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The Most Dangerous Book in the World

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It's really very simple looking. Nothing too fancy. Just a plain looking book with a few words on the cover. Yet this straightforward collection of words is followed with undying devotion by some and hated with passionate fury by others. For hundreds of years it has been blacklisted, barred, banned, and even burned, yet it has survived to become the best selling book of all time. The Bible Even the title is unassuming. You would think a controversial book with a bloody history would have something a little more catchy and exciting like:

"The Ultimate Secrets to All of Life"

or maybe something provoking like:

"How Not to Go to Hell"

or

"God is Definitely Coming Back, and He's Not Very Happy"

Why is it that a simple looking book with an simple sounding title has been the cause of so much misunderstanding? There are literally millions of people that believe it could possibly be the most dangerous book ever, and I happen to be one of them.

You see it's not so much the title of this book that makes it what it is, but (like most things) it's what's inside that counts. Inside the pages of the Bible is the repeated claim that these are the very words of God. Over and over again is the unashamed announcement that the one and only living God of the universe has spoken, and that is what makes it so dangerous. A book like that can't be ignored, because it demands a response. People can pretend to be neutral about a book that claims to be a direct message from the Creator of all things, but by ignoring it they are in fact rejecting it. Let me illustrate. If a police officer gets behind you when you are driving and turns on his lights, he is claiming authority over you and your vehicle. If you pull over, you have acknowledged his/her power. But, if you say to yourself "that cop might have authority over some people, but not me," and you keep on driving, you have rejected the power the officer claims (and you will eventually get caught). That's where the danger is...if the Bible is what it claims to be, the very words of God Himself, then it claims authority over everyone in the universe, and people's selfish and self-satisfying view of the world will be "pulled over" by the truth of their Maker. I think the Bible should come with a warning sticker that reads:

Danger! This Book contains the explicit words of God. The way you respond to them will determine your eternal destiny.

But what about people who don't believe that the Bible is God's word? I think it's important to remember that believing or not believing in something doesn't make it true or false. I can stand on railroad tracks and look at an oncoming train and say, "I don't believe in that train," but that doesn't change the fact that in a few seconds I'm going to be a grease spot on the side of the tracks.

What makes something true or false is reasonable proof, and the Bible gives us far more evidence of being God's Word than any other book that makes the same claim. In fact, I believe it takes more faith to believe that the Bible isn't the word of God than to believe it is- and here's why:

The Bible claims to be the inspired word of God over and over again. The phrase "and God said" is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament, and the New Testament says that:

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16)

The Greek word translated as inspired in 2 Timothy 3:16 literally means "God-breathed." It refers not to the writers, but to what is written. The words of the Bible are the "breath of God!" Therefore, the origin of Scripture is God, not man. The Bible came from God ("breathed out") through the authors who wrote it; God, who is true (John 3:33 ), breathed out truth. This obviously applies to the entire Bible, and extends to the actual words, not just the concepts ("all Scripture"). When people tell me that only parts of the Bible are inspired and not others, I ask them where they obtained a God "breathalyzer!" In other words, how can we judge from a human perspective what God inspired and what He didn't? Then there are other folks who say that the Bible is only inspired in the original documents...but gee, don't you think that God might be powerful enough to keep an eye on the copying and translation of His own Word?

The Bible is either wholly inspired, or not at all - you can't have it both ways. Jesus affirmed this for the Old Testament (Matt. 5:18 ) and promised this for the New Testament (John 16:12 -15; 14:26 ).

Now I know that any book can say that it is God's word, so why don't we lay out other proofs that this claim is true. Check these facts out:

• The Bible was written by over 40 very different authors, in 3 vastly different languages, on 3 different continents
• It took over 1,500 years to complete the books of the Bible.
• The Bible covers hundreds of controversial subjects.

Yet:

The 40 authors who spoke different languages and lived in different times and places with different occupations all spoke about one theme with agreement; there are no contradictions. From Genesis to Revelation, there is one unfolding story: God's redemption of mankind. No other book in history claiming to be God's word even comes close to matching these facts.

Also:

There are hundreds of precise prophecies in the Bible that have been literally fulfilled. 300 of them are specifically about Jesus Christ, and they all came true exactly as predicted! The odds of that happening have been estimated at 1 in 1017. That's 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 chances! Can't visualize that number? Well consider this:

Here is an illustration from Josh McDowell:

Suppose you took the state of Texas and spread silver dollars two feet deep across the whole state, then marked just one of them and buried it somewhere in the state. Then, if you chose one person, blindfolded him, and told him to pick just one silver dollar, his chances of getting the marked one on his first try would be one in 10 to the 17th power!

(Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Vol. 1, pp. 144, 167)

The Bible has unique authority and power. Millions of people have been completely changed by its words. Its history and archaeology have never been disproved or shown to be false (which is more than you can say for The Book of Mormon!), and even though it has withstood more attacks than any book in history, it remains as strong and influential as ever. This is why I said it takes more faith to believe that the Bible isn't God's Word, because the proof is all over the place. This is why Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever." (Mark 13:31 )

Just a simple looking book with a simple title, but now you know that God is speaking through it...

Are you listening?

Head: What you need to know about this truth

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Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

How would you feel if you went to the mailbox one day and inside was a letter that was addressed to you from God? At first you might think it was a joke or a hoax, but then after you open it and start reading, you realize that it actually was written by the Creator of the Universe especially for you! The Bible is a letter to you from God. It is His message for all people everywhere, telling us that even though we have rejected Him, He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. Every book of the Bible in one way or another relates to that theme. Now, what if at the end of the letter was this:

P.S.- please write back.

Love,
Jesus

You'd probably put the letter down and wait a few months to get back to your Savior who died for you, right? Wrong! You'd run to the desk, grab a piece of paper, and write out a response to God like your life depended on it.

So what are waiting for? Write out a return letter to God, thanking Him for how the Bible has impacted your life and spoken to your heart. If it hasn't yet, maybe you should use this time to start reading your Heavenly mail!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

No doubt about it, the Bible is under unbelievable attack from all sides right now. Non-Christians say it's a fairytale and politically incorrect, and there are even Christians who doubt that it's God's word. Now don't get me wrong, God is plenty powerful enough to defend His own word, but He also expects us to be able to "give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (I Peter 3:15). Your hope comes from the Bible...would you be able to explain to your friends why you believe it to be the word of God? This week, give it a try. Forward this e-mail to your friends and ask them what they think. Another option would be to take the facts about the Bible and compare them with the facts (or fiction) behind other books that claim to be the word of God (The Koran, The Book of Mormon, etc.). You will soon find out that the Bible stands alone as the only reasonable option.

For further research, check out "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell.