In this series, we have entered the courtroom of truth and have presented witness after witness of the trustworthiness of the Bible. We have listened to the logical rationale for why God must speak and that Scripture is the way He would have chosen. We have examined evidence that is found internally in the text and externally in archaeology, history, prophecy, and science that verifies the Bible’s veracity. Then we have considered this week the experiential testimony of what the Word of God has done in its God-given power. At last, I add my own witness. This Book has been life-changing for me. I have read it through repeatedly, studied it intensely, and have taught it extensively for over forty years—and I am more certain of its authority and accuracy today than ever.
Paul wrote: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ ” (I Corinthians 1:18-19 NKJV)
This is the message which the world says is foolishness, but which God in His grace has infused with saving power to those who will believe it. There is something of mystery how God can take such a message and employ it to transform a life. I cannot fully explain how, but I have experienced it, and seen that life-change in many people. I cannot fully explain electricity, but I am not going to sit in the dark until I do!
We see the power of the Word IN CREATING FAITH. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom.10:17) This is a matter of salvation. The Spirit of God used the Word of God to produce saving faith in God. The seeds of truth were sown in the soil of my soul by my parents and preachers and teachers for eighteen years until faith was produced—and the more I hear it, the more I believe it.
There is a mysterious power in the Word IN CULTIVATING GROWTH. Believers are to be, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” (1 Peter 2:2). This is a matter of nutrition. Being born of the Word, we are then nourished by it. I will tell you that whatever growth I have experienced in my Christian life has been from feeding on the Word. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, appealing to the authority of the Word to overcome the devil, when He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt.4:4)
That leads to the next dimension of the Bible’s power IN CONQUERING SIN. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” (Ps.119:11) This is a matter of sanctification. This is the Sword of the Spirit to beat the Devil. It’s how Jesus did it. There is no other way. When I have looked to the power of truth to resist temptation, I have known victory.
Then, there is the power of the Word I have witnessed IN COMMUNICATING TRUTH. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim.3:6-17) This is a matter of mission. I believe in the sufficiency of Scripture to change lives, build the church, and impact the world. As a man of God, I have stood equipped with the Word of God to lead the people of God in the mission of God, week after week, month after month, year after year, for more than four decades. I have never wondered about what to say—trying to figure out some novel message. I just open the Book, dive in, and then stand with a Bible in my hand, and see its wonderworking power! Last Sunday, almost 400 souls sat in an auditorium to surrender thirty minutes of their life to hear what I had to say—really what God had to say through me. That is a mystery and a marvel—a miracle of God’s Word!
Has the Word transformed you? Have you received with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your soul? Are you feeding on it? If you have read this far, then I assume you have some appetite for truth. O, taste and see the Lord is good! Have you hidden that Word in your heart through memorization and meditation so you might live a holy life? Will you be equipped by the Word to be useful for God in this world, so that one day you may hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. …Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matt.25:21)
I cannot persuade you against your will to believe the Bible. There are people today that refuse to believe the earth is a globe. They think it is flat! One of my dear grandmothers died convinced that men never walked on the moon—it was all staged in Hollywood. What I have done is given you met the burden of truth—that if you weigh all the evidence, it gives you the ground for this verdict: the Bible is the Word of God, beyond REASONABLE doubt.
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