The Religious Nerd

There are numerous books available for purchase on the topics of math, science, history, geography, archaeology, philosophy, war, astronomy, romance, theology, anthropology, wisdom, government, and agriculture. There are Christian books available on the topics of justification, sanctification, mortification, glorification, beautification, the atonement, marriage, parenting, business, children, and on and on…    What if I told you that there is one book available for purchase right now compiled of all of these things, and that this book is 100% accurate in everything it says and that you don’t need to buy a bunch of other books? You may think “you’re not going to try and convince me that the bible is all I need are you?”.

Well, actually I am, but instead of me laying out an exhaustive argument that I came up with while sipping tea in my living room, I will yield to what the bible has to say about itself instead.  For your enjoyment I have put together 16 exciting statements the bible makes about itself.  It’s important to remember that this is the Word of God that we are talking about here, inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself!  Yes, I love the bible with all of my heart, and to be honest it is tough at times to find people who are as enthusiastic as I am in reading it, but it is my aim that your opinion of the scriptures will continue to grow and that my zeal for bible reading will be contagious to you as well. Why should you be zealous in your scriptural commitment?

 Read what the bible says about itself:  

The Bible Is…

1) Perfect– Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect…”

2) Pure– Proverbs 30: 5 “Every Word of God is flawless”

3) Complete– Proverbs 30:6 “Do not add to his Words…” Revelation 22:7   “Behold I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.

4) Authoritative– Isaiah 1:2 “Hear O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken.

5) Sufficient to make you wise– 2 timothy 3:16 “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

6) Effective– Read Isaiah 55.

7) Divine– 2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

8 ) The source of truth– John 17:17 “Sanctify them by the Truth, Your Word is Truth.

9) The source of happiness– Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me…” Luke 11:28 “He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

10) The source of growth-1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in you salvation.”

11) The source of power– Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.”

12) The source of guidance– Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

13) The source of comfort– Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”

14) The source of perfection– 2 timothy 3:16 “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”

15) The source of Victory which leads to eternal life– John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

16) The source of purity– Psalm 119:9 : ” ⁹How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

The Bible is Infinitely Greater Than Any Other Book: Instead of filling your shelf at home with a mixed bag of various “Christian books”, consider devoting your time to reading the bible instead! Sure John Piper is interesting reading (though after reading 20 of his books they all pretty much sound exactly the same to me…) Likewise it is always entertaining to read the new ideas NT Wright has come up with regarding Paul (interesting how he “discovers” ideas that some how eluded the minds of theologians for 2000 years and still manages to maintain respect in the scholarly community). Don’t get me wrong, a person can learn a lot from reading various books and they serve an important purpose in explaining difficult topics. I even devote an entire page suggesting books for you to read! However, Whoever your favorite author may be, there is only one author that you should wholeheartedly believe and follow for the rest of your life; The Holy Spirit Himself. 

The bible is far more powerful than any uninspired book written by your favorite Christian author.  It is also so much more than the 16 examples I have provided.  What has the bible done in your life? How does the bible help you grow in your sanctification?  I look forward to hearing what you have to say!