Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Truth Like No Other

I was recently made aware of an article where patrons were able to write in and give their experiences with customer service at various retail store chains. Some of the experiences were heart warming as store employees went beyond the call of duty to help their customers. It was interesting to note, however, that one of the store chains to receive a complaint, was called “Friendly’s”. Now I have never even heard of such a store and do not know if this was an isolated incident or not, but I found it interesting that a store with a friendly name had unfriendly customer service.
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The experience of this particular customer reminds us that things are not always as they seem. It also reminds us that we cannot always trust those we are told we should be able to trust. I grew up believing that I could trust the Bible. That belief has not changed. There were some people that I thought I could trust, but I later found out I could not. The Bible is different. The more I study it, the more I realize I can trust it. I cannot accuse the Bible of false advertising or clever gimmicks that do not hold true. It is just what it claims to be. It can be trusted. It is truth like no other.
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The reason we can trust the Bible is because it comes from God. It was not made up by a bunch of men, it came to us be the inspiration of God. When God does something, it is perfect. It can be trusted. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
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Our perfect God has given us a perfect book. There are no errors in the Bible. His word assures us that it can be trusted. There may be a few things which we do not understand. Things which seem to our human minds to be impossible, but we must remember, we are only men, He is God. He is the one who parted the waters and walked on them. Because we are only human, we cannot expect to have ALL the answers. Instead, we must accept what He tells us as truth. For example, before the days of Columbus, folks could have known that the world was round if they had just read the Bible. Sadly, many laughed at the reference to the circle of the earth in Isaiah 40:22. Today we know the earth is not flat, God’s Word once again proves itself to be true.
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God’s Word itself makes a claim of trustworthiness. Consider Psalm 18:30-31, “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?” II Samuel 22:31-32 actually has the same words as the above verses. Please read Psalm 33:4 as well, “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” Christ Himself testified of the truth of God’s word as He prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
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These verses provide a foundation for the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Scriptures. There are other verses that also support this important teaching. “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” Psalms 119:140. “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Psalms 119:160. “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Psalms 12:6. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” Proverbs 30:5.
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As you can see, the claim that we can trust God’s Word, is not just a claim that is made by a country preacher, it a claim that is made by the Bible itself.

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