07/21/07 12:43:32 PM Age 45, SD Fantastic article! The bible is our bread of life and it is sufficient for every need. I thank God for you, Sam! Re: Re: Biblical Literacy Posted On: 07/20/07 12:42:00 AM Age 55, NM Yours is an EXCELLENT post. The WHOLE Word of God is needed to discern right from wrong, truth from error. If only the modern 'christian church' held to this line of reasoning. Unfortunately they teach that Jesus came and initiated a whole new system of worship, apart from that system given to Israel at mount Sinai. A system where every man does what is right in his own eyes, as long as he says, 'I believe in Jesus'. They have rejected Psalm 119. The new mantra is 'God has changed', 'we do this because Paul says it's OK'. Of course, me and you and many others (Bereans) who are willing to look at the whole word of God, know that Paul WAS a follower of God, but said many things that were hard to understand, which many misuse to their own destruction. I am so tired of hearing, 'Oh, Paul says that's done away with!' I know that the Word of God stands forever. Thank you Christians should be happy more people don't read the bible Posted On: 07/18/07 04:32:12 PM Age 36, MN I really don't think you want people to read the bible. It's easier for Christians in charge to tell people what's in the bible than to let them read it themselves. If people read it themselves, they would first discover how terribly difficult it is to read. Then they would discover how incoherent most of the books are. After that, if they were able to get to the meaning of the thing, they would discover that the god of the bible is a vengeful, insecure, unjust, intolerant bully. Re: Biblical Literacy Posted On: 07/18/07 01:34:07 PM Age 45, MO When the Master spoke of the Truth in John 17:17, He was inferring the Psalms, "The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting." (Psalm 119:160) This passage from the Psalms is written by King David. King David's Scriptures were, from a purely historical perspective, the books of Moses, the Pentateuch. The Master's Scriptures had expanded to include the Prophets and the Psalms (Psalms being the largest of the Writing's scrolls). "Now He said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" (Luke 24:44) The foundational text whereby variance is measured is again the same Scripture that David possessed, the books of Moses, "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (John 5:45-47) The Master, when arguing a point from the Psalms (82:6) states that the Scriptures cannot be broken, "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)..." (John 10:35) Therefore, the Scriptures spoken of by the Master, his disciples and apostles are the words left of Matthew, and the foundation upon which the Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse (and that which the Bereans searched) rest. To this document, "which cannot be broken," we SHOULD be “diligent to search" so that we do "not follow every doctrine, opinion, and marketing scheme of men." The word of truth spoken of by the Master is the same word spoken by Moses, "When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, all the words of this Law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess." (Deuteronomy 32:45-47) Paul reiterates this life giving word in his epistle to the Philippians, "...holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory..." (Philippians 2:16) May we examine the Words of the Father through the Word Made Flesh, so that it may be so with us too. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24) Re: Biblical Literacy Posted On: 07/18/07 08:21:06 AM Age 60, KS Great article. The Truth shall set you free. Only by daily reading and studying of the Bible can we learn the Truth. We are to keep the Word in our hearts. Today there is too much emphasis placed on political correctness and tolerance. Some have mistakenly claimed that Jesus was just another nice guy like Muhammad and Budda. Jesus is much more. He is the Son of God and no one can come to the Father except through Him. We need to protect the eternal souls of our children by teaching them the fullness of the Scriptures so that they can put on the full armor of God for their journey on the road to salvation! Re: Biblical Literacy Posted On: 07/17/07 04:02:31 PM Age 60, MO You have made some accurate statements in your article, and we would do well to heed your advice. George Cancilla