REASONS TO BELIEVE #1

                                            1 PETER 3:15                                                     

Pastor Rick Jackson

R. A. Torrey said, Is the Bible the Word of God? If the Bible is the Word of God, an absolutely trustworthy revelation from God Himself, of Himself, His purposes and His will, of man's duty and destiny, of spiritual and eternal realities, then we have a starting point from which we can proceed to the conquest of the whole domain of religious truth. But if the Bible is not the Word of God, if it is the mere product of man's thinking, speculating, and guessing, not altogether trustworthy in regard to religious and eternal truth, then we are all "at sea," not knowing wither we are drifting, but we may be sure that we are not drifting toward any safe port.

I did not always believe the Bible to be the Word of God. I sincerely doubted that the Bible was the Word of God. I doubted that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. I doubted whether there was a personal God. I was not an infidel. I was a skeptic. I did not deny. I questioned. I was not an atheist. I was an agnostic. I did not know but I determined to find out. If there was a God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. If there was not a God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. If Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. If the Bible was the Word of God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. And if the Bible was not the Word of God, I determined to find that out and act accordingly. I found out. I found out beyond the peradventure that there is a God, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that the Bible is the Word of God. Today it's with me not a matter of mere probability nor even of mere belief, but of absolute certainty.

The Bible has withstood the test of time, the onslaughts of its enemies, the excesses of its friends, and the ignorance of the masses. It still stands, it still demands, it still reaches, it still teaches, it still preaches! It is in more languages, more countries, and more hearts than ever before. It is quite simply the Word of God, inerrant, inspired, infallible and forever settled in Heaven. In it you will find salvation for your soul, peace for your heart, information for your mind, medicine for what ails you and a shield for what assails you. Read it, heed it, study it, memorize it, use it, and live by it.

WITH BIBLE CHRISTIANITY

I. YOU HAVE AN APOLOGIA YOU AREN’T SORRY ABOUT [APOLOGETICS]

1. A Reasoned Defense [Acts 22:1, Philippians 1:7, 17

2.. A Rational Answer [Acts 25:16, 1 Corinthians 9:3, 2 Timothy 4:16

3. A Real Clearing [2 Corinthians 7:11, 1 Peter 3:15]

II. THERE IS NO SEPARATION OF FACTS FROM A BIBLICAL FAITH

1. Historical Not Hysterical [Deuteronomy 18:22, Daniel, Luke]

2. Knowing Not Guessing [Mt. 22:37, Jn. 8:32]

3. Proofs Not Presumption [Acts 1:3, Rm. 1:1-4]

III. YOU HAVE AN OBJECTIVE FAITH NOT A SUBJECTIVE FAITH

1. A Person [2 Tm. 1:12]

2. A Real Historical Person [1 John 1:1]

3. A More Sure Word [2 Pt. 1:16-21]