[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-i-love-the-bible":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-i-love-the-bible-surround":75},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":16,"columnName":58,"date":59,"description":22,"extension":60,"image":61,"meta":62,"minRead":63,"navigation":64,"path":65,"postType":66,"publication":67,"publicationUrl":61,"seo":68,"stem":69,"topics":70,"__hash__":74},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-i-love-the-bible.md","Why I Love the Bible",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13,14,15],"2 Samuel","Luke","John","1 Corinthians","2 Timothy","2 Peter","Revelation",{"type":17,"value":18,"toc":54},"minimark",[19,23,30,36,42,48,51],[20,21,22],"p",{},"Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15), and we know his commands through the Scriptures. I don’t worship a book; I worship God. But my love for the Lord is precisely why I respect and honor the Book he gave us. Here’s why I love the Bible.",[20,24,25,29],{},[26,27,28],"em",{},"I learn about the Son of God through it."," Christ is the Bible’s central character, its constant theme. Paul reminded Timothy that the holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). The whole Old Testament points to the Messiah and his redemptive work (Luke 24:44). The first chapter of the New Testament tells about the genealogy and the birth of Jesus; the last chapter tells us that Jesus is coming again, and ends with a blessing in his name: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelation 22:21). From cover the cover, biblical history is “his story,” the wondrous account of Jesus and his love.",[20,31,32,35],{},[26,33,34],{},"I recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in it."," The Bible’s historical accuracy, fulfilled prophecies, scientific foreknowledge, incomparable teachings, and unified message point to the superintendence of God. How can we explain the Book’s spiritual power? David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). Paul said that he spoke “not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Corinthians 2:13). The biblical writers received divine guidance “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The written Word is a double-edged sword to cut through strongholds, a soothing balm to comfort the wounded, a stick of dynamite to explode spiritual barriers, a map to guide the lost, a light for those in darkness.",[20,37,38,41],{},[26,39,40],{},"I respect God’s servants who wrote and preserved it."," The Bible is a gift not only from God but also from the people of God given over thousands of years. Prophets and apostles faithfully recorded God’s truth because, as John noted at the close of his Gospel, their words help readers “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” and find life in his name (John 20:31). The Bible has been copied, translated, and passed down through the generations at the cost of painstaking labor and the blood of martyrs.",[20,43,44,47],{},[26,45,46],{},"I admire the enduring relevance of it."," Most books quickly go out of print and out of date, but the Bible remains relevant in every age and applicable in any culture. It shows us how to live wisely now and how to live forever in the future. It inspires great art and music. It provides practical guidance for the church, the family, the workplace, and the social order. Rightly understood and applied, it leads to wise financial decisions and good governance. In 1382, using language Abraham Lincoln later incorporated into his Gettysburg Address, translator John Wycliffe rightly observed, “This Bible is for the government of the People, by the People, and for the People.”",[20,49,50],{},"Finally, I love the Bible because* I find myself stretched and strengthened by it.* Is Scripture sometimes hard to comprehend? Of course! Peter acknowledged that some of Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Personally, I like the fact that the Scriptures are beyond my full comprehension, always beckoning me to continue my journey of faith. The parts of the Bible I don’t understand compel me to keep searching and growing.",[20,52,53],{},"The Bible is the Book above all other books. Give it a chance and you will see God’s fingerprints in its pages—or better yet, you will hear his voice.",{"title":55,"searchDepth":56,"depth":56,"links":57},"",2,[],"Another Look","2010-05-16","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-i-love-the-bible","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":22},"articles\u002Fwhy-i-love-the-bible",[71,72,73],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Church Leadership","njQ38YvbKg-Kz2nuKMDHmNZeH9yFLCnLNE9k6CZX5kE",[76,81],{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79,"description":80,"children":-1},"Why Go Back to Normal?","\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-go-back-to-normal","articles\u002Fwhy-go-back-to-normal","For a few days in September, life stood still. We were glued to our TV sets, watching the nightmarish scene unfold in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Worshipers crowded into churches for prayer. Donors gave money and blood to those in need.",{"title":82,"path":83,"stem":84,"description":85,"children":-1},"Why Miracles Matter","\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-miracles-matter","articles\u002Fwhy-miracles-matter","Recently I talked with a young woman who visited our church at the invitation of her friend. She was curious about what it means to become a Christian, so I talked with her about Jesus. After explaining about his death on the cross, I said, “And three days later, he came back to life again.”"]