Welcome to The Reasons to Believe podcast, episode #206. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International.
Our Reasons to Believe Scripture Passage for today is I Corinthians 2:14. It reads, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Our Reasons to Believe quote for today is from R.A. Torrey. He said, “Every type of destruction that human philosophy, human science, human reason, human art, human cunning, human force and human brutality could bring to bear against a book has been brought to bear against this Book, and yet the Bible stands absolutely unshaken today. At times almost all the wise and great of the earth have been pitted against the Bible, and only an obscure few for it. Yet it has stood.”
Today we are continuing the topic of scripture, its inerrancy, infallibility and inspiration using “Our God-breathed Book: The Bible – The Verbally Inspired, Eternal, Inerrant Word of God” by John R. Rice. Our Reasons to Believe powerpoint today comes from Chapter 2: “Beware of “Scholars” Who Do Not Believe the Bible Is God’s Word” Part 10.
III. UNCONVERTED MEN CANNOT
UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL TRUTH
Whose opinion may we value, when we go to study spiritual truth, for example, on the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible?
1. The Natural Man Cannot Receive the Things of the Spirit of God
In I Corinthians, chapter 2, we have a wonderful revelation about divine inspiration of the Bible, even the very verbal inspiration of the Bible. In verse 14 is this strong statement: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Dr. Carl Henry says about this matter of approaching the Bible with a wicked bias against God:
The approach to the Bible, in whole and in part, is ventured from only one of two standpoints, that of faith or that of suspended judgment. One has either a regard or disregard for its authority. In the one case, its trustworthiness is assumed unless conclusive evidence for the contrary appears; in the other, any and every passage in the Bible is called in question, and its trustworthiness acknowledged only for some other reason than that it belongs to the sacred record.
Later on the same page he says:
The Christian view of inspiration is part and parcel of a Christian view of God and the world. The answer to the question, “Where, in a debatable matter, shall the benefit of the doubt go?” will reflect the pattern by which one approaches the problem. Does the benefit fall to the modern view, with its bias toward the fallibility of Scripture? Does it fall rather to the side of Biblical authority and reliability?
2. To Give Weight and Respect for Opinions
of Bible Enemies Is Wrong
Dr. Edward J. Young takes a fine stand for the verbal inspiration of the Bible. However, he says something in the preface with which I seriously disagree.
Although I reject most heartily the modern views of the Bible, I have the greatest respect for some of the men who hold these views. The frequent reference to the writings of Otto A. Piper and Alan Richardson, even though so often by way of disagreement, will, I trust, be regarded as an evidence of the respect in which these writers are held.
I do not quote the opinions of unconverted men, enemies of the Bible, except as it becomes necessary to refute those opinions. I do not believe that a man who does not personally accept Christ and love Him, and does not revere the Bible as God’s Word, has the sincerity of heart and the humility of heart, the unbiased objective approach, with a good heart which is necessary to understand spiritual truth. I believe that if Tom Paine is to be called an infidel and if Robert Ingersoll is to be called an infidel, then men in the church who take exactly the same attitude toward Christ and the Bible ought to be called infidels, too, because they are exactly that. I believe they ought to be regarded as enemies of Christ and of the Bible, because if they were really friends of Christ and of the Bible they would come to know the truth which God is so willing to reveal to those who seek His face humbly and lovingly. There is room for difference of opinion of Christians on lesser matters but not about the Person of Christ and the authority of the Bible. Men who know Christ as Saviour and love Him and who read and revere and sincerely try to follow the Scriptures are much more likely to understand them, than some other unbelieving man who has a heart set against Christ and the Bible, no matter how many degrees he may have.
Lord willing, we will continue this topic in our next episode.
—PRAYER—
Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Until next time, my friend, please keep in mind these reasons to believe. God bless!
BCNN1 WP 